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Original poster

those of you whose children wear glasses...

82 replies

booyhoo · 30/07/2009 22:00

have they ever been subject to bullying?

both my sister and i wore glasses from primary school age and were both bullied for it. also there was a boy in our school was bullied quite badly for wearing glasses.

my 4 yo ds has just been prescribed glasses and i want to make sure he's able to stand up for himself and hopefully not be affected as badly as i was if he is bullied.

any advice would be appreciated.
tia

OP posts:
NeverEndingPileOfLaundry · 31/07/2009 12:46

Bonsoir Anna - your DD's long sight may improve. I have worn glasses since I was 2 and will always have to due to other complications, but things have most certainly improved. At my worst I was +2 in one eye and +4 in the other. I am now ever so slightly short sighted in the +2 eye (!) and +3 in the other. My long sight improved dramatically during my teens, in part as a result of the way the eye grows, and also as a result of close work required in studying for GCSE's / A Levels!

gloomysue · 31/07/2009 13:01

My 8 year old dd has some Hannah Montana glasses and has never been teased, in fact some of her friends are quite jealous.

flaime · 31/07/2009 14:10

My DDs both wear bifocal glasses and the only comments they get are when their friends see the line across them and think they're broken

As lots of people have said they are very stylish these days and loads of kids have them so it's not unusual to them.

My DS was gutted when he was told he had perfect eyesight as he'd had batman ones picked out for months

trellism · 31/07/2009 14:12

I was bullied for all sorts of reasons at school but not really the glasses. Bullies will find whatever someone is sensitive about, and bully them for that. Whether that's your name, your hair, your unsatisfactory trainers, your shyness, whatever...

Try not to let your ds pick up on any of your anxieties about his glasses - I know it's hard because of your experiences, but if he likes them, understands why he has to wear them and looks nice in them, he shouldn't have much to worry about.

And the other posters are right, children's glasses today are lovely. I also recommend, btw, some prescription swimming goggles if he goes swimming a lot - they're relatively cheap (£30) and help a great deal.

Blu · 31/07/2009 14:16

DS has been wearing glasses for reading since he was 5 or 6.

And not only has he not been bullied or resisted them, I was guilty of ignoring the letter from school that said he had not passed hhis eye test and would be monitired because his bf wore glasses and I suspected that he had deliberately failed the eye test to get some too !

If you are concerned that glasses might be an issue at school, have a word with the class teacher before the glasses are introduced.

DS has 'Star Wars' glasses from D&A at the moment, and loves them.

Tinker · 31/07/2009 14:18

My 12 year old has worn them since she was 3. No bullying. Loads more kids wear glasses now than when I was at school.

geekgirl · 31/07/2009 14:24

dd2 has worn glasses since she was 4. She also wears a hearing aid and has Down's syndrome, so I suppose the glasses are small fry, but she's never been bullied for anything.
Dd1 (just turned 10) has been wearing glasses for 6 months and hasn't been bullied either. As others have said, I think it's become a complete non-issue.

Original poster
booyhoo · 31/07/2009 14:31

wow, so many positive stories. that really does make me feel soo much better. we use a very small village optician, and they dont seem to have a great range for children.would i be better going to one of the chain opticians? and will they charge?

OP posts:
elliott · 31/07/2009 14:59

I've always had a pretty good range of free frames, occasionally I've paid a little because I've accidentally chosen a pair that aren't free.

carocaro · 31/07/2009 15:06

DS1 (7)has glasses for reading and school work, Star Wars The Clone Wars ones no less and this makes it TOTALLY COOL with is mates!

BadgersArse · 31/07/2009 15:07

almost a year to the day since ds3 got glasses here. I cant imagine that its only a year tbh! I was less than excited and I stilll find they are an impediment to good smocching his soft cheeks ( no doubt he is pleased) BUT they make such a difference.

am stunned oyu lot know your kids prescriptions! ( and anna her kids age TO THE MONTH!!)

but he hasnt had any hassle about it.

MagicGlassesFairy · 31/07/2009 15:34

The chain opticians will not charge - unless you choose glasses that aren't part of the free scheme. The way it works for us is that you get a certain value towards the glasses - which means some are completely free and others you have to pay something towards. This includes standard lenses. If you want them thinned (which is really only necessary once you get towards the -8 realm) it costs - a lot.
We use an independent opticians - who are v good.
Also echo the prescription goggles - my DD clamps her on in the changing rooms the minute I take off her glasses and won't give them up again till her glasses are back in her hands!

Toffeepopple · 31/07/2009 16:48

DS has had them for eighteen months, no bullying.

He was not the first in class to get them though, and I think the teacher had already had words with the class about such things.

BonsoirAnna · 31/07/2009 17:54

NeverEndingPileOfLaundry - thanks for that . I am hoping that, since there is very high incidence of severe myopia in our family, that her long sight will improve. I have read that can be the case!

2babyblues · 31/07/2009 18:07

My son who has just finished reception has been wearing glasses for a year and a half and no one has said anything bad to him as far as I know. He loves his glasses and even when they need to get changed always chooses the same pair - Mr Bump ones (hope they don't discontinue them)! I think they are now seem as quite cool as so many more children seem to wear glasses now, and of course there are some really good ones to choose from. I never had any trouble getting him to wear them either.

inVlanderen · 31/07/2009 18:08

DD has worn glasses since 18 months old or thereabouts, also a patch, on and off.. The glasses seem accepted as part of her, the (brightly coloured attractive) patches are sought after (!)

One important thing for long sighted people... The bigger the frame, the thicker the lenses.. stick to the smallest possible frame, ideally with a rounded top (so kid doesn´t just look over the top of their specs..)

BonsoirAnna · 31/07/2009 18:32

It's more comfortable for the child to have larger glasses frames and compressed lenses, though.

Plus the round glasses are very unflattering!

Original poster
booyhoo · 31/07/2009 18:37

did all your children take time to actually be able to see through their glasses?

optician told me vision would be blurry for a while til he got used to it. but ds says he really cant see through them.

OP posts:
Dormez · 31/07/2009 18:38

My ds aged 8, wears glasses and has since he was 6 all his friends and his brother always want them too. Only advice would be not to spend too much on them as his first pair we bought posh ones because we were worried about bullying etc and he broke them within a week! we used the voucher for spares which he ended up wearing. His dad took him next time and got super bendy ones which were free! He has had so many pairs it's unbelievable!

nix72 · 31/07/2009 19:47

My 8 year old ds has been wearing glasses since he was in Yr1. He did have a few unkind comments when he first started wearing them, some of the boys in his class said he was "gay" because he wore them. Teacher nipped it in the bud really quickly and he hasn't had a problem since. My main issue is that he forgets to take them off at playtime when he doesn't need to wear them, I have lost count of the times they have come home in pieces!

HoneySocks · 31/07/2009 19:50

My DD is just 4 and has worn her glasses since easter - she loves them and there are two in her nursery with glasses too, she will start in reception now and i am sure there will be more as lots of kids dont have sight tests under the age of four i think.
i was tearful when she first started to wear them but they are part of her now and i think it is lovely that her beautiful eyes look even larger in them!

Chatkins · 31/07/2009 19:57

My dd1 was four when she got her glasses and had no problems at all in nursery, or in reception. She had a little bit of trouble last year in year one though. Some kids in the playground calling her blindface, which tghen spread to her classmates. She told me all about it and I was a lot more upset and angry than she was. She didn't want me to speak to teacher, so I waited until parents evening and mentioned it then. They were very shocked and upset and said they would put a stop to it immediately. Not sure what they did but it worked !
I agree with others, glasses are part of her now, she looks so cute in them, smart too ! Agree with others too, the worst thing is how often they get lost or broken !

applepudding · 31/07/2009 22:02

DS was prescribed glasses following his pre-school eye test at 4. He was told that his prescription at that age was very mild but as he got older his need for glasses would increase for distance work. We decided to get him the glasses straight away although he could have coped without them in Reception as we wanted him and his class mates to be used to seeing him in glasses. The first couple of times he put them on a couple of the children giggled but that was just because it was new to them seeing him with glasses. They are used to him now(Y3); he is a popular little boy and looks cute in his glasses.

We have paid extra for him to have some glasses with bendy frames so they are less easily damaged.

blissa · 01/08/2009 09:32

Dd2 has worn glasses since she was 2 and used to wear patches at pre-school, it was actually some of the other mothers that used to comment more than the children! Not horribly, but just bringing it to attention.

She has just finished reception year where there were 2 others in her class that wear glasses. It's just accepted that she wears glasses. There are so many different styles and colours now, she gets excited when she gets a new pair!

mankyscotslass · 01/08/2009 10:07

My eldest has worn glasses since he was 3 1\2. He is now 7, and only in the last few months one boy in his class has picked on him and another boy who wears glasses. The teacher has dealt with it and hopefully it will be ok next year. TBH, I was expecting it sooner based on my own experience, but so far it has been ok really, and DS is tottally comfortable wearing them.