those of you whose children wear glasses...

[booyhoo]

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

I think he'll be ok, I think 'cos they are younger children there might not be such a problem, it's when they get to 12 years + it can get nasty (trust me on that one) but all his schoolmates will have loads of time to get used to it and before long it'll seem like he's always been speccy! (I'm a foureyes myself, by the way, just wish I had some in the back of my head, have 2 year old who was v late walking but thinks he is mountain goat.)

My DD started wearing glasses for short sight at 9. She hated wearing them and switched to contact lenses in her mid teens. I woundn't say she was bullied but when she also needed teeth braces a few years later she certainly didn't think she looked cool.

Two of my DS also need glasses for short sight at 13/14. Ds1 is very confident and was never bullied. He has only ever uses contact lense for sport and glasses for school and work. The younger lad is very self consious, is upset by the comments made by his peers and would love to switch to contacts. Unfortunately he's tried twice and just can't get on with them.

I'm sure it's easier for younger ones. If they have always had to wear glasses their classmates are more accepting.

DD aged 5yrs 8 months has been wearing glasses for the last 6 months. I have found that the most important thing has been to make sure DD was happy with them. Our optician places a huge emphasis on the children picking their own glasses (with her help on suitabilty). This has made her feel very grown up.

DD is naturally very shy and quiet but strangely enough I think her glasses have given her confidence as her classmates have noticed her since she has been wearing them. Many of the girls have gone home to their mums and asked if they can have glasses too! As a very vain mother (contact lense wearer) I was really upset when I found out DD needed glasses but now I think she looks really cute and they are part of who she is. BTW, DD also needs to wear a patch for 3 hours a day as she has a squint. She could wear it after school but most days chooses to wear it to school, which I think shows that kids don't tend to tease at this young age. Good luck!

ds says he cant see the tv or computer through his glasses.

is this normal for the first few days? or should i see the optician?

I dont remember DS haveing that problem, in fact the improvement for him was instant.
Give them a ring tomorrow.

Apparently long sighted children can find it difficult to get used to wearing glasses because the improvement isnt as obvious to them as it is to short sighted people.
I would check with the optician though.

Talking of young children and glasses my 3yrold grandson has just started wearing them but tends to look under and over them. Any suggestions on how to encourage him to wear them properly? Also he seems somewhat withdrawn when wearing them almost like there is a barrier between him and the outside world. Will he get used to them and become his usual outgoing self again?