Cool glasses can help boost kids’ confidence
As adults, many of us may recall the trepidation toward and reluctance to wearing glasses when we were kids. “Four-eyes” was often the chant of schoolyard bullies at the time, as they taunted young classmates whose vision required eyeglasses, and many children would “accidentally on purpose” lose or break their glasses as an excuse not to wear them.
Today, however, eyewear for children has become so stylish that many kids are eager to wear glasses as a fashion statement as much as for the correction of their vision. Norma Brown, a licensed optician and director of operations for Specs of Westport, says that “geek chic” is in, whether kids are physically in class in
school, or learning remotely from home, when they are invariably spending more time in front of the computer or other devices, during COVID-19.
Dorothy Reynolds, owner of Eyes on Fairfield, says that colorful glasses are also trending. “Kids are liking color. I have boys asking for red, blue, and purple frames,” Reynolds observes, whereas girls can be all over the map. “Girls tend to gravitate toward their favorite color for their whole life or for the moment,” she says. At Specs of Westport, Brown notes that boys have been asking for
glasses in blue and green, while girls want red, pink, and purple.
It’s a good thing that kids are comfortable wearing glasses because, according to research from adult and children’s eyewear manufacturer Safilo Group, a Padua, Italyheadquartered eyewear brand that offers a Kids by Safilo line of eyewear, “one in six school-aged children have vision problems and, if left untreated by the age of 8, some childhood vision problems can cause permanent low vision and poor quality of life for a child.”
The eyewear from the Kids by Safilo collection are “glasses for children, not children’s glasses,” according to the company’s website, which goes on to state that these glasses are not a smaller version of adult eyewear, but rather are glasses “made to adapt perfectly to a child’s face shape and active lifestyle.” The styles for children up to age 3, for instance, do not have hinges but rather soft flexible rubber joints.
Vision is so important because it affects a child’s ability to read and learn, explains Brown, whose company — which also includes Specs of Darien and Specs of Fairfield — carries about a dozen brands of children’s eyewear, among them Kids by Safilo. Parents, who don’t always see eye-to-eye with their kids, should let them choose what to put on their face, Reynolds advises. If kids like their glasses, they are much more likely to wear them, and it’s important that they do. Glasses prescribed to young children and teenagers are often not only about clear vision. They are imperative to correct vision problems such as strabismus — or wandering eye, amblyopia — or lazy eye, and double vision.
As Brown puts it, “It’s not just about the fashion. Eyeglasses are a medical device.” Brown says catching a child’s eye problem early can result in successful strengthening of muscles and stabilization of vision through the use of prescription glasses, which means they can prevent surgery to correct vision.
“When children come into the store, it’s very important that they see a lot of different eyeglass frames ... when children wear their eyeglasses, they have to feel very special about them. The important thing with children is to let them know how (eyeglasses) can help them see better but also look better,” says Chris Cannella, a licensed optician at Specs of Westport. Kids often have strong opinions as to the style of the eyeglasses they wear.
Vision is so important because it affects a child’s ability to read and learn.
Michael, a 16-year-old Fairfield County resident, was fitted for glasses when he was 11 years old and in the sixth grade. “When my mom and I visited the doctor’s office, there weren’t quite as many options as I would have liked,” he recalls. “It was hard to find a shape and color that I liked — I wished there were more square shapes and more variations of the same types of frames — but I ended up with green square frames.”
Michael’s mother, Kristin, explains that the fit of the glasses, as well as the cost, played a big role in the purchase. “We were happy with the purchase initially and then gradually Michael felt they didn’t suit him as much as he previously thought,” she says. “It’s tough to buy almost anything for a preteen or teen and expect them to like it for more than a few months. Their tastes change so quickly and with some things, their growth can mean replacing an item more quickly than anticipated.”
Reynolds says it’s also unrealistic for parents to expect children to get two years out of a pair of glasses because of their growth spurts. It’s not
about the construction of kids’ eyewear, which has come a long way. Frames and lenses are more durable than ever in anticipation and accommodation of rough and tumble activity in the backyard, on the playground, and on sports fields.
Most eyewear for kids is shock-proof and washable. Safilo’s collection of round and square frames are “ergonomically designed to cover a child’s full field of vision while aiming to be fashionable, comfortable, durable and lightweight. The collection is also safe from sharp edges and made of bio-based materials that are washable, hypoallergenic and non-toxic … the glasses do not weigh on the nose or hurt behind the ears.”
And what is the right time for children to have their first eye exam? The American Optometric Association (AOA) “recommends infants should receive their first comprehensive eye exam as soon as six months old. Another eye exam should occur at three years old, and again before they enter kindergarten, usually between the ages of five and six.”