How to teach children to wear glasses?

Children’s glasses are an opportunity to preserve their vision into adulthood. If a child has vision problems, without glasses they will constantly strain their eye muscles, which can lead to poor vision and eye twitching. Wearing glasses relaxes the muscles and reduces eye strain. The earlier problems are detected and the earlier you start wearing glasses, the fewer problems you will have in the future.

So you have been to the optician, got a prescription and probably bought a pair of glasses. But your child does not want to wear glasses and starts to resist. To avoid this, it is important to address the issue from the beginning, even before the visit to the optician.

Explain the importance of glasses to your child

Use simple examples to explain the benefits of good vision to your child. Don’t put pressure on them, don’t use complicated terms and don’t threaten them (“you’ll be blind in 20 years”). Be specific and talk about the benefits that are important to the child:

• If a child has good eyesight, he can shoot a baby gun more accurately;
• They can watch cartoons while lying on the sofa;
• Child can move from the first to the last table with their peers.

Don’t teach your children the horrors of poor eyesight. It is much more important to teach them the positive things they can do in the here and now.

Let your child choose his or her own accessories

Advise him or her on what to choose, but don’t let your opinion overrule theirs. You may think round glasses look good on your daughter, but she has her own opinion. Let your child try on different frames, look at herself in the mirror and get a feel for what is most comfortable. Match the glasses with a nice case and teach your child to appreciate the upgrades. If the accessories are visually pleasing and not uncomfortable, the process of getting used to them will be much easier.

Praise instead of punishment

Don’t scold your son or daughter for walking around without glasses. On the contrary, praise them when you see them decorating themselves. For example, if he or she has been wearing glasses for a week, think of something to encourage him or her: take him or her to an amusement park or to the cinema to see a new film. In this case, the child will consciously or unconsciously wear the accessory to please you and get the reward you promised.

Eliminate the child’s shyness

Get them to notice beautiful girls and stylish boys wearing glasses on the street. Look for pictures of stars wearing this accessory or watch videos with your child of fashion bloggers talking about fashionable glasses. It is important that your child is not ashamed of being a “spectacle wearer” and that you try to convince them that glasses are normal and even fashionable.

Be a role model

When you visit the optician with your child, have your vision tested. Even if there are no problems, you can encourage your child by buying prescription glasses and wearing them regularly. Let your child know that your friends and colleagues admire you in your new glasses. Children look up to their parents at all ages.

Don’t talk about limitations

One of the biggest mistakes parents make is to limit a child’s activities because of poor vision. Once you’ve visited an optician and discovered the problem, don’t scold your child for sitting in front of the computer or playing on the phone. Soon your child will start to dislike the glasses and associate them with the problem. He or she will try all sorts of tricks to get what he or she wants. For example, he will memorize the chart for the vision test, show better results the next time and be allowed to use the device again.

Gently explain to your child the need to stay away from equipment, televisions and computers so that he or she understands the importance of such restrictions. From the first day of eye care, gradually reduce the time spent in front of screens, rather than taking them away immediately. Tell your child, “You can sit in front of the computer for two hours a day. Also, think of interesting activities and games that won’t strain or distract your child’s eyes.

Conclusions

Getting your child used to wearing glasses is not difficult. The main thing is not to make the common mistakes that many parents do. Under no circumstances should you pressurize, scold, restrict or punish your children. The carrot is much more effective than the stick.