ASK THE LABS

Little Issues

Lens fitting advice to prevent small children’s lenses from turning into big problems

Question: What are some common issues you encounter with kids’ eyewear jobs and what can ECPs do to fit kids more successfully in eyewear?

a: I suggest that each order for children be thoroughly reviewed before calling in or sending via your software program. When customers carefully take their time to ensure each order is right the first time, it helps produce better results and fewer remakes. Most of the remakes we receive are for errors such as leaving off the cylinder in the Rx, entering the axis wrong (for example, 110 instead of 10), and ordering polarized when the customer actually wanted photochromics or vice versa. Another common error is leaving off the AR coating. Actually, this advice can apply to orders for adults as well as children.

— Mike Fussell, manager of sales and customer service, Robertson Optical of Columbia, SC

a: ECPs can recommend aspheric lens designs for high-plus or -minus prescriptions. Aspheric lenses will make the eyewear thinner and lighter, with the advantage of better vision in the periphery. Because kids’ frames are smaller with usually narrow PDs, this helps reduce lens thickness in the nasal for high-plus lenses and reduces the edge thickness for high-minus lenses.

It can be difficult to properly measure pupillary distances in smaller children due to squirming, inattention, or various vision disorders. For the best results, have the examining doctor measure the PD during the exam. If this is not possible, use whatever technique that will allow the most accurate measurement. An accurate PD helps to eliminate unwanted horizontal prism in the final product.

Children should always have polycarbonate as the material of choice for impact resistance. Dispensers should always be aware of the safety aspects when ordering children’s eyewear. Trivex and high-index are certainly options, but the industry-recognized standard in impact resistance is polycarbonate.

Frames should be selected for their durability for the abuse kids normally put their eyewear through. I’d also suggest sticking to the models designed just for kids.

— Gerald Haigh, president, J&J Optical, Inc., Paradise, CA

a: I agree that all kids need to be in polycarbonate lenses for reasons of safety, but also because of the UV protection, which is very important. In addition to impact resistance, poly lenses also have UV400 in the lenses already. Regarding successful fits, I think it’s best to have saddle bridges so the weight of the frame is distributed evenly over the child’s nose. Use zyl frames if possible, because they will not break as easily as a metal frames.

— Jean Pollard, customer service manager, Robertson Optical

GAME FACE

If your young patients are also involved in sports, recommend sports safety eyewear in which both frame and lenses are impact resistant, even if they don’t need corrective lenses. Consider this:

• 100,000 sports-related eye injuries occur each year (42,000 serious enough to require an ER visit)

• One-third of those injuries involve children

• Most eye injuries impact kids ages 11 to 14 while playing sports

• Protective eyewear can prevent 90 percent of those sports-related injuries