Focus on Fundamentals

When it comes to fitting a child with glasses, a little patience, persistence, and lots of praise set the eyecare professional up for success. Couple that with knowledge of the fundamentals required in selecting, fitting, and creating the perfect pair of glasses for a child, whether it be their first pair or fifth, and you as an ECP can imprint a positive, lasting impression on the overall eyewear experience for the child and their parents.

Here, we break things down to present the fundamentals of kids’ eyewear, including frames and lenses.

Children’s Frames

Key areas of intention to consider when selecting frame styles for kids.

Focus On Durability. Children are hard on glasses; that’s a fact! Look for frames made with flexible materials and robust hinge designs to ensure the frames stand up to the wear and tear of young wearers. This will minimize the need for adjustments, repairs, or replacement and ensure a consistency of wear.

Focus On Child-Specific Bridge Fits. Just because a frame is labeled a child size (usually an A measurement of 48 or less), doesn’t necessarily mean the bridge fit has correctly been taken into account. One prevalent mistake frame designers make is leaving the DBL at 18mm, or, in some cases, larger. A range of 14mm to 17mm for DBL measurement is ideal to ensure that glasses stay up on a child’s bridge. Look for frames that have a lower-set bridge—where the bridge is set at the datum of the lens or that have at least one-third of the lens above the bridge.

Focus On Frames With Multiple Sizes. This can help you have a broad selection while still cutting down on inventory. A skilled optician can evaluate if one size smaller or bigger would be ideal, and with a tablet or catalog at your fingertips you also allow a child to see the full color selection.

Focus On Frames From Vendors That Offer Good Warranties. It is inevitable that a child will break their glasses at some point. Ensure that you select frames from vendors that understand that there needs to be additional concessions made for children’s frame warranties to help support the ECP in making a parent happy by offering a warranty for unplanned breakage.

Focus On Colorful and Fun Frame Designs. If a child is not excited about wearing their glasses, then compliance will be difficult, and loss or breakage is likely. Offering a selection of colorful and fun frames specifically for children will increase the odds a child will be excited to wear them. Then ECPs can engage the child in the eyewear selection process with the easiest icebreaker for even the most apprehensive: “What’s your favorite color?”

Children’s Spectacle Lenses

Crucial specifics to take into account when recommending lens options for kids:

Focus On Lenses That Meet Safety Requirements. In most of the U.S., it is required by law that children wear polycarbonate or an equally impact-resistant lens material such as Trivex. In other parts of the world, the optician has more plastic lens options to offer, but it is their responsibility to ensure a child’s lenses meet thickness requirements to ensure impact resistance regardless of material.

Focus On Extra-Tough and Durable Scratch-Resistant Coatings. While a scratchproof coating isn’t available as of now, adding a durable, scratch-resistant coating is a must on all children’s lenses. It will add a layer of protection to the lenses, increase visual acuity by preventing vision obstructions due to scratches, keep the lenses looking nicer for longer, and save money by reducing the need to replace lenses due to scratches.

Focus On UV and Blue Light Protection. Young eyes need extra protection as UV light damage is cumulative, so the earlier we prevent damage, the better. Having UV protection on a child’s eyeglass lenses keeps eyes healthy and protected. Adding blue light protection to a child’s lenses helps to maintain natural circadian rhythm and reduces digital eyestrain and provides protection against future unforeseen conditions related to blue light exposure.

4 Things to Avoid When Selecting + Fitting Glasses for Children

1 Avoid using a small adult frame. An adult frame usually will have temples that are too long for children, resulting in a surplus of length behind the ears even when adjusted.

2 Avoid a bridge that is too high or close to the top of the frame and frames that are very straight across the top. This causes the frame to sit low on a child’s bridge and leads to them looking over the top of the glasses rather than through the optical center of the lenses.

3 Avoid a frame that is just big enough now. Kids grow quickly, and if a frame is just the right size now it is likely to be too small within a few months. A frame that is too small will squeeze at the temples, leading to discomfort and pushing the frame forward, causing it to slide down the child’s nose.

4 Avoid appeasing the parent at the cost of the child’s wants. Selecting a frame can be a delicate negotiation between the wants of the child and parent. Ensure that a compromise can be made because a child needs to feel happy and confident in their eyewear.