This podcast was produced in partnership with Transitions Optical.

When it comes to prescribing glasses for children, protecting their eyes from UV light exposure found both indoors and outdoors is essential to a lifetime of ocular health. Our podcast guest today is Christine Howard, an optician at Attleboro Vision Care and a Transitions Change Agent. She started her career in optical as an interning high school student. She attended college to become an elementary school teacher, but upon graduating in 2008 during the difficult Recession years, she had to supplement her teacher’s salary with moonlighting at a local optical. When she got the opportunity to work full time at her optical, she took the leap and has never looked back.  Her educational background has been extremely useful in connecting with patients and properly explaining the benefits of the glasses that were prescribed.

One of the most important things she educates parents about is the importance of getting kids in to see the doctor for a comprehensive eye exam. The American Optometric Association recommends that a child’s first eye exam should be between 6 months to 12 months of age to rule out vision threatening issues like tumors or congenital cataracts. They should then have another eye exam at least once between ages 3 and 5, and then annually thereafter through age 18. Howard finds that most parents are very unfamiliar with the need for pediatric eye exams, and she makes a point of educating every parent that comes into her office with kids about this recommendation.  Parents are often under the mistaken opinion that if their child is having problems with vision, they will let them know. “Kids don’t know what they don’t know,” Howard explains. If a child has always had vision difficulties, that abnormal vision is their normal. According to a study by VSP, half of all children in the US have never had an eye exam. As eyecare providers we’re charged with doing a better job of educating the public about the need for comprehensive exams!  

If a child does need glasses, how can we engage them in the process?

In today’s climate, children are typically more excited about wearing glasses than in generations past, but that is not true across the board. Howard shares that it’s essential to communicate with the child directly and engage them with their likes and preferences.  If a child is very reluctant or upset about the idea of glasses, find something that they are interested in and connect glasses to that. She shares the story of a young boy who was upset about needing glasses, but a big fan of Marvel comics. Once she connected with him by discussing Tony Stark’s glasses, he became very excited to look like his idol, Iron Man. For older children, Dr. Glover shares his tactic that educating them that they can improve their scores on video games can go a long way to getting them to wear their glasses.

When fitting kids with glasses, Howard treats children very much like adults. Lifestyle considerations are the key foundation.  Children naturally lead a more active lifestyle, so she educates the need for durable, well-fitting frames with impact resistant lens materials. Another key consideration is time spent outside. Studies have shown that 50% of our lifetime UV exposure occurs before age 20. Additionally,