I can’t believe my little four eyes turned 5!  Now it seems, more of her friends are joining the glasses club.  It is nice to see more kids in glasses at playdates.  A friend e-mailed me this question and I thought I would share with anyone else who may have an older kid new to glasses.  We started SO long ago that sometimes it is hard to even remember a day where my baby didn’t have glasses.

Q – My 5 year old son is getting his first glasses. I was wondering if either of you have suggestions? Are any types less likely to break? Any brands you all have liked?

A – Congrats on joining the glasses club!  At 5 he should be fine with anything.  Now all kids glasses are polycarbonate which means they already protect from the sun, are somewhat scratch resistant and won’t shatter.  Out Pediatric ophthalmologist strongly recommended against transition lenses for us, but each case is different.  The biggest thing will be to make sure they fit right.  We have used 8 different brands, she has Disney 187 CC frames right now.  All have had pluses and minuses, but have worked well for us.  We use cable temples, but most 5 year olds are just in regular temples and use a strap to hold them on when they play soccer or are running.  I use Lange Eye Care only because that is the only place that accepts my insurance.  IF you do that, make sure you work with a licensed optometrist to fit your glasses as most of the employees are not trained outside of the store.  I also have a pair from JC Penny.  They usually have awesome deals for pairs, but limited selection.  I just go and have Elly try on ALL the glasses available and I look for ones that fit her face (size and style)  Looking back, the one thing I wish is that I bought one of those cute stands for the glasses to sit on at night.  We have a bad habit of just throwing them on the dresser.
Hope this helps!

Amanda