• I realized I was horribly behind in updating our photo gallery.  I’ve taken care of that, and we’re up to 159 fantastic pictures, there.  As always, if I somehow missed a picture you sent me, I am sorry.  Please let me know.  And if you’d like to have your child’s picture in the gallery, send (ann@shinypebble.com) the photo, or a link to it, along with any text you’d like included, and a quick sentence giving me permission to post it.
• Speaking of photos, the Children’s Eye Foundation has published their 2013 Eyecare for Kids calendar.  The calendar features photos from its I Care for Eye Care photo contest that it holds each spring.  As always, there’s some great pictures of kids in glasses featured in it.  Proceeds from the sale of the calendar to go the Children’s Eye Foundation, you can also download the calendar in pdf format.
• Speaking of the Children’s Eye Foundation, they recently posted an interesting link on facebook about an eye chart that is still commonly used in pediatricians’ offices that is not based on any research or studies – the kindergarten or sailboat chart shown here.  That post spawned quite a bit of conversation about eye charts that are commonly used.  The two charts with pictures that are approved by a variety* of groups here in the US are the LEA symbols (the square, circle, apple, and house) and the Allen symbols (the birthday cake, horse, tree, bird, telephone, hand, and jeep).  Also approved are the tumbling E chart (where you indicate which way the E is facing), and the H, O, T, V chart (which uses only the letters H, O, T, and you guessed it, V), as well as the familiar letter chart, once your child is good with letter identification.
• and finally, speaking of facebook (I am the queen of topic transitions tonight!), we have a new spin off group called Little Four Eyes Marketplace a place to pass along, for free or not, glasses frames and other little ones’ eye and glasses related items.  And our original Little Four Eyes facebook group now has well over 2,000 members!  If you’re on facebook, please join us.

*The groups that have approved the charts mentioned are: the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Certified Orthoptists, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.