First, a quick note to say that I have updated the photo galleries with some wonderful new photos of kiddos in glasses and in patches. Thank you to everyone who has shared their photos! They really go a long way to helping other families and young kids in glasses and patches to feel less alone.
‘Tis the season for all sorts of giveaways and contests, it seems. And there’s some really good ones going on right now. Here’s a quick rundown of the ones I know of:
- Share your opinions – be entered to win $50 Amazon card: There is a survey that is looking at ways to improve the glasses-buying experience for parents with young children who need glasses. They are looking for opinions of US parents whose children needed glasses before the age of 8. At the end of the survey, they will do a drawing and one participant will receive a $50 Amazon card. US only. UPDATE: Survey is still open. Survey closes Dec. 1, 2013. Take the survey here.
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Yes, that is celery wearing glasses.
Make a funny face with fruits and vegetables and glasses – win 1 of 12 pairs of Zoobug frames: Zoobug glasses has a super-cute funny face contest, with 12 winners, each receiving a pair of Zoobug frames! Just dress up a fruit or vegetable like a face wearing glasses and send the photo in to their facebook page, or tweet it to @Zoobuglondon. Contest is open worldwide, and ends December 9, 2013. More details here.
Closed. Facebook giveaway with a whole lot of prizes: Eye Candy by Gwen is hosting a huge holiday giveaway on her facebook page. The prizes include books, accessories, patches, and even eye glasses frames. Giveaway ends November 25, 2013. Contest is open worldwide, but shipping may be required for international winners in some cases. More details here.
Enter your child’s school library to win a copy of Jacob’s Eye Patch: Patch Pals and author Beth Kobliner Shaw are working together to give away 100 copies to elementary school libraries. US only. The last 25 copies will be given away on November 26, 2013. More details here.- Of course, there’s the patching giveaway going on here, with patches, books and a bear wearing an eye patch. The giveaway is open world wide and ends November 25. Take a look!
And please, if you haven’t looked at the Glasses board book Kickstarter, take a look. We are getting very close to our goal, but still need a bit more to be fully funded. The Kickstarter ends November 26.
For Little Eyes 
Who is running the survey and will the results be shared?
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Wish there were groups like this for my mom when I was young. I was a patched-kid. All this cute stuff wasn’t available then. My patching was a bit traumatic & I never knew any other kids that dealt with it.
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Hi Petra, I think that’s one of the wonderful things about the Internet. Even though we don’t know many people near us going through this, we can easily connect with others further away. I’m sorry you and your mom felt so alone going through this.
Do you have any thoughts about what might have made your patching less traumatic?
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Hmm would have to think about it some to have a really good list, but a few thoughts on what I can remember:
1. Information..can’t stress this one enough. Information for both the parent & child. Maybe docs can have a small list of support groups or at least the suggestion to find online groups like this one.
2. For the child, making it fun…and maybe bringing school friends into the understanding (I had patches as a toddler & in elementary school). I don’t really remember having a full understanding as to why I had to use the patches. They were uncomfortable (we couldnt afford the shaped ones so mom had to buy inexpensive square patches & use a shaped one as a pattern to cut them out). I remember getting to school & pulling it off when I had the chance. If my teacher knew I was supposed to have it on she would fuss up a storm! I don’t remember there ever being a time when my classmates were told what it was about. So there was some teasing involved (on top of having to wear glasses).
3. Paying attention to other medical things…this one is just something to think about…but having severe eye issues can also be another part of some other medical issue other than just having crossed eyes/lazy eyes, as was my case. I’m sure other parents already know that but in my case, there were other subtle things that added up. Today at 38, I am finding out that mine may be related to a recent Dx of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. With all the amazing new info we have pertaining to dna, if there are other things of concern, speaking with a geneticist would be a good idea.
I’m sure there is more but I’d have to take some time to think back about everything. If anyone has any questions they are welcome to ask away. 😀 Skimming through all of the gallery pics made me tear up remembering what I went through. Hopefully they are having more fun playing pirate & the such! So cute! And all the sweet little patch designs!
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What a helpful list. Would it be ok if I shared this as a post to the blog?
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