Author Archives: Ann Z

Colorblindness (or color vision deficiency) and kids

I don’t write about colorblindness in children much, largely because it is not something that can be corrected with glasses or contacts or patches.  But it is certainly a component of vision, and a very important one for children (and adults). Recently, a friend contacted me because his son was recently diagnosed as having moderate-to-severeContinue reading “Colorblindness (or color vision deficiency) and kids”

Contests, giveaways, and surveys, oh my!

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.Continue reading “Contests, giveaways, and surveys, oh my!”

Patching giveaway!! Eye patches, books, and a patching bear!

Updated: Thank you everyone who entered!  Congratulations to Sheri and Fran, whose names were chosen as winners. Patching is never much fun, but sometimes a little bit can go a long way to making it a bit better.  We have a great giveaway with  items from Kids’ Bright Eyes and Patch Land Adventures to helpContinue reading “Patching giveaway!! Eye patches, books, and a patching bear!”

World Prematurity Day – Visual issues associated with prematurity

Today, November 17, is World Prematurity Day (yes, the byline for this blog says Nov. 18, but it’s still the 17th where I am).  It’s a day to focus attention on the global problem of premature births.  Many of the readers of this site and our facebook group have children who were born premature.  ToContinue reading “World Prematurity Day – Visual issues associated with prematurity”

Glasses! a board book – update

The Kickstarter for the Glasses! board book is still running.  There are only 9 days left, and we’re almost two-thirds of the way there! I have heard so often from so many of you that seeing pictures of other children in glasses has helped so much.  For kids, seeing other kids in glasses helps them feel lessContinue reading “Glasses! a board book – update”

Updates! Great Glasses Play Day, the Glasses book, and a huge giveaway

There’s a lot of recent updates that I haven’t done a good job of keeping up with, so here goes: The 2014 date for the Great Glasses Play Day has been announced.  We had a lot of requests to move away from the August date due to weather issues in a lot of locations.  AfterContinue reading “Updates! Great Glasses Play Day, the Glasses book, and a huge giveaway”

Glasses: a board book for young ones in glasses

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I had a book that I was working on a board book and would be launching a Kickstarter soon.  Well the Kickstarter has launched!  And I’d love your support. Glasses: a board book The book is titled Glasses.  It will be a board book that features photos ofContinue reading “Glasses: a board book for young ones in glasses”

Frequently asked questions: My child’s eyes cross without their glasses, are the glasses making their eyes worse?

This is one of the questions that comes up very often in the Little Four Eyes facebook group.  The question usually reads something like this: My child just started wearing glasses a few weeks ago for farsightedness.  Before getting glasses, we noticed that her eyes would cross, but only occasionally.  When her glasses are on,Continue reading “Frequently asked questions: My child’s eyes cross without their glasses, are the glasses making their eyes worse?”

Books about glasses, contacts, and patches — written from experience

It should come as no surprise that I love books and turn to books especially when it comes to children’s books.  I’m a librarian, after all.  When Zoe first got glasses, I set out to find some good books for a young toddler in glasses.  And I came up pretty short.  There are certainly booksContinue reading “Books about glasses, contacts, and patches — written from experience”

Everybody has a something: Book review and giveaway of Jacob’s Eye Patch

Jacob cannot wait to get to the store to get his very own light up globe, but there are few things his mom needs to do first: pick up his brother, and get some ice cream. Along the way, much to Jacob’s chagrin, people keep stopping him to ask about his patch. Jacob’s Eye Patch,Continue reading “Everybody has a something: Book review and giveaway of Jacob’s Eye Patch”

Your stories: Not a pirate, just a kid

September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.  It’s a silly day to enjoy saying “ARRRR” and “avast!”  And in recent years, it’s also been a day to raise money for charitable causes such as Childhood Cancer Support.  I’m a big fan of silliness, and a huge fan of supporting worthy causes, but asContinue reading “Your stories: Not a pirate, just a kid”

Some of the (other) great benefits of having a young kid in glasses

A long time ago (well, long time in Internet land), I wrote a post about the good side of having a kid in glasses.  My favorite was that everyone seemed to notice Zoe’s glasses, so they probably didn’t notice the stains on her shirt.   I’d been thinking about that post again as I’ve recentlyContinue reading “Some of the (other) great benefits of having a young kid in glasses”

Book review and giveaway: Samantha Wears a Contact Lens and Patch…JUST LIKE YOU

Samantha is like most other kids:  She love to read books, she plays outside with her friends, she gets hugs from her mom to make her feel better.  Oh, and Samantha wears a contact lens and a patch due to a congenital cataract. In Juliette Vignola’s book, “Samantha Wears a Contact Lens and a Patch,”Continue reading “Book review and giveaway: Samantha Wears a Contact Lens and Patch…JUST LIKE YOU”

Princess Peeps package giveaway from Peeps Eyewear and Eye Power Kid’s Wear

Peeps Eyewear was created by Kristin Ellsworth in response to her young daughter saying she didn’t want to wear glasses because “princesses don’t wear glasses.”  She designed fun and durable glasses for kids aged 2 – 7, and wrote a book to go along with it, “Princesses wear glasses.”  You can customize the book withContinue reading “Princess Peeps package giveaway from Peeps Eyewear and Eye Power Kid’s Wear”