Talking About Optometry For Kids

Teaching Your Child To Take Good Care Of Their Glasses

27 October 2016

Amelia Dunn

When your child gets glasses, you're bound to find yourself reminding them to put their glasses on, not to sit on them, and to store them properly in their case. Adapting to wearing glasses is not easy, especially for a youngster, and there are some things you'll want to do to help teach your child to take good care of their new spectacles. Here's a look.

Develop a glasses care routine.

Your child will have to get used to cleaning their glasses; otherwise, the lenses are going to look dusty and grimy quite often. The easiest way to get your child to clean their glasses on a regular basis is to make a routine out of it. You can do this at bedtime. After your child has brushed their teeth and otherwise gotten ready for bed, sit with them and observe as they wipe their lenses with some glasses cleaner and a soft cloth before putting the glasses in a case and setting them on the night stand. Do this for a few weeks, and soon your child will adapt to the routine, caring for their glasses with little prompting from you.

Buy a case that they like.

Especially if your child has to take their glasses on and off during school hours, it is extremely important that you get a case they like. Otherwise, they might be too embarrassed to take their case out in front of their friends. So, let your child pick out their own case at your eye doctor's office or from an online retailer. It's not a bad idea to get an extra, too, just in case the first one goes missing.

Sit down with your child and chat about things that are bad for glasses.

Instead of constantly watching your child and having to yell things like "Don't bend them!" and "Don't clean them with soap!" across the room, sit down early on and talk with your child about things that are bad for their glasses. On this list should be:

• Setting them on a table without their case
• Putting them in a backpack, desk, pencil case, etc. without a case
• Bending the frame
• Touching the lenses with their fingers
• Using anything other than glasses cleaner to clean the glasses
• Using rough cloths to clean the glasses

If you do see your child doing any of these things, gently remind them it's bad for their glasses. Understand that they're probably not trying to "be bad" and disobey you – they're just still adapting to their new glasses and how to care for them. For more information, contact local professionals like De Venuto Joseph J.

Share