How to help your child get used to wearing glasses

At a glance

• A child's eye test is a lot like a game: looking at pictures, shapes and lights.
• If the doctor uses eye drops, vision may be blurry for a while. Tell your child beforehand.
• Let your child choose their frames. That way the glasses become theirs.
• Follow the eye doctor's advice on how long and when to wear them.
• Praise every day they wear their glasses, and don't scold when they break or go missing.

What happens at a child's eye test?

At a child's eye test, your child mostly looks at pictures, shapes and lights, and for little ones the eye doctor often presents it as a game.

Children who don't know their letters yet recognise simple pictures: a house, a car, an apple. Older children read letters or point to which way a symbol is open. The doctor may look into the eyes with a small light and ask your child to follow a toy.

Sometimes the doctor puts drops in the eyes to see more clearly. The drops can sting a little at first, and afterwards vision may be blurry and bright light uncomfortable for a while. Ask beforehand whether drops will be used, so you can tell your child what to expect and bring sunglasses or a cap.

How to prepare:

• Tell them briefly what's coming: "The doctor will look at your eyes, and you'll say which pictures you can see."
• Play eye test at home: hold up pictures from across the room, cover one eye with a hand.
• Bring a favourite toy and a snack.
• If you can, choose a time when your child is well rested.

How do I help my child choose glasses?

Children accept glasses more easily when they have a say in choosing the frames, while you check that they're comfortable and the right fit.

Let them choose from a few suitable options: the colour, the shape, a design they like. Glasses they picked themselves become "theirs" rather than something forced on them.

Things worth checking with the optician or eye doctor:

• A good fit. The frames shouldn't slide down the nose or pinch behind the ears.
• Sturdiness. Flexible frames survive play better.
• Good coverage. Your child should look through the lenses, not over the top of them.

Talk about people they love who wear glasses: a grandparent, a teacher, a favourite character from books or cartoons. Your child sees that glasses are ordinary, and even cool.

What if my child refuses to wear glasses?

If your child refuses to wear glasses, don't give up after the first few tries: start with short spells during activities they enjoy, as the eye doctor advises.

At first, the world looks different through lenses. Your child needs time to adjust, and pushback in the first days is very common.

What helps:

• Enjoyable activities. Put the glasses on for cartoons, picture books or play, not at mealtimes or bedtime when your child is already tired.
• Small steps. Build up wearing time gradually, following the eye doctor's plan.
• A two-week chart. A sticker for every day they wore their glasses. Praise consistency, not perfection.
• Your example. If you wear glasses too, wear them together. If not, glasses for teddy can be a good idea.
• No battles. If they pull them off, put them back calmly without a row, or try again a bit later.

If they break or get lost, don't shame your child. Children's glasses go through a lot. A calm tone stops them linking glasses with getting told off.

How do I handle teasing?

Teasing about glasses is easier to handle when your child has a simple line to say and their teacher knows in advance.

Prepare them with a short sentence they can say calmly: "They help me see." Practise it at home, like a role-play game.

What else you can do:

• Talk to the teacher. Say the glasses are new and ask them to give some praise, or to explain briefly to the class what glasses are for.
• Listen. If your child comes home upset, ask what happened and tell them it's natural to feel hurt.
• Show role models. Characters, sports stars or people they love who wear glasses.
• Keep an eye on it. If the teasing continues or turns unkind, talk to the school again.

How do I keep glasses on a toddler?

Glasses stay on a toddler better with a soft strap or sports band and short wearing times during activities they enjoy.

Toddlers often pull their glasses off out of curiosity, not stubbornness. A few things help:

• A soft strap or elastic band around the back of the head.
• A flexible frame suited to their age.
• Put the glasses on when your child is busy with something interesting, so they don't think about them.
• Stay calm when they take them off, and put them back without comment.
• Follow the doctor's plan for how long they wear them.

Step by step

1. When you book, ask how the eye test works and whether drops are used.
2. Explain briefly to your child what's coming, as a picture game.
3. Practise at home: pictures from across the room, one eye covered with a hand.
4. Bring a toy, a snack and, if needed, sunglasses or a cap to the appointment.
5. If glasses are needed, let your child choose the frames from suitable options.
6. Start wearing them during enjoyable activities, following the doctor's plan.
7. Make a chart for the first two weeks and add a sticker for each day.
8. Tell the teacher, and practise the line "They help me see".
9. With older children, agree on a fixed place for the case and a way to clean the lenses.

By age

• Ages 1–3: a soft strap or sports band, short wearing times during favourite play, with the doctor's plan as your guide.
• Ages 4–5: frames they chose themselves, a story about first glasses, and a line for friends: "They help me see."
• Ages 6–8: responsibility for cleaning their glasses and putting them in the case, plus a few simple words for classmates and the teacher.

Words that help and words to skip

• Try: "Your glasses help you see everything more clearly."

• Try: "You chose these frames. They really suit you."

• Try: "You wore your glasses all afternoon. Well done!"

• Skip: "You look funny in them."

• Skip: "If you break them, you're not getting new ones."

• Skip: "Just put them on and stop complaining."

Common mistakes

• Comments about how they look: "You look funny." Your child ends up hiding their glasses.
• Giving up after a few refusals. Getting used to glasses takes time and patience.
• Starting at mealtimes or bedtime, when your child is already tired, instead of with activities they enjoy.
• Telling them off when the glasses break or get lost.

When to talk to a doctor or psychologist

Go back to the eye doctor if your child refuses their glasses for weeks, has headaches, or squints even with the glasses on.