Children needing to wear glasses is more common than you may think. Refractive errors such as myopia (short-sightedness), hypermetropia(long-sightedness) or astigmatism are caused by slight variations in the shape of your eyes, which can affect how light is focused and how clearly you can see.

Refractive errors in children

Refractive errors can be present from birth, but in some cases, they develop as your child gets older. Both myopia and hypermetropia can run in the family, so if one or both parents has it, there is a higher chance your children will develop it too.

Myopia typically appears in children aged around 6 or 7 and can cause objects in the distance to appear blurry. It happens because the eyeball is too long, or the eye's lens or the cornea is misshapen. Hypermetropia is the opposite, whereby objects close up appear blurry and is often caused by the eyeball being too short, cornea too flat or the eye's lens not thick enough.

Astigmatism is a common defect that makes it challenging to distinguish shapes and details and results from the curvature of the cornea or the eye's lens being asymmetrical. Your child can have astigmatism and either myopia or hypermetropia at the same time.

Signs your child might needs glasses

Your child might not notice something wrong with their eyesight, or they might have a hard time articulating it. As a parent, there are some signs you can look out for. This includes your child complaining of headaches or eyes feeling tired or rubbing their eyes frequently. If you notice they are sitting closer to the TV than usual or holding an object closer to their face, they may be struggling with a refractive error.

If this is the case, refractive errors are easily treated with corrective lenses.

Corrective lenses for children

It's also essential to make sure your children's glasses have a robust design so they can withstand a bit of wear and tear! The most common materials for children's glasses are plastic and metal frames to ensure they are durable and lightweight. You might also want to consider frames with spring hinges to avoid damage when taking glasses on and off.

Protecting your child's lenses

There are many different options when it comes to finding the right lens for your child, including lens enhancements. Scratch-resistant and smudge-resistant coatings can be very handy for children's glasses, ensuring they stay in good condition for longer. It would be best to consider an anti-reflection coating so your children aren't distracted by bothersome reflections or glare.

UV protection is also significant as your children's eyes will be more susceptible to damage than adults. As children can spend a lot of time outside too, it's crucial to protect your child's eyes from the sun. There are lens coatings available to help with this. Lenses such as Transitions photochromic lenses will also automatically darken or lighten depending on the light conditions to improve comfort no matter the light conditions inside or outside.