"My 4 Year Old Little Girl Has Astigmatism in Both Eyes"

Nowadays, kids think that glasses and braces are cool! Trust me, my kids are 16 and 12, and I teach 4th grade. Glasses will help her performance in school.

Take her to a pediatric opthamologist -- not an optometrist. If you've already done that, take her for a second opinion.
You got conflicting reports... that, to me, is a huge red flag.
LBC

Did you take her to an Optomitrist or an Ophthalmologist???

I would take her to an Ophthalmologist.
They have Medical, background.

An Optomistrist, is trained per eyeglasses and contact lenses prescriptions. They do NOT have a Medical, degree or background.

The Ophthalmologist, WILL help you in telling you what kind of glasses she needs. That is their job.
And YES, there are "child/kid" type glasses.
There are many kinds, of kids' glasses.

It will be okay.

Kids do NOT all 'tease' kids with glasses.
There are many kids with glasses in my daughter's school. They are NOT teased. And if they are, you simply TELL THE TEACHER. They will not tolerate that.

Kids glasses are very fun and nice.
There are also head straps that can be on it, or taken off, if need be.
Just ask, for this.
Just say, and ask questions. That is the only way, you will get the kind of glasses, your daughter needs.

I don't know of any kid, that has 'transition' lenses. Personally. Transition Lenses.... automatically turn darker or clear, depending if the person is in the sun or not. But, even in bright rooms, the lens may become shaded. I have transition lenses.

I also have a slight astigmatism. I am fine. My eyes are fine. I do not have any 'lazy' eye.
But yes, I need to wear glasses. But it is because my near and far vision quality has decreased since I was pregnant with my 2 kids.
Before that, I did not have to wear glasses and my vision was fine.

Don't 'seem' worried to your Daughter. Or SHE will get worried and scared too.
Make it a FUN thing for her... and be excited for her.
So she does not 'fear' glasses or get hang-ups about it.

Sear's has glasses for good prices. And they have TONS of 'kids' selections too. They will help you with choosing and fitting it. And they have good return policies on it too.
I got glasses from there before, and I had 3 MONTHS, to return it if I had to. And they adjust it for free too.

I also recently got new glasses from Costco. They have GOOD prices too. And kids' glasses.

**I would suggest, getting TWO pairs of glasses for her.
One for daily use. And another pair for 'back-up' use, in case she loses one of them.
She is young, so don't be surprised if she loses her glasses.
It may happen. Or it gets broken. They are a young child.

all the best,
Susan

Little kids think glasses are cool. When I was 9, there was no teasing. I only got teased when I got older.

I would go somewhere that lets you try out a number of types of frames. Your eye doctor is a fine place to start. I've done glasses through many different places and it's basically the same, except for the wait. Don't be sucked into high-cost frames (that's where you can spend a lot of $$$). There are plenty of $100 options that are just fine for her.

Consider transitions lenses for the sun. Try plastic or flexible frames for all that kid stuff. They make glasses with long flexible pieces to wrap around the ear for really little kids. I think as long as they are adjusted right and chosen right, she'll be fine.

I would take a breath and try to make it just a thing, and if anything, be positive. Do not give her fear over something like this. She is not blind. There is treatment. She'll still be cute.

My DD has a large birthmark and I call it her "kissy spot". I want her to not be ashamed at a mark on her skin. I think sometimes we are more worried than they are.

My daughter has an astigmatism in one eye and wears glasses all the time. You will be happy to know that she is the darling of her school, and has a flock of "big kids" who follow her everywhere because they think she's adorable. She has never been picked on for wearing glasses.

We actually bought her glasses at Walmart. They have some very reasonably priced pairs there that are very cute. I would recommend that you buy 2 pairs, and don't bother with any of the fancy lenses or scratch resistance or whatever. Kids are kids, and the glasses will get scratched, lost, broken, you name it. The good thing is, Walmart insures them automatically, so if they become broken or scratched, you can get them replaced free of charge for 2 years.

My daughter plays pretty hard, and her glasses don't fall off. Just make sure when you pick the glasses up from Walmart, to have them properly fit the glasses to your daugher's head so they bend at the correct spot for her ears, etc.

As an aside, I have always had an astigmatism myself, and about 10 years ago, I had Lasik. Now I see 20/20 without glasses! When my daughter is old enough, we will look into that for her. Don't be sad that your daughter needs glasses - be grateful that her doctor caught it before she learned to read. That's the best time to catch this sort of thing. Good for you, for making sure that she is getting the vision care that she needs!

My ds has worn glasses for 2 years, since he turned 2, and he still has the same frames. He has Solo Bambini frames. You can buy them on their website. They are very inexpensive, and are made of a single piece of flexible plastic. We have saved a lot of money going this route, and they are adorable! We get at least 2 compliments per week on them! Also, his frames were dropped on the ground during Easter service (outside in the parking lot). We discovered they were missing 1/2 hour later. Upon finding them, they had been run over by at least one car! Yes, these are the same frames he is wearing right now!!! They have scratches, but they are still in one piece and wearable! Try that with metal frames! They come in every color you can imagine, and they truly are adorable! I can't recommend them enough! Best of luck!

ETA: Also, we never have had a problem with him keeping his glasses on. He loves them, and since there is an elastic band on the back, they can't fall off. He wears them in the pool and in his bath!

My daughter got glasses for astigmatism in 1 eye during the summer before kindergarten also. She was so excited!!! a lot of people in our famil have glasses and they are very stylish designs these days. she got a pair of pink sketcher brand glasses that are plastic frames with stars and the ear pieces. She got a pink case for night time, cleaner and a pink clothe to clean them. All the kids loved her glasses in class and never once made fun of her. She gets compliments all the time.

She goes back to the eye doctor this month for a 1 year check up and will get a new pair. She asks me everyday how long till she gets to go again. Its been a real blessing that she was so receptive to them. She has to wear them all the time and it took only a couple days to get used to them (they rubbed a little the first couple days). The stay on all the time and she only complains when she gets too sweaty outside. She wears them to play sports and everything no problem.

Most people say that you will go through 5 pairs in the first 2 months because of breaking them, but my daughter has had the same pair all year. It helps when they have to wear them all the time because they don't lay them down as much.

The lucky thing for your daughter is that if they catch Astigmatism BEFORE the age of 5, it can be corrected (not always but there is a chance), so that might be the case for you. We were a few months too late on that one.

Feel free to PM me and we can talk more if you want. Just make it fun and exciting and let her be in charge of her glasses (from picking them out, to taking care of them, with your help) and she will be fine. Its all about self confidence. :)

My daughter has been wearing glasses since she was 4... for lazy eye and astigmatism. Glasses are not what they used to be. She does mind wearing them sometimes, but it's so much more common now and the glasses are so much cuter and lightweight that they get used to them quickly and it isn't that big of a deal.

Be positive with your daughter about them, and teach her how to be responsible for them. She'll be ok! She may even grow out of this diagnosis.

Oh my goodness, glasses are so common. And Astigmatism is really not a huge deal as long as its corrected and your daughter wears her glasses all the time. BUT *YOU* need to be upbeat about it too. Glasses aren't the end of the world. I have a 9yr old (going into 4th grade) who wears glasses since age 5 and a 4yr old (glasses since age 3) in glasses. My 4yr old has severe off the charts astigmatism, and her eyes were crossing from it. It was never treated early like it should have been (she's adopte dfrom Ukraine at age 3), but she's been in glasses for 6 months and her eyes no longer cross and she's doing great.

Once your daughter GETS the glasses she will want t owear them. Plus I'd be willing to be she's not the only one with glasses, especially after school starts. :) My kids have never been teased for their glasses.

Oh, and glasses now are pretty cool. my daughters are these teeny little metal frames, she wears them all hte time and has never has had a problem with them falling off. She's only 4 and takes care of them herself.

Don't worry mom! RElax, make it fun for her and realize this is not a big deal!

This is not a horrible diagnosis...you have a beautiful, healthy daughter. She will wear glasses for a few years, and then you can change to contact lenses right at the time that kids get goofy about teasing someone with glasses (at 8 or 9 she can start wearing lenses I believe). Later on she can have Lasik and she won't need them at all. Really it's not such a big deal. I have an astigmatism in both eyes too.

The only bad thing is the cost of course...but Walmart is pretty amazing on prices and they have pediatric frames. Later when she changes over to lenses she'll need special lenses for her astigmatism...they used to be called toric lenses, now acuvue makes a lens called oasys for astigmatism...they are more expensive than regular lenses but eventually they work to correct the condition. Walmart has actually teamed up with 1-800-contacts which is awesome. Mine wasn't caught until I was about 20, so your daughter has a great chance of hers being corrected. Kids her age don't tease about glasses anyway, they think they are cool! One little girl in my son's preschool class just came in with glasses yesterday that are just for fun - no prescription in the lenses!

My oldest daughter had the same thing only she started wearing glasses when she was about 3 & let me tell you, the kids did nothing but want to wear glasses as well!!!! She would get caught by her pre-school teacher telling the kids to sit close to the tv so they would have to wear glasses too! As far as wearing them all of the time, they sell the straps that secure the glasses while running & playing. There are so many different frames available, it's best to find out what your insurance covers (if they do) and go from there. Also,do your best to make the choice hers when picking them out, she's the one wearing them. My daughter's first pair were Barbie one's and they made her more confident. Best of luck to her! PS By the time she was 5 her eyes were almost 20/20!

I had glasses in Kindergarten and no O. ever teased me and I took very good care of them--never lost OR broke them. She'll be OK. Ask about repair/replacement plans just in case!

Most people have some sort of astigmatism, some just worse than others. Now if she was severely farsighted then I would be a little upset.

Zenni optical is a good choice, otherwise the eyeglasses store will be helpful. Make sure you find a optician to adjust her frames to her face. Once adjusted correctly they will stay on nicely and not hurt her anywhere. BTW it's hard to find a good optician. Look for an older man at a nicer optical shop ;)

Get her cute frames, like colored plastic frames and let her help pick them out. She will enjoy being able to see better.

Glasses are alot different then they used to be. My son got "Pez" frames (astigmatism too, at age 5) with a life time warranty on them. Thank goodness for that beacause he has broken them at least a half a dozen times in the last three years and they always have been replaced for free.
P.S. He has never been teased for wearing glasses and his schoolwork improved dramatically once he got them

www.zennioptical.com has glasses from $10 - $25. Several of my friends have gotten glasses from here and like them. You just need to get the prescription from the eye doctor along with one measurement that is the distance between the pupils. These numbers are yours to have from the eye examination.

I had astigmatism and near-sightedness in both eyes since age 10. At 43 I had Lasik surgery to correct both.

It is much more common now for a younger child to have glasses then when I was in kindergarten. She will be fine with them. She may need some education on care but you will have plenty of time to work with her on that. As far as the glasses - get plastic frames (tend to be less expensive and hold up better) don't buy expensive, go with polycarbonate lenses. They are more expensive but hold up better and are more scratch resistant. I would recommend a glare reducing layer on the lenses - it helped me in fluorescent lights in school when I was young. Make sure that she tries them on before leaving the store so they can adjust if needed. I had my daughter touch her toes and shake her head to see if they would fall off. If you are worried about them falling off during play get an eyeglasses necklace that fit on the ear pieces and keep the glasses from falling completely off.

I'm all for websites for frame purchase but not sure about 1st time lens purchases. At an optical store they fit the glasses to maximize the location of your pupil with the shape of the lenses to ensure the main area of vision is the area that is corrected. Helps keep everything focused. Not sure how they do that with an online website.

Lots of children wear glasses these days. Astigmatic eyes do not change.
In our family every single cousin on one side of the family has an astigmatic left eye. I'm one of them.
Look for frames that will stay put. You can also put a band around her head to hold them firmly so she does not lose them.
She will see better with the glasses and that will change her life for the better. Be glad glasses work to make her eyes normal while she wears them.