Glasses for Children

INFORMATION FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN GIVEN GLASSES FOR THE FIRST TIME

The consultant Ophthalmologist/Optician (Optometrist) has found that your child needs glasses. This fact sheet contains some of the questions that we are regularly asked.

1) How does he/she know my child needs glasses?
When the pupil is enlarged, with drops/ointment, the Consultant/Optician (Optometrist) as a good view of the back of the eye. By moving a line of light across the back of the eye and trying different strength glasses, he/she is able to judge what strength of glasses are needed.

2) Will my child always wear glasses?
This will depend to some extent on the age of your child, the strength of the lenses and on whether they are also required as part of the treatment of squint or amblyopia (lazy eye). Your Orthoptist will be able to answer this question.

3) Should my child wear glasses all day?
In most cases yes. If the glasses are not required full time your Orthoptist will tell you. Some schools require children to take off their glasses at playtime and for PE lessons for safety reasons. Provided the glasses have plastic lenses this is not really necessary, but if the school is insistent, can you please stress the importance of your child wearing glasses for the rest of the day.

4) My child says he/she can see better without the glasses or that they look steamed up.
This is a very common complaint in the early days of wearing glasses. Your child has been struggling with reduced vision for some time, and his/her eyes have been attempting to clear the blurred image resulting from a need for glasses. Your child will have to relax their focusing to allow the glasses to do their work. This can sometimes take as long as 18 weeks of full time wear.

5) The glasses look very strong.
If you do not wear glasses or your glasses are for a different condition, your child’s glasses may look very odd to you. We prescribe the glasses that will help your child to achieve the best possible vision.

6) What is long and short sight? And astigmatism?
Long sight: Long sight is caused by the eye being too small, so that the rays of light entering the eye focus behind the retina (back of the eye) rather than on it. Long sighted children have reduced vision mainly for near but sometimes for distance as well.
Short sight: Short sight is caused by the eye being too large, so that the rays of light focus in front of the retina. Short sighted children have reduced vision mainly for distance, but it may affect near vision as well.
Astigmatism: Instead of the eye being round like a football, it is shaped like a rugby ball, needing a lens at a certain angle to correct vision. Vision is affected at all distances.

7) Repairs, replacement & refitting
If your child’s glasses are lost or need repairing, return to the Op­tician who sold you the glasses, who will deal with the problem using form GOS 4.

Your child’s registration number is: ……………………………………………………………………

Please use this number when contacting the department.

If you have a query regarding your child’s treatment, please con­tact the Orthoptist Department on:

Worcestershire Royal Hospital: 01905 760430

Kidderminster Treatment Centre: 01562 512388

Princess of Wales Hospital: 01527 488087

If your symptoms or condition worsens, or if you are concerned about anything, please call your GP, 111, or 999.

Patient Experience
We know that being admitted to hospital can be a difficult and unsettling time for you and your loved ones. If you have any questions or concerns, please do speak with a member of staff on the ward or in the relevant department who will do their best to answer your questions and reassure you. 

Feedback
Feedback is really important and useful to us – it can tell us where we are working well and where improvements can be made. There are lots of ways you can share your experience with us including completing our Friends and Family Test – cards are available and can be posted on all wards, departments and clinics at our hospitals. We value your comments and feedback and thank you for taking the time to share this with us.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
If you have any concerns or questions about your care, we advise you to talk with the nurse in charge or the department manager in the first instance as they are best placed to answer any questions or resolve concerns quickly. If the relevant member of staff is unable to help resolve your concern, you can contact the PALS Team. We offer informal help, advice or support about any aspect of hospital services & experiences.

Our PALS team will liaise with the various departments in our hospitals on your behalf, if you feel unable to do so, to resolve your problems and where appropriate refer to outside help.

If you are still unhappy you can contact the Complaints Department, who can investigate your concerns. You can make a complaint orally, electronically or in writing and we can advise and guide you through the complaints procedure.

How to contact PALS:
Telephone Patient Services: 0300 123 1732 or via email at: [email protected]

Opening times:
The PALS telephone lines are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.00pm. Please be aware that you may need to leave a voicemail message, but we aim to return your call within one working day.

If you are unable to understand this leaflet, please communicate with a member of staff.

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