1. Let your child pick their own glasses
Offer advice and guidance on which pairs look best, but ultimately it should feel like their own choice. This can help to instill a sense of ownership and encourage your child to feel proud when wearing their new frames.
2. Make the buying experience fun
Allow plenty of time for your child to try on lots of different styles, including everything from classic shapes to more bold and adventurous ones. Not only does this help them to see eyewear in a fun light, but it will also help your child to learn which frames suit them and see how different styles can give them completely different looks.
3. Show that glasses can be exciting
Cool colours, patterns, shapes and decoration can all help glasses to feel more exciting and allow your child to choose something which fits their own unique personality.
4. Turn glasses into a fashion accessory
For older kids and teens, letting them choose frames by a brand they like or choosing a few pairs which they can match to different outfits can help glasses to feel more like a fashion accessory and something they can be proud to wear.
5. Make glasses part of a new look
Make the trip more exciting by taking your child shopping afterwards for a new outfit to match their new frames. This will help them to think of the glasses as part of their new style and instantly creates a positive experience around their new accessory.
6. Celebrity credibility
Before going to pick out a new pair of glasses it can help to sit down with your child and look through magazines or online at photos of celebrities wearing glasses. Seeing that people they look up to or admire are also glasses wearers can inspire confidence and it is also a great way to help them get an idea of styles they may like.
7. Offer positive encouragement
It’s important that you help to create a positive feeling about the glasses when your child first starts to wear them. Pile on the praise by complimenting them on how nice they look on and make them feel good about their new frames.
8. Ensure frames are a good fit
Make sure all frames are correctly fitted so that they are easy and comfortable to wear. If glasses are uncomfortable your child isn’t likely to enjoy wearing them. Depending on age, children may need their frames periodically adjusting by an optician as they grow to ensure they remain a good fit.
9. Explain the benefits
Sitting down with your child to explain why they need glasses and how glasses can help them to better enjoy the things they like doing can go a long way in helping children to understand and accept their new eyewear. Getting them to do a special activity that will benefit from their newly improved vision, such as drawing, reading or watching a movie, is a perfect way to back this up and really show them the advantages of wearing glasses.
10. Don’t worry about how your child will be seen by their classmates
Most parents can remember how other children, or even themselves, were teased for wearing glasses during their school days. It’s natural that this could lead you to worry the same may happen to your own child, but things have changed and there really is no need to worry. Glasses have far less of a stigma attached today, and with the huge variety of styles available they are often considered to be quite fashionable and stylish. It’s important that as a parent you are not projecting your own worries onto your child. Lead the way by showing them that you see the glasses in a positive light and be supportive of them when choosing new frames. This will help your child to feel happy and comfortable about getting their first pair of glasses.
Getting glasses begins with an eye test. This can seem daunting to a child the first time around and this is why our in-store staff have amended the eye test procedure to be as child friendly as possible. From experience however, it always helps when the parent goes through the process with the child, and the event becomes a shared experience. If your child sees you going through the same process they are less likely to feel uncertain about the procedure and it may even make them feel more grown up.
All children under the age of 16 can get their eyes tested for free thanks to NHS entitlement. An eye test will usually cost £25 for adults without any forms of NHS entitlement, download the following voucher will allow you to claim 50% off the price of an eye test and 10% off any prescription glasses purchases made afte