How To Choose Glasses For a Child

Watching the excitement in our children's eyes as they see something new for the first time is a cherished moment for every parent.

But what if our little ones need glasses to see things clearly?

It’s important to recognize that children aren’t just miniature adults (although, they certainly can be styled like them!). The fact is, they have unique needs when it comes to how glasses should fit, what materials they should be made of, and what features they need to work properly.

Jonas Paul Eyewear’s entire mission is to help kids see clearly while feeling like themselves. We’re here to help parents know how to choose the best online prescription glasses for kids by answering their questions so that children can see clearly while feeling comfortable, confident, and stylish.

Finding the right fit for kids glasses really comes down to choosing a frame for their unique facial attributes. While we adore our children’s round faces, this extra baby fat can cause problems with how glasses fit. It may come in contact with the glasses on the sides of their head, making the glasses uncomfortable to wear while potentially causing irritation, sores, and other problems.

But it’s not just their extra round faces that can cause fitting problems with kids glasses! Their small nose bridges may cause their glasses to sit too close to their face, causing their frames to uncomfortably rest on their cheeks. If the lenses are too close, they’ll frequently fog up or be smeared with sweat and dust.

That’s why it’s important to find the right frame that fits their unique face correctly. Jonas Paul Eyewear makes finding the right kids glasses easy with our home try-on kit, letting you try on glasses at home to see where they rest on their face to identify the perfect fit.

Even though your child is unique, there are certain guidelines that may help parents know what frame shapes work best with their child’s face. Let’s take a look at the most common kids’ face shapes and what works best with them:

News alert: kids are active! They’re miniature explorers, scientists, gymnasts, rock stars–and sometimes all on the same day. That means they need glasses that are made of materials that can stand up to all of this adventure that isn’t too delicate, brittle, or rigid.

We recommend materials that are flexible, light, and durable to stand the test of time. Fortunately, our metal and acetate frames possess these qualities, making them both wise choices for kids glasses.

Remember: children’s faces and heads aren’t just smaller versions of adults. They have unique shapes, proportions, and contours, including smaller noses that aren’t fully developed and cheeks that still have some baby fat.

Glasses with nose pads can be a lifesaver for parents who want their child’s glasses to stay put and work correctly. Nose pads keep the glasses sitting in the proper position on their face, making them more comfortable to wear while keeping their eyes positioned at the sweet spot of the lens for clear vision.

Fortunately for you, all of Jonas Paul’s acetate frames have extensions around where it fits on the nose to help keep frames in their proper positions!

Temples are the arms that attach to the front of the glasses. They should rest gently on their ears so as to keep the frames in the right place on your child’s head. So, what should you know about their length when it comes to finding the right glasses for your child?

Remember that the glasses lens should be at the center of your children’s eyes for them to see clearly. If the glasses are down too low, their eyes will be too high up in the lens, which can distort their vision. To keep their glasses at the proper place on their face, make sure the temples aren’t too long.

Speaking of glasses that slide off, here’s an important tip: the stronger the prescription, the thicker and heavier the lens. And glasses with heavier lenses are more likely to slide off your child’s face.

Many kids specifically have hyperopia, also known as far-sightedness. That means the lens will be thicker in the center, adding more weight than usual. So to help little ones who need thicker lenses, we recommend a small, rounder frame to minimize the amount of lens material needed, thus reducing the weight of their glasses.

Okay, let’s be honest: we love styling our little ones. But if you want your kid to actually wear their glasses, their choices in glasses need to come first.

Remember: kids want to feel cool and fit in! And even though you may feel differently on what ‘cool’ is than they do, it’s ultimately your child that will be wearing these glasses–not you. So don’t make your child feel embarrassed by wearing what they hate. Instead, let them choose!

Another tip: make picking out their glasses fun! Put them in front of a mirror and get them excited while you help them find their new ‘me’. Doing so will help them rock their new glasses with confidence.