All About Kids' Eye-sight

[Fur-ma]

Thanks Wormy for sharing you experience. Looks like I cannot run away from transition lens. In any case, I cannot find clip ons for kids. Am told that there is no market for clip ons ever since transition lens came about. Thanks for tip on frames.


Can you share how many times had to change lens when first started atropine? Does myopia stabilise after a while so that the lens can "last" longer?

[barney8]

hi wormy, which doctor u see in SNEC? Is the eye doctor patient and detailed in explaining about the treatment?


Have your children myopia stabilised?

[KL28]

barney8:

KL28:

Hi all mummies and daddies

I am looking for atropine eyedrop to help my kid for high mypoia, can pls recommand which clinic to go for? thanks

hi KL28, same here. in a lost. How old is ur child? Is there a minimum age then can put atropine?

hi my boy is in K2, i heard can use when they are in nursery. I went Mt alvernia, but Otometry side is not so good, trying to swith to SNEC, cos they have much advance machines than any others clicic, believe they will be more careful with children.

[kittybank]

update 2:


Atropine worked better on my older child. Think I read somewhere on atropine statistics. Average about 25 degrees per year increase for kids on atropine. Older child’s eyesight increased by 100 to 150 from 4 years ago. Used to be 150 every six months. Guess puberty played a role. However, on 2nd child, myopia kept worsening even on atropine treatment.

We started with one eye as the doc wanted to know if the child could tolerate. She didn’t think we needed photochromatic progressive lens if only one eye is on atropine. Doc review is twice yearly. This doc also took care about our pockets. She won’t advise changing glasses unless really necessary. One pair should last one year or longer.

Do shop around. Some shops would recommend the most expensive range. You know, especially those heavily advertised brands, like the "E" brand.

Sorry for being haphazard in my answers.

As for the clip, the shop was kind enough to "cut" to the shape of the lens. $15 all in,I think. When I say "cut", it’s literally using scissors to "cut" hor. So the edges are not too smooth. But we bore with it for a while till we changed to transition lens.

"transition" is actually a brand of photochromatic lenses. We tried one other brand,"S". cheaper but the coating peeled. There are 2 colours to choose from - grey and brown.

Before u decide, find out the risks. The doc was detailed in her explanation. It was Hobson’s choice for us. Bad genes from us to kids. Barney8, I will pm the doc’s name to you.

[Fur-ma]

Thanks again Wormy. I am actually having a frustrating time looking for lens. Have been popping into many optical shops and it seems that many do not quite understand progessive + photochromatic for kids.


Do you mind revealing what brand of lens your kids are on. I tried to google for a "S" brand but no hits.

[kittybank]

Hi Fur-ma


It is the "progressive" part that cost more. Normally for any pair of specs if u say u want transition lenses, meaning photochromatic, they charge another $100. The "S" brand was the lousy photochromatic coating, for which I have forgotten the brand, so don’t bother about that.

If the degree is high and needs thinner and lighter lens, like the 1.67 high index type, it will cost more.

Actually I don’t really know how it works, but i suppose these lens manufacturer get the photochromatic coating from transitions. I also fail to understand why some brands charge more for "better design" of their lenses. I am confusing myself and confusing you, right?

The progressive lens is "ILT" under bravo brand. It came with one year warranty. For myself, I got progressive lens for presbyopia (lao hua) from a local brand (don’t remember the brand), without warranty, 1.67 type, at $400, without the frame.

I always think that there are cheaper options, else how do all the elderly folks get their progressive lens for lao hua yan? All these gimmicks are for the young. What we are getting for our children : progressive + photochromatic is what these shops have been prescribing for the older generation : shortsightedness + lao hua.
Difference is lao hua is measured, say at 150 or so. For our children, the doc would normally prescribe +200 (i.e. 200 degrees less than the myopia degree so that the child can do close work).

I went to those bigger names and noticed that they don’t stock the cheaper brands. The cheapest in these shops seems to be "seiko" brand. Ask around. In fact, these shops are always happy to serve us because we always go with the doc’s prescription and they don’t need to do eye check for our children.

[kittybank]

Now that my children are off to the park to take that very important eye-relaxing walk, I can write more.


Fur-ma, if your child is only 5.5yo, her face is going to out-grow the frame, so looks like u have to have an annual specs budget.

Personally, I have tried the atropine eyedrop on one eye to experience what my children were going through. One word - TERRIBLE. It dilates the pupil and everything seems so glaring. Sorry to scare you but I just want to share. Even with the specs, make sure she wears a cap. Get an excuse letter from the doctor which will state reasons for wearing these specs and cap during outdoor activity. Also tell her if her classmates or nosey parents laugh at her, know how to respond. We have parents walking to us, telling us it’s wrong to wear such tinted glasses, thinking that we r doing it out of vanity!

As for the question on how many pairs of specs in these 4 years of undergoing atropine treatment - older child - currently wearing 2nd pair. Younger child - 4th or 5th.

Are both of you and your hb short-sighted?

[kittybank]

One more thing:


To those who r interested in atropine treatment:

You may want to find out if SNEC is running another pilot project. The atropine eyedrops approved for use is of a certain concentration. Think they r testing on one with lesser concentration and needed participants. That was some time back. Can call main line and ask. At least can save on consultation charges if your child is in the program.

[barney8]

wormy:

Now that my children are off to the park to take that very important eye-relaxing walk, I can write more.


Fur-ma, if your child is only 5.5yo, her face is going to out-grow the frame, so looks like u have to have an annual specs budget.

Personally, I have tried the atropine eyedrop on one eye to experience what my children were going through. One word - TERRIBLE. It dilates the pupil and everything seems so glaring. Sorry to scare you but I just want to share. Even with the specs, make sure she wears a cap. Get an excuse letter from the doctor which will state reasons for wearing these specs and cap during outdoor activity. Also tell her if her classmates or nosey parents laugh at her, know how to respond. We have parents walking to us, telling us it's wrong to wear such tinted glasses, thinking that we r doing it out of vanity!

As for the question on how many pairs of specs in these 4 years of undergoing atropine treatment - older child - currently wearing 2nd pair. Younger child - 4th or 5th.

Are both of you and your hb short-sighted?

wormy, sound scary. now i hesitating to put her on atropine treatment. wat a big headache

[KL28]

barney8:

wormy:

Now that my children are off to the park to take that very important eye-relaxing walk, I can write more.


Fur-ma, if your child is only 5.5yo, her face is going to out-grow the frame, so looks like u have to have an annual specs budget.

Personally, I have tried the atropine eyedrop on one eye to experience what my children were going through. One word - TERRIBLE. It dilates the pupil and everything seems so glaring. Sorry to scare you but I just want to share. Even with the specs, make sure she wears a cap. Get an excuse letter from the doctor which will state reasons for wearing these specs and cap during outdoor activity. Also tell her if her classmates or nosey parents laugh at her, know how to respond. We have parents walking to us, telling us it's wrong to wear such tinted glasses, thinking that we r doing it out of vanity!

As for the question on how many pairs of specs in these 4 years of undergoing atropine treatment - older child - currently wearing 2nd pair. Younger child - 4th or 5th.

Are both of you and your hb short-sighted?

wormy, sound scary. now i hesitating to put her on atropine treatment. wat a big headache

my boy just started, i tried the eye drop on my eye also, can said it's terrible. but when come to our kids(those young age) with high myopia with got no choice to let him have it, otherwise the mypoia will be as high as stock market, with the thick glasses, it will causes inconviences for them in reading and playing, when come to primary school, their have more school work and reading, that time the myopia will be even shoot up, it's good to be pro-active, and take a step to help them. Personally i dont take it, but no choice.

According to DR in SNEC, the kids can only put in this atropoine for max 2years only, there do not want to take risks, cant forseen what it is the long term side effect.