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Contents : New York State Society of Opticians Inc. 48 Howard Street Albany NY 12207 518/426-0599 Fax: 518/463-8656 E-Mail: nysso@caphill.com Web Site: www.nysso.org New York State Continuing Education Main-In Course Dispensing Eyewear To Children By Jack M. Weber O.D. F.N.A.O. F.A.A.O. Marchon Eyewear Inc. Training Center NYS CEC Code #00-9 Children up to 10 years of age are among the most difficult age-groups to fit comfortably with eyeglasses. This is because their nose and ear characteristics are soft and rapidly changing and also because youngsters are typically careless in the way they handle their eyewear. Thus dispensing glasses to kids is an art involving mechanical physiological and managerial skills. In line with dispensing glasses to children this ABOapproved course presents five sections as follows: I. Proper Selection Frame. II. Taking accurate A.P.D. measurements.. III. Common problems associated with dispensing glasses to kids but try to convince them youngsters enjoy their glasses much more when they have a hand in the decision. Stress the fact you will be guiding their boy or girl so that they won t choose a frame that s unbecoming or ill-fitting. 5. For kids who have worn glasses previously look critically at the frame to note what parts have been most abused and then guide the parent s acceptance into a style that s reinforced at those points. 6. Avoid large sizes. There s no rationale for making glasses too large since in most cases a child s prescription will need changing before he outgrows his frames. Oversized eyewear only leads to excessive and unnecessary weight. 7. Designate a special section of your dispensing room for these young people. This area should be outfitted and equipped with frame samples and displays featuring Story book and other favorite children s characters. Displays should also be seasonal such as toy school buses at back-toschool time or Santa-related toy figures around Christmas time. Pictures of your young patients wearing their new glasses can be displayed showing that it s fun to wear specs. It s also a good idea to use child-sized tables and chairs and to position mirrors at kids eye level to help provide interesting and friendly surroundings. 8. Separate the parent from the child by placing visitors chairs a few feet from the fitting table. This permits you to maintain maximum control over proper frame selection. (Note: Although studies have shown there s very little difference between young boys and young girls measurements girls are usually more mature than boys during childhood and therefore tend to be more selective than boys in choosing eyewear.) (Continued on Page 2) This course is worth one (1) New York State Continuing Education Credit which can be applied to Ophthalmic Dispensing licensing requirements. IV. Solving common problems encountered when fitting eyewear to children. V. Assuring compliance with wearing and caring instructions. I. Proper Frame Selection When selecting proper frames the dispenser quickly learns there are two persons to satisfy: the child and the parent. Here s how to please both: 1. For fitting kids who have never worn glasses before the first thing to do is to assure the parent there s no stigma to young persons wearing glasses since modern styling has made specs an in thing. 2. Allow new wearers to handle several frames to get the feel of them and also to lose any fear about having to wear them. 3. Question the child about his or her favorite color and agree strongly with the shade you know will suit the youngster s eye color complexion and hair coloring. 4. Of course parents would like to get into the act here 1 II. Taking Accurate A.P.D. Measurements Unless you use a sophisticated pupillometer taking anatomical pupillary distances (A.P.D.s) manually on children can be a frustrating chore because the kids eyes will wander all over the place. To maintain proper fixation while taking manual P.D.s on these patients several clever devices are available that not only accomplish their purpose but delight youngsters as well. Young folks steady fixation during A.P.D. measurements can be successfully achieved by using a piece of candy (for example a red-and-white peppermint stick). The candy holds the youngster s attention more effectively than mere finger or penlight fixation. You can offer the candy to the child (with the parents permission of course.) III. Common Problems Associated With Dispensing Glasses To Kids A basic concept for fitting and adjusting eyewear of course is to distribute the frame s weight over the greatest bearing surface thus keeping pressure points to a minimum. Essentially the bridge of the nose has to carry the frame s weight while the temples must stabilize the frame and keep it from sliding forward. Problems associated with younger patients are the same as those encountered with older persons but among

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