troubleshooting tips

Kids' Fitting Tips

Karlen McLean, ABOC, NCLC

For our kids issue this month, we asked labs: "What are the most common problems associated with kids' eyewear orders, and how do you solve them?"

The result: tried-and-true tricks and creative new tips to try.

PD PROTOCOL

When taking a child's pupillary distance, several factors must be considered. A child's eyes often converge when a pupilometer is placed in front of them, which will then generate an inaccurate PD measurement.

Many pupilometers have a minimum 44mm measurement, and children's PDs can be as narrow as 41mm. To ensure accuracy:

1 Take a monocular PD for kids with strabismus or eye turns.
2 Take a PD in free space using a PD ruler. Make sure the child is properly fixated. For highly active kids, measure from one canthus to the other lateral canthus.
3 For older children, take a monocular PD measurement with a pupilometer.

Capturing a kid's attention long enough to take a PD can be challenging. Some kids like to participate in the process; let them know you need their help and they'll be willing.

For younger children, try asking them to focus on an object (e.g., a Popsicle stick with different pictures on each side) with one hand while holding the PD ruler in the other. Quickly take one pupillary distance me, and then turn the object around to take the other PD.

— Chelsy Pham, ABOC, analyst, quality, systems & logistics, VSP Optics Group

TOUGH STUFF

Kids are tough on glasses. Recommend well-made, durable frames, and keep them on the small side. Getting kids to wear their glasses can be challenging, so remember that fashion and looking cool can be just as important with kids if not more so than with adults.

Trivex and polycarbonate lenses rule. Lenses must be impact resistant for kids, period. Along with safety, there is great built-in value for parents, because these materials offer UV protection and scratch resistance at no extra cost. These lens materials come in aspheric designs, further offering the best possible vision.

Often money is a factor with kids' eyewear. If only one pair of glasses is possible, photochromic lenses should be offered. And I personally would always want my child to have a quality AR lens, because learning is very visual, so eyewear with uncompromising quality is not just an advantage, it's a requirement.

— John Haigh, president, J&J Optical, Paradise, Calif.