Two months ago I had noticed my daughter’s eyes watering while we were doing her Kumon homework. Her homework was on paper, so I knew it wasn’t from blue-light on a digital device. We exclusively wear GlamBaby blue-light protect glasses while on any screen to help with symptoms caused by the high intensity light that digital devices give off.

The following week I took her into my Optometry practice and had one of our wonderful Doctors give her a yearly comprehensive eye exam. The exam revealed that my daughter, Isabella, had a prescription at near. Now, mind you, she had an “eye test” at the pediatrician’s office just a few weeks prior and I was told she had perfect vision (albeit I know that an eye test at the pediatrician’s office is a screener for serious eye problems, not a real eye exam).
 
My daughters' eyes were tearing while doing near work because she was straining her vision. Had I not taken in for her yearly comprehensive eye exam, her symptoms most likely would have gotten worse and it would have started to affect the way she was performing at school and in overall learning since 25% of learning is visual. 
 
That day we proceeded to pick out a pair of prescription glasses. I let her take control of the process since I wanted her to love the glasses she was going to be wearing while doing near work. Being the princess that she is, she choose a bright pink frame that was fun and we made sure it was adjusted properly to fit her face not to cause slippage while she was wearing them.
 
After it was time to select lenses. The ONLY lenses that I recommend for my family and patients are from Zeiss. The optical clarity is the best I have experienced and the craftsmanship of lenses is incomparable. Zeiss lenses do not scratch as easily as other brand lenses and the coating they use are easy to clean and are less likely to smudge. There are many different types of Zeiss lenses to choose from, but for my daughter’s case I went with:
 
            . Polycarbonate (scratch resistant, light weight, and shatter resistant)
            . Zeiss BlueGuard Lenses ( blue-light blocking lenses without with out disturbing blue/purple reflections on their blue light glasses.)
 
She has been wearing her glasses since and I’m happy to say that her eyes no longer water at near. Isabella wears her glasses during near work time, computer/iPad time (why we went with Zeiss BlueGuard), and crafting time.  Otherwise we store her glasses in their case not to get scratched or lost. 
 
Even if your child doesn’t present with problems or symptoms when it comes to their eye health and vision, it is so important for them to get their eyes checked yearly by an Eye Care Provider. Most times, children are unaware of what seeing “perfect” is and only we have the tools, experience, and knowledge to diagnose what is really going on with their eyes. The goal is to get them seeing their best so they can learn, play, and explore to the fullest.

xo, Dr. Arian Fartash