HELP! Has anyone had toddler twins in glasses?! I don't think I can handle this :(

[mom_of_steele]

So...we found out about 2 weeks ago that both of our identical boys are +6 farsighted (apparently it's pretty bad as the doctor put in front of my eyes what they are seeing...and it's not much!). So they just turned 20 months the other day (and are rather behind developmentally as well). I cannot for the life of me keep their glasses on them! The WILL leave them on for much longer periods of time than I first thought they would but its still SO hard especially with the TWO of them! They will sometimes leave them on for 10 minutes...sometimes longer. But the problem is that they leave them, who knows where and then I have to go searching for them all over the house! Yesterday we lost a lens for several hours, and on top of that, they fight over the ONE pair that we do have if we have only one. I was told by the optical department lady that if I put "chums" on them, they were gonna be able to get them off if they wanted them off anyway and that they would just bother them more! So I haven't tried that yet. Any ideas?

[Ellie'sMom]

I don't have any ideas, but I just wanted to give you a hug! One of my 5 year old frat twin boys just got glasses, and I can't imagine dealing with it when he was a toddler, never mind if both of them had needed glasses. I actually saw a little guy about your boys' age wearing glasses in the waiting room at the eye doctor, and his mom seemed like she was going to lose her mind. He just would not keep them on!

We did get the Miraflex glasses on the rec of the pedi opthalmologist, and I am really happy with them. They are darn near indestructible, and are so light weight that I think ds forgets he is even wearing them at times. They have a strap as well. 

http://miraflex.info/products.htm

Good luck!!

[mom_of_steele]

Oh man...maybe we should look into those glasses. I dunno, but it WAS gonna cost us over $900 for the 2 of them at the eye doctors place we took them to. We ended up getting them 4 pair at costco for less than $400. (Extras since we are losing them all the time). My GOSH! I just don't know if they are ever going to keep them on! The doctor said just keep putting them on for a week or so, and then they will realize that they can't really see without them and keep them on, but I'm beginning to wonder! :(

[ABO Mama]

One of my guys uses glasses, but he didn't get his until he was 4yo.  Start by only expecting them to wear them for short periods of time.  Want to read a book?  Glasses are manditory.  Want to watch a TV show?  Glasses are manditory.  Eat food?  You get the idea, pick situations where wearing the glasses is a requirement.

[mom_of_steele]

Hhmmm...that would be a good idea, except they don't ever sit to read a book or watch tv anyway. I would have to be really creative and try to think of things they DO do other than make messes! I mean, I have struggled with even getting them to sit and EAT for longer than a minute or two! That's a great idea though, I'll have to figure out how I can implement it. They are still just so young (and because they are behind, they seem even younger. One, just started walking a month ago) that there really isn't anything they "like" to "sit" and do, etc.

[meesh933]

My DS has vision problems, and we've had to patch to help his lazy eye in the past, although he's not in glasses yet. I just wanted to let you know there's a group on FB called Little Four Eyes that is for parents of LOs in glasses - I bet you could get some ideas from them. Most of their kiddos were in glasses as infants or toddlers, too.

[Shuli]

Over the weekend we went to visit friends who's 16 month old is in glasses. He has the plastic kind mentioned by a pp and what they've done is put a string from one arm to the other that goes around the back of his head so it holds it in place. She said it took about three weeks and then he got used to it and stopped taking them off. He has been wearing glasses since he was about 9 months old.

[Wolfcat]

DS (5yo) has been in glasses for more than 3 years. We haven't really had a problem with them, but we made sure to explain to him that if he didn't wear the glasses, he would have to wear an eyepatch. Maybe give them a choice between wearing the glasses or putting on an eyepatch or something. You can get adhesive eyepatches at a drugstore for a couple bucks. It's kind of annoying, so it might encourage them to cooperate. Just make sure to switch what eye is patched so one doesn't become "weakened."

That said, once you get them in the habit, it shouldn't be a problem. DS only needs some reminding to put them on in the morning and after baths, etc.

[SilverFish]

do you wear glasses? one thing that really helps my dd (18 mo) do things that require her cooperation is to mimic overandoverandoverandover again doing those things. it's worked so far for teeth brushing, wearing a hat, wearing sunglasses and so on. she doesn't have glasses yet (but given her genetic background, i imagine it's only a matter of time) but she and i are both SUPER fair and very very light eyed, so sun protection is really important for the health of our eyes and skin. i have a hat and sunglasses too, and we practiced and practiced putting on her hat and sunglasses. i would put my hat on, then put my hat on her, put her hat on me, etc, accompanied by much hilarity and hand clapping and praise. same with the sunglasses... she wouldn't even tolerate me putting them on her face before, but after while of "practicing" with mine... me showing her that i was wearing my glasses, me trying to put her glasses on my face etc, now she will actually let me put them on her and wear them for at least a short while outside, and will even put them on of her own volition when we get ready to leave the house!!

anyway, with your boys, i was thinking you could get yourself a pair of frames with fake lenses and spend a few days really playing and practicing with them. you show them how you put your glasses on, make a game where you all put your glasses on and make silly faces, make a song for putting on the glasses and sing it whenever you put them on. as for taking them off and leaving them places, well, i still do that myself! one of your games could be practicing taking off the glasses and putting them in a special place. habits will form quickly, but meanwhile, making something enjoyable and funny out of something they find annoying and frustrating can only help! 

is there any harm to them not wearing them right now, like will their vision deteriorate significantly because they aren't wearing them? if not i expect that their low vision doesn't bother them, and when it starts to, the appeal of wearing glasses and having good vision will increase. my optometrist told me that one of the reasons most kids are older when they get glasses is because kids are so adaptable to different challenges and it isn't until they are starting to have to read etc, that they even notice they can't see like everyone else. hopefully your boys will become more interested in having good vision in a little while!