Active Children and their Glasses

by Dr. Angela Gulbranson, Visions Eye Care + Therapy Center

Active Children

and Their Glasses

Here are some essential tips on choosing corrective vision devices for active kids.

If you have an active child who needs to wear glasses, you’re familiar with durability concerns. When parents buy eyeglasses for children and teenagers, they have two main concerns – 1. Will the glasses get lost, and 2. Will the glasses get broken? Kids are meant to be active and to play sports. Wearing glasses doesn’t have to slow them down.

There are a variety of different eyewear frames available specifically for kids. Frames by Miraflex® and Nano® are unbreakable with a fall or impact. These frames can come with an elastic band wrap for little ones as well as an active child who wants to run the soccer field without having to worry about his glasses consistently.

In addition to a sturdy frame, lens material is also critical to consider for safety. Polycarbonate or Trivex lenses provide the best protection for your child as these materials are shatterproof.

Sports goggles are another option that will work with your child’s prescription. They can wear these during indoor and outdoor sports. But what if the glasses are getting in the way when wearing a football, baseball, or hockey helmet?

Contact lenses are a great choice and have many options, such as single-use daily lenses, which work great for sporting activities, or contact lenses that adapt to changing light for superior visual performance during outdoor sporting activities.

Whether it’s a durable pair of glasses, sports goggles, or contact lenses, there are many excellent vision correction options for active kids. l

Rainbow Candied Grapes

Bright beautiful colors scream SPRING! This month we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day so we can’t forget to include rainbows! Ready to try something new? Here’s what you need and what to do:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb of grapes; washed and removed from stem. • 1 box of Jell-O flavored gelatin. Grab multiple boxes for different colors of the rainbow.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Grab a baking sheet and line with parchment paper. 2. Submerge washed grapes in a big bowl of water. 3. Pour each of your Jell-O boxes into separate bowls. 4. Take a grape from the water and use a toothpick to roll the grape in one of the

Jell-O mixes. 5. Place the coated grape on the baking sheet. 6. When finished with grapes, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for one hour. 7. After the hour, remove the toothpicks and place grapes on a tray or in a bowl. l