Fit, material, lenses: What you should pay attention to when buying glasses for your child

What applies to buying glasses for adults is not necessarily important for children. Children want to jump and romp and cuddle, and for that they need glasses that don't get in the way and are tailored exactly to their needs. With the large selection online and in stores, however, you can quickly ask yourself the question: What exactly is important so that my child can see optimally, gets along well with his glasses and enjoys wearing them?

Help, my child needs glasses!

The fact that your child needs glasses may come as a bit of a shock at first, but don't worry. Many people need glasses as children or throughout their lives. There are now incredibly good children's glasses that can compensate for the poor eyesight of little ones very well and thus enable completely normal vision.

With the right glasses, a little tact and of course a pinch of luck, your child will even enjoy wearing them as a cool accessory. It is important that you yourself exude anticipation and enthusiasm when making the purchase, otherwise your child will quickly realize that glasses are stupid. We don't want that. So: make the selection an exciting event and soon life with glasses will definitely become normal for you.

To make your journey easier, we have put together a list of what is important when buying children's glasses. The general rule is: it is better to try and ask too many questions than to end up with unsuitable glasses and just have to deal with stress. Luckily, there are experts who can advise you. At MANTI MANTI, we are happy to talk to you online if you have any questions about one of the models or the perfect fit for your child. Simply make an appointment online here and start asking. Now for the hard facts:

How can I get my child excited about the new glasses?

If possible, the trip to the glasses shop or choosing online should be a pleasant experience for everyone. A child-friendly approach from the retailer or brand can have a big impact and increase the anticipation of the new glasses. Most children don't want to spend ages getting advice about different frames and materials. Maybe your child can play a little in the shop while you get advice. In the MANTI MANTI showroom in Berlin-Kreuzberg, for example, we have a wonderful ball pit.

Younger children often like bright colors when it comes to design, while older children or teens probably want to look a bit more stylish and cooler. Those boring mini adult glasses are almost certainly not in demand. It is extremely important that the child can choose their favorite glasses (which of course fit well). It is best to choose a few models that are suitable and let your child decide on the color, shape, pattern, etc. If you find it difficult to buy your child glasses that you personally would not have chosen, let me tell you: the more your child likes their new glasses, the greater the chances that they will enjoy wearing them later on.

How should the glasses fit?

Every head is different and that's a good thing. Since children are still growing, there are children's glasses in different sizes. At MANTI MANTI you will findmodels for children between 3 - 5, 6 - 9 and 10 - 12 years . There are also glasses for babies and teenagers. Of course, children's heads are different and the frame should always fit the respective face perfectly. Unfortunately, it is not possible to buy the frame one size larger so that the child can grow into it like a sweater and enjoy it for longer. The glasses have to fit, otherwise wearing them is no fun.

The glasses should slip as little as possible when you're running around, but they shouldn't be too tight or press anywhere. Ideally, the frame can be adjusted using replaceable anti-slip pads on the nose, flexible joints or temples. Flexible temple ends can be adjusted in length to ensure the best possible hold. Our tip: Before playing sports, they can always be bent inwards a little for extra stability - this makes special sports temples unnecessary.

The most important measurement for a suitable pair of glasses is the size of the eye sockets and the distance between the pupils and the middle of the nose. This is called the pupil distance, or PD for short, and is important for grinding the lenses of the glasses perfectly. You can also measure them easily at home .

As a rule of thumb, the glasses should not extend beyond the eyebrows and should not be wider than the face. The frame should also not rest on the cheeks to avoid pressure points and smeared lenses. It is best to have a professional take a look at the end to see whether your new favorite glasses really fit well and where adjustments still need to be made.

What material should the frame be made of?

The material of the glasses frame should be as light, comfortable and flexible as possible. This also increases the child's acceptance. Nobody wants to have to balance a heavy frame on their nose, especially if they are very physically active. Metal carries a certain risk of injury, plastic is much more flexible and durable.

Our MANTI MANTI glasses are ultra-flexible and absolutely durable. This also protects the lenses. And of course your wallet, because the chance of something breaking is minimal. The frames are made from a special castor oil-based plastic using a 3D printing process in Germany, then equipped with extra-stable joints and combined with comfortable nose pads and temple ends. The glasses are made from a renewable raw material and therefore use far fewer resources and have a significantly smaller carbon footprint than conventional glasses. Your child will definitely be happy about a little more sustainability on their nose.

What should the lenses be able to do?

Transparent plastic lenses simply give you the best view. The lenses of children's glasses must not break for safety reasons alone. Plastic lenses are not indestructible, but they can withstand a lot. And even if they do break in the heat of the moment, they do not produce any sharp, dangerous splinters. The lenses should also be as light as possible so that the glasses are comfortable to wear.

A special hard coating is useful for plastic lenses, as it protects the lenses well during everyday adventures. Without scratches, it is just so much easier to see. An anti-reflective coating reduces annoying reflections for the wearer, improves contrast vision and simply looks better in photos and in general. School children should have anti-reflective lenses at the latest so that they can read better. With MANTI MANTI, light, break-resistant, hardened, anti-reflective lenses made of plastic are of course included.

What else could you think about? A UV filter. UV rays are nasty, you can't see them, but they are still very dangerous for skin and eyes. There is sunscreen for the skin, and built-in protection in the lenses for the eyes. Another optional filter for the lenses is the blue light filter. Displays produce a lot of blue light. This can become very stressful for your child's eyes in the long run. With a blue light filter, vision is simply more relaxed and calm.

By the way: Children's glasses must always be prescribed by an ophthalmologist. We recommend that children have their eyes measured by an optician at the earliest when they are 14 years old. Before this, it is often necessary to dilate the pupils and in most European countries only ophthalmologists are allowed to do this.

Please be patient

Sometimes it just takes a little time for the child to accept the new glasses and enjoy wearing them. It's a big change and needs to be supported. Read books together about cool people who wear glasses or watch films in which the protagonists also wear glasses. Harry Potter or Mirabel in the Disney film Encanto make almost all children's hearts beat faster, right?

If you would like to try on glasses from MANTI MANTI, you can visit us in our showroom in Berlin-Kreuzberg or order a free fitting box with 5 models to your home. Then you can try everything on at your leisure.

We hope you have fun trying and choosing and that your child's new favorite glasses give them the clear vision they want.