Kids are full of energy and always ready to run around, play hard, fall down and get back up again. Just as we give our children freedom, we also teach them about the importance of looking after themselves and their possessions, whether they’re crossing roads on the way to school, playing sports or brushing their teeth before bed.

We believe that glasses should be considered in the same way. They tend to get forgotten or taken for granted in the chaos of child’s play, often resulting in broken or damaged glasses.

This usually occurs due to physical activity, sports, not taking glasses on and off properly, not keeping glasses in their case, or dirty glasses lenses that obscure vision, making them more accident prone.

We must accept that accidents will always happen, nevertheless, replacing glasses every few months can be a financial strain on parents. So you’ll be happy to hear there are ways to help prevent this common issue!

Our team has put together some key tips for all you parents out there who are looking for ways to extend the life of your child’s glasses. Always remind them to:

1. Keep Their Glasses Clean – This is one of the simplest and most important things you can teach them. Children’s glasses often accumulate smudges and dirt during school.

As well as not being able to see the board properly, dirty glasses lenses might make accidents more likely, due to reduced clarity of vision and depth perception. Cleaning glasses everyday will also enable you or your child to identify any permanent scratches on the lenses that might have been previously masked.

Make sure your children always keep a soft, microfibre glasses cleaning cloth in their case. A small cleaning spray solution to use with the cloth is ideal. Alternatively, you can even buy pre-moistened cleaning wipes for glasses – perfect for school desks, lockers, or on their bedside table.

2. Handle Their Glasses Correctly – We’re all guilty of succumbing to laziness and only using one hand to take our glasses off! Every time we do this, the side arms are being stretched out and loosened at the hinges, making it a major contributor towards broken or damaged glasses.

Remind your children to use both hands to firmly grip either side arm and gently take the glasses on and off to prolong their life.

3. Store Their Glasses in a Case – Leaving glasses on tables, sofas, loose in their rucksack, or on the bed are invitation enough for significant damage to children’s glasses!

Always encourage them to put their glasses in their case when they aren’t being used, to avoid dirt, debris and scratching from rough surfaces on the lenses. There might also be less of a chance of someone sitting on, or trampling on their glasses too! Glasses cases come with every children’s glasses purchase and are compact and easy to store both at home and at school.

4. Avoid Wearing Glasses During Physical Activities – Try to get your kids to take their glasses off before engaging in any physical activities or sports to avoid any rough contact with them.

If they specifically need their glasses for these, consider getting stronger, polycarbonate glasses lenses with an anti-scratch coating to prevent breakage, or try out contact lenses if you feel they’re ready for them.

You can also get specialised sports goggles to wear with straps to minimise any knocks or injuries to your child and their eyewear. The material of the frame also makes a difference – choose durable acetate or metal frames with spring hinges on the side arms to allow for movement and flexibility.

5. Never Use Glue to Fix Their Glasses – If you want to know how to fix broken glasses – this is not it! It may seem like the best temporary solution but using any sort of glue to fix glasses does more harm than good. Once it gets onto the lenses, the coatings will become damaged and need replacing.

Always go to your optician to get them repaired professionally as they will possess the adequate tools and knowledge to assess the extent of the damage. 

6. Keep a Spare Pair of Glasses – This last tip is more for parents than children! As child will inevitably be rough with their eyewear at some stage or another, we always encourage you to invest in a backup pair of glasses for your children.

This is especially important for any of you who have children with high prescriptions who cannot do without their glasses for very long. Ideal for tiding them over until new glasses have been ordered.

Showing your children these simple tasks for glasses could make all the difference to the way they treat their eyewear and how often you’re in to buy new specs for them! Feel free to call our experienced and qualified staff for any more advice on how to look after children’s glasses.

We generally advise that you take your glasses to be repaired where you bought them for the sake of continuity, but if you’re really in a fix, please do come in to see us and we’ll endeavour to help you as much as possible.

We have a variety of children’s designer glasses, budget options, and sports glasses available. Our Principal Optometrist, Karen Lockyer also specialises in contact lenses for children! Contact us online, or call us on 0207 228 0467 for further advice on glasses care or to view our child eyewear ranges!