According to studies, bullies more frequently pick on children with glasses.
A study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science shows that children who wore glasses were 35-37% more likely to be victims of physical or verbal abuse.
I worked in a lower income clinic prior to our office and was floored by the number of kids that came in with uncorrected blurry vision. They had significantly high prescriptions that I thought would be impossible to perform in school with yet they absolutely refused to wear their glasses because they didn’t want to be made fun of.
It breaks our hearts to hear that children who wear glasses are treated differently and tend to have lower self-esteem. As the myopia epidemic continues to grow across the world, due to changes in the way our youth interact with their visual environment, I wonder if we will see an increase in bullying as well.
Alternatives to Glasses
LASIK is not an option for young kids, especially for eyes that are still growing. So if your child doesn’t want to wear their glasses due a “stigma” that may be associated with glasses then what are their other options?
Soft contact lenses can be prescribed to kids that are mature enough to take proper care and learn how to apply and remove them. However, even soft contact lenses won’t prevent against myopia progression, or the worsening of their prescription over time.
We make it no secret that we prefer to treat myopia in children with orthokeratology. We take a preventative approach because by starting orthokeratology we not only treat the myopia but also stop its progression.
Click here to read more about orthokeratology and to see if it’s right for your child: http://insightvisionoc.com/services/orthokeratology/
If you think your child may be the victim of bullying, speak up! This is a major problems in schools and needs to be addressed immediately. http://www.stopbullyingnowfoundation.org/main/
