Spectacle dispensing in children Flashcards
what must you need to be in order to dispense children
GOC registered
name the three do’s of effective communication
- DO explain the procedure to parents beforehand
- DO talk directly to the child especially if they are at a communicating age
- DO use toys and gadgets which will help keep the child’s attention
what is a don’t in effective communication and why is this
Don’t rush take your time to get it right
because a child won’t complain if the frames aren’t right fit for them
how should you communicate when dispensing a child that is from birth up till 36 months
by referring to the parent
e.g. if they prefer to put the glasses on the child then let them, or if they prefer for us to put them on
at what age will a child start to ask questions and what should you do
3-6 years old
engage with the child and answer their questions and communicate less with the parents
what should you when you dispense to avoid a child getting bored
try to do the paperwork afterwards once the patient has gone
list 4 things you must be aware of when dispensing older children from 12 - 18 years old and 4 things that you can do
Be aware of:
- Bullying of spectacle wearers
- Peer/family pressure
- Body image issues
- Awareness of visual ‘disadvantage’
You can:
- Talk to your patient
- Reassure them about appearance
- Reinforce benefits of wearing spectacles
- Take your time
what is more important than the colour and style of a frame
a frame that fits well
what can you do if there is too much choice
Narrow selection down according to fit/size
Let child make the final choice
which type of frames are best suited for infants and toddlers
Soft plastic frames ideal for comfort
which type of frames are least suitable for infants and toddlers and why
metal frames
they are less comfortable as young infants dont have a fully formed nose bridge so theres nothing for the notepads to sit on, therefore they slide down the face
which type of frames are least suitable for older children and why
More brittle plastics tend to break
Be aware in active children
which type of frame are best suited for older children and why
Metal frames
more robust and can be reshaped when damaged
list 5 suppliers of specialist frames
- Tomato frames
- Zoobug
- Centrostyle active soft
- Norville
- Mira flex USA
what is the advantage of tomato frames
they have adjustable side lengths so can pull in and out as the child grows
list 6 features that specialist frames have
- Spring joints
- Soft on skin/non irritant
- Grip on back/ strap
- Adjustable length to bend
- Soft nose pads
- Variant bridge sizes
why are grip on back/straps used for children’s spectacles
for children who tend to pull their glasses off, so it makes sure the child is looking through the lens and also for active kids
what are the 2 types of specialist sports/safety eyewear used by kids
- Swimming goggles
- Ski goggles
list 4 possible frame side options/accessories
- sprung sides
- curl sides
- slip stops
- loop end sides (tie on)
what is the advantage of sprung sides
Right handed children will damage the left side if the side is not sprung
as children can use one hand to remove their spectacles
what is the disadvantage of sprung sides
a broken sprung side is difficult, if not impossible to repair
what are curl sides and which type of children are they good for
- Can be fitted onto any metal frame
- Silicon covering
- Rest along back of ear
Provides good fitting option for younger children who try to pull their glasses off, so it keeps them in place and makes sure the child is looking through the lenses
what is an advantage of curl sides
they’re cost effective
as the child is not breaking them as often
what are slip stops and what are they useful for
rubber parts that slip onto the end of glasses to stop them from slipping off
useful for active children and when parents aren’t sure about the fit
what are Loop end sides (tie-on)
sides which you can tie a ribbon on them
its an old style and lots of new styles are out now
name three types of spectacle bridge options that can be used for infants and toddlers
- moulded frame
- saddle bridge
- strap bridge
what is a saddle bridge and under what condition will it be suitable
- one piece of plastic that goes around the bridge
- the bridge should conform to child’s nose if not the frames will slip off
what is a strap bridge and under what condition will it be suitable
- nose pads that are joined into one
- the nose must be big enough as it needs something to grip onto, it is good for slightly oder children
list 2 advantages of the strap bridge
- Absorbs impact
- Needs less frequent adjustment
what can be changed of a nose pad
the size, e.g. if its too big, you can change it to smaller ones on the same frame
what is essential when fitting a frame on a child and why
- checking the length to bend
- to avoid sore ears, because children won’t complain about poor fitting frames, they just won’t wear them = poor compliance
which lens material must never be dispensed for children, and under what condition may it be dispensed
- glass
- only may be appropriate for high myopia if requested by the parent if they use glass lenses too
which lens material is always dispensed for children
resin
which lens materials is usually dispensed for children
- CR39
- Trivex
list 4 reasons why polycarbonate/trivex lenses are dispensed for children
- Light weight
- Impact resistant 10x more than plastic/glass
- Good ‘V’ value
- blocks 100% UV
how can you make it easy to take measurements on a child
- keep the child’s attention by getting down to their level i.e. kneel down or put child on a chair
- Use tricks to attract their attention Look into my purple eye Toy on tip of your pen Statues Praise
list 4 ways methods of measuring a child’s pd’s
- Inner limbus to outer limbus
- Pupil centre to pupil centre
- Inner canthus to outer cants
- on a sleeping baby: estimate distance between corneal bulge, centre to centre
how can you measure pd’s on a child with strabismus
use an occluder to cover the fixing eye in order for the child to focus with their strabismic eye
how are bifocal heights set when dispensing children and which type of bifocal seg should be used
- Set at lower pupil NOT lower limbus
Avoid ‘missing’ the sen and making sure they look through it - Use large ‘D’ seg
when must you consider measuring BVD on a child
when choosing frames for children with high Rx
same as an adult
what happens to the power of a plus lens as it moves away from the eye
less plus as lens moves away from eye
what happens to the power of a plus lens as it moves closer to the eye
becomes more plus
what happens to the power of a minus lens as it moves towards the eye
becomes less minus
who is the GOC3 “yellow form” form used for
- Children under age 16
- Aged 16, 17 or 18 and in full time education
when may you still need to charge a patient for glasses who are using the GOS3 form
when spectacles cost more that the voucher value
in which 3 cases does the small glasses supplement found on the GOS3 form apply
- Spectacles for a child under 7 years of age
- Spectacle frame with boxed centre of no more than 55mm
- Custom made or stock spectacle frame which requires “extensive adaptation” to ensure an accurate fit
i. e. on specialist frames that are a bit more expensive e.g. the moulded type so can make an extra claim to help cover cost of the glasses
which form used for repairs and replacements of glasses and who can it be used on
- GOS4
- for children under age of 16
used to repair or replace before next appointment
what is the GOS4 repair and replacement form not used for
a spare pair of glasses
