for parents of kids who wear glasses and play sports

[Anonymous]

Hi Everybody,

My 7-year-old son needs to wear glasses all the time and is too young for contacts. We are relatively new to the whole eyeglasses thing. My son is getting ready to play basketball this winter and I am worried that he will pulverize his eyeglasses. I asked the guy at our eye place what my son should wear when he plays basketball. He showed me what he called sports glasses. They looked a lot sturdier than the ones my son wears all the time (and has broken twice in the past five months!) and the guy said they come with a strap. The only problem: the lenses/frames and strap cost approx $200, he said. Yikes! I'm sure they are fleecing me. Is this really how much folks spend? He went into a whole speech about how kids love wearing them.

I came home and did a quick search on Amazon and saw a lot of cheaper options, but I have no idea if any of them are any good.

I'd be really grateful to get some suggestions from other parents. TIA!

[Anonymous]

Look at zenni or 39dollarglasses. I order prescription sunglasses from these places. You will need the script though.

[Anonymous]

I paid more than 350 for my almost 7 year old that has Nike on the tag. It is not made by Nike butmore like recognized by Nike as sport ready. It lasted a year now and didnt break. Our doctor only trust this one place for kids eyeglasses. And they are not cheap.

[Anonymous]

Check different glasses stores - call vs. run around. You can probably get them cheaper but when I looked for my husband they were about that price. You can get some crappy glasses as PP suggested and just have him wear those for sports so if they break, no big deal. I'd be careful ordering online as if you have a problem with the prescription, some will not fix it.

[Anonymous]

My son wears rec specs. Yes, they are expensive, but the frame should last a while. Just get the lenses replaced when his prescription changes. Age 7. Wears them for basketball and tennis. No issues. You want the best protection you can get.

[Anonymous]

Walmart. Seriously, they have the best prices on glasses. The sports goggles were 59 dollars for the frame and maybe 40 for the lenses? We got two pairs of glasses there this fall for 140 dollars.
My eight year old now only wears the sports goggles. They are awesome- no breakage since septet- previous regular glasses needed repairs every month or so.

[Anonymous]

OP here: Thanks all. Very helpful. I'll check back again in case anyone else has suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Walmart. Seriously, they have the best prices on glasses. The sports goggles were 59 dollars for the frame and maybe 40 for the lenses? We got two pairs of glasses there this fall for 140 dollars.
My eight year old now only wears the sports goggles. They are awesome- no breakage since septet- previous regular glasses needed repairs every month or so.

us too my son uses them several times a week-club soccer and basketball never an issue

[Anonymous]

We skipped the sports goggles. They were unattractive, the fit wasn't right and they were harder to use under face masks. My DD is 12 and hasn't had an issue in any of the sports she has participated in.

[Anonymous]

We pulled the trigger on the sports goggles. They were much sturdier/comfortable/attractive (if that is possible) than the cheaper versions that my friend's son wears (when he will actutally wear them since they are uncomfortable.) We did transition lenses so they are also sunglasses (and good for playing outdoor soccer.) We are going on 2y with them with multiple wears per week and daily wear during the summer for camp with no issues.

He's worn his regular glasses when he has forgotten to put on his sports goggles and 2x has broken his regular glasses (but they are thin wire frames.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We skipped the sports goggles. They were unattractive, the fit wasn't right and they were harder to use under face masks. My DD is 12 and hasn't had an issue in any of the sports she has participated in.

Your first problem was that the glasses were unattractive? I knew it was a DD rather than DS just by reading that sentence.

IF she has a face mask presumably her glasses would be safe. The only point of this post is to say that sports glasses are not attractive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We skipped the sports goggles. They were unattractive, the fit wasn't right and they were harder to use under face masks. My DD is 12 and hasn't had an issue in any of the sports she has participated in.

Why is it important to you that your DD be attractive while playing sports?

[Anonymous]

We are in the same process with my almost 5 year old. My Eye Dr will price match frames if you find them cheaper somewhere else. He is getting Liberty MX rec specs that they are selling for $175, for $93 (the price I found online). This means my insurance will cover the frames at 100%. Definitely check around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in the same process with my almost 5 year old. My Eye Dr will price match frames if you find them cheaper somewhere else. He is getting Liberty MX rec specs that they are selling for $175, for $93 (the price I found online). This means my insurance will cover the frames at 100%. Definitely check around.

this is great to know. We have the Liberty ones and paid $175 for them.

[Anonymous]

Get them online but get a brand name. I have seen some pretty ugly sports accidents involving shattered glasses.