Here’s some ways you can help:

• Sign up to help plan an event near you!  The get togethers are planned locally by parents.  You choose the location and time (and day, if Aug. 4 doesn’t work). We’ll connect you with others in your area that are interested in helping and help with promoting the event.   We’ll also put together flyers for your event, and help you plan activities.  (And thank you to everyone who has already signed up, you’ll hear from me shortly)
• Help us get the word out!  We have a flyer that can be printed and posted at offices, schools, libraries or other bulletin boards.  As we get closer to the events, we’ll have flyers created for each local event.
• Write about the Great Glasses Play Day on your blog or website.  Or share information about it with other parenting groups.

If you’re an optical shop or eye care provider:

• Become a supporter!  Post a flyer about the Great Glasses Play Day in your office, or let parents of children in glasses know about the Great Glasses Play Day in other ways.
• Hold events the week leading up to the Great Glasses Play Day such as book readings, coloring contests, and more!  Contact GGPD@shinypebble.com with other ideas or questions.

A small sampling of photos used in the study.

The study is the first of its kind to look for links between kids in glasses and their levels of cute.  Cuteness experts analyzed the 167 photos in the Little Four Eyes photo gallery, and independently rated the adorableness of each child.  ”What we found astounded us,” noted the lead investigator of the study.

 ”We went in to this study expecting to see some relationship between these two factors, but the degree to which the two factors correlated was off the charts.  Every single photo in that set has been independently verified as representing a cute child,” she continued.  ”That’s a perfect correlation!  We can say with great certainty that all children wearing glasses are cute.”

Of course, correlation is not causation.  ”It would be tempting to assume that the glasses are the cause of the child’s charm,” cautioned the researcher, “but that has not been borne out by our study.”  In fact, a second set of researchers independently rated the cuteness of the children with and without glasses.  They found that the children were just as adorable without their glasses, showing that while the glasses did not cause the cuteness, they also did not diminish their cuteness.

One child from the study with and without glasses. The study found that the children were just as cute with glasses as without.

Vision advocates are hailing the findings as a great step forward in aiding in early detection and treatment of vision issues.  The implications of this study are clear:  Any parent with a cute child should make sure their child’s vision is checked early on.  And parents who learn that their child needs glasses should follow the recommendations of an eye care provider, and should not worry that the glasses will lower their child’s cuteness in any way.

Treats offered to the researchers in no way affected the child’s cuteness rating.

The April 1st study was made possible with the support of the Great Glasses Play Day, a movement to celebrate and support children in glasses, raise awareness of the importance of early detection and treatment of vision issues, and to help end the stigma attached to wearing glasses.  Join us August 4, 2013 for the second annual Great Glasses Play Day!

Today would have been Fred Rogers‘ – known to most of us as “Mister Rogers” – 85th birthday.  For those readers who aren’t familiar with Fred Rogers, he hosted a beloved US children’s television show, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” for over 30 years.  He was known for his gentleness and directness and his unmatched way of explaining things to children at their level.  He founded a non-profit, Family Communications, to produce the show, but also to produce books and videos and other materials to help support parents and children. His book “The New Baby,” was read to my husband to help him get ready for his new sister when he was young, we read that same book (with the same wonderful 1980s pictures) to Zoe when we were expecting her younger sister a few years ago.

Mister Rogers was gifted at helping children face unfamiliar and often scary situations of all kinds, including doctor and dentist visits.  But imagine my surprise when I learned last month that he had also co-written a chapter of an ophthalmology book,Duane’s Ophthalmology.

He and a colleague at Family Communications, Hedda Sharapan, were asked by a Pittsburgh pediatric ophthalmologist to help to write the chapter “Physical and Psychological Preparation of Children for Anesthesia and Surgery.”  Their part was looking at the psychological preparation.  But that section doesn’t just talk about preparing a child for ophthalmologic surgery, it covers some of the special considerations of working with children during eye exams.  And while it’s targeted at Ophthalmologists, I found it extremely readable, fascinating, and helpful.  It’s written in his straightforward style and puts the child’s fears and concerns front and center.  The section begins,

“You were a child once, too. That may be obvious, but knowing that and remembering what it was like being a child can make a significant difference in the relationship between you and your child patient. Some children are fortunate enough to be treated by physicians who recall the feelings of being a powerless vulnerable child.”

On the topic of general eye exams, he writes about the fact that people of all ages are especially sensitive about their eyes:

“People of all ages may be especially sensitive about their eyes. In our feeding experiences right from birth, as infants we actively use our eyes to search the face of the person who is feeding us, reading that face like a road map to gather information about the world. At that time in our lives, our eyes help us find answers to the most basic question, “Is the world a good and trustworthy place?” As we grow, we continue to rely on our eyes as an important source of our sense of self, independence, and knowledge of what’s going on around us.”

Because of this, eye exams, though they rarely hurt, can be upsetting and difficult.  Exams generally go much better when kids are prepared for what’s to come, and when they are able to move their head freely, rather than having their head turned one way or another with a hand on the top of their head.

There are even tips for making eye drop administration easier, including:

• Explain that the drops are important for looking at the eye.
• Do not surprise the child with the drops, but tell him that they’re coming.
• Be honest that the drops may sting.
• Describe the drops as being “like looking up into the raindrops” or “like being splashed” and ask if the child has looked up into raindrops, or been splashed before.  (This sounds lovely, I love the poetry of “looking up into the raindrops”, but I’ll admit, given our fights with Zoe and getting eye drops, I’m pretty skeptical that it will actually help.  I’m still going to give it a shot.)
• Demonstrate giving the eye drops on a doll or stuffed animal first.

He’s similarly thoughtful and spot-on when writing about what us parents are going through:

“Along with medical concerns for their child, parents also bring to your office their emotional concerns. Whenever a child has any problem (major or minor), parents tend to feel vulnerable, sometimes powerless, and often guilty. Everyone longs to have a perfect child, and when that dream is marred by some problem (no matter how small), parents often need extra doses of reassurance and trust from the physician and the staff.”

I encourage everyone to read the full section.  And when you’re done, if you’re feeling nostalgic for Mister Rogers, enjoy this tribute by Symphony of Science’s John D. Boswell and PBS Digital Studios.

References:

• “A Special Day in the Neighborhood Mister Rogers Celebrates 30 Years of Making Us Feel Good about Ourselves.” Pittsburgh Post – Gazette, Jan 18, 1998.
• Jane M. Breck, Fred M. Rogers, Hedda B. Sharapan, and Albert W. Biglan, “Chapter 80, Physical and Psychological Preparation of Children for Anesthesia and Surgery, Part 2: Psychological Preparation for Anesthesia.” Duane’s Ophthalmology on CD-ROM, 2006 Edition.  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.  http://www.oculist.net/downaton502/prof/ebook/duanes/pages/v6/v6c080.html#part

Want to have a fun and rewarding experience this weekend? Host a mini-Great Glasses Play Day in honor of the 5th Anniversary of Little Four Eyes! If you haven’t heard of Little Four Eyes, it  is a wonderful online resource and support community for families with  young children in glasses. Ann Zawistoski, co-founder of the Great Glasses Play Day, created this special place for families of little ones in glasses to share experiences, tips, tricks, and pictures.

Thousands of parents are thankful for the resources and connections they’ve made through her online community, including Brandi from Portland, Oregon. Brandi recently hosted a mini-Great Glasses Play Day for her son, Elias. She met another family for the first time at Portland’s Children’s Museum (a delightful place my girls and I spent a lot of time at when we lived in Portland). I wish I had known Brandi when we lived there–what a great mom to plan such a special mini-Great Glasses Play Day.

We heard about the recent mini-Great Glasses Play Date you had for your son and another child who wears glasses. Can you tell us how you connected with the other family?

I met the other family through the Little Four Eyes website. Not only do both of our boys wear glasses, they were both born with cataracts. I really enjoyed our Mini Play Date so much that we will be getting together again next week! If we’re lucky, there will be another little one there, a little girl, who was also born with cataracts.

How were you involved with the annual Great Glasses Play Day?

When I found out about the Great Glasses Play Day, I was so excited! I immediately began printing out flyers and spreading the word verbally. I openly discussed it at our local library during story time, and left flyers at all of the local optical shops. I can’t wait to start preparing for this year’s Great Glasses Play Day in August!

How old is your son and his playmate?

My son Elias is a little over a year now! Our Little Four Eyed friend, Scott, is almost 11 months!

Did you tell your son that his playmate would be wearing glasses?

I told Eli many times, “We are going to see our new friend and he wears glasses like you!” I think it’s very important to show him that he’s not the only one, that he’s not alone.

Can you tell me about what you did during your play date?

We met at the Portland Children’s Museum, a place where the kids could play and explore together. The boys took to each other right away as if they were meant to be friends. Like little “soul friends!” As great as it was for the boys, it was also great for me! To finally be able to talk to someone in person who understands everything we’ve been through, all of our trouble and triumphs! It was truly amazing and much needed!

How did you feel?

It’s a great feeling to know you’re not alone and that there is someone out there dealing with the same issues. I was overwhelmed with happiness watching my son find a friend! Especially one that has shared his same experiences. I also feel very lucky to have resources like Little Four Eyes that bring families and children like Elias and Scott together!

What has meeting with families of children who also wear glasses done for you, your son, and your family?

It has been wonderful for all of us! I’m so grateful to have met Scott and his family! Like I mentioned before, to know you’re not alone is a great feeling! We had such a good time and we can’t wait to play with our new friends again!

Thanks, Brandi for sharing! Your photos from your mini-Great Glasses Play Day are so adorable! I can’t wait for August 4th!

Kristin Ellsworth is a co-founder of the Great Glasses Play Day and a Board member of Prevent Blindness Wisconsin. She is the owner of the social enterprise, Peeps Eyewear, which empowers children to be anything they want to be — wearing glasses.  Peeps gives back through its frame donation program and helps raise awareness for early childhood vision health.

I just came across this lovely, and heartbreaking, post from Almost All the Truth, “A Kinder New Year in Glasses.”  She talks about how important it is for all people to be kind to each other and especially not to call names.  It got me thinking about the name calling that so often comes from the stereotypes around glasses: that people in glasses are nerdy or shy or clumsy or awkward or weak.

Just take a look at the TV Tropes page for Glasses.  For those that have never been to TV Tropes, it’s a site that categorizes so many writing conventions and devices, especially as they relate to fiction in TV shows, movies, books, and more.  A word of warning, it can be an extremely fascinating, time-wasting site.  But back to the glasses, it seems that glasses show up most often to indicate that a character is smart or nerdy, weak, or unattractive.  There are exceptions of course, my favorite being Harry Potter, where the smartest characters didn’t wear glasses, and Harry, the hero (and a popular athlete in school) did wear them.  But those exceptions are few and far between. It’s clear how these ideas, as untrue as they are, can lead to teasing and unfair assumptions about kids who wear glasses.  And given how important it is that children who need glasses wear them, we need to push against those ideas whenever possible.

And that’s what the Great Glasses Play Day is trying to stop.  We want to take away the stigma of wearing glasses and instead celebrate the great things that glasses can do for our children:

• Glasses help our children to see well, they do not define our children’s intelligence or abilities.
• Glasses can be a way for our children to express their personality and individuality, but they do not define our children’s personalities.
• Simply put, glasses help our children to do what they love, better!

Ann Zawistoski is a co-founder of The Great Glasses Play Day.  Her daughter, Zoe, started wearing glasses at 14 months for farsightedness.  She’s now a spunky kindergartner who rocks her glasses.  Ann is also the owner and administrator of Little Four Eyes, a community for parents of young kids in glasses, patches, and contacts.

The numbers are striking and sad:

• an estimated 1.4 million children are needlessly blind
• causes of childhood blindness include glaucoma, cataracts, retinopathy of prematurity, corneal scarring, and refractive errors.
• in developing countries, 60% of blind children die within a year of going blind

• an estimated 19 million children are visually impaired
• 12 million of those children are visually impaired due to uncorrected refractive errors. Something that could be so easily and inexpensively treated with glasses.

But there’s good news, 80% of blindness worldwide is preventable, and sight restoration and blindness prevention are some of the most cost effective health care interventions.

You can read more about the global initiatives to end preventable blindness at Vision 2020, a joint program between the World Health Organization and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.  The have information about how you can help as an individual or an eye care professional.

We’ve set the date for the second annual event for August 4, 2013.  We hope you’ll join us!

If you haven’t had an opportunity to get in on the fun, a number of families are celebrating in their own backyards and sharing posts about their child’s vision. This wonderful family shared these pictures of their backyard party with us today:

Celebrating glasses!

…and eating cupcakes with glasses!!!

Thanks everyone for being a part of the party, you’ve given us all an opportunity to share with others how cool glasses can be and why early vision health is so important to children. Watch for more photos and posts by others as we work through all the submissions of how everyone celebrated!  Cheers! –Kristin