I recently received an email from a new member inquiring where to get frames for his 4-month-old son, as none of the shops in his area carried infant frames. I recommended Solo Bambini to him. Solo Bambini has their own line of children’s frames including Solo Bambini infant and toddler frames in three sizes and Portofino frames for kids and pre-teens. They also distribute Italian-made Como infant and toddler frames in two sizes and French-made Maudal frames for children.

I highly recommend the Como frames, as they are the frames that both my boys wear, appear to be more comfortable than the “hard’ frames designed for older kids, and are extremely durable. My oldest Son, now almost 3, has had the same frames for two and a half years. They’re still as good as new and have held at least a dozen sets of lenses due to replacements for scratched lenses and prescription changes. I do not think any other frames would have lasted as long given the abuse these frames have taken.

If your local optical shop does not carry infant frames, let them know about Solo Bambini, and they can order frames directly from Solo Bambini . If you cannot get your optical shop to do this, your doctor should be able to order a complete set of glasses directly from Solo Bambini for you.

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Welcome to BabiesWithGlasses.org. This site is for parents, grandparents, other family members and friends of babies and young children with glasses, or needing glasses, to share experiences and tips. It is also a gateway to other resources that may be useful to this group. The site went live on October 6, 2005.

We hope this site becomes a useful resource for you and your family.

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What is amblyopia?

By the BabyCenter editorial staff, from: http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babyills/babyeyes/10890.html

Amblyopia (also called Lazy eye) develops when the brain shuts off or suppresses vision in one eye. This can happen if your baby's eyes are misaligned or if he can't see as well with one eye because of nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, or something that's blocking clear vision in that eye, like a cataract or a drooping eyelid. About 3 to 6 percent of children under the age of 6 develop amblyopia. Treatment is most successful before age 5 or 6, although recent research shows that even older children may recover their vision. If ignored, though, amblyopia can result in permanent vision loss.

How to recognize amblyopia

Identifying the problem isn't easy because children can get along fine using only one eye. The less-used eye may look perfectly normal, even though your baby isn't using it to see. Your child's doctor should routinely test for amblyopia (as well as strabismus) by checking the eyes independently and together. But pediatric ophthalmologist James Ruben, a member of the AAP section on ophthalmology, says it's also a good idea for you to occasionally test the vision in your child's eyes at home.

Testing for amblyopia at home.

Here's a simple way to get an idea of whether your baby's eyes are both pulling their weight:

While your baby is interested in an object ? a toy bear that you dance in front of him, for example ? cover one of his eyes (it helps to have a partner for this). See if he follows the object with his uncovered eye as you move it. Then cover the other eye and see if he follows the object just as well ? and as far.

It's a little tricky to test a baby, who may lose interest or become distracted before your informal test is over. But if one eye seems weaker, try testing it again another time ? maybe starting with the other eye first.

If your baby seems to be able to see better with one eye than the other, schedule an appointment with either your child's doctor for a vision screening test or an ophthalmologist, who can diagnose and treat the problem.

What can be done to treat amblyopia?

The first step is to address any underlying problem ? by correcting the astigmatism or nearsightedness with glasses or removing a cataract with surgery, for example. Once that's taken care of, the goal is to encourage your child's brain to connect with the weaker eye, eventually improving its ability to see.

Glasses don't help to improve this eye-brain connection. In fact, one sign of the condition is that your baby's vision is still worse in one eye when he's wearing the correct glasses. That's because glasses work to help the eye focus ? like a camera lens ? but if the brain isn't communicating well with that eye, there won't be a clear picture. Instead, your doctor will probably recommend covering your baby's stronger eye with a patch or using eyedrops once a day to blur the vision in that eye, either of which will force the brain to use the weaker eye. This process could take weeks, months, or even years.

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