Kids judo and wearing glasses

TeamLowe

hi
just my thoughts, but it doesn't sound like you wear glasses yourself, so your impressions of how your daughter feels about her glasses may not be the same as how she feels, have you or the judo teacher mentioned the not wearing them to her? my parents both wear glasses so always had a 'just get on with it' sort of attitude, but it can be hard for you if you don't wear glasses to even imagine what your daughter can see without her glasses. i know a lot of people who seem to assume i can only see so far then the rest is total blackness

i've got a very strong perscription, at least as strong as your daughter's but short sighted, have had since being a small child and to someone who *needs* glasses to function, there's a world of difference between 'omg i can't find my glasses/they've been broken how in the world will i cope til i get them back/ will i get them back' and 'my glasses are in a safe place, i will get on with this task in a blurry sort of way in the knowledge that i can come back to them and normal service will be resumed'.

even as an adult there's nothing worse than not being able to find my glasses in the morning (especially when i need my glasses to be able to find my glasses ) but i don't wear them for swimming because i can make other blobs out in the water, don't cause a danger to myself or others, and i'm scared of losing them.
being afraid of losing something so important to you would make anyone less confident of doing anything.

also, maybe the reason she doesn't like people seeing her without her glasses is she can't see people without her glasses, it's hard to explain the feeling of just not being able to make out somebody's features, or how scary it is not to recognise someone in your own house until they speak x x

PolishBigSpender

littleredhen wrote: »

hi - thanks - she is 8 - my optician said not to consider lenses until 12 at the earliest although i know that was for everyday use - have not talked to her about just for judo

Try getting her the ones that you dispose of after every use. They are much safer than the ones you have to clean every evening. Contacts are very very comfortable and really make sport activities much more fun without constant worrying about the glasses.

Mutter_2

littleredhen wrote: »

hi - thanks - she is 8 - my optician said not to consider lenses until 12 at the earliest although i know that was for everyday use - have not talked to her about just for judo

I hope the glasses she wears are not steel framed. Mine had hers pushed into her face playing rounders. A&E, stitches, the works.

Some Opticians are very backward regarding lenses, mine takes the view that if the child can cope with caring for them, then they are old enough.

Now with the brilliant daily disposables they don't even have to clean them of course.

I won't forget the day my daughter exited the Contact Lens Centre without her glasses, she couldn't remove the smile from her little face.

MellyB_2

I only started wearing lenses when I was 16 and my eyesight is pretty bad (shortsighted -8.50 and -9.00!!) and as much as I don't mind wearing my glasses, I'm not sure I'd like to do any sport in them.

I play netball which isn't ideal for a glasses wearer as you can obviously get hit in the face so I always wear my lenses plus there is only so much you can actually see when you wear glasses (ie. peripheral vision). Plus your face gets sweaty and they tend to slip down your nose a bit!

Maybe suggest lenses although with her being quite young they might not be for her! I remember getting my first lenses and was amazed at how clear everything was etc.... I wish I'd got them sooner!

Pee

I am a glasses wearer who now wears contact lenses sometimes.

My prescription is 5, which is obviously a lot different to your daughters.

I unhappily wore glasses from when I was about 10 to when I got contact lenses at 16. I was never very good at sport at school, and one of the issues for me was my glasses. I was afraid of them getting broken and hurting me - even though I now realise they wouldn't break into jagged spikes.

When I was about 13 I was playing netball with the guides. I was one of the older team members but we were a very small group and I was certainly needed. It was raining and I couldn't see through my glasses, so in the end, took them off. I went on to play really well, because I was no longer scared and although my vision is pretty poor, the confidence more than compensated.

Contact lenses are really great but I don't choose to use them full time because of the cost and the hassle and so really wouldn't encourage someone younger to do that, esp as it is lovely she likes to wear her glasses.

Could you check out at home whether she feels she would be able to see well enough?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I can function in a comfortable blur in the mornings without my glasses if they have been knocked of the bedside table overnight. I can't see them, can't see much past about 12" from the tip of my nose, but I have learned (from times when I didn't have the money to replace a broken pair for months) how to be aware of my surroundings without the benefit of proper sight. To give you an idea of my eyesight, I might notice a bus if it were stopped right in front of me, but still wouldn't know its number and it would be a close call as to whether it were really a bus or a big red van.

At night, in complete darkness, I am perfectly comfortable, as I am used to listening to sound and pressure changes, etc. I am also competent in Mixed Martial Arts.

The point of what I'm saying is that, as one of the easiest ways to incapacitate someone is to knock their glasses off (you must have seen the 'oh! My glasses!' moment a thousand times in films), it's probably a very good idea to teach her to be confident without them.

ladybez

I practised Judo in my teens, to competition level and used to take my glasses off. Even though I was, and still am, very short-sighted it was never an issue for me, although I had only worn glasses for abour 4 years at the time.
TeamLowe, have you thought about getting prescription goggles for swimming? I didn't until I realised that without my glasses I couldn't see what my youngsters were up to.

CRANKY40

I'm long sighted too. Although your daughter can't see to read things without her glasses, she should be able to manage without them for a little while. I am +6.75, and scarily I can read a number plate at the legally required distance for driving (not easily, but I can do it). I wear contact lenses during the day though, and do hate being without either lenses or glasses in case there's something I need to read, and because I can't see detail clearly, but it can be done.

starnight_2

I'm a glasses wear and done ju-jitsu, I always took my glasses off as it was easier for than worrying about them. I swim every week now and still take my glasses off for that as I don't believe I need prescription goggles I just wear normal ones. I should point out I'm sohort-sighted and really cannot see far without them. A lot of it is about confidence and how she would feel without them, talk to her about it and see how she feels.