You'll need to have your child's current prescription and Pupillary Distance (PD). Ask for the PD at the time of the eye exam. If the eye doctor won't provide it' you can measure it at home. As your child grows' the PD will change' so re-measure it now and then.

You also want to make sure the frame will fit. If you have a pair of eyeglasses that fit your kid well' measure the dimensions to use as reference.

Yes. Just as sunscreen is essential in protecting your kids' skin from harmful UV rays' kids' eyes need just as much' if not more' protection from the sun.

Kids younger than 5 have no UV protection in their eyes' crystalline lenses. By age 10' only 25 percent of UV radiation is blocked by the lens' which means that 75 percent of eye-damaging UV rays are transmitted to the retina. By age 25' the lens is much more protective' absorbing 90 percent of UV light. However' 80% of retina damage occurs by age 21. This leads to serious eye problems later in life' including cataracts and macular degeneration.

You definitely want to encourage your kids to get plenty of sunshine' because sunlight provides dopamine' which is important for their brain and vision development. Therefore' it's crucial that your kids get plenty of sunlight' and that their eyes are protected when they are getting it.

By putting your kids in their prescription polycarbonate or Trivex glasses' you're already ahead of the game when it comes to 100% UV protection. Take the next step with a pair of sunglasses' which tend to come in larger frames and offer more surface area coverage from UV rays.

A pair of tinted sunglasses can help stop your kids from having to squint in the sunlight. In addition to reducing light sensitivity' especially in kids with lighter colored eyes' tinted lenses cut down on glare and provide comfortable outdoor vision. As an added benefit' certain tints are shown to improve contrast and depth perception in your young athletes.

Because kids can be rough on their eyeglasses' it's important to get frames and lenses that can withstand rough treatment. Zenni achieves it through accurate prescription fulfillment (our tolerance standards exceed American National Standard Institute (ANSI) & rigorous testing processes including impact resistance test as outlined by FDA & ANSI

Since 2003' millions of customers have purchased Zenni Optical glasses online' adding the most important seal of approval – our customers.

Standard shipping to a U.S. address should take about 2-3 weeks. If you order your glasses via express shipping to a physical U.S. address (not a P.O. box)' the glasses will be delivered by UPS' and you should receive them within a week and a half. We offer international express shipping to Canada only' and you should receive your glasses in about a week and a half. International standard shipping could be longer' depending on the country.

With a lot of kid-friendly styles and pop culture heroes who wear glasses' this is a great time for kids' glasses. But if this is your child's first pair of glasses' it can be challenging to get them to wear the glasses.

Shop for frames together. If your kids help pick out the color' shape' and style of their glasses' they will be more inclined to wear them. Make selecting a frame fun! If your kids don't have glasses now' take them to a local optical shop or drugstore and have them try on some frames to see which fit the best and look good on their face. Bring a millimeter ruler' notepad' and pen or pencil' and when you find a frame that looks good and that your child likes' measure the frame based on our website instructions. Then shop online on our website for frames that have dimensions close to those. Good features for kids' comfort are spring hinges' adjustable temple arms' acetate sleeves on the temple tips' and adjustable silicone nose pads. If your kids have any metal allergies' get them a hypoallergenic stainless steel or acetate frame.

You get the glasses frame' the lenses with anti-scratch coating' full UV protection' a protective eyeglass case' and a microfiber cleaning cloth.

While standard plastic lenses have excellent optical qualities and are safe for general wear' Zenni and most optical retailers highly recommend that children under the age of 18 wear glasses made with high impact-resistant materials including polycarbonate and Trivex. These materials improve safety and reduce the likelihood of lenses shattering during wear. This is especially important if your kids wear glasses when playing sports' or if they are generally rough on their glasses.

In addition to being used in your child's eyewear' polycarbonate plastics are also used for safety lenses on construction sites' astronaut helmets' and space shuttle windshields. Trivex was developed with comparable impact resistance to polycarbonate' but is lighter and offers better optical clarity. In addition to their excellent safety profiles' both offer 100% UV protection against the sun's harmful rays.

This is one of the most important factors to ensure your kids will wear their glasses. If they help pick out a cool pair of glasses that fit them well and look good on their face' they will be much more inclined to wear the glasses. We have many tools on our website to help you and your kids find the right fit and look for their glasses. One of the most popular is Frame Fit®. If you upload a picture of your kid to Frame Fit®' you can virtually try the glasses on their face to see how they look. Then share the photo on Facebook to get feedback. However' Frame Fit® is only one part of the equation. You'll also want to measure glasses your kids have now that fit them well and look good on their face' so you can shop for glasses with similar dimensions. This infographic shows how to measure a pair of glasses.

And here's an infographic that describes face and glasses shapes' and explains which glasses shapes go with which face shapes: Good luck!

Playing outdoors is essential for your kids' mental and physical development' but it also means they're exposed to UV radiation from sunlight. Protecting your children's eyes from UV-A and UV-B rays is just as important as using sunscreen. In fact' the area around the eyelids is a commonly skipped area of the face when applying sunscreen and one of the most common sites for skin cancer. Because children have more optically clear crystalline lenses than adults' their eyes are even more sensitive to UV damage than yours. Accumulated damage from UV radiation can lead to a host of eye conditions in adulthood' such as cataracts' macular degeneration' and neoplasms on the front surface of the eyes called pinguecula and pterygia.

Here's the good news: even wearing a pair of clear lenses made with the recommended polycarbonate or Trivex lenses can give your kids 100% protection from UV-A and UV-B. Many of our Zenni parents choose the photochromic option so that' in addition to full UV coverage' their kids benefit from more comfortable vision in tinted lenses when they move outdoors for their daily doses of sunshine.

It's a fact of life that kids' glasses will break. However' we advocate the “on the face or in the case” rule: keep the glasses in the case when they're not on your (or your kid's) face. If your child is the type who will treat their glasses with care' and is interested in tips to care for their glasses' you are in luck. Make sure they know to put on and remove the glasses with both hands so the frame doesn't get bent out of shape' clean the lenses with the microfiber cloth before putting on the glasses' and never put the glasses down with the lenses resting against any surface other than the microfiber cloth. This will help keep the glasses safe' but be resigned to kids treating glasses roughly. Therefore' have two or three backup pairs ready to go if your child breaks their glasses. Fortunately' Zenni's low prices makes it easy and affordable to do this.

Pupillary distance (PD) is the measurement between the pupils. The PD is needed to determine where the optical center of the lenses on your child’s glasses will be so they can see clearly. If you do not have your child’s PD from their eye doctor, you can measure it using our guide.

Your child’s PD will change as they grow, so it’s best to measure it again whenever they have a growth spurt or need new glasses.

For more information on measuring Pupillary Distance please refer to our How to Video: How to Measure Your PD (Pupillary Distance)