I have needed glasses since I was 18 months old. The removal of a cataract from my left eye meant multiple surgeries and that I would need to wear a patch and glasses for several years.
When I was four, I got to pick out the glasses I wanted for the first time. Huge shocker- they were pink. I owned three more pairs and remember carefully selecting each one. After all, it was an important choice. This fashion accessory lived on my face! At the time, much like my school bag and the pictures I used to put on my book covers, my glasses contributed to my identity and the way I wanted people to see me- something that can’t be understated when you are growing up.
The Ophthalmologist recommended I wear glasses for the rest of my life, simply because they would protect anything from further damaging a severely impaired eye that had already lost its protective lens, or the strong eye that I now relied on.
When I turned 10, I ignored this specialist advice and abandoned wearing glasses (because what 10 year old doesn’t know everything?) so I can say first-hand that getting kids to wear glasses isn’t always easy, perhaps especially if they are tweens.
That was 25 years ago, but some things never change.
Every kid who needs glasses still wants to get the pair that makes them look awesome, not dorky.
A lot has changed, though, including me realising that I didn’t know everything when I was 10.
A more impactful change has been the introduction of a much greater range of children’s eyewear, including the very stylish Sydney-based brand Augie Eyewear.
The family-owned business was born from couple Lana and Scott Arnold’s own search for children’s eyewear. Augie offers more different styles than used to be stocked in an entire OPSM when I was young. Their range is uniquely designed for children and focuses on being an extension of your child’s personality, rather than taking over their little face.
Augie’s glasses are built to be durable and hard-wearing for endless hours of play. Their Aussie-designed frames, made from high-quality Cellulose Acetate, come in 23 different unisex shape and colour combinations so that your child can select a style that they can’t wait to wear. Their standard and premium lenses are index 1.6 and just as strong as a Polycarbonate lens, but thinner and lighter with better visual clarity.
Every pair is priced at an affordable $149 (though we have a special offer below). They’re available in one of two different sizes (generally speaking 3-7 years or 7-12 years), with kid-friendly features like flexi-hinges and adjustable tips.
The process is almost too easy. If your child has a prescription, Augie can process this online and they’re health fund accredited so you can claim the glasses on your extras cover, if you have it.
Another new innovation (an option I’d love to have had) is that with Augie eyewear, you can now try on glasses virtually, via Instagram, using augmented reality for a realistic appearance. This enables your child to try on any number of pairs without leaving the house, let alone having to go from store to store to find the perfect pair.
If, however, you prefer to see and try Augie’s products in the flesh, then you’ll find them in local stockists in Cronulla, Caringbah, Gymea, Illawong, Jannali and other greater-Sydney suburbs too.
For a limited time*, if you purchase any pair online, you can use the code MOTS for $20 off and will receive free shipping too.
Your child will be excited to wear a unique and sophisticated pair of glasses that they had fun trying on and ultimately chose themselves, and you won’t have to nag them to wear them every morning!
If I had my time again, I know where I’d be buying from.
*Offer available until 11:59AEST on 15th June 2021.
