Jan Bayer

Unlike many children her age, Emma Bayer, 7, was thrilled when she learned last February that she needed to wear glasses.

She was disappointed, however, to find that most optical stores have only a few children’s frames. “She wanted ‘cool’ glasses,” said Emma’s mother, Jan Bayer. “We would go into a store where the whole room was filled with glasses, and there would be just one stand with about 20 frames for children.”

“There are many eyewear lines geared toward children. Finding a place that has a good selection or can order may be the task,” said Ange Roth, frame stylist at Epic Optical in downtown Chattanooga.

The Marchon brand of eyewear includes popular Disney, Disney Princess, Power Rangers and X Games frames, Ms. Roth said. “Flexon brand, made with memory metal, is a good brand for kids that roughhouse,” she said. “The more expensive (line) would be Lafont pour les enfants, made by a French designer line, Lafont.”

Ms. Roth said letting children choose their own frames is a good idea.

“Because children may get teased by their peers for wearing glasses, letting children choose their own frames will typically make them feel more comfortable about wearing glasses,” she said.

“Parents certainly should use their judgment on durability and cost,” Ms. Roth said. “The lens material needs to be polycarbonate. It is impact resistant and protects against UV rays.”

Ms. Bayer said Emma’s wire glasses have been repaired several times.

“Every time we would go to get her glasses repaired, she’d look to see if there were any new children’s frames, and there never was,” Ms. Bayer said. “So I asked the doctor if I found some kids’ frames online could I bring them in and have lenses put in. He said it would be fine.”

The choice of children’s frames online is vast, she said.

“We finally found her frames — fussier and lavender — at zennioptical.com,” Ms. Bayer said. “I found that not only do they sell the frames, they also fill the prescription online.”

Emma’s glasses arrived in the mail two weeks after being ordered.

“The ones we got were a fifth of the cost of the ones we bought at the eyewear store,” Ms. Bayer said. “I’ll continue to order glasses for her online, and for myself, too.”

While glasses are Emma’s only current option for better eyesight, she is looking forward to wearing contacts in the future, Ms. Bayer said.

“Some kids are ready to wear contacts at 6 or 7, and some aren’t ready until they’re teenagers,” said optometrist Tony Leach, owner of Epic Optical. “It usually depends on how responsible the child is. There is a higher risk of infections with contacts, so hygiene is a big factor. The eye-care professional will discuss with the child all of the safety measures with lenses and the dangers of abuse.”