What the shops say

The Specsavers chain said its children's spectacle frames are "specially designed to fit properly" and that many include one …

The Specsavers chain said its children's spectacle frames are "specially designed to fit properly" and that many include one or more extra features to make them comfortable, easy and safe to wear.

These include sprung sides, soft, one-piece nose pads which cushion the spectacles across the bridge, ideal for small noses, and curved wire earpieces to help keep the spectacles on and reduce pressure on the ear. "The fully-trained staff advise which is the most suitable for the child - and there is plenty of choice."

Vision Express said it has frame collections for babies from six months old, to toddlers and children up to pre-teens. The company said it has "Barbie" and "Action Man" frames for children up to 10 and that after that age if had "more grown up brands" for children up to 14.

"We have a specific lens policy at Vision Express that states every pair of glasses dispensed to a child is fitted with plastic lenses that are hard coated (scratch resistant) and have a UV block for extra protection at no extra cost to the customer."

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"In terms of ensuring children are dispensed correctly there is a legislation of which all opticians must adhere to that states that all children under the age of 16 are not only initially dispensed by a qualified dispensing optician (who must be registered with the General Optical Council) but are also supervised at final fit by the dispensing optician. "