Lea nuestro boletín en español

If your child has low vision, they might have a prescription for eye patching. An eye patch is either an adhesive sticker or a cloth patch that’s worn over one eye. You may be wondering, “How on earth am I ever going to convince my child to wear a patch over their eye?” So, we asked four A Shared Vision parents for their proven tips.

What time of day is best for putting on the patch?

The time of day that you start patching is critical. Two of our parents like to put the patch on first thing in the morning. “We start patch time first thing in the morning when our daughter is in the best mood and just waking up so she fusses less with me putting the patch on,” reports Alyssa.

Rachel (shown in the picture above) agrees. “We make putting on the patch part of our morning routine so our son gets used to it and knows it’s coming. That also means he can take it off at the same time every day.”

What if my child resists putting on the patch?

“I try to soothe our daughter by breast-feeding or offering something else that I know she enjoys,” reports one mom.

Rachel lets her son watch a YouTube video or offers a small daily reward like a chocolate chip.

Once the patch is on, how does my child keep the patch on?

“Once the patch is on, we don’t say anything about it,” explains Alyssa. “If we mention it, then our daughter ‘remembers’ and reaches to pull it off.”

Destiny reports that her son “wears his patch best when he is occupied with another activity.”

Rachel agrees. “Keeping our son active and with engaging activities while patched helps to keep him distracted and focused on what he is doing instead of on the patching.” Reading books about patching (Dinosaur Farm is a favorite), putting patches on favorite stuffed animals or dolls, and even letting your child watch videos of themselves having fun while being patched help normalize patching.

“Our daughter’s older siblings wore eye patches with her in the beginning which really helped since they are all doing it,” explains Alyssa. “They could also explain how hard it was to have one eye covered!”

Does patching affect my child’s daily activities?

In some cases, it does. Wearing a patch over one eye affects depth perception. If your child enjoys going to the playground, “Be cognizant of the difference in depth perception and vision while they’re patched. They may need extra monitoring or support while navigating unfamiliar or uneven areas,” advises Rachel.

Last but not least…

Although patching can be challenging, Rachel also said, “A bad day with patching doesn’t mean that patching will never go well. It does get better as your child gets used to it. Take it one day at a time.”

In this article HERE, we rounded up some other patching pointers from A Shared Vision's teachers and the website For Little Eyes.

March can still bring winter weather in Colorado. When it’s too cold and snowy to go outside, you can bring the snow inside with some fun, sensory activities HERE. Your child can still experience snow with all their senses while learning important concepts like “cold,” and “wet,” sequencing skills while you build a snowman, and predicting what happens when the snow melts.

If this is the first time your child is experiencing snow, just put some in a bowl or cup so they can touch it with their hands or feet or try tasting it. Put a towel on the floor just in case your floor gets wet!

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by making this pot o’ gold sensory bottle. When your child shakes the jar, they can watch the glitter and the coins fall inside the bottle and listen to the pennies clinking together.

Children with cortical visual impairment or low vision respond to the light, the movement, and the sound in the jar. Plus, the bottle is easy for your child to grasp and manipulate.

Learn how to make a pot o’ gold sensory bottle HERE.

For some children with blindness or low vision, lying on their stomachs may feel uncomfortable until they’ve built the strength to hold their head and shoulders up.

We love this mat HERE because it engages exploration and playtime, making tummy time more fun. It’s filled with water so it’s soft and squishable. Since it measures 26 x 20 inches, you can also place the mat on top of a light box or your child’s feeding tray.