By Sarah Bureau, RO

If you’ve spent any time on the Opticians on Facebook page, you will have undoubtedly heard of Truffles the Kitty, the mascot and famous furry face behind paediatric optical ‘A Child’s Eyes’ in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. 

Truffles has become a sensational ambassador and champion of children’s vision, having been featured on TV and in National Geographic for Kids to name a few!  Although Truffles has achieved fame and accolades for her ability to help children feel comfortable in their new eyewear (she has quite the collection herself), it is her fur-mom Optician Danielle Crull who is really the star. 

During my conversation with Danielle, we discussed her work in paediatric opticianry, her unique dispensary, and of course everyone’s favourite opti-feline, Truffles!

A Kitty Comfort Zone for Kids

Danielle’s dispensary specializing in children’s vision had been thriving for 17 years before she adopted Truffles. She discovered early on that Truffles was very food motivated and she began teaching her tricks like “sit”, “jump up”, “high five” and to wave to the kids in her office. One day, Danielle decided to try training her to wear a pair of glasses as a fun social media post. As Truffles progressed with even more tricks like pointing to an eyeglass case to indicate where the glasses go when not being worn, Danielle discovered Truffles could also encourage her little clients to become comfortable with their new glasses wearing experience.

By the time these children visited Danielle for glasses, some had been through many doctors’ visits and surgeries and had become justifiably nervous in clinical settings. Seeing Truffles confidently strut out in her specs was the perfect way to break the ice and build trust between the children and Danielle. 

‘A Child’s Eyes’ is a truly unique dispensary, hosting a variety of critters which also include hermit crabs and a bird, a variety of toys and visually stimulating decorations, and a wonderfully child-loving staff. This space has been purposely designed to create a safe and comfortable environment for the child with engaging visuals for their first clear vision experience. Over the years, Danielle has developed relationships with the surrounding optical community of paediatric ophthalmologists and referring opticians who find children a challenge and has become the top dispensary for children!

Here are Danielle’s insights to some of the most common questions we all have about children’s vision.

Q: What is the most overlooked issue pertaining to children’s vision?

A: Compliance…you can have the best prescription and the best pair of glasses and if they are not worn, vision is not going to work. Vision is a process which is still developing for the first 7-9 years and compliance is a huge factor in that development. If the glasses aren’t fitting well or the child is having a hard time adjusting to the new visual experience, that needs to be attended to quickly. We all discuss what kids want but not how they actually will wear it.

Q: If you could educate parents on one issue, what would it be?

A: Glasses don’t just fix a problem. It’s just part of the process. Sometimes people will say to their child “Can you see better?” the moment they put on their glasses. How do they know what “better” is yet, they are seeing differently. Parents need to know that wearing glasses isn’t a cure all and that frequent follow ups and changes to their prescription and frames as they grow and develop are critical. 

Q: What do you think Opticians are missing about paediatrics?

A: Fit, for sure. The whole fitting process for kids is so different than for adults. As an optician we are trained to listen to what is bothering the patient and based upon what they’re saying we know what the solution is. With kids, it’s more about observing than listening to the patient. Children don’t know what a good fit is and cannot express what is bothering them. By watching their mannerisms and taking the time to let them play in store while observing if they are pushing their glasses up or touching specific areas will indicate what needs to be done to create the perfect fit. 

Creating a positive narrative around eyewear is equally important. Empowering a child by reframing the need for glasses from “you have to” to “you get to” and giving them credit for doing the difficult work to improve their sight and taking care of their eyes will help create a positive experience instead of it being a chore.

Danielle Recommends:

For toddlers: Tomato Glasses (fully customizable) and Dilli Dalli

For durability: TurboFlex by Aspex, Lindberg

For feminine:  Gwen Stefani, Lilly Pulitzer, Kensie

For the scholastic look: Lucky Brand

For the sporty look: Fila, Converse 

Working with a child to create their first vision is a gift that all Opticians should experience!

Read Sarah Bureau’s article from the July-August issue of Optik HERE!