Patching Survival guide for first time patchers
When you first start patching with your little legend, it can be intimidating, especially if their response is a hard NO! 😮💨
To help you out, Speckles’ head honcho and Orthoptist Maddy put together a simple list of DOs and DON’Ts to make patching that little bit easier!
Do
- Patch when your child is in a happy and good mood
- Patch at the same time every day to create routine and normality
- Put a patch on yourself first to show your child the process
- Patch whilst your child is doing an activity they enjoy that stimulates vision
- If required, patch your child using their correct visual aids.
- Encourage more green time and less screen time!
- Have a reward system to encourage your child to patch (our patch bags include a AWESOME reward chart for this reason!)
Do Not
- Patch when your child is irritable, upset or tired
- Patch for more than 2 hours if vision is 6/12 or less. *
- Patch when your child is sleeping
- Patch the wrong eye
- Patch when your child is surrounded by people (in busy crowds) or obstacles if they are just starting patching due to their reduced vision which can make them feel a bit anxious or overwhelmed in those situations. Wait until their vision in their curious eye improves over time.
And most importantly
Don't forget to breathe! You are doing an amazing job and your little legend will no doubt thank you for your dedicated effort towards encouraging them to wear their eye patch along their vision journey. Once your little one is older they are really going to understand the amazing impact it had and be so grateful they have the best vision possible with their eyes, all because of you and your amazing support 💜
We also have a great range of videos on our YouTube that show you tips and tricks on applying our eye patches and common vision conditions that affect kids. Check out the highlights below or visit our channel.
*PEDIG study shows it is as effective as 6 hours patching and is much easier for your child to tolerate. This can also reduce the risk of the good eye from developing secondary amblyopia.