- FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) — Children think other
youngsters who wear glasses look smarter and are more honest than those
who don't wear glasses, according to a U.S. study of 80 children.

In addition, the researchers found that children tend not to judge
peers who wear glasses in terms of appearance, potential as a playmate, or
likely athletic abilities.

These findings may help comfort children as they're fitted for their
first pair of glasses, lead author Jeffrey Walline, an assistant professor
of optometry at Ohio State University, suggested in a prepared
statement.

“If the impression of looking smarter will appeal to a child, I would
use that information and tell the child it is based on research. Most kids
getting glasses for the first time are sensitive about how they're going
to look. Some kids simply refuse to wear glasses, because they think
they'll look ugly,” Walline said.

The study included 42 girls and 38 boys, aged 6 to 10. Of those, 30
wore glasses, 34 had at least one sibling with glasses, and almost
two-thirds had at least one parent who wore glasses. The study
participants were shown 24 pairs of pictures of children. The children in
each pair of pictures differed by gender and ethnicity, and each pair of
pictures included one child with glasses and one child without
glasses.

The children were asked a series of questions about each pair of
photos. About two-thirds said children wearing glasses looked smarter than
those without glasses, and 57 percent said children wearing glasses looked
more honest.

The results suggest the media portrayals that associate glasses with
intelligence may be reinforcing a stereotype that even young children
accept, Walline said.

The children's answers to other questions about who they'd rather play
with, who looked better at sports, who looked more shy, and who was better
looking weren't consistent enough for the researchers to derive any solid
conclusions.

What was clear was that the children didn't automatically consider kids
with glasses to be unattractive.

“The concern about attractiveness with glasses seems to be more
internal to a particular child rather than an indicator of how they'll
feel about other people who wear glasses,” Walline said.

The study was published in the May issue of Ophthalmic and
Physiological Optics.

More information

The American Academy of Ophthalmology has more about eyeglasses for children and
infants.