DISCLOSURE:  I received a JCPenney gift card for the purpose of this review.  This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media.  As an optometrist, I am not employed by JCPenney Optical or US Vision.  Any recommendations expressed here does not establish a doctor-patient relationship.  All thoughts are my own.

As hard as it is to believe, in exactly one month, my kids will be starting another school year.  Soon, it will be time to start checking things off their school supply lists and buying clothes for them to wear for the fall.  Another thing I like to get done before my kids start the new school year is to get their eyes checked and order new glasses, if needed.

My oldest daughter, 9, has been wearing glasses since she was 4.  She inherited my nearsightedness and astigmatism.  For awhile, her prescription seemed to be changing every 6 months or so.  Buying glasses for her got to be quite expensive.

So, when I heard that JCPenney was holding a Back To School Promotion on Kids' Glasses, I had to check it out.  From now until September 15th, you can get a complete pair of kids' designer eyeglasses for $29.99!  What a great price!  This includes:

• Any kids' frame up to $120
• FREE impact & scratch-resistant polycarbonate lenses
• FREE UV protection
• FREE eyeglass protection plan for children 16 and under

I had last checked my daughter's eyes back in May and had written her a slightly stronger prescription, but hadn't gotten it filled yet.  So, this was a perfect time to get her some new frames!

We headed to our local mall with the prescription in hand.  We arrived around 3 pm on a Thursday and found the optical area closed off.  Apparently, the staff had gone on break and would be back around 3:20.  So, my daughter and I did some shopping while we waited.

Our local JCPenney store.

We came back around 3:30.  The staff was back and I told the technician that I was looking to get some glasses for my daughter.  She explained the promotion on kids' frames and pointed us in the direction of the two sections of kids' frames.  I asked if it was okay if I took pictures and she was totally cool with it.  The technician continued with whatever she was doing at the desk and let us look at frames on our own.  We started with the case closest to the check out desk.

Some of the kids' frames at JCPenney Optical

My daughter quickly found a pair that she wanted to try on.  It was good that I was going to take a picture of her wearing each frame because she's pretty nearsighted herself.  It's hard to pick out frames when you can't see how you look in them!

My daughter and the first pair she chose to try on.

I felt these were too wide for her.  With her high prescription, it was best to stick with a more narrow frame to keep lens thickness down.  I also had her stick with plastic frames, since that can help to hide the thickness of the lenses.

She tried on two other pairs from this section before we moved on to the other section.

Trying on Converse and Jelly Bean frames.

The next frame she tried on was, I felt, too big for her, but she liked the design.

Frame by Arizona

She tried on a frame by Crayola next.  She liked the design on the temples and this was one of four frames she was trying to decide on at the end.

Crayola frame with a cute design on the temples

My daughter had a great time trying on all the frames and found it hard to decide on which ones to get.

So fun trying on all the frames!

Looking in the mirror

My daughter's final four choices

We ended up going with the very last frame she tried on.  A frame by Zack & Zoe.

Zack & Zoe frame

It had a nice tortoise pattern and it's unlike any other frame my daughter has had before.  We told the technician we were ready and she had us sit at one of the stations.  She took the pupillary distance measurement (PD) and put everything into the computer.

Getting her PD measured

Because my daughter's prescription is pretty high, I opted to get the anti-reflective coating and edge polish options, which did bring the price up.  But, it still wasn't that bad.  We were told it would take about 1-2 weeks for the glasses to arrive.  I'll update the post once they come with a picture!

UPDATE 8/13/2014: We got a call exactly two weeks after we ordered the glasses.  They look great and my daughter loves them!

Wearing her new glasses at her cousin's birthday party!

Don't miss out on getting a great price on a complete pair of glasses for your child!  Promotion runs through September 15, 2014.  Find your closest JCPenney Optical here.