Children's eye care

A lot of children do find the eye examination to be quite daunting, especially if it is for the first time.

When should I take my child for a children's eye test?

Poor vision can hinder a child's development, and failure to spot and deal with any inadequacy in young eyes can often lead to even bigger difficulties in later life. Children's eyes are not fully developed till around the age of 7. Unfortunately, the chances of fixing certain vision problems after the age of 7 are greatly reduced. So, it's vital that children are taken for regular eye checks.

All new-born babies should have been screened before they leave hospital to ensure that their eyes are working properly. All children should then have a full eye examination at 3 years old and regularly thereafter. An eye examination for a child can be made at any stage in a child's development, no matter how young they are. If you suspect an eye problem please attend for a test to assess any needs.

All children's eye tests are FREE on the NHS and our optometrist will be delighted to look at your child's eyes, no matter how young the child is. Your child doesn't need to know the alphabet as we can use various pictures to test your child's vision (see below).

A FREE range of spectacles are available to children under the NHS optical voucher scheme. We also have a full range of children's glasses you can upgrade to. These frame designs are more flexible, durable and comfortable for children to wear. They also have the option of having thinner, lightweight, and reflection-free lenses. For older children we can also fit contact lenses.

What should I watch out for as a parent?

A child should be examined immediately if they show the following typical symptoms to rule out any vision problems:-

• Gets frustrated when reading
• Closes or covers one eye
• Poor handwriting
• Screws up eyes or frowns to see
• Rubs eyes and blinks a lot
• Finds it difficult to copy words from the blackboard
• Complains that things are blurry or hard to see
• Short attention span; gazes out of the window
• Frequently loses place when reading
• Skips words or whole lines of text