CHILDREN'S EYE PROBLEMS

CHILDREN'S EYE PROBLEMS

Children are often unaware that they have a problem with their sight. They tend to assume that if the whiteboard is fuzzy, or if they have trouble reading a book, that it's like that for everyone! Not being able to see very well could prevent your child from getting the best out of going to school, or doing fun things with friends and so reaching their full potential.

WHEN SHOULD MY CHILD HAVE THEIR FIRST EYE TEST?
Ideally, between the ages of 3-4 but certainly before they start school. If your child is younger than this and you are concerned about their eyes, or there is a family history of eye problems, we are always happy to give advice. We give eye checks to children as young as 6 months old! Until they are 16, they should have an eye examination every two years at least.

WHAT HAPPENS IN AN EYE EXAMINATION?
Children don’t need to be able to read to have an eye examination – we use fun things like looking at lights and matching letters or pictures to check their sight. Sometimes younger children will need drops to relax the muscles in their eyes, so that we can more accurately assess if they need glasses. Our optometrist will also check the health of their eyes, their colour vision and look for signs of a squint or "lazy eye" (amblyopia).

AMBLYOPIA (SQUINT OR "LAZY EYE")
Even if your child seems to be able to see perfectly well, they can have a hidden problem. For instance, if they have one stronger eye, the brain can begin to ignore the weaker one (“lazy eye”). This can stop the eyes working together and sometimes leads to the weaker eye looking in a different direction (squint).

It is important that this problem is found as early as possible because, if treatment (e.g. glasses, eye exercises or patching) is not started before 8 years old, the vision in the weak eye can be reduced permanently, even with glasses (amblyopia).

NHS FREE EYE TESTS
Regular eye examinations for children are so important that the NHS will pay for sight tests until your child is 16 years old (or under 19, if they are in full time education). They may also help with the cost of glasses (NHS optical voucher). Please call us to discuss what help you might get from the NHS or have a look at the NHS Choices website.
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