I recently had a reminder through to take my daughter for her routine eye test.
Your child may have had their eye’s tested at 4 or 5 in school, but this varies depending on where you live and it doesn’t happen at our school.
We have never had any problems with her eye-sight though and last year, when she was 5 years old, was the first time I took her to the opticians. She quite enjoyed it!
Top Tips on looking after your child’s eyes
- Firstly, there is NO SET AGE when you need to take your child for an eye exam – The sooner the better. If there is a problem and it’s detected soon enough there is so much more we can do to help correct it. This will have an impact on their education, their concentration, their confidence levels and their behaviour.
- Do your research – find an Optician who is confident in seeing young children. And when I say young I mean from a few months old.
- A common misconception is that a child needs to be able to read to be able to have eye exam. This is INCORRECT! There are so many tests that can be done without the child being able to tell us what he/she can see. That way we can start to treat early and the improvements are much quicker.
- Many parents think if their child has had the school vision screening and passed, that their vision will be fine in the future. This is NOT THE CASE. A child’s visual system is ‘plastic’ up until the age of 8/9 years old. Which means if there is a problem it can normally be fixed. After this age if the child has reduced vision which wasn’t corrected, that will be their level of vision for the rest of their life. This can hinder them academically, socially and also with future job prospects.
- An EYE EXAMINATION IS FREE for all children under 16 and 16-18 year olds in full time education. Children also receive a voucher for help towards their glasses. Health visitors regularly place emphasis on taking children to the Dentist so that they get used to the environment; the Opticians is no different. Start them young!
- Sometimes a child’s vision can be perfect but there is a problem with the processing of what they see. This is termed VISUAL STRESS and coloured overlay testing can dramatically improve a child’s concentration as well as their reading speed.
- What can you do to ensure their child has healthy eyes… GET THEM OUTDOORS. 2 hours a day is fantastic for eye health. Protect them from UV light with full UV protect sunglasses. And of course, don’t forget green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale (easier said than done)
- “But I don’t want my child to wear glasses” – Spectacles are so trendy to wear now. Compared to the time when I started wearing them, society sees them as a statement. And I for one think as a parent raising children in this day and age with so many social pressures, embrace the spex! And when the time comes there are always contact lenses! But the priority is and should be giving your child the best vision possible… I don’t think they would thank you in the future when they can’t become a pilot because you didn’t like to see them in glasses!
