CHILDRENS EYES

That is astounding, especially when a child’s eye examination is completely free. The NHS will contribute a sum towards any needs for spectacles.

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Why are children's eye examinations so important?
Fact's about your child's vision
Common myths
Dyslexia & Your Child
Children and contact lenses

WHY ARE CHILDREN’S EYE EXAMINATIONS SO IMPORTANT?

Poor vision can hinder a child's development and can even cause them to fall behind at school. Failure to spot and deal with any inadequacy in young eyes can often lead permanent loss of vision.

It is vital that children are taken for regular eye checks

All newborn babies should be screened before they leave hospital to ensure that their eyes are working properly. The health visitor carries out a 39-month assessment and their excellent work is a major source of prompt referral to Optometrists for more detailed investigations.

All children should have a full eye examination before they go to primary school
and usually annually thereafter.

By the age of eight a child’s visual ‘system’ is largely complete, this means there is little scope for improvement in a lazy eye after this period. The younger the child is when treatment is commenced, the better the possible results.
It is particularly important for you to have your child's eyes examined if:

Your child has special needs
There is a history of a squint or lazy eye in your child's family
If any members of your family needed spectacles when they were young
If you had a complicated birth, if the child was delivered by forceps or they were born premature

A child may not tell you if they have a problem. Children assume the way they see is normal as they have not known any different. Older children may be reluctant to admit that they cannot see.

Signs to look out for:

One eye turns in or out. This may be more noticeable when tired.
Frequent rubbing of the eyes
Watery eyes
Clumsiness
Avoidance of reading, writing or drawing
Screwing up eyes or frowning when reading or watching TV
Behavioural or concentration problems at school
Progress at school not as expected
Complaints of blurred or double vision, or unexplained headaches

Regular eye examinations are really important for your young child, even if you do not think there are any problems. For example, some squints (a condition in which the two eyes do not look at the same point) are hard to detect without specialist examination. Most visual loss can be prevented simply by providing spectacles or some other kind of treatment such as patching the good eye. The earlier eye problems are picked up, the better the outcome will be.

FACTS ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S VISION

Children are initially born with poor vision in both eyes and they need a clear, focused image in both eyes if their sight is to develop normally.

If the child needs spectacles or has a squint (when the eyes are not lined up together) and this is not treated before the age of seven to eight, the child may have permanently reduced vision (amblyopia). The sooner the child is treated, the better the prospects are for normal vision.

A lazy eye (amblyopia) can also be caused by a big difference in prescriptions between eyes or congenital cataracts. This may be less obvious than a squint and is most cases only picked up during eye examinations.
About 2-3% of all children have a squint or a lazy eye.

The incidence of myopia or short-sightedness is increasing and although a previous eye examination may have concluded that your child did not need spectacles however this situation can change.

COMMON 'MYTHS'.

1. Wearing glasses will make your eyes worse.

NO! Wearing spectacles simply helps you to see clearly and comfortably. If a child needs spectacles when young, not wearing them may do them permanent harm as they may develop a lazy eye.

2. Children's glasses

NHS spectacles no longer exist. Instead the NHS pays a contribution towards the cost of any spectacles.

3. My child can see, so I know they are all right.

Children may not notice that they have vision worse in one eye than the other. And even if they do notice, they may assume it is normal. After all they can write better with one hand than the other, so it is not unreasonable for them to assume they should be able to see better with one eye than the other.

DYSLEXIA AND the eye

What is Dyslexia?

People with specific learning difficulties have problems with certain areas of academic performance, yet do well in other subjects and are generally intelligent. The most common type of specific learning difficulty is specific reading difficulty; and this is often called dyslexia.

Dyslexic children may seem intelligent in conversation, but have trouble with written language.

Dyslexia can only be diagnosed with certainty by an educational psychologist at school or privately.

Dyslexia and vision

Most experts agree that problems with sight are not usually a main cause of dyslexia. Certain visual problems, however, do occur more often in dyslexia and these may, in some cases, contribute to reading difficulty.

These visual problems would not normally be detected in a school eye test. The most common visual anomalies in dyslexia are a reduced ability to focus close and poor or unstable co-ordination of the two eyes (binocular instability). A series of tests are needed to detect binocular instability,

These visual problems can cause eyestrain, visual stress, or visual distortions. This may slow reading and discourage children from prolonged reading.

The visual problems can usually be treated with simple eye exercises. In some cases, glasses may be prescribed.

Tinted lenses and Dyslexia

Some people may benefit from coloured overlays placed on top of reading material. Eye Care Opticians can assess what colours can reduce the visual sensations and issue the person a coloured overlay. If this is still being used after a few months we can refer you to a clinic to make a more precise tint for glasses.

Children and contact lenses

With recent developments in contact lens materials it is now possible, with the appropriate care and guidance, for children to be fitted with contact lenses from a very young age. A child should not be restricted in daily activities whether it be sport at school or extra curricular activities because of their glasses. At Eyecare Opticians we are delighted to see children for contact lenses and, following a through assessment, a suitability decision can be made.