Good eyesight is essential for growing children, as up to 80% of what a child learns is done so through sight. However, while eye checks should be a vital part of a child's healthcare routine, it's thought that over half (53%) of UK children have never had their eyes checked – resulting in around one million 0-12 year olds suffering from an undiagnosed eye condition.
In addition to checking sight, a simple eye test will also check the health of the eyes and indicate some general health conditions, and so should be considered part of every child's essential health checks. We spoke to Russell Peake, a Boots Opticians Optometrist, for more information on the importance keeping track of our children's sight.
"Children won't always articulate when they are struggling to see and will often adapt their behaviour. To them, without anything to compare it to, they may consider their vision to be completely normal. It is especially difficult to spot a vision problem if it is just in one eye as the stronger eye can dominate so masking the issue. If a lazy eye (amblyopia) is left untreated before around the age of 8, reduced vision is likely to be permanent."
"Children should have an eye test from the age of 3 and regular eye tests at least every 2 years. Unlike when I was a child school screening is no longer guaranteed so that 1st eye test is all the more important. Parents may delay their visit until their child can read letters confidently, as they believe it to be essential for an eye test. However, eye tests can be performed using shapes and pictures and they can be fun for young children. A parent or carer shouldn't feel restricted by their child's age or ability."
Busy schedules and contrasting routines can often make it difficult for families to fit in regular visits to the optician. Although only a qualified optician can fully diagnose an eye condition, Russell gave us some tips on simple things you can do at home to monitor your children's sight and keep their eyes healthy.
Eating colourful fruit and vegetables can help ensure a child's eyes get the nutrients they need to develop healthily. Foods like tomatoes, melon, grapes and blueberries as well as fish, chicken eggs and whole grains are packed with eye-friendly nutrients.
2. Be sun safe
When you're young, the lens at the front of your eye is really clear and lets more of the potentially harmful sunlight inside, which can be a contributing factor to a cataract formation later on in life. That's why it's really important to protect young eyes from the sun. Look for sunglasses with a CE mark to help ensure they have adequate UV protection (all Boots sunglasses are compliant with this standard).
3. Look for subtle signs
Keep an eye out for subtle signs that a child might be struggling with their vision. For example; complaining about headaches, screwing eyes up when concentrating, wanting to sit close to the TV, rubbing their eyes a lot, holding books close or pushing them away, poor hand/eye coordination or avoiding reading, writing or drawing.
4. See a 3D movie
Back in April, the Association of Optometrists (AOP) said that difficulty watching 3D films could be a good indicator of visual problems in children. Signs to look for in the cinema include dizziness, headaches, discomfort or having trouble with the 3D special effects. It may be that your child is rubbing their eyes a lot, or simply does not react when characters 'jump out' from the screen.
5. Read together
Reading books with a variety of colours, text sizes and pictures can help monitor how well your child is doing in terms of both eyesight and literary understanding. Boots has created a free storybook called Zookeeper Zoe that contains a range of interactive eye check activities to help parents and carers understand if their child might need support with their vision.
150,000 printed copies of Zookeeper Zoe are being given away in Boots UK and Boots Opticians stores. It can also be accessed online here. Zookeeper Zoe is a first step in understanding your child's vision, and is not intended to replace a comprehensive eye check.
Eye health checks are provided free (courtesy of the NHS) in the UK for children aged up to 16 years old. To book an eye health check, click here.