Protect Your Childs Eyesight

Parents often take their children for a dental examination at a very early age yet fail to consult an expert for an in-depth eye examination.

They instead rely on the simple and infrequent screening carried out by health visitors or community orthoptist’s, but our optometrist can look beyond these basic procedures. Our optometrist can check the health of your child’s eyes and can make sure there are no obstacles to sight developing well in both eyes. Your child’s eyesight is precious and any problem can cause an enormous setback to their education. School can be very demanding on their eyes. Pupils look at blackboards, study textbooks and increasingly stare at computer screens so good vision is essential.
Many defects such as short sightedness, a squint or astigmatism can be inherited, but only a full eye examination can pick them up. Why not let us look after your whole family?

The sooner the better

Critical visual development takes place in children earlier than most parents imagine – between 18 months and three years of age. During this time, good sight and eye co-ordination are consolidated and it is also when squints and lazy eyes become ingrained.

Treating these problems should start during or even earlier than this important age. Some specialists recommend that parents bring their children for regular eye checks from the age of six months or even earlier if anyone in the family has a squint or a lazy eye.

The eye examination

There are various ways of measuring how well a youngster can see using the matching of pictures and shapes. Important focusing measurements can be taken by shining a special light at the child’s eyes. This needs no more co-operation from them than looking steadily in one direction for a few seconds.
Most children find the eye examination quite enjoyable and are usually much less anxious about it than their parents!
A popular misconception is that a child has to be old enough to name letters, but waiting until then can be a long time after the important 18 months to three years age group.
By establishing a routine of regular eye examination for your child from an early age, you could stop a sight defect from being carried through into adulthood and you will encourage a good habit that could last them for the rest of their life.
A full examination also reveals a lot about general health and potential health problems may be prevented from developing if discovered early enough.

Problems to look out for

In infants

Eyes turning in or out (a squint)
One eye bigger than the other
Frequent rubbing of the eyes
Discomfort in bright light
Water eyes
A red spot in one eye

In toddlers and young children

Sitting too close to the television
Holding books very close
Clumsiness
Sore looking eyes or lids
Trouble with colours
Blinking a lot or screwing up the eyes.

In older children

Headaches or eyestrain
Blurred or double vision
Words moving around during reading

If your child does have an eyesight problem, don’t worry as there is now a wide range of attractive, fashionable and economically-priced spectacles to choose from and we will make your visit to our practice as enjoyable as possible for everyone

BE WISE – look after your family’s eyes



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Protect Your Childs Eyesight Parents often take their children for a dental examination at a very early age yet fail to consult an expert for an in-depth eye examination. They instead rely on the simple and infrequent screening carried out by health visitors or community orthoptist’s, but our optometrist can look beyond these basic procedures. Our optometrist can check the health of your child’s eyes and can make sure there are no obstacles to sight developing well in both eyes. Your child’s eyesight is precious and any problem can cause an enormous setback to their education. School can be very demanding on their eyes. Pupils look at blackboards, study textbooks and increasingly stare at computer screens so good vision is essential. Many defects such as short sightedness, a squint or astigmatism can be inherited, but only a full eye examination can pick them up. Why not let us look after your whole family? *The sooner the better* Critical visual development takes place in children earlier than most parents imagine – between 18 months and three years of age. During this time, good sight and eye co-ordination are consolidated and it is also when squints and lazy eyes become ingrained. Treating these problems should start during or even earlier than this important age. Some specialists recommend that parents bring their children for regular eye checks from the age of six months or even earlier if anyone in the family has a squint or a lazy eye. *The eye examination* There are various ways of measuring how well a youngster can see using the matching of pictures and shapes. Important focusing measurements can be taken by shining a special light at the child’s eyes. This needs no more co-operation from them than looking steadily in one direction for a few seconds. Most children find the eye examination quite enjoyable and are usually much less anxious about it than their parents! A popular misconception is that a child has to be old enough to name letters, but waiting until then can be a long time after the important 18 months to three years age group. By establishing a routine of regular eye examination for your child from an early age, you could stop a sight defect from being carried through into adulthood and you will encourage a good habit that could last them for the rest of their life. A full examination also reveals a lot about general health and potential health problems may be prevented from developing if discovered early enough. Problems to look out for In infants Eyes turning in or out (a squint) One eye bigger than the other Frequent rubbing of the eyes Discomfort in bright light Water eyes A red spot in one eye *In toddlers and young children* Sitting too close to the television Holding books very close Clumsiness Sore looking eyes or lids Trouble with colours Blinking a lot or screwing up the eyes. *In older children* Headaches or eyestrain Blurred or double vision Words moving around during reading If your child does have an eyesight problem, don’t worry as there is now a wide range of attractive, fashionable and economically-priced spectacles to choose from and we will make your visit to our practice as enjoyable as possible for everyone BE WISE – look after your family’s eyes