Caring for young eyes
Most very young children have their eyesight assessed as part of their routine developmental checks. While these are very important, they aren’t as thorough as a complete eye test by a qualified optometrist. So we recommend that your child have their first eye test by the age of three.
Testing before your son or daughter goes into full-time education means that any problems that they may have are identified early, setting them up for a happy and fulfilling school life. That’s because not being able to see clearly can be confusing in a busy classroom.
Poor eyesight can cause learning and behavioural problems, which might be blamed on other things. This is especially true for young children, who may find it difficult to explain the difficulties they are having with their eyesight. They may not even be aware they have a problem at all.
And of course the sooner that vision problems are detected, the better the outcome. Conditions such as squint and amblyopia (lazy eye) can be treated more effectively if they are picked up earlier. And that could make a huge difference to your child.
What things to look out for
It’s often difficult to tell whether your child has sight problems, which is why regular eye tests are so important. However, there are a number of things to look out for:
- Straining their eyes or tilting their head to see better
- Frequent eye rubbing
- Losing their place while reading, or using a finger to guide their eyes
- Sensitivity to light and/or excessive tearing
- Falling behind in school
- Complaining of headaches or tired eyes
- Consistently sitting too close to the TV or holding a book too close
- Avoiding activities which require near vision, such as reading or homework, or distance vision, such as participating in sports or other recreational activities
- Closing one eye to read, watch TV or see better
- Avoiding using a computer or tablet because it "hurts their eyes"
- The presence of a "turn" in the eye or a misdirection of the eyes
- A "white reflex" in photographs. This is similar in appearance to red-eye, except it’s white. It is extremely serious – if you notice it, you should seek medical attention immediately.
Testing young eyes
Children’s eye tests are different from those for adults. We use specially designed charts that allow children to recognise shapes or pictures, or even to match letters, rather than the traditional charts that you may be familiar with. This means that we can test children’s eyes even if they are unable to read.
Optometrists are specially trained to test children’s eyes. They know that the test room can feel a little intimidating to a young child so will use techniques to make it feel as welcoming as possible.
You will, of course, be able to stay with your child throughout the test so you can see everything that happens.
Even though some of the equipment used in your child’s eye test is different, it doesn’t mean that your child’s eye test is any less accurate than an adult’s. In fact, great care is taken to ensure that it isn’t.
As well as checking the eyes, our optometrists also evaluate the muscles and associated structures to ensure they are healthy too.
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