Eyes on our future

Do we take enough time to check our children’s eye health? That is the question the College of Optometrists have been asking parents and carers recently.

This question has driven the College of Optometrists to create a campaign called “Eyes on our Future” which is aimed at parents and carers taking more time and care when considering their children’s eye health.

Children  rarely complain about their eye sight but often may show a problem through their behaviour. It is these behaviours that need to be closely monitored by parents and carers to be able to identify a potential problem.

The College of Optometrists recognises that not everyone will be able to identify the certain behaviours that may relate to an eye sight problem, and in response to this they have created a poster explaining specific scenarios that parents can look out for when mindful of their children’s eyes.

In full support of the campaign Lesley Cree Opticians in Radcliffe on Trent, like opticians across the uk, want to remind parents of the importance of regular sight tests. Statistics are beginning to show that one in five children have not had an eye test in the past two years and around 20% of school aged children have an undiagnosed vision problem.

Dr Susan Blakeney, a Clinical Adviser at the College of Optometrists says “Our campaign serves to highlight how important it is for parents to make sure they’re thinking about their child’s sight from an early age. We really want to encourage parents to be more aware of the signs and symptoms to look out for that may indicate a problem.”

Commenting further Lesley Cree added, “Taking your child for an eye examination is such an easy process. A test which doesn’t last very long, can play a significant role in your child’s vision. The sooner problems are detected, the better equipped we are at being able to treat them.”

If you think your child is experiencing any sort of sight problem, then Lesley Cree Opticians is happy to help. As a registered Practitioner, all NHS sight tests for children under the age of 16 are free of charge, so please feel free to book your child in for a free sight test.