Caring for your children's eyes
Help keep their eyes healthy as they grow
As kids grow, the quality of their vision is crucial for development & learning, so it's important to look after your child’s eye health. Did you know, 80% of a child’s learning is through their sight? So spotting any problems early can make a lasting difference to their progress both socially & academically.
How to spot potential problems
It's not always easy to tell if your child is struggling with their vision, but there are signs & symptoms you can look out for.
If you notice your child has any of these symptoms, it is best to see your doctor or optician for advice. If necessary, they could then be referred to see an ophthalmologist (an eye specialist).
Short sightedness
Also known as myopia, this is a common eye condition that causes distant objects to appear blurred, while close objects can be seen clearly. The condition generally starts between the ages of 6 & 13 but can develop in very young children. It usually occurs when the light doesn't focus on the light-sensitive tissue (retina) at the back of the eye properly. Instead, the light rays focus just in front of the retina, resulting in distant objects appearing blurred.
It's not exactly clear why this happens, but the condition often runs in families & has also been linked to focussing your eyes on things close to your face like books, computers & tablets.
Signs that your child may be short-sighted include:
Needing to sit near the front of the class at school because they find it difficult to read the board
• Sitting close to the TV / Holding objects very close to their face
• Complaining of headaches or tired eyes
• Regularly rubbing their eyes / Blinking a lot
• Short attention span for their age
If you think your child may be short-sighted, you should book an eye test. The condition can easily be treated by wearing corrective lenses with glasses or contact lenses to help the eyes focus on distant objects.
Lazy eye
Lazy eye (or amblyopia) occurs when one eye is unable to build a strong link to the brain. This causes the vision to be blurred in the affected eye, with a reliance on the 'unaffected' eye. Lazy eye is quite difficult to spot, but in some cases you might notice one eye looks different from the other. Such as one of their eyes appearing to drift inwards or outwards. There may be a problem with the amount of light entering the eye, such as a cataract blocking the pathway of light. If so, treatment will be needed to remove the blockage. If there's a lack of focus in the eye, it should first be corrected by wearing glasses, which often helps correct a squint as well.
The child is then encouraged to use the affected eye again. This can be done by covering the stronger eye with an eye patch.
It's easier to treat a lazy eye before the age of six. Therefore, it's recommended that all children have their eyes tested before they go to school & at regular intervals after that so these problems can be picked up & treated as soon as possible.
Colour blindness
This is an inability to see any colour. What's more common is colour vision deficiency. This is a difficulty in identifying & distinguishing between certain colours – generally red, yellow & green. In most cases, colour vision deficiency is hereditary & is present from birth, although it can develop later in life. It's rarely a sign of anything serious & most people adapt to the condition. get used to it.
If you have any concerns about your child's ability to see colours, it's best to get them tested by an optometrist. If they do have the condition, it may help to inform their school, so that learning materials can be adapted accordingly.
Squint
If a baby's eyes appear to be looking in different directions, this could indicate a squint. Most squints in children develop before the age of four, although they can appear later. It's important to get a squint treated as quickly as possible, otherwise vision in the affected eye will not develop normally. This generally occurs because of an imbalance in the eye muscles (strabismus) & can also be associated with other vision issues such as long or short sightedness.
If your child has reduced sight in the squinting eye, they can wear a patch over the unaffected eye to improve the sight & function in the affected eye. This type of treatment in a young child can be effective within four to five months. As your child gets , they may be given simple exercises to do to help strengthen the muscles by an optometrist. They may also be required to wear glasses or even have surgery to correct the muscle imbalance, depending on the severity of the problem.
Top tips to help keep your kids' eyes healthy
• Help them eat a rainbow. Eat a balanced & varied diet packed with eye-friendly nutrients such as those in leafy green vegetables, oranges, peppers, dairy, tomatoes, grapes, blueberries, chicken, fish, nuts, eggs & wholegrains
• Show them the great outdoors. Kids who are active & have a healthy body weight reduce their risk of developing conditions like diabetes that can lead to vision problems like myopia (short sightedness). Playing outdoors may also help existing short-sightedness progress slower progress less quickly, because of the brighter light levels outdoors compared with indoors.
• Shield them from the sun by providing sunglasses that carry the CE: UV 400 or the British Standard BS EN 1836:2005 mark that is normally found on the interior surface of the temples (arms). Did you know up to 80% of UV exposure happens before the age of 18? Children's eyes are more vulnerable to damage because they have larger pupils & clearer lenses.
UV is present even on cloudy days, so sun protection is important all year round. Keep your little one’s eyes protected with our great range of children’s sunglasses, which are available with prescription & non-prescription lenses.
Most importantly, get their eyes tested
The best way to check your child's eye health is to have their eyes tested regularly.
All newborn babies in the UK have an eye test in the first days of life, to check for any obvious physical problems. They are then tested at six to eight weeks old, to check for problems that may not have been obvious at birth usually by a health visitor.
Children should have an eye test again before they start school, usually around the age of three or four by an optometrist when they’re learning lots & growing bigger.
An eye test will be able to tell you:
• How well your child can see
• How healthy their eyes are
• If there are any problems with your child’s vision
After that, it's recommended that children have their eyes tested at least every two years, or as directed by your optometrist. Eye tests are free for all children under 16 years old & those under 19 years old who are in full-time education. If your child needs glasses, you can also get an NHS voucher towards the cost, which means many of our pairs are free
