Children’s Eye Care

Child development relies upon careful nurturing, especially when it comes to their vision. Any problems that occur in early life can seriously effect a child’s future, so it is important to get any issues rectified quickly.

Eyesight develops gradually in children and even from 6 weeks a baby should be able to follow you around the room, or follow a bright object. If this is something your child cannot do, it may be worth bringing them in for a preliminary check up.

Full development of your child’s eyes occurs by the age of 8, but it is worth them having a full eye test prior to this, just in case there are any underlying issues that should be treated. You should also make sure that your child’s eyes are tested if any of the following applies to you:

Your child has special needs
There is a history of a lazy eye or squint in the family
There is a history of relatives needing to wear glasses when they were younger
They have not yet started school

You should also watch out for any of the following signs:

One eye turns in or out (Easier to spot when your child is tired)
They rub their eyes a lot, even when they aren’t tired
They frequently have watery eyes
They are clumsy or have poor hand-eye coordination
They avoid reading, writing or drawing
They have to screw up their eyes when watching the TV
They have to sit close to the TV or hold books or objects close to their face
They struggle with concentrating at school
They complain about blurred or double vision
They have frequent unexplained headaches

Children who are under the age of 16 (or under the age of 19 but in full time education) qualify for a free annual eye test under the NHS. We even have a fully computerised test that will benefit younger children, since it does not require speaking or even being able to recognise letters.

Children’s Lenses & Frames

If your child needs to wear glasses they also qualify for a free voucher that will contribute towards the cost. We have a fantastic range of children’s frames suitable from babies up to teenagers. The ranges available at the moment include, Tomato, Miraflex, Eye stuff, Milo and Me Storm, Calvin Klein and Nike

Children’s Sunglasses

Your child’s eyesight can also be affected early on in development by too much exposure to the sun. We would never suggest not letting them outside, but it is just as important to consider sunglasses to protect your child’s eyes, as it would be to use sunscreen to cover their skin. We have all kinds of sunglasses available from adult size, all the way down to baby size which can be held on with an elastic strap.