It’s very easy to assume that our children can see well. In all my years of practice, I have lost count of the number of times I have seen a child who has persevered with poor vision, and they haven't said a word to their parents.

This is why it is so important to make sure your children have regular examinations, as it allows us to identify any problems earlier and deal with them, hopefully, before they progress.

In their early years, a child’s vision helps them to discover the world around them. As they grow, and start school, they use their vision to help them learn, and in fact, the majority of what they are taught is presented visually. This is why good vision is paramount to a child’s development.

Children’s Eye Examinations

Most young children are given screening checks in school, and whilst useful, these tests are nowhere near as detailed or as comprehensive as a full examination by a qualified optometrist, like myself. The earlier a child is tested, the greater the likelihood of ensuring their eyes are healthy and well looked after, and if there are any vision problems such as lazy eye or squints early detection leads to better outcomes. Ideally children should begin having their eyes examined from the age of 3-4, irrespective of whether or not there is a family history of any eye problems.

Examinations can often be boring for children and this can lead to poor cooperation. Samir aims to make the examination fun and engaging; his previous experience working in the paediatric eye department at St Marys Hospital taught him a few tricks!

Your childs eye examination will include the following:

  • I will make sure to talk to both you, the parent, but more importantly directly to the child to assess what problems, if any, they are having. I find it very useful to hear from the child directly as this helps me to get a better understanding of what they feel but also helps to build rapport.

  • Using up to date equipment to assess your childs vision and provide them with an accurate assessment of their prescription.

  • An assessment of how well the eyes work together. This is a simple, non-invasive screening test that allows me to detect the presence of any muscle imbalances or squints.

  • An essential part of the examination that allows me to have a careful look at the front and back of the eyes, checking their heath and screening for common eye conditions.

  • A simple test, that is done by reading numbers in a book. The presence of colour vision defects can be detected instantly.

  • At the end of the examination I will make sure to have a detailed discussion with you and your child regarding the outcome. I will discuss their eye health and their prescription and if there are any concerns, I will advise on next steps and how to proceed.