If your child has eye sight problems, how often do they see the optician?

[YouSaidItAgain]

How often do they see the optician?
Dd was discharged last year from our local children's hospital ophthalmologist. She has quite severe astigmatism but it hasn't gotten any more severe since her first hospital appointment.
I'm just wondering anyone whose child has eye sight problems do they go once a year or every 2 years?

[KikisDeliveryService]

Once a year.

[Lostmyemailaddress]

My dd1 has a turn in her eye and is short sighted and ds3 has slight eye problems that require glasses they both have eye tests every 6 months.

[DamsonInDistress]

Once a year and more often if he's had a growth spurt. Optician said to bring him immediately we notice a change in clothes or shoe size as growth affects every system in our body.

[GreenTureen]

Ds1 (8) has just had his eyes checked and he is short sighted in one eye - only -0.5. The optician said he doesn't need glasses yet but kids eyes change so quickly he'll be seen every 6 months from now.

I had very poor eyesight as a child (shortsighted, -7.00 when it was picked up at age 7...i'm now -11 which is blind as a bat) and I always went every 6 months.

[KikisDeliveryService]

To clarify a bit - that's once a year because that's what our optician recommends for my DC. I would get a recommendation for a decent optician and go from there. When they're growing they tend to need new frames each year because the lenses start being in the wrong place, even if their prescription doesn't change. My DC's glasses broke a lot when he was younger too.

[SprogletsMum]

My ds has only been wearing his glasses for about 5 months but the optician wants to see him every 3 months. I'm not sure why and I'm a bit worried now other dc only have to go once a year. He's 8.

[Afreshstartplease]

Every 6 months until he turned 7, now once a year

[JsOtherHalf]

When DS was patched he saw the hospital ophthalmology department around every 6 weeks, quite often longer time between appointments as he got older.
Discharged from there ( after 6 years) sees a local optician every 12 months for eye test and new glasses.

[Notthisnotthat]

Once DD was discharged from the hospital ophthalmologist, she is on yearly checks with an optician.

She needed patches when she was little and had an operation to correct a squint.

[dementedpixie]

Once she was discharged to the local optician Dd went to annual eye tests. When she was under the hospital Orthoptist it varied depending where she was in her treatment. Ds also gets an eye test annually even though he doesn't have glasses. Adults tend to go every 2 years

[Tubbyinthehottub]

Optician every six months for a 6 yr old who wears glasses and has a lazy eye

[TheProblemOfSusan]

As a child I used to go every 6 months till my eyes changes started to slow down, then every year or when I noticed a change - that was usually only a little before the year was up. Unless my mum had made me get particularly hideous glasses in which case changes were mysteriously easy to spot. (My sight is appalling and was always degrading so always got a change.)

As am adult I'm just over the threshold for NHS vouchers for sight so I will go once a year - changes have only just started slowing for me and I'm 30 something.

[dementedpixie]

Dd was under the hospital orthoptist until around age 8 and had appointments maybe every 6 months. When she was discharged to the optician it went to annual appointments as her prescription remained more stable.

[TaraCarter]

Sproglet, it's every three months because he's young enough to grow a lot, and because it's a new prescription, which can need very close monitoring. Your optician doesn't know if your son's eyes are very changeable and they don't want to risk leaving him wearing glasses that aren't right any more.

My children had glasses before school and started on three-monthly, then six-months, and are now yearly. I started wearing glasses much later (in my late teens), so I started with six-monthly checks, which went to annually and then every two years. I am now back to annually. [sigh]

[Mypurplecaravan]

Every child is different. Ask your optician.

The fact that hers has remained stable would suggest less frequently than others who are deteriorating. The fact that it has been severe enough to require hospital monitoring would suggest more often than those of us who have a mild type and only need optician input all the way along

Ask the person who knows

[Lewwat]

Mine go every 6 months

[bookwormnerd]

My daughter sees optician once a year but goes to hospital for astigmatism checkup every school holiday due to we do patching. She had extra optician appointment this year as her glasses were not quite right.

[Blueemeraldagain]

I was severely shortsighted (and obviously still am as an adult; prescription around -10). I went to the opticians every six months from about 7 until I was 12ish when the deterioration of my eye sight slowed down and I started going once a year.

[chanie44]

DS is long sighted with a high prescription. He had his eyes tested at the hospital once a year and check ups every 3 months.

He had recently been discharged from the hospital so can go to a regular opticians now. He is 6 1/2.

[heavenlypink]

DS is long sighted and had a severe astigmatism - he saw the optician every six months from 4/5 years old till 16. He now goes yearly.

[MyVisionsComeFromSoup]

every six months while they were growing, now once a year as they have pretty stable prescriptions. Every three months might be because the prescription is expected to change quite quickly, or (as in my case at age 45) because we're playing around with my prescription and are breaking down what would be a big prescription change into smaller steps so my eyes/brain get used to it more gradually.

Whatever the optician advises will be correct for your DC though, and more frequent appointments doesn't mean their eyesight is going to change at the same rate forever - after the main growth spurts it's likely to be only minor changes until middle age hits

[NicknameUsed]

Our optician wants to see DD (16) once a year.

[Agiraffeisnotacat]

Every six months for the first couple of years after discharge from the hospital. Then yearly after that. We just took the optician's recommendation.

[ohtheholidays]

Our DD9 has to go between 3-4 times a year and they let us know if they want to see her more.That's with the hospital.

[YouSaidItAgain]

Thank you for your replies everyone, sorry I've not been back sooner it's been one of those mornings!
A lot of variation then. Dds last appointment was in Feb this year but she has shot up massively since then. I will try and make an appointment for early in the new year as it will be close to a year anyway.