When did you first get your child's sight tested??

[tryingtobemarypoppins]

Oh and go to the dentist??

[Seona1973]

dd and ds both started going to the dentist along with me so from when they were about 6 months old. I registered them from when they got their first tooth. DD had her eyes tested around 18 months but only because I noticed she was squinting - she is long sighted and has worn glasses since then. DS is nearly 3 and hasnt had his eyes tested but they do a standard eye test at nursery (pre-school) before they start school so he will get his eyes done then.

[tryingtobemarypoppins]

Thanks Seona1973. What age did the dentist actually take a look!?

[feedthegoat]

My ds was sent for an eye test by health visitor at about 3.5. Which reminds me, I need to chase up the hospital referral which never materialised.

My dental practice told me they wouldn't see him before 3. This seemed completely ridiculous as it took a couple of visits before he would even allow dentist to look. I think it would have been much easier if he had been younger.

[aendr]

First eye test at 6 months, but then I have a family history of exophoria. Retest at 9 months and we're being sent up to the hospital for further testing for astygmatism (but he's not exophoric). Oh well, at least it's been caught early!

Haven't been to the dentist yet.

[PortAndLemon]

Eye test, this August at 4.7 in preparation for starting school (no problems).

[IdrisTheDragon]

DS had an eye test at about 7 months as I was worried about a squint and I am very short sighted so wanted to check things early. He's been having sight tests every 6 months (is nearly 6 now) and so far no problems . He also had one in reception at school.

Took DD to optician at about 3 but they weren't able to test her (same place that tested DS but probably different people). She was seen by local eye doctor and is also all right - they have said I should test her again when she's about 5.

Started takign them to the dentist about 2.5 I think.

[JackBauer]

Both DD's been to dentist since about 3 or 4 months (took them along while it was free for me They've been every 6 months since then.
About to get DD1's eyes tested at 3.7 as she squints sometimes and seems unable to see things in front fo her, although that could be inheriting DH's 'manlooking' tendencies....

[TigerFeet]

DD first went to the optician aged just over three I think, we had noticed a squint though. I'm expecting dc2 and will take her earlier to rule out a lazy eye before a squint develops, possibly 18 months or so.

I'm sorry to say that she was quite a bit older before she went to a dentist, and only then because she fell and chipped a tooth. Again dc2 will go earlier.

[LissyGlitter]

DD is 2.5 and when I went to register us at the local dentist they said I should have been taking her from her first tooth.

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

DD went to the dentist aged 2.5ish and had her eyes tested last year aged seven. The optician thing was mortifying, the school nurse had checked the whole class routinely and found she was like mr magoo. Imagine not noticing that your only child can't see. It picked up when I was recommended to Johnny Depp for her eye test, although all came crashing down when it wasn't the real Johnny Depp.

[vbusymum1]

My DCs have all been checked by the optician since about age 2 as there is family history of eye problems but only because I was aware of this and asked the HV for an optician recommendation. As far as I know they haven't had their eyes tested at school ever.
All have been coming to the dentist with me since birth and been checked since they had teeth. Luckily they haven't had any problems so far but just the mention of the possibility of the dentist saying they aren't brushing well enough works to get them to do their teeth.

[rupertsabear]

I've never taken mine to the dentist, and ds1 is 7. They have had eye tests from 3.

[zanz1bar]

Freaky.. phoned up on saturday Dc 6 and 4 1/2 for an eye test as it has been nagging me for months.
Dentist , well they have come along whenever I go.

[Tinkerisdead]

How do they complete an eye test on a small child then please?

DH and I were having this debate last week saying we only remember eye tests when we could read letters off a chart. How do they complete an eye test on an infant who cant state which is clearer the red or the green?

[Doyouthinktheysaurus]

DS1 had his first eye test at 3 because of concerns about a lazy eye. He now wears glasses.

DS2 had his eyes tested at 5 just a few weeks ago. No problems with him.

The dentist, we only joined when DS1 was about 4 and DS2 2, they've been happily going ever since.

TheDoctorsWife46 when DS1 had his eye test at the hospital they just gave him a sheet with the letters on and he just pointed to which he thought was right. I have no idea if it's the same everywhere.

[devotion]

My dd is 6 and a few months ago she failed an eye test at school. Took her to an optician and they said she has astigma in one eye and has to wear glasses all day now until she is 8. From this age her sight will not be able to improve anymore and she can decide if she just wants to wear the glasses for reading. They said they can normally fix the problem if dealt with before the age of 6 so they might not be able to totally fix her eye now.

I am so annoyed with myself for not doing it ealier. My friends childrens school test their eyes in reception I thought my dd'd had been tested then too - if they had then her eyesight would have been totally saved.

I am going to get my dd2's checked in a few weeks, she is three. It is quite uncomfortable for them to check for astigmas. They put eye drops in their eye and send you away for 30 mins, it makes their pupils massive so they can see at the back of the eye.

With dd1, they said it would back to normal within a few hours but it was not until the next day. It made her sight out of focus and her eyes sensitive to the light so she had to wear sunglasses. So that is why I didnt get my 3yr old dd checked that day as I could not cope with both of them upset. Dd2 is very fiesty and its going to take a bit of persuading to allow them near her eyes. The said if her sister has a problem wit her eyes then she most probably will too.

[weegiemum]

All of our kids had an eye test (provided at the nursery attatched to school by a visiting optometrist) pre-school.

All of them passed - but all were advised to have annual check-ups after that, rather than a more normal 2-year break. I am very short-sighted and have a massive astigmatism in my left eye that means I have to have my contacts specially made!

Dd1 is 9 and got glasses for (surprise!) astigmatism in her left eye and overall mild short-sightedness about 6 months ago. She loves her glasses! She looks very cool in them!
The others are OK at the moment, but still on yearly tests.

Dentist - since they got teeth. Every 6 months. For dd1, thats from 10 weeks old!!

[angelene]

DD had cellulitis around her eye when she was 3.5, at the emergency eye clinic at the hospital they did an eye test by holding up b/w line pictures of stuff like a boat, plane, girl, ball, house etc and she had to name them if she could see them.

I haven't taken her for a proper eye test yet, there's nothing that causes any concern for me yet and if she gets a pre-school check that should suffice unless anything happens before then.

Dentist she has been going since she got her first tooth, it was only February this year that she allowed the dentist to look (bribery by sticker )

[danabu]

I think just before starting school is fine for a first eye test, if they've got some knowledge of letters (esp capitals) it helps, but not essential.

Any family history of eye probs then bring them along sooner.

Don't think that because your eyes are okay and your dcs aren't complaining of any problem, that everything is okay. And don't rely on school nurse checks, because not all schools do check and even then it is a very basic test of what they can see, they're not checking the health of the eyes.

For kids we use more objective methods of testing rather than bombarding them with questions. I might put drops in their eyes if I suspect they need glasses (depends on child's age) to get a more accurate result.

Find an optom that likes seeing kids (esp younger children)- like dentists you don't want to scare them off ever going again. I don't mind children sitting in on a parent's eye exam as long as they don't start messing with the expensive equipment!

[Pyrocanthus]

My optometrist advised me to bring the children along from about 6, when they knew their letters, but it sounds as if earlier would be better. Both my girls now wear glasses, very happily (they had no problems at 6, but are both now significantly short sighted). 11 year-old DD has v. cool frames, and 9 year-old works the pint-sized librarian look very well.

I think we went to the dentist from around 2-3, but it was a good few visits before DD2 deigned to open her mouth.

[thefortbuilder]

ds1 was crossing his eyes (on demand...) at 18m so we took him for a test - v long sighted and now wears glasses since then but it's improving massively.

ds2 shows no sign of crossing or squint yet but will get him tested at 2 probably jsut to make sure.

I think if you have a family history of anything eye related you may as well get them tested earlier so they have longer to deal with any issues that may arise.

sorry to say that been rather more lax with dentist, although my dentist said not to worry about taking them before 2.5-3. ds1 went recently because he fell and chipped a tooth.

[Glitterknickaz]

I had concerns about DS2 (he ran straight into the side of our dining table cos he didn't see it ) so I asked the HV for a referral.

Bearing in mind he then saw an optometrist who decided to then refer to consultant and all the waits in between, he had his first pair of glasses at 2.

[superfrenchie1]

my dd has worn glasses since 4 months, she was born with a cataract in her right eye and needed an operation to remove it, she now wears an eye patch and only has vision in one eye and needs special bifocal glasses.

the hospital are supposed to check babies' eyes as newborns before they discharge you - they check for the red reflex to make sure light is getting through. they didn't check my dd's though - if they had we could have caught the cataract within the all-important first 12 weeks and she would have had a good chance of developing good vision in that eye. you should always take them for a check-up if you notice anything weird - squint, eye turning in or out, lazy eye, one eye looking different to the other, dislike of bright lights etc. as you can see from this thread there are a million different eye conditions and the sooner each of them are diagnosed, the better. okay, rant over