How often do you take DC for eye test?

[WaterBottle123]

Took DD1 today, she's 10 and we hadn't been since 2018, got slightly told off by optician, even though DD1 has perfect sight.

Bumped into friend afterwards who said none of her DC had ever been.

Curious what's normal? And if you don't visit the optician do you also not visit dentist?

@Hobnobswantshernameback

And the ignorance about glasses and eye health is depressing but unsurprising

I agree. So much better to monitor things regularly so any changes can be picked up on early.

@Popcornbetty

I'm shocked at the wishy washy attitude towards eye health on this thread, it is so important not just ist for vision but other potential conditions too. I remember my Aunt swearing she had 20/20 vision, no headaches and hadn't been checked for years, turned out she needed bifocals!

I think you are either someone with eye issues in the family and so are used to regularly seeing an optician or your someone who has a family of no one needing glasses and it just isn’t in your routine. I fall into the latter.

My eyesight was "better than 20:20 until I was in my mid 40's. I now go biannually. My sprog had problems with headaches when they were 12, they now go annually.
One of my grandads had glaucoma and the other went blind.
I will never understand why people ignore eye problems, do they think no eyesight is better?

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo I was astonished to discover trees had individual leaves on them when I got glasses. I thought they were like cartoon drawings, just a cloud of green. I think my Mum felt terrible for not taking me earlier when she realised how bad my vision was!

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo

Opticians annually. I got my first pair of glasses when I was 6 after a routine appt, I still vividly remember putting them on for the first time and being awed by what I could see. I had no idea my vision was rubbish, I thought what I could see was normal, but putting glasses on and realising that leaves had veins in them, that streetlights aren't big spiky things with halos around them.... it was magical. It's entirely feasible that a child wouldn't complain of anything that suggests a problem with vision.

When ds got his first pair of glasses he described it like the world suddenly being in high definition!

@Popcornbetty

I'm shocked at the wishy washy attitude towards eye health on this thread, it is so important not just ist for vision but other potential conditions too. I remember my Aunt swearing she had 20/20 vision, no headaches and hadn't been checked for years, turned out she needed bifocals!

Me too!

DD has been going every 12 months since she was 5 but she does wear glasses. She did go twice in one year because she realised she couldn't see the board as well:

We all go to the dentist every 6 months (NHS) i thought that was just common/good sense

And re: the PP putting off wearing glasses at 50, what does it matter if you need to wear them?!

Dc1 started wearing glasses age 3 as we noticed him rubbing his eyes a lot. All 4 dc have annual eye tests and have had since age 3. Dental appointments are every 6 months and they have been going since they had teeth. In fact dc3 was 12 weeks old at his brothers appointments, and the dentist still had a feel and look at his gums.

*'Popcornbetty

'To be honest, neither Dh or I haveeverbeen and we’re 40 (both still have perfect vision so never had a reason to go).'

You think...

*justanotherneighinparadise

🤣

I’m sorry but it really is up to the PP and her husband if they can see clearly enough to function in their lives.*

Oh yes it is definately up to them, you are correct and i actually didnt say it wasn't. i was implying that nobody can really know they have perfect vision when they havent ever had an eye test, they can only think they do.

I met someone this week who was registered as sight impaired with a condition that had silently stolen their peripheral vision
They were utterly unaware of the gradual deterioration in their vision as it has been so subtle
It was due to glaucoma
A perfectly treatable condition if diagnosed and treated in a timely fashion
They were heartbroken as their sight is now gone
And could have been saved
My friends son went for a routine eye test
They found worrying symptoms that pointed to raised intracranial pressures
He had a brain tumour
He had no symptoms
Why wouldn't you get your eyes checked regularly

Children are good at compensating so could have terrible eyesight that is only picked up through an eye test.

Ds (14) has got slightly more short-sighted in the last year but isn't quite at the stage for needing glasses. Dd (17) is long sighted and has been since she was 18 months old.

I have glasses for reading now as after 40 you tend to get more long sighted (I'm 47). Dh is the same. Never had glasses before that

"To be honest, neither Dh or I have ever been and we’re 40 (both still have perfect vision so never had a reason to go)."

You should maybe let an optometrist be the judge of that....

I first took my dc in the August before Reception year and I still do this, they're 8 now. Dentist is every 6 months and their first visit was at 18 months.

Annually for DS 13. He has had glasses a few years now. First went due to headaches to have an eye test to see if glasses would help. He needed a mild prescription.

Every year to 18 months. Kids eyes change so quickly and subtly. DD (8) has literally just been and they’ve detected she needs glasses for the classroom. In hindsight (pun intended of course) the signs were there but so subtle, when you chuck them in with a normal busy life, it’s easy not to notice but now she’s got them, hopefully she won’t deteriorate. I need to take her back in 6 months to see how she’s getting on.

Dentist every 6 months. Apart from last year because dentists + COVID didn’t seem to be a working equation...

I don't remember ever having an eye test when I was a child.

I am
Lurking

I go every 2 years despite not having any eye problems, but I use a computer everyday & that is the advice. Have a family history of eye problems so I'm conscious & want to deal with any issues early on. I also remember going as I child with my mum & the optician 'testing' my teddy!
DD first went at 4. She was due back in lockdown 1 but obviously didn't so she's booked in next month. Not taken DS yet (2), but will from 4. DH has glasses so potential genetic problems for DC.
As others have said eye tests aren't just about eye health - they can find much more. An optician spotted my mums third brain tumour during a test (her tumours were around her optic nerves) so yes they're just as important as teeth etc.
At my last appointment the optician said I obviously value my eyesight as I go regularly when I don't need glasses etc. Depressing that others don't feel the same but I understand cost can be prohibitive.

@Hobnobswantshernameback

And the ignorance about glasses and eye health is depressing but unsurprising

Agree! There is a lot more to it than “I’ve never had headaches” but it does seem to bypass a lot of people.

I'm in Scotland so all our eye tests are free.

I know a 9 year old currently having 18m of chemo treatment for an eye tumour picked up on routine eye test. They would eventually have realised something was wrong when the child lost vision, balance etc without eye test, but the tumour would have been much larger & harder to deal with.

Anyway, I take mine every year. But I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 7.

My best friend is an optometrist so all the kids go yearly. Its free and easy!

DS1 had mild long sightedness picked up on screening (which they no longer do) but now doesn't wear glasses. DS2 kept strealing DS1s glasses when he was 2 and putting them on to watch TV. My friend examined his eyes and he was +9 in both eyes. He was under the hospital for a few years but now friend looks after him again. His glasses have made a massive difference to him. He is constantly breaking them, but they get fixed for free! DD1 has special tinted glasses for her epilepsy, but is also slightly short sighted, so we are monitoring that to see if it gets worse.

Is not like the dentist, where it is sometimes really difficult to find an NHS one taking new patients, any high street optician will see them! Because they no longer do the pre school screening I think it's a good idea to at least take them once before they go to school, just to make sure there are no problems which could affect their learning.

It's amazing how many people think they can see fine so don't have an eye test. You don't know anything about what you should be seeing because you can't comapre and also many eye diseases are silent! Annual eye tests are a must until age 16 and then 2 yearly after that.

They usually have eye tests annually and a check up with the dentist every 6 months but I haven’t taken them during the pandemic. I didn’t visit either as a child and have no issues though.

Annually, but DS is seen at the hospital due to various problems so sometimes they do extra appointments too.

Hes also under the NHS specialist dentists and its usually 6 monthly but they stopped doong check ups in lockdown1 and havent started again yet

@mindutopia

I’m taking mine for the first time this week and she’s 8. I don’t think it’s the sort of thing you do unless you need to because there’s an issue. She’s had the usual eye tests in school with the school nurse. But I couldn’t see the point of taking her to the optician until she complained of an issue. To be honest, neither Dh or I have ever been and we’re 40 (both still have perfect vision so never had a reason to go).

I hope neither of you assume that and also drive!