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?

We get an annual reminder from the optician.

DC1 used to be under a consultant and had 6 monthly hospital check ups and 6 monthly optician, so something every 3 months, from a toddler.

So it was very much on my radar for DC2 - first started going at 3, but didn't need glasses until ten.

Otherwise who knows, I might not have started taking them until they started school, or maybe not even then (though hope I would have done, but perhaps it wouldn't have occurred to me).

It's free on the NHS for children, as are the glasses, so no reason not to.

Please, please take your dc for regular eye tests. Children often don’t know they have an issue as they have nothing to compare it to - they just think their blurry eyesight is normal.

I am very short sighted (-9.50 both eyes) and needed glasses from 4. I didn’t think / know anything was wrong, my teacher just kept getting fed up with me because I wasn’t paying attention. I think I was bored as I couldn’t see properly. Getting that first pair of glasses was like magic and after that I loved school.

Everyone should be having regular eye tests. They can pick up all sorts of health issues.

We get an annual reminder from the optician

We do, but that is because we are on their database. If you never go you wouldn't be on it.

Opticians yearly, dentist every 6-9 months depending on what the dentist wants. Both my DC wear glasses, neither of them complained of any vision problems before and it was only picked up via eye tests. It's really important and I'm not sure why anyone would avoid it. Non invasive, quick and free.

Opticians every year since before starting school.

I have terrible eye sight so it’s more at the fore front of my mind.

Dentist every 6 months or a year, can’t remember what recall they are on.

@justanotherneighinparadise

Oh and my eldest has only ever had an eye test at school and my youngest has never had his eyes tested. I do quiz my eldest regularly about whether he has any problems with reading and tell him if he ever struggles to tell me and we’ll get his eyes tested.

....why on earth won't you just take him?

Every 2 years, when I go for mine. I asked if she needed to be seen annually but her prescription is very low so they said 2 years is fine.

Dentist is 6 months.

How are people saying they have teens who've never been to an optician and only been to a dentist twice? This is madness.

I am genuinely surprised any reader on mumsnet doesn't know its a good idea to get kids eyes checked. Never mind not do it.

Why would you not take a child for a sight test, covered by NHS up to 16 and 18 if in full time education . A child who is never tested does not know if they are seeing correctly because they do not know what other people see. The optometrist will say whether they need to be seen 6 monthly, annually, etc. There are NHS guidelines matched to ages as to what the intervals should be, but the optometrist can call back at different intervals depending on what he sees at the check ups. Most big name optical chains also offer free spx, as do many smaller independents, where I work some one with an NHS voucher gets 2 pairs for £10.00. You only get 1 set of eyes so why not look after them.

The other thing that's worrying is that once you get to about seven it can be too late to solve some problems
These could be resolved really easily with glasses and possibly patching
Why would you risk damaging your child sight for the rest of their lives for the lack of a half hour free check up

You are normally allocated a dentist so why not allocate opticians? Parents are more likely to take the children then.

We've never been allocated a dentist, the DCs go to the one DH and I have been going to since before they were born, same with opticians.

Whose allocated a dentist?

DD1 - once a year where her ambitions to get glasses like her mates is cruelly thwarted once more.
DD2 - is on 6 monthlys at the hospital at the moment but looking toward being discharged soon (lazy eye and has had squint surgery too)

@BluebellsGreenbells

You are normally allocated a dentist so why not allocate opticians? Parents are more likely to take the children then.

You choose a dentist, they are not allocated. Same with opticians

Dentist is every 6 months. But who gets allocated one?! Even when we were NHS I had to sign DS up.

We have a scheme locally where the nhs dentist will take on any child in the area but you still have to sign up for it it’s not automatic.

"Why not allocate one"
Because that's not how it works
Because there are opticians everywhere
Because maybe we should take a bit of responsibility for looking after one of our children's most precious senses

@SavingsQuestions

I am genuinely surprised any reader on mumsnet doesn't know its a good idea to get kids eyes checked. Never mind not do it.

Having read the responses here I am now convinced that it is probably a good idea and I will take mine. However I think the chances of picking up something previously unknown that needs fixing are probably far higher at the dentist than the optician. Yes opticians can pick up eye defects that need referral but these must be vanishingly rare. Far more likely they will prescribe glasses etc which if there is an issue sure my kids would tell me about.

I imagine that’s the general reason why people are more likely to take their kids to a dentist than an optician.
Plus that fact that it’s well known that kids dentists are free. I genuinely didn’t know you could get kids eyes tested for free.
Boots opticians email me all the time trying to get me to come for eye tests yet never mentioned that kids can come for free it isn’t that well known or publicised.

Those of you who have never been, do none of you work in an office/on a computer??

By law your employer has to pay for the eye test, If you request one, so why wouldn't you??

A child won’t know they have sight issues a lot of the time because to them it’s normal.

Eye tests can pick up things like tumours and other major issues. They are about much much more than just sight.

That said sight is a pretty important issue on its own and surely steps to protect sight are pretty important to take?

Kids really dont notice if there is a problem with their eyes as its their normal. They dont tell their parents, just assume it's like that for everyone! They may function well enough. I guess if you have the start of a cavity you might not know so it's important to have your teeth checked.

Similarly opticians check eye health as dentists check for other things.

Also there can be changes in sight which make glasses useful - its not a binary can see/can't see.

Are people more likely to use a dentist than an optician? I'd see them as similar and assumed most people did. There's only a few on here that didn't know and as I said I'm genuinely surprised. Same as I would be if someone hadn't taken their kids to a dentist and "didnt know."

Snap Sirzy!

I have a convergent squint. It wasn’t picked up until I started having headaches at 11 so went to the opticians. I genuinely thought everyone saw two of things a lot of the time because I had never known any different.

I have worn glasses since and the muscle in my right eye is still significantly weaker than my left eye. If it had been picked up sooner then the issue could have been treated but it was ultimately about management by the time it was picked up

Optician annually
Dentist every 6 mths or as recalled