Any opticians who can answer a question for me?

[Bumblebee112]

Specifically regarding eye test in a young child (2 year old).

Shamelessly bumping the post 🙈

Why not ask the question anyway. I'm not an optician but my dd has had glasses since she was 18 months old

Might help if you ask the question

@dementedpixie @ighmi Sorry, I don’t even know why it didn’t dawn on me to go on other parents experience 😅

Basically 2.5 year old started blinking heavily over the last couple of weeks. No mention of discomfort etc but noticeably heavier blinking. Called the optician for advice. Advised bringing him in to be checked.

I was due a test too so booked myself in for the same time. Optician insisted on doing mine first so DS could watch which was fine. By the time it came to his turn (30 mins later) he was incredibly fed up and not hugely cooperative. He’s going through a big “no”/“don’t know” phase and answered most of her questions with either of those 😬 just kept asking if we could leave etc. Optician insisted on persevering until the end and says she thinks he needs glasses. His test took a further 30 mins so we’d been in there for an hour. He’s to go back at the start of the week for a further type of test (one involving drops this time?) to check for dryness or muscle weakness but she says there’s no need to repeat the eyesight test as she got results.

When he wasn’t cooperating at all (he was saying he didn’t know what things were that I 100% know he’s perfectly aware of - like colours etc) I suggested just waiting and bringing him back for a retest next week or so but the optician just kept saying “oh, I know you’ll be reluctant! Nobody wants their baby in glasses but you’ll get used to it” 😅
I have absolutely NO issue whatsoever with him having glasses if he needs them! The majority of my family wear glasses so I wouldn’t be shocked if he needed them at some point too. I’m just a bit concerned that she’s going off of a test that may not be accurate because he was having a “no” day 😬 But of course, maybe he genuinely couldn’t see it?! 🙈

Obviously she’s the professional so I don’t doubt that she knows what she’s looking for. And she really had the patience of a saint! But would you push for a retest/get a second opinion in this situation?

I would ask the GP for a referral to the ophthalmologist.

The drops are standard for a child test and helps them work out a prescription without needing to rely on them answering questions.

Did they give a prescription or are they waiting until they do the drops?

And are they referring you to an orthoptist at a local hospital? My dd was under orthoptist care until around age 7/8ish at which point we got discharged to a local optician.

My dd was referred via the health visitor but maybe the optician or GP can do it too

@Bumblebee112 The drops will enlarge his pupils, we have some great photos of Ds2 with pupils like saucers, they can then look into their eyes and get their prescription from that so I assume that they will just be confirming what they already know.

Be aware that lots of children find the drops sting so be prepared to distract your child with something immediately afterwards, food, toy. Ds did not react at all, didn't sting him. If needed you will be referred on to the eye hospital. Ds was under one for about 18 months. He first wore glasses at 5. Really improved his vision in one eye just from wearing the glasses religiously.

@TheInterceptor I did call the GP surgery first to ask advice over whether to see them or the optician and they wouldn’t see him without an optician having seen him first.

@dementedpixie Thank you! That makes sense. She didn’t give me anything written down but said what she thought the prescription was and just that that next weeks test would rule out anything like dry eyes or muscle weakness. She didn’t mention that it would confirm prescription.
Absolutely no mention of referral at all. She just said we’ll see if the drops test shows anything else but she was pretty sure he’d need glasses and that the cost of his prescription isn’t fully covered on the NHS so I’d have to contribute to costs but when he can do his own self care like washing hands and brushing teeth she’d be able to give him contact lenses for £40 a month 🤷🏻‍♀️🫤

@BillysSocksAreOdd Thank you for the drops tip! He’s had conjunctivitis once and getting that cream in was like a military operation so I can’t say I’m excited at the prospect of drops 😅 but I’ll make sure I have some distractions on hand incase they sting.
Glad to hear glasses improved things for your DS 😊 hopefully if my DS needs them it’ll improve things for him too! I hate to think of him struggling or being uncomfortable so hopefully we’ll get him sorted 🤞🏼 I was just a bit nervous to be potentially going on a skewed result and causing him more harm than good - I didn’t realise that the drops test would give more confirmation. She explained it as if she was looking at something completely separate 😊

DS2 had drops for his eye tests when he was young. He got referred to the hospital by the optician because the prescription was different between his eyes and he was at risk of lazy eye.

She just said we’ll see if the drops test shows anything else but she was pretty sure he’d need glasses and that the cost of his prescription isn’t fully covered on the NHS so I’d have to contribute to costs but when he can do his own self care like washing hands and brushing teeth she’d be able to give him contact lenses for £40 a month 🤷🏻‍♀️🫤

My dd always got the free frames when she was young and we only paid for thinning the lenses as she was quite long sighted.

Dd is 19 and still wears glasses and has no interest in contact lenses. She does have prescription swimming goggles

I am an Orthoptist. In the hospital we would always carry out a glasses check once a DC has had eye drops, especially at the age your DS is, where (no offence intended) it is impossible to get any kind of reliable response from them - nor could they read a conventional eye chart. Testing once drops are in is significantly more reliable.

I would go to your Health Visitor and ask for a direct referral to the orthoptic department. You could return to your optician but the likelihood is she would refer him to the hospital anyway in which case the hospital will want to carry out a glasses test with drops anyway, which potentially means having them twice.

The purpose of the glasses test is to check if there is a significant refractive error that might need correction with glasses, some longsightedness for example is completely normal in small children. The only way to tell if he has an eye muscle weakness, unless you can see his eye turning, is for him to see an orthoptist.

Hope that helps.

My dd was originally referred due to a turn in her left eye. This eye was also lazy and had poorer vision than the right eye. She had glasses from 18 months and also had patching treatment to force her left eye to improve its sight.

Before the age of 8ish she got drops at each eye appointment as that's the best way to assess what the prescription should be. The appointments were with an orthoptist at the local hospital.

@Bumblebee112 did the optician suggest whether your lo might be long or short sighted?

While the drops do dilate the pupil, that is not their purpose.

They are to paralyse the ciliary body which allows kids to change the shape of the lens inside their eyes to focus (this gets harder with age, which is why at approx 40yrs old adults start to need reading glasses).

The drops will allow to confirm an accurate script. If they have any concerns about development/binocular vision they will refer either to an ophthalmologist or orthoptist.

Regarding his answers- they can check for a prescription objectively (using a retinoscope) as opposed to subjectively (asking '1 or 2').

Thank you everyone 😊 that’s all really helpful!

@dementedpixie I’m pretty sure she said short sighted but I can’t be certain. DS had had enough by that point and complaining lots 😅

@KingOlive That’s so helpful, thank you! I’ll call our HV on Monday. Completely agree - trying to coax any kind of answer out of a 2.5 year old that doesn’t want to cooperate is a nightmare 😳 DS is very verbal, knows his numbers, some letters and can easily hold a proper conversation without much difficulty but if he’s having a “no” day then there’s just no chance at all!

No problem. Just to add, depending on where in the country you are, you will sometimes see an orthoptist at the hospital first and then have to return for a glasses test. I would ask the HV to mention on the referral that he has already been to an optician but you were told he would need a cycloplegic refraction. The hospital will know in advance that he needs this and if they offer same day clinics get it all done together. If not you may end up having 2 appointments on different days…

@KingOlive Thank you! We’re in Scotland. I’ll get in touch with the HV on Monday and hopefully get things moving 😊

I am in Scotland too and we were referred via the health visitor. Dds prescription was given by the hospital and then we chose an optician to get the glasses from

@dementedpixie Perfect, thank you! DS had his 30m check with the HV recently but the issue hadnt started then so typically just missed her but I’ll get in touch 😊