To remind you to take the dc for optic checks

[CurlyMoo]

Posting for traffic here in the hope that it might spur those on, who like me put it off.

Took ds 7 to optician yesterday for the first time. My other 3 children all attend and have minor prescriptions. Was horrified to discover that ds is almost blind in one eye His other eye has perfect vision, which has masked the deficiency in the "bad" eye. The sad thing is that if this was picked up early, he could have been patched and the eye could have strengthened and improved a bit. It will most likely require surgery now, we have been referred to the hospital.

I am kicking myself for not taking him sooner. I asked the optician about him a few years ago and he said that around 5 was a good age, as they could be more reliable in the test etc. It was my laziness really that has caused this.

I will hasten to add that it isn't the end of the world, he has perfect vision in one eye, which I am very grateful for, but still feel it is my fault. On the plus side ds is thrilled to be getting not one, but two pairs of glasses

[hobnobsaremyfavourite]

Please please take them when they are small.
The earlier things are picked up the better.
Glasses, patching , surgery etc can can have a huge impact on good vision later in life and the sooner they are done the better the visual outcome is likely to be.

[CurlyMoo]

The optician said he should have been screened in Reception, but not all schools do this apparently. It seems that his school opted out for whatever reason.

[MaudeandHarold]

Schools were never responsible for vision and hearing tests, they were just held there to ensure maximum coverage. My school has hearing tests, but hasn't had vision tests for years. ( In my corner of the Midlands anyway) Probably through School Nursing or Health Visiting service...and they've had budgets slashed.

[tinyterrors]

Our dcs have a very basic screening in reception which only really checks colour vision and depth perception and they aren't usually carried out by opticians.

I've always taken my dcs to the opticians for a proper test the summer before they start reception. My cousin is an optician and told me it's best to have regular tests from the age of 4 or 5, if they can't read the optician will use pictures instead of letters to assess their vision.

Imo there needs to be more emphasis on regular vision checks for children from a young age in the same way as it's drummed into us about regular dental check ups. Most will be fine and never need glasses but some will and the sooner any problems are found and treated the better.

[CurlyMoo]

^This with bells on! It never occurred to me to have regular optic tests from a young age in the same way we have dental checkups (which I am religious about) I had my own first check when I was about 14 (due to headaches) but at no stage in my parenting has regular eye checks ever been suggested/recommended.

[dementedpixie]

Dd had a squint at 18 months and ended up with glasses (still has them age 12). This meant I knew to take ds for a test early on so he got checked around age 3/4 ish. They both get their eyes checked annually now. My nephew has ended up with glasses very recently at the age of 13 as he was struggling to see the whiteboard. My sister is mortified that she hadn't taken him sooner for an eye test.

[LemonBreeland]

Where I live, children get an eye test appointment sent to them at around 4 years old.

I took DS2 to the optician at 3.5 years as he was blinking a lot. He had one eye quite bad and required patching. Because it was done at a younger age it gave the best improvements. I would say they should go as young as possible.

And you should take your child even if they have no issues that you can see, as they are very god at compensating for the poor eye with the good one.

[dementedpixie]

P.s. The optician I use will see children from age 3 but then will refer to the hospital Orthoptist for treatment if required. Dd was under Orthoptist care from 18 months until around the age of 8 at which point she was discharged from hospital care to a local optician

[RaspberryOverload]

My DCs have had tests since they were 3 years old. The Optician had a different set of screens to look at and DD was eventually given glasses aged 11. DS is so far fine.

I was aware of testing early, as I'm so bad myself. It's definitely worth doing, as are hearing tests.

[QuackDuckQuack]

I've been taking DD1 since she was about 3, partly because I had patching as a child. But probably mostly because it's free and sort of fun.

[Pandsbear]

My DTDs have been going for eye tests since they were about 4 - as DH and I both have astigmatism and short sightedness and both of us had glasses by the age of 8/9. I am amazed when friends say their children have never had a proper eye test apart from a quick check at school in Reception. I have had more than one friend who, when finally thought to take a child to the optician, found their child needed glasses/patching.

It is free! Make sure your children's eyes are checked,

[DullUserName]

We didn't discover that one of our DCs was partially deaf until they were 11. Don't beat yourself up :-)

[OkToday]

Op if your ds has been referred to the hospital they will still patch, my eldest dd has had 4 operations on her eyes as she very poor vision and has patched between these to even her vision. They stopped patching when she recently as she turned 10. Her vision problems were picked up early when she was 10 months old as the squint developed, I thought it was just the squint and was floored to find out how bad her vision was and that she had never seen my face, although it would explain why she would always feel peoples hair. The hospital were amazed that she was walking so early considering she couldn't see where she was going. I was convinced they had got it wrong and paid for a second opinion but unfortunately they hadn't.

[MrsJoeyMaynard]

DS1 is 4 and has had 2 routine eye tests already (all normal). DS2 isn't quite old enough for our opticians lower age limit yet.

DH had a similar problem to OPs son when he was a child - one eye stronger than the other, resulting in the weaker eye not being used, and treated with patches then surgery. Fortunately it was picked up in time to prevent him losing the sight completely in the weak eye, although too late for his vision to be completely normal. He has managed fine despite that though, although it meant certain career paths are out for him.

We don't get letters advising eye tests round here, and as far as I know, it's not normal for local schools to do eye tests either. The HV has a quick look I think, but that's nothing like a proper eye test. If it hadn't been for DH's childhood eye problems, we could easily have not stopped to think how important early eye tests can be. As you say, routine eye tests aren't generally emphasised as important in the way that routine dental checks are.

Hope your son's surgery goes well, OP.

[PurpleCrazyHorse]

Thanks OP. Hadn't booked DD's annual check up, just ringing now for after our holiday.

I only took DD a year ago as she complained of not being able to see the board (was fine in the end). So now we get a reminder from the optician.

[QuackDuckQuack]

Our local HV team have a mobile optometrist who does all 3/4 year olds before they start school. I am surprised that isn't the same for all areas. I'd have thought it was either deemed necessary or not.

[LynetteScavo]

DS had just had his 4th birthday when he told me he couldn't see out of one eye. Two years of patching later he was a +6.

Because of this I took my younger DC to be checked around their 2nd birthday.

I would urge everyone to take their DC as young as an optician will see them.

[youshouldcancelthecheque]

I am very shortsighted and wondered about my DD, will ask my optician next time I visit,

[PurpleAlerts]

My DH had serious problems with his eyes from very young. Long sight runs in his family so we took our two DDs to the eye clinic for eye checks starting at 6 months. DD1 had glasses from 16 months starting with a prescription of + 6.5 and DD 2 was initially told she was fine but this deteriorated and she had glasses and patching from 2.5 with a prescription of +7 in her worse eye!

As they got older the prescription strength gradually came down and now aged 18 and 20 their prescriptions have gone down to +0.75/5 and they can both read pretty well without glasses.

We were told when they were little that although they could see without the glasses, the strain on the eye muscles to focus was enormous and that long term the muscles would not develop properly without glasses to support the muscles.

There was no indication that either of mine had any difficulty with their vision- it was only the hereditary aspect that meant we had them checked early.

[Dixiechickonhols]

I'm sure it's common op. I first took dd at 5 as a friend's nephew had just been discovered without site in one eye, he lives abroad but had got to age 10ish without any checks.

Do make sure they know how old the child is, they just got DD to read the usual chart. She did but phonetically, she was in reception. He had assumed she was 8ish as she is tall.

[GeorgeTheThird]

You can take them before they know their letters - there are charts with pictures on instead. I'm not saying it's easy taking a toddler, but it is very possible.

[FudgeyCookie]

I've tried taking dd who will be 4 in September to a couple of different opticians locally to me and all have told me they won't see her until she knows all her letters, and if I think there's a problem take her to the doctors.

Both myself and dp, grandparents, great grandparents and aunts on both sides have glasses. My sister had to be patched around dad's age as one of her eye balls were the wrong shape at the back and was affecting her vision. I don't think dd has a problem, I just want it checked..

[MrsJoeyMaynard]

Yes, DS1 has always had the charts with pictures on too.
A child doesn't need to know their letters to have an eye test.

[MrsJoeyMaynard]

Maybe try ringing round a few more opticians Fudgey?

There's definitely charts with pictures on available - our optician has them, in varying sizes as per the letter charts, just with pictures (including house, tree, boat, scissors, car, cake, horse) instead of letters.

And I would expect an optician to be better at spotting eye problems than a GP, given that opticians spend so much more of their working time looking at eyes than GPs.

[CurlyMoo]

I feel a bit better about it, I have spoken to a lot of friends who were also unaware that regular eye tests should be a "thing". I did ask the optician about ds several years ago and he said that unless he was complaining or I was concerned then not to bother until he knew the alphabet, so it seems it is definitely not typical for all opticians to do routine checks when they are below Reception age. DS has dyslexia (and I told her this) so the test was purely pictures, no letters involved.