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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be worried? School nurse letter...

69 replies

Charlieandthechocolatecake · 09/05/2017 23:15

DS who is in reception had his check done by the school nurse last week. We got a letter back today with his sight check details. He has been referred to the local eye hospital.

If it was a case of him needing glasses, surely he'd be referred to Specsavers or something?

Does anybody else have experience of this?

I'm so worried. Would it be worth trying to contact the school nurse to ask what the problem is?

OP posts:

Mumgyver · 09/05/2017 23:18

I think it's tankard practice as they can't endorse one particular chain over another plus young children sometimes need eye drops to enlarge their pupils in order for a more thorough test to be done. DD got one of these letters and that was the reason for hers, the school test had shown an issue and she needed a more in depth test to make sure she was prescribed the right glasses. She thought her massive pupils were hilarious because "I look like a power puff girl!"

Mumgyver · 09/05/2017 23:19

Tankard = standard

Mumteadumpty · 09/05/2017 23:19

Yes, I think it would be fine to do this, I would.

dontbesillyhenry · 09/05/2017 23:20

I did wonder about tankard practice- a little young for that yet?

Haudyerwheesht · 09/05/2017 23:20

You can contact the school nurse to put your mind st ease but Dd had all her eyesight appointments at the hospital until she was 5 and discharged.

BikeRunSki · 09/05/2017 23:24

Eye hospitals can Cary out sight tests on children who are too young to carry out a standard sight test reliability i.e.: if they might not always know their letter names. DS had a hospital eye test when he was 2.

Original poster

Charlieandthechocolatecake · 09/05/2017 23:27

Thank you all, I feel so much better. DS is usually so co-operative though.

Tbh I dont think it would hurt for the nurse to put a reason down. I understand they have a lot of children to get through though.

OP posts:

Suze1621 · 09/05/2017 23:27

My son is nearly 6 and long-sighted - still has all his eye tests at the hospital eye clinic and we then take prescription to local optician to get his glasses. Eye clinic have expertise in testing vision of very young children. Try not to worry.

bookwormnerd · 09/05/2017 23:30

Children tend to have eye checks by hospital. I know my daughter does and has since 2. I know opticians said that prescriptions had to be done by hospital for my daughter. Don't worry about it, you will probably see optician and orthotics who do eye test and then if child needs glasses you get the prescription and can go to whatever optician you like (we do specsavers as glasses are free with the nhs voucher and you get 2 pairs as get another free, plus daughter likes they do character ones) I think it tends to be normal they refer to hospital. I know that was who we were refered to and know 2 other children who had same.

RB68 · 09/05/2017 23:35

They refer to the hospital as the staff are more experienced especially with younger children that may or may not know all their letters well - they have other equipment not available in high st stores etc.

Astro55 · 09/05/2017 23:38

You can still take them to the opticians if you don't want to wait for a hospital appointment - they send them their anyway for anything serious -

At least you'd know sooner!

It's free and free glasses - so. O thing to lose really

ChuffMuffin · 09/05/2017 23:41

I work at an opticians and it's pretty common for us to see children who have been referred to the eye hospital through their school eye checks. Don't panic. . The vast majority of referred kids we see have low or moderate prescriptions, sometimes a squint or a lazy eye (amblyopia) and are usually discharged after a year or two.

Dixiechickonhols · 09/05/2017 23:43

If you do go to a high st one in interim make sure optician realises how old he is. I took dd in reception age 5 and she was just given the usual adult test, she read the letters phonetically. Optician was ? And said oh I assumed she was 8.

Original poster

Charlieandthechocolatecake · 09/05/2017 23:44

Can I ask...if DS does need glasses, how much are they roughly? We don't receive any benefits other than child benefit so I'm not sure if his will be free?

OP posts:

Monkeyinshoes · 09/05/2017 23:44

Totally normal. DS2 was referred to local eye hospital after school check, we had a few appointments with them.

The first was to repeat the school screening check to see if he would need the full test and ask about family history and if I'd noticed anything. I asked them to check his colour vision as colour blindness runs in the family (they don't seem to check for it as standard anymore).

He needed the proper eye test so we had another appointment (which we used eyedrops beforehand) to get his prescription. Bit short sighted and some astigmatism, nothing bad. Given prescription and NHS voucher for free glasses. Got some from specsavers. Had another appointment at the hospital a few weeks later to see how he was getting on with the glasses and check if he'd improved. Then we were discharged, now we just go to a high street optician once a year.

Solasum · 09/05/2017 23:46

They will be free, like all prescriptions for children. May not be very stylish though!

firawla · 09/05/2017 23:47

My 5 yr old ds sees the hospital eye doctors for lazy eye, although the school nurse did not actually pick it up and said he was fine! But if it's something like that it's really common and when they pick it up early can be all sorted out within a few years. I'm sure it'll be something not too serious

Monkeyinshoes · 09/05/2017 23:47

We got two pairs from Specsavers and didn't pay a single penny for them.

You'd be given an NHS voucher which covers one pair, Specsavers give another pair for free.

Floralnomad · 09/05/2017 23:47

Children still get free glasses

NuffSaidSam · 09/05/2017 23:48

I think all children are initially seen at the eye hospital and then are eventually discharged to Boots/Specsavers etc.

Eye tests and glasses are free for children.

ChuffMuffin · 09/05/2017 23:48

Under 16s get their eyes tested for free and they'll get a voucher towards their glasses, we mostly do free glasses for the kids at ours. If you want to pay a bit extra towards a nicer pair you can do. Under 16s also get free glasses replacements on the NHS as well, unless you'd paid extra for a nicer pair, then you'd just have to pay the difference again. Hope that makes sense! :)

Also 16, 17 and 18 year olds in full time education get a free sight test and voucher towards their glasses. They don't get the free replacements though.

PyongyangKipperbang · 09/05/2017 23:48

DS had all his eye appointments at the hospital until he was discharged a year after his surgery (severe squint) which he had at 4. Since the age of 5 he has been seen by the opticians.

I wouldnt worry too much :)

NuffSaidSam · 09/05/2017 23:48

NHS ones are absolutely fine these days style wise. It's not like the old-style NHS ones.

Floralnomad · 09/05/2017 23:49

Agree with pp , Specsavers have an excellent kids range and do the free pair as well .

PyongyangKipperbang · 09/05/2017 23:49

Chuff

How many replacements do they get? I have always assumed it was one pair of replacement specs per prescription.

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