To want my daughters eyes tested before she starts school?

[CheeseAndBeans]

DD2 is 4 and is due to start reception in Sept. as per guidelines I tried to book her an eye test over the next few weeks in preparation. We are a family of glassses wearers so thought it best. I did the same with DD1, now 6, and all was good. She had a test at a high street chain and they used pictures etc rather than letters at that age.
I called last week to book and now issue with 6 year old but was refused 4 year old as she couldn't yet read. I asked what has changed as wasn't an issue a couple of years ago and was shut down.
I emailed and asked for their policy on testing kids eyes and was directed back to the store and they said the same thing. Just seems strange to me as NHS guidelines and their own website say to get kids eyes tested prior to starting school, and coupled with the fact my eldest had hers done I'm confused!
Does anyone work at an opticians and is able to enlighten me? Or recommend a chain that does it? We don't have any other opticians in our town so will travel if needed. I guess it's not the be all and end all but I wanted her tested. Thanks!

We’re currently on ‘amber level’ optometry in most areas - which means it’s needs based. If she’s not having problems with her eyes, local practices may be too busy with more urgent cases at the moment. Or you may be in an area of the U.K. which is under more stringent guidelines.
Where about are you in the U.K?

Pre-COVID All practices are required to see children under their GOS (basically NHS) contracts.

I took my 3-4 year old for a sight Test at Specsavers a few years ago and they had the option to test with pictures rather than letters.

Just a couple of weeks ago I took my 4 year old (also starting in Sep, in theory...) to Specsavers (the Peckham branch) and was asked if he could read letters - they would have done pictures had he not been able to. No issues with his age at all.

AS a glasses wearer I got my ch tested. Well my DD my other one has a known eye condition so has regular tests at hospitsal.

Specsavers did my dds eyes using pictures, can’t fault them, they have been absolutely brilliant ever since, so for about 4 or 5 years.
I tried another branch of Specsavers once though for ds (we had moved, So took him to a closer one) and they were absolutely terrible. I mean awful.
I don’t know if they are franchises, but whenever I need to go I just travel the extra to the old Specsavers, and they are still brilliant

It's taken me 8 weeks to get an appointment in our area as opticians are only partially opened and are on 'Amber' service levels. I was also a priority customer and still had to wait that long. It could be that your child doesn't meet the criteria at the moment.

They absolutely do school when tests. My son is about to go in to Y3 and had one in the second term of Reception.

It's too late. Things like lazy eyes (which you can't see by looking at a child's face) may be unfixable by then. It's not a full eye test. At best, it mops up those children whose parents haven't taken them earlier, who need further intervention.

And lots of areas don't fund it any more.

Just to warn you, while they do sight tests in many parts of England (including my own), they don't catch anything but the worst problems, and seem to particularly struggle to spot long sight; DD was diagnosed by an optician as +3 while in reception; a friend's daughter came out at +6. Both had passed the school test....

Have they maybe reduced their services because of Covid?

My older DC also had their first eye tests at an opticians at 4yrs with pictures instead of letters.

I got my ds's eyes tested before he started reception last year, booked it fine with a major high street optician, but the optician when we got there was really sniffy about how there was no need to test children of his age, and he didn't like doing it because it was so difficult and time consuming and he hoped ds wasn't going to be one that took hours (he wasn't..). I mentioned that their own website recommended getting them tested at that age and he pretty much told me that the website was rubbish and I shouldn't believe it. So I'm not convinced this is a covid thing, more that it takes too long and they don't want to do it...

Cato3 are you reading the OP? She's tried to get her child tested and several orptionciams have refused.

I have always been told 5 op, I couldn't have my children tested before, presumably that's fairly soon so I wouldn't worry but just get them booked in for as soon as.you can after they are five.

If you actually have concerns then worth mentioning that.

@Shesingsshangrila that's disgusting! My DD was diagnosed with her eye problems at 5. We hadn't noticed any problems just had a routine test. If I hadn't got her tested until she could read properly she may have encountered problems that her glasses have prevented. We've had a lot of grief with her eyes and hospital appointments and lots of tests and nasty eye drops etc. I have been told by an eye doctor at hospital that eye conditions are best picked up before 8 so actually if you don't test until 6 or 7 you are losing valuable time.

Thanks all. How strange that some of you have had great experiences... the chain was Specsavers. I have also called 2 boots and a vision express. Found an independent not far from me but phone lines busy when I tried a few times so have messaged them on website... fingers crossed.
I just don't get how it's not the same everywhere. NHS says they should be tested! Very frustrating, especially as my other DD was tested at just turned 4 in that exact shop 2 years ago. I sat there and watched them check her eyes, and use pictures. They are swearing blind to me they couldn't have done!
Am in the south East. No local Covid measures other than national guidelines and no one mentioned Covid at all.

I've got my 5 year old booked in this week. He is going into year one so slightly older, he got tested in reception but the optician who I spoke to the other day said these aren't proper eye tests so I'm best getting him tested properly.

I took Dd to a private optician as a toddler and they dilated her eyes with drops and somehow then worked out her prescription from that. Might be worth trying?

You can also do a basic screening with her at home. There are printable eye charts with pictures or directional Es available for free. If she passes, then you know that a formal exam is a good idea, but there is less pressure. If she fails, then you can use that to push to get her in.

I wonder if the government have stopped paying for the free eye tests for kids and they’ve just stopped doing them?

Have you tried Asda Optitians? They were always good for my children.

The screening test at school is just that it is aiming to see if a child’s visual acuity is at the expected level for age and if there is a difference between the eyes this is what is recommended by the national screening committee. Occasionally children with significant longsight will pass the screening test as they can accommodate very well and achieve a normal level of visual acuity without glasses. Children can have free eye tests with an optician up until school leaving age this has not been stopped but as other optometrist posters have said business is not operating as normal and they are having to prioritise who they see. Kay pictures have a very good visual acuity app which has both a letter and picture test and is used in hospitals and some optometry practices, if you have an apple device you can get a free subscription with them for 6 months

Find a good independent optician. Vision screening in school missed the problems with my daughters eyesight fro three years in a row until it became so severe that one eye was permanently wandering to the side. With hindsight, and looking at old photographs, the issue had been there for years.

@Cato31

I doubt there are school eye tests any more.

Any mass eye tests will not spot many eye problems.

Eye tests can and should be done from an early age High street opticians do them.

My dd has just finished reception and they had tests in October (she didn't as was under hospital for sight), we had to sign to give permission or not. Not long after many more kids were in glasses.

If you're really worried, you can go through the gp and get them tested at the hospital. FWIW my son's referral came through really quickly. (Family of glasses wearers - ds unable to read or communicate).

Yes, if you're worried I would contact the GP. My son had a test arranged like that. (But I have a complex vision problem that wasn't diagnosed till I was 11, despite normal eye tests.) On the other hand, I was neurotically always asking him if he could see things and I basically knew that his vision was fine. Are you all short-sighted? For most people this is something that doesn't develop until puberty.

I also wonder if you could you try a test at home, eg by writing letters that she knows or even shapes on a piece of paper and measuring out the distance and holding them up? There are various online options that might work too, if she knows most of the letters. Eg www.optoplus.com/en/eye-health/virtual-eye-test/online-eye-test/

I think they are cutting down on the number of people they are seeing as other pp have said.

I had to fight to get my dd (glasses wearer) seen by the opticians last month. She was discharged from eye hospital over a year ago and then called them (to see when she last had a test) they said she needed to be tested every year. So rang specsavers and they said every 2 years - relayed what hospital had said and also how she was complaining of regular headaches and squinting. They wanted me to take her to the drs first, but I replied if you complain of headaches to drs, one of the first questions Is have you had eyes recently tested!!! I had to be quite forceful to get her an appointment and she did need a change in prescription.

So I think without any signs of a need of glasses, you are going to struggle to get an appointment at the minute.

No school eye tests here. Specsavers are doing routine appts but I am not sure if they are taking on new clients at the moment.