Child needs glasses but refuses to do sight test!! HELP!!

[Leopleuradon]

I first took my son (5) to the opticians as he was squinting in december. He couldnt do the test as is not good with capital letters and apparently the picture sight test isnt overly accurate so they said to wait 6 months unless school said anything.

I had his parents evening at the start of this month and the first thing she said was that she thinks that he needs glasses as he constantly squints and is behind a lot of the other children in reading and is in a number of extra classes to help catch up. So I took him back a couple of days later. This time they attempted to use the drops but as soon as they put one in he was hysterically crying (he has some sensory issues²) and cried for a good hour after so they had to abandon the test.

They said that theres no point referring to the hospital and we need him in in the next couple of weeks as it looks like hes got a prescription that would need glasses so I've been waiting for the schools sight test that is this week but I've just found out it's not a proper sight test but a referral to get a sight test.

Does anyone have any suggestions because I'm really finding the entire situation rather stressful and dont want him to fall further behind

Good old fashioned bribery is my suggestion.

Maybe try a different optician. I'm not sure why they wouldn't refer but we were referred to hospital in exactly the same circumstances. It's an entirely different experience and they've very used to handling children at the clinic so very much less stressful

Go somewhere else, this particular optician will have bad associations for him now.

Also, children have sight tests before they can read, my son has them not with the machine but books the optometrist had in cases.

For his first glasses we took him in just to look at glasses on the racks, then back again for the sight test (we knew he would need glasses).

I'm not sure the optician will let you in just to look at the moment, our specsavers is still doing a locked door policy, but an independent one would perhaps. Quieter setting too.

Ds2 passed the school eye test, he then ended up with a scratch across the surface of his eye, we took him to an opticians for them to look at it, they did a quick eye test and said it definitely looks like he needs glasses.

We returned and they put the drops in his eyes, they apparently sting like hell but lots of children have this done as it is the most accurate way to prescribe the right prescription for their eyes. Ds was 5, they said that wearing glasses and correcting sight problems was easier if they identify the problem before they are 6.

Ds's eye sight was so bad in one eye he was under the eye hospital for 18 months and yet passed the school eye test. Ds massively improved his eye sight just by wearing the glasses and making the bad eye work rather than relying on the other eye. Once the bad eye had the right prescription he could see to use it if that makes sense.

Bribery is the only way, ask him what he wants to have this done. Offer him massive treats. Take him to a different optician. It is important he gets sorted as young as possible.

Go to a better opticians! Ours uses all sorts of tricks and tactics to test my 3yo including lower case letters. Ask for recommendations locally. Anyone who works at your local children's hospital eye unit is likely to be good - they usually also have private practices.

Also can you teach to the test a bit. When you book find out if there's a particular set of letters they are likely to use and do some practice with those. Our test is usually the same six (H, U, V, X, can't remember the rest!)

My opticians has animal/car/house pictures for children who can’t read.

Bribery.

Also, he doesn’t need to know letters. I know at kids hospitals here, optometry is set up to deal with kids before they know letters. Decals of every possible kids tv shoe character, superhero’s, normal animals everywhere in different sizes and colours and they use those. I’m sure they do more besides but am not across the detail.

My DD2 is non verbal and has SEN. She has had glasses since she was about two.
They put drops in and measure her prescription that way.
The drops sting and I hold her briefly to stop her flinching away or twatting the optician, although luckily she doesn’t anticipate and dread as much as a NT person would.

You are right that it is very important he has glasses. You may have to be a bit tough love when it comes to the drops. Don’t make a big thing of it in advance but sometimes we have to do things we don’t like and it only takes a few seconds.

I would get a recommendation for an optician that is good with children. My GP suggested one to me when my 1YO had a squint and they’ve been wonderful. Still a work in progress to correct vision but much improved (with patches and glasses). They should not be sending you away without checks or a referral if there is a known problem and children do not need to be able to read capital letters to have a sight test, mine couldn’t recognise or say anything at the early appointments.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I think I will look for another optician. Unfortunately I think the drops are a no go. Even if I did hold him down he would be hysterical for the next hour or so he finds is so distressing and is exactly the same with covid tests.

I found the opticians both of the time at specsavers to be a bit useless, I was left to calm him down after the eye drops while they stood there and eventually left after about 10 mknutes whilst he was still screaming.

He did the picture test the first time, I'm not sure why they couldnt use it for the prescription and it's a shame they dont seem to use lower case because he knows all of them.

Can anybody refer a child friendlier branch and does anybody know if I can ask the schoo for a referral?

Is there not a way for them to test without him having to read letters? I’ve seen small babies who can’t even talk yet wearing google style glasses

*goggle

My son had an eye test at a local independent optician last week and they didn’t use drops at all. He did have to read the letters and try out various lenses etc and they also took a photo of the back of his eyes.

A different optician. Ideally one with more experience with children. I also suggest talking to the optician first and asking if they can do a mini test on you first so you essentially model it for him and he knows what will happen.

@Babadook76 I think that they use the eye drops for young children who cant read yet

@ayeee123 was it just Capitol letters for the test? The reason we have been struggling with the test is because he doesnt know all of his Capitol letters?

Yes he did but he’s 7. I’m sure they must be able to do it a different way as lots of toddlers and babies wear glasses.

At that age you'd usually get a referral to a hospital orthoptist. Eye drops were used on my children until about age 7 so not just when they couldnt read. My dd had glasses from 18 months old and wasn't released from the hospital orthoptist until age 7ish at which point we used a local optician.

Don't go to chains as they are more geared up for adults on a conveyor belt system. You need to find a quiet independent optician who will do all the tests themselves. Try yellow pages etc. We were fortunate to find a local one where one of the opticians did half their work there, and other half in the local hospital. Once she left we stayed with place as its so calm there. My eldest is now over 25yrs but refuses to go to specsaves etc al.

My ds had eye tests from the age of about 3. Bribery was the way to go for us, being allowed to choose a cake to eat in the cafe AND a bag of sweets to take home worked like a charm. At that age of course he just had drops and the whole thing was then done by the optician using lights etc, used to fascinate me.

He also got to wear his sunglasses afterwards - the ONLY time he was allowed sunglasses.

He's 30 this year.....I miss those days! Still reacts well to bribery though, make him a cake and he's my little boy again.

I’ll second the need for a small independent one. The problem with the bigger chains if they are very regimented and follow a specific script, whereas you need someone who can say, well that test didn’t work, let’s try this one instead.

Where in the country are you, I can recommend a good one in the SW.

Our son was similar, but a bit younger age 3. He really did need glasses but would “not comply” with the optometrist eye tests. He ended up having a general anaesthetic in hospital so they could test his eyes - apparently this doesn’t often happen. But since he got the first pair of glasses and had to do patching etc he’s been fine with it.

Do ask for recommendations of good friendly places for the testing. And ask then what are next steps if he won’t do it.

I’m afraid they use drops with kids even when they can read. It’s so they can get the prescription as accurate as possible.

My daughter age 4 got her eye sight picked up by the school check and referred to a hospital. We went to an optician in the meantime as long wait to see hospital doctors - we asked locally for an optician recommendation and found a great one. He was able to prescribe glasses. He didn’t use drops but since then we’ve been to the hospital where I had to put the drops in at home. Then drive to hospital. The effect works for a long time so even if he cried for an hour they would still be able to check his eyes.

You know your son best as to how to do it - my approach was honesty. So she knew it would sting, she knew it wouldn’t last long, she knew why it needed to happen and she knew she’d get a chocolate treat.

They only do the drops once a year I believe which is something to be thankful for.