DD age 6, no concerns re eyesight been given v strong prescription for longsightedness but prescription says she is short sighted? 2nd opinion?

[k8lim]

Hello, first time poster. So DD is 6, zero concerns at any pre-school / p1 eye tests. I’ve noticed over last month she is squinting slightly in morning when tired. Took her to boots last week, no obvious concerns raised and optometrist said right eye slightly weaker but she didn’t think needed prescription. I went back today, she has the drops in, no further tests (letters etc) and has been given a prescription for +6 and +5. The optician didn’t explain what that meant (nobody in the family wears glasses) and I only actually read prescription after we left. What is v strange is below the prescription it suggests she is short sighted but the prescription is for long. Any help? Should I get second opinion? Thanks

Hi OP

My daughter has almost the same prescription, she’s +5.5 in her right eye and +5.0 in her left eye. It means she’s very farsighted so things in the distance appear clearer than those close up. My daughter was referred to NHS ophthalmology and thankfully they found that with her glasses she has perfect vision, though she will always likely need glasses.

They way the optometrist explained it to me is that with such a strong degree of farsightedness, her eyes were having to work very hard, causing objects both near and far to look blurry.

My daughter’s vision problems weren’t picked up until very recently (she’s 7 ) when we took her to see an optician as she had an infection in her eyelid and they suggested an eye test. It was a complete shock to find out that she had such reduced vision! We did decide to go privately whilst waiting for her NHS appointment just to get a second opinion and to make sure her prescription was as accurate as possible.

Did the optician mention anything about having her referred?

https://www.specsavers.co.uk/glasses/your-prescription?srsltid=AfmBOorInU2M7swdk8rkyDjcBowTPyGdxaFOCHOhuN9sq7xYioCZY24a

You’re right, according to this.

Also, 5 and 6 are big numbers for a prescription that was borderline not needing glasses at all.

When I was very short sighted (I have since had laser surgery) I was -6 in both eyes. I could not see enough to walk safely around the streets without my glasses.

I am now long sighted and my prescription is +1. I need glasses to read things like food labels.

This looks like it might be a mistake.

What are the other tick boxes at the bottom?
She is definitely long sighted from the prescription.

Are you using “farsighted” to mean long sighted? Never heard that expression before.

She is long sighted with a small astigmatism

take her to another optician

Yes, I mean long sighted. Funny, I’ve always used that term. Maybe it’s a Welsh thing 😂

Actually OP, with such a strong prescription and given her age, I’m surprised they haven’t referred her to ophthalmology?

Far sighted and long sighted are both colloquial terms for hyperopia, which describes where the focus sits on the retina.

@k8lim your LO has a hyperopic prescription, she need to wear here glasses all the time as it will help them to develop properly and help her eyes to work together. She may find things blurred at both distance or near and the glasses will help this).

I imagine she will get referred to an orthoptist at a local hospital as she is young and that's a large prescription. Could you ask the optician if they will be doing this?

My dd was under orthoptist care until the age of 7/8ish although she did have a squint too. She was then discharged to a local optician after her eyesight stabilised although she will always need glasses. Has had them since she was 18 months old and is now nearly 21.

Yes that is a long sighted prescription and she should need her glasses for close up things rather than far away. I would get it double checked

The positive means long sighted. Short sighted would be a negative number.

5 and 6 are pretty big numbers for a first pair of glasses so I would expect a hospital referral.

Thanks everyone. I’m just so surprised as she has given no indication whatsoever of struggling at all. Can see the board at school fine, no issues reading. I’m now kicking myself and thinking should have took her to a non high street optician. He mentioned a hospital referral but it’s the strength of prescription I’m so taken aback by. I will call them tomorrow and see if can pause the prescription glasses until get second check.

Children are good at compensating so just because they seem to see ok doesn't mean they can. If she's long sighted she will see the board but might struggle more with close up work

I would still get the glasses if there is a chance it will improve the way she sees things

My daughter gave no indication of having difficulty with her vision either and she missed her screening test in Reception due to Covid. Don’t beat yourself up about it, to your daughter, her vision is ‘normal’ as that’s how she’s always seen things, so how could she tell you or how could you be expected to know.

I wouldn’t delay getting her glasses as the sooner she gets them, the better and quicker the improvement to her vision will be. Also, the younger a child is when they start wearing glasses, the better the outcome as after about 8 years old it can take longer for vision to improve. Maybe get another opinion at a different optition or see if there are any private ophthalmologists in your area? We took my daughter to see someone at Nuffield who also ran the paediatric eye clinic for the NHS. Maybe that could be an option for you?

Hopefully get hospital appointment soon. I’m just confused with the suggestion she needs them for distance but the prescription is for close / reading. The first appointment she only struggled with the smallest letters and with the right eye at distance. I’m just feeling so overwhelmed by it all

My prescription is -4.5 and I can hardly see anything at all without my glasses. I am shortsighted.

+5 I would expect her to be unable to see much more than blurs in books, her handwriting and reading would be massively affected and doing things like puzzles etc would be very difficult for her.

I would ask for a second opinion. We've always used specsavers and found them great but there will always be differing skill levels amongst employees.

I know how overwhelming it can feel at the beginning, I felt so guilty when we first found out about her poor vision and for not realising sooner.

BUT you’ve done the right thing by taking her to the optician and she’s still within the age bracket for her glasses to make the most difference.

I was initially told by the optician at SpecSavers that my daughter would never drive! Just 10 weeks later, her vision has improved massively so that with her glasses on she has 20/20 vision. Try not to worry overmuch, hopefully you’ll be amazed by how quickly she adapts to her glasses and how quickly her vision will improve.

That’s because you are short-sighted.
long-sighted children are able to adjust their focus to make things clearer (it’s called accommodation). So her vision won’t be particularly blurred - although it will be better with the glasses on.

@k8lim don’t delay! It’s strong, but not that strong.
The referral criteria in most areas is to prescribe, check in a couple of months and then only refer if their vision isn’t great in the glasses (amblyopia) or there is a squint. The referral wouldn’t be accepted otherwise.

@theeyeofdoe thank you for explaining.

I just don’t understand the prescription being for long sightedness and the tick box below suggesting she is short sighted. She has never once complained or adjusted book when reading and I would never has took her for eye test had she not been occasionally squinting when wakes up. We are in Scotland, my friend works in local opticians think will try get another check over weekend x

In the first instance ask to speak to the optometrist or dispensing optician in the practice to explain the prescription and your dc's eyesight. There may be a senior optometrist in the practice who can recheck your dd and reassure you by explaining things better. I would ring and ask to speak to the practice manager.
'Cyclo' is for cycloplegic refraction (done with the drops) which is a very accurate measure of the total prescription without having to ask your child 'is this lens better or worse' -which is pretty hard for a 6 year old to decide . It's the method the hospital eye clinic would use.

The plus means she is long sighted, which most 6 year olds are. It's the number that is higher than average- that is the issue at this age.
Your dc won't recognise their vision isn't like everyone else's, but the strain of focusing by accommodating will cause eye strain or headaches especially with close work and could make her fall behind at school or reluctant to read.
If one eye has weaker vision (amblyopia) or there is a turn (strabismus/squint) in one eye then she would be referred to the hospital eye clinic but the first line of any treatment is for her to have glasses for full time wear.

Definitely don't delay getting glasses. Just try them out and see, have you got an appointment to go back to opticians? What do you think the hospital will do?

Maybe they just ticked the wrong box!. What other boxes are there?

The tick on the prescription is just the way it has printed from the computer- it should say requires glasses for distance and near and at 6 with +6/+5 prescription this would be full time wear.