parents views needed regarding childrens eyecare

[optom]

Hi all, I'm a Mum of 4, (ages 9,4,3 and 8mths), and have just started studying at university reading Optometry. As a Mum I have personally found that other than the initial developmental checks given to my children when babies, there seems to be a lack of information given regarding when children should have eye tests and what to expect. I'm interested in finding out if this experience is just in my case, or whether other Mum's have found the same. If you could take the time to share your opinions I'd be very grateful as I would really value the chance to improve healthcare information to Mum's with children of all ages, if I can see a need to do so exists. Thank you all :)

Well DH has shocking eyesight and was in glasses before school age.
Therefore, with a likely genetic risk, my dc have their eyes tested yearly from age 3.
No-one advised it, I just decided to do it.
They are entitled to it.
I don't understand why parents don't check them like dentist etc.

I see your point about why parents don't automatically get these checks done but I fear for some that lack of knowledge about when to do it, or if the parent has normal vision, can affect awareness of how debilitating an eye condition can be. I don't think for an instant that any parent just ignores a child's eye care needs, just that if it happens, there must be a need for more education and awareness to prevent it happening in the future.

Mmm i agree

in fact, i don't think my children's eyes have ever been checked or particularly noticed during checks although they DO screen in primary school (in reception i think?)
we opted out of all the school health screening because DS1 had already been to the optician anyway

I agree that there is a lot of info telling people to take their baby to the dentist when they get their first teeth, but you never get told to have their eyes checked, and that it's free (important for a lot of people)

I suppose they don't bother because they know it'll be screened for at 5 ish, but that is potentially really late for some children.,

ds2 has an ophthalmology appt in december because my mum and his nursery picked up on a squint that I hadn't even noticed!
if they hadn't noticed it then it wouldn't have been picked up for at least another year, or more

thank you for sharing your views thisisyesterday and MayDayChild, really appreciated :)

I've worn glasses since I was 4, when my mother was teaching me to read and she realised I had a problem.

So I have kept a good eye on my DCs eyes since they were born, and taken them to get their eyes tested as soon as they have started to read. Then yearly tests after that.

Fortunately they don't have crappy eyesight ike I do.

both my dc's have regular eye tests, dd once a year and ds every 6 months. this is because dd has poor vision which presented itself when she was 22 months old via her squinting all of a sudden in her left eye. she started off being seen at a hospital and having drops for every test but was discharged when she was 7 to a normal optician. ds also had a squint, and had glasses as a baby, but his problems are not as severe as dd's and his vision has improved so isn't wearing glasses at the moment, but he gets checked more frequently in case he does need glasses again.

so, i guess my dc's have had more than their fair share of eyecare, although it has all been instigated by me, as in asking for dd to be referred when she began squinting. we have seen the nhs cutbacks, babies used to get prescriptions for 2 pairs of glasses given they will most likely break them often, dd started getting 2, then we were told she was only allowed 1 pair on the nhs, luckily by that point she didn't fiddle with them as much!

Watching with interest. DS is only 9 months but both DH and I picked up on a squint, although it's obvious he can see across a room. When is the earliest they can have their eyes tested? He's our first, so no idea. Thanks.

bankholiday, when ds1 had his 8 month check the HV thought he had a squint and referred him to opthalmology straight away, so they can check it quite early on i would think!

I have requested that all my children have eye check referral at their 2 year hv check due to very strong history of problems on both sides of family.

I was shocked to find on the most recent 2 year check that the form has been changed and HV now no longer asks about eye sight or family history of problems! I would have thought this was a critical question.

When I raised a concern the HV was still happy to refer but surely this will result in many people being missed even with a family history. Hearing has also been removed from the form!!

I personally have no idea whatsoever! I assume they're checked at some developmental checks?

I know I probably can request a test at the opticians for him which in all honesty is probably not something I'd get round to any time soon unless I thought he had a problem.

If I were to book an appointment, I also would have no idea what to expect given his age! He's 2.

tigerlilly, it may vary from place to place, but here eyes are not checked at any of the developmental appointments.
they are not routinely screened until primary school age

it was never flagged, neither by the hv nor by carers at nursery.
where we live no 2y check is done.

if I want to take my dc to a check, can I just go to vision express or other high street optician?

bank holiday

I had my first squint op before I was a year old

if you have noticed a squint please drop into your GPs -it's so much easier to treat young

due to my eye problems both mine have had yearly eye tests from 3 yo

dd2 was picked up with a mild squint at 18months, we were refered to hosp and she was under them until she was 5 -wore glasses for 3 years -squint sorted and no longer needs her specs -but I still take them both for yearly checkups

mousymouse, yes, you can take them to any optician afaik

wow great to hear so many experiences. A few things are jumping out at me for example the removal of eye medical history from HV forms and it seems unless there is an obvious problem eyecare wouldn't be the first worry on a parents mind. Even after the first eye-screening at school age I'm wondering if the information shared to parents varies greatly with the importance of regular checks and why it is important to health not just vision itself. Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond, any other views and experiences would be gratefully received. I shall keep you up-dated on what further research and aims I plan to develop from this because I certainly believe this is an area in which I hope I can make a difference :)

I'm as blind as a bat and DH is a bit shortsighted. I told the HV this at DS' 9mo check and she referred him to the opthalmologist. He was also prem which can cause eye problems.

DS had a check at 10mo and 18mo and will have another at 2.5, he can go sooner if I notice anything that concerns me.

However, he can spot planes in the sky which are little more than dots (and I can barely make out, even with my lenses in) so I'm not concerned at the moment.

My shortsight wasn't picked up until school, by which time my left eye had got lazy and progressively worse.

the other thing i am interested in is actually how good the school screening is.
they're going round schools, so presumably can't take a lot of equipment?

having seen the vast, vast difference between a proper hearing test and the school hearing test I am concerned that the eye screening is similar. ie, kind of pointless and unlikely to pick up issues such as squints etc

I have 3 dds, the youngest 9 months and I was asked by HV each time I saw her with dd3 "had I noticed any difficulties etc with her sight", and family history was checked as well, as a matter of course - we don't have any sight difficulties in either family.

this is yesterday Dd1 had an eye test at school a few years ago in P1 (aged 5) and she came home with a note re a slight problem detected in one eye and a referral to Health Centre. When her eyes were thoroughly checked, solution used etc (it made her eyes "fizzy" ) all was grand. The optometrist told us that it was nigh on impossible to get reliable testing in school as the children were much too excitable, easily distracted etc.

I really think that eyesight tests should be given as much importance as dentist check ups and even immunisations, both of which parents are given plenty of reminders about when to take their child.

I noticed my DD had developed an intermittent squint at age 3 and took her to the opticians. We found out she was severely long sighted and her attempts to focus properly had caused her weaker eye to begin to turn inwards. She began wearing glasses and needed long term patching to help the lazy eye catch up. DD had passed all the developmental checks from the HV, but as they are not as expertly trained as an optician is, it was basically just a check for total blindness.

The optician also recommended that DS who was only just 2 at the time, to have his eyes checked to, as these problems often run in families. Sure enough he had the same as his sister but as it was picked up earlier he only needs a small prescription. An early eyesight test for him saved him needing the aggressive treatment his sister has had, if only we knew about it when she was 2 as well

At the end of the day a child can tell you if their teeth hurt, but they won't think to say their eyesight is bad if its always been that way to them.

I don't think there is enough awareness of the importance (and availability, free) of eye tests for children.

I don't remember ever being told that children should have their eyes tested regularly, and I never even thought about it until another mother told me she was taking greed to their regular check up.

As it turned out, all my DCs were fine, and are now being checked at their optometrist's recommended intervals. I can only begin to imagine how dreadful I'd have felt if any of them had been putting up with an undiagnosed problem for what could have been years.

This is very interesting. Dp and I are both very shortsighted, and we know that there is a strong genetic link, so we took ours to optician from about 6ish. Dd started to need glasses when she was 10' but more significantly, ds, who has perfect vision, turns out to have an eye condition which MAY be a marker for glaucoma, and, because there is glaucoma in my family, means that all the children genetically linked should have their eyes checked annually and photos of the back of their eyes stored so that they can be monitored. Butnif dp p and I weren't so shortsighted we would nevr have known.

I got a standard letter from our Health Authority when DD was 2 (shes now 8) advising us to book her in with the health centre. I assumed this was run of the mill for all, but after talking to many friends only about 50% received the letter. I think moving house since a childs birth was a major factor in sucessfully contacting parents!

She was referred up to the hospital for her shortsightedness within a few weeks. We were told the earlier they catch issues the more chance the vision can correct itself. She's been in permenant glasses ever since and we take her for check ups (new glasses!) every six months.

This is great hearing so many views and experiences. My 9yr old was given a very basic pre-school check made by health authority which was not much cop as his speech was a little behind and so not much could be assessed. I don't remember being given much guidance as to why eye care was important health wise and certainly at that appointment the focus was purely on whether or not he could see, not health. My next one is now 4 and so due, and I'm waiting with interest to see what happens and what information i get. I just checked through all my HV documents and hearing and sight, although slightly altered over the years is still present for medical history to when my little one was born in Feb. Can't find the birth to 5 book they give you though, to check what advice is in there. I feel if mum's aren't being given advice when in regular contact with HV then surely the last chance to give proper guidance is at the pre-school check. In which case this shouldn't be a standard one in the door, one out type procedure we only let you know if there is a problem, it should be much more more informative regardless. Please keep your views and experiences coming, the more parents commenting here the better as it will give me a great basis on which to start my campaign over the next few years if improvement in the system can be made :)

DD1 recently had her first medical check in school as she turned 5 in August. The only weighed and measured her but the nurse did advise that she should see an optician just to check her eyesight. I have to say it never occurred to me before and I'm surprised that it isn't something that's checked when HV's etc. ask if DCs are registered with a dentist etc. in pre-school examinations. It seems strange that it isn't actively advised - especially as the tests themselves are free for children. I'll take her in the Christmas holidays.

We have a history of eye sight problems from childhood in our family so DS had a couple of checks from 8 months till 2.5, no problems were found so they discharged him and said he didn't need testing till the normal starting school check. He had this last week (at 4.4) and the poor thing has very bad eyesight and has an urgent referral to the opthalmist (if this is the correct term). I wish someone had advised me to take him more frequently, I have no idea how long he has been struggling to see.

I requested testing for DD when she was born same as DS, we also thought she had a squint so she was tested at around a year old and she was fine. I will be taking her regularly for tests now because of DS's problems even though they also said at her last appointment she was fine until she starts school.

I have spoken to a few parents whose children's eye sight problems were picked up from 4-6 like my son's and they were all as shocked as me to discover their children had poor eye sight and they never noticed. There should be much more information about eye testing so children don't struggle in silence- agree with pp about regular testing becoming normal like dentist check ups.