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Parenting

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Original poster

Which is the best place to take a child for an eye test?

26 replies

SparklePrincess · 13/04/2007 10:38

My dd has had a test at our local Opticians & they say she needs glasses. Dh has decided he wants a second opinion & has booked her in for another test at Boots (because they have all the computers etc etc) Ive since been warned off going to Boots & advised to go to Specsavers instead. Now I dont know what to do.
Any recommendations? ideas? very gratefully received.

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brightwell · 13/04/2007 11:11

I've had my dc's eyes tested at Specsavers and a small family optician. I was happy with the service at both, as yet they don't need glasses but the odds are stacked against them so it's only a matter of time. They are having yearly check ups at Specsavers.

mankyscotslass · 13/04/2007 11:24

How old is your dd? My Ds is nearly 5, and gets his proper eye test done at the local health clinic, we just get the prescriotion to take wherever??? But i have a feeling that's cos he was only a littly when he needed glasses

Original poster

SparklePrincess · 13/04/2007 11:27

She is only just 6. I decided to get her tested because she said she couldnt always see the board at school. I never dreamed there was actually anything wrong with her eyes. Last month she was complaining she couldnt hear, so we had her tested & she was fine. I thought she was just having us on to be honest Poor little Angel.

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mankyscotslass · 13/04/2007 11:29

Maybe call the school nurse and have a chat with them see if they recommend anywhere? ours all started cos i was worried about one eye for ds, dh and i both wear glasses, me from early age! so odds against him anyway, but we were referred though hv.

Original poster

SparklePrincess · 13/04/2007 11:49

I might try & find out the Nurses number from school. I dont think she is particularly local to our area though. How long was the test your ds had mankyscotlass? What sort of things did they do? Dh, (who hasnt had his eyes tested in 30 years) seems to think that she should have her Retina photographed, which wasnt done at the Opticians we went to. Her test was about 20 minutes long. Im not sure how long it takes to do a thorough eye test. My old Opticians used to take 30-40 minutes, but when I went to Specsavers I was in & out in 10 minutes. (I dont wear any glasses) I suppose we just want to satisfy ourselves that everything has been tested thoroughly. Shes supposed to go back next Friday for them to confirm what her prescription will be. Ive been given drops to put in her eyes prior to the appointment, which I understand will not be much fun for her & leave her unable to see for the rest of the day.

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mankyscotslass · 13/04/2007 11:56

The test was about 20-25 minutes, he had drops put in there and had to wait for 15 minutes for them to take effect. He never had his retina photographed either. He was ok with the drops, but we had a reward for once they were in (they do sting a bit) and a sweet to take away the taste you get at the back of your throat. He was actually ok to go back to school in the afternoon, they just had to keep a closer eye on him, but i took him back AFTER play time to be sure. Some kids may not cope so well, the drops dilate your eyes a lot. Which reminds me, take sunglasses for her because its very bright outside for them even on a grey day after the drops! They did the usual reading letters, shapes,pictures, also used a pair of spectacles and dropped various lenses in. He only gets that sort of appointment every 3-6 mths, the others are straightforward recognition of 3d shapes using coloured lenses, and the letter charts, sometimes using mirrors.

Tiggiwinkle · 13/04/2007 11:56

I take my DSs to Specsavers. They are quite thorough-do a picture of the eye first before you see the optician, who then does the various tests. I find them much more thorough than D and A where we used to go before.
If you have concerns though perhaps your GP can arrange for your DD to be seen at the hospital eye clinic?

cat64 · 13/04/2007 12:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

saffy202 · 13/04/2007 12:21

Took mine to Specsavers yesterday. They were lovely with both of them. DS2 had to sit on the 'magic chair' and point at it to raise it up

DS1 who I suspected had a problem is slightly short-sighted and before he went in the optician said 'will glasses be a problem?' When I said defnitely he said 'well I'll check him out and we'll discuss the options'

He has been prescribed some glasses but the optician says he only needs them for watching the telly when he is tired - we have a massive telly and even I can see it and I'm as blind as a bat So I can't see him wearing them.

Original poster

SparklePrincess · 13/04/2007 12:26

Thanks mankyscotslass & Tiggiwinkle MSL, your dss test sounds the same as dds, so I suppose 20-25 minutes must be the usual amount of time for these tests. Thanks for the tip about the sunglasses after the drops, ill remember that. What do you do about sunglasses for a child that wears glasses? Would you get a prescription pair or reactolite ones? Would the child need a spare pair of regular glasses or is one pair adequate?
Tiggiwinkle, I had no idea I could get her eyes looked at by a hospital specialist. It may come to that anyway according to somebody I spoke to, because she has one eye that is much worse than the other & they need to look into some sort of patch or something for the stronger eye. I was told she would probably have to go to hospital for that. I only hope they have something more attractive than the old plaster over the lens technique I remember from when I was at school Glad you had a good experience at Specsavers, somebody else recommended them to me too.

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scotlou · 13/04/2007 12:26

ds was referred by the school nurse (and dd by the hv )to the eye clinic at teh hospital. THey did take a photo of the eyes (could actually identify ds was long sighted just by looking at teh shape of the eye on the photo!) then he went on to get drops put in etc.
Both needed glasses - and for fitting etc we find our local Boots to be great. Specsavers (for us) were useless.

PinkChick · 13/04/2007 12:29

i get my glasses from specsavers and have found them very helpful and go out of their way to help(i went for interveiw with them, they get bonus's for good service, so they all try!)..BUT..when i went to pick up my last pair, the prescription was wrong, wrong frame and man sat next to me was also given wrong ones??..maybe an off day..they did give me two pairs as compensation tho so i would go back.

Original poster

SparklePrincess · 13/04/2007 12:30

Sorry cat64 & saffy202, I type so slowly we crossed posts. Many thanks for your advice. Its useful to hear other peoples experiences. Glad to hear of another positive for Specsavers too. I might try & get her in there for an appointment.

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Original poster

SparklePrincess · 13/04/2007 12:35

When dd saw the school Nurse nothing was picked up about her eyes at all. I was just humouring dd to be honest. I didnt think for a minute anything was wrong.
How do you know if theyve got the prescription wrong PinkChick? unless its wildly & obviously out? Thats what worries me.I wouldnt have a clue if the glasses were right or not & neither would dd.

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mankyscotslass · 13/04/2007 12:37

SP, DS uses his glasses in school and when watching tv/computer/reading or doing closework like jigswas or lego. Other times fine without, so we never bothered with prescription sun glasses, just standard ones. We only get one pair of glasses for DS, he has been pretty careful, but D & A would replace them anyway if something wrong. TBH, his eyes have improves so in a year he has had to get 3 different pairs anyway....good luck!!

Original poster

SparklePrincess · 13/04/2007 12:46

Thanks MSL, Our local Opticians said the glasses were guarenteed for a year against any breakages, hopefully everyone does that. At the end of the day we will go for the frames dd feels happiest with. At the moment she likes some that are another £45 after her NHS voucher, I know specsavers are cheaper, but if were only getting the one pair it doesnt really matter.
How often do the children get these NHS vouchers? is it valid on every change of lenses no matter how often they need new ones?

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theUrbanDryad · 13/04/2007 12:58

children get repair vouchers for specs when they break them anyway, so don't worry about that.

Specsavers can differ so much from branch to branch as they're all franchises, so my advice would be to get eyes tested at hospital clinic then get the prescription made up at Specsavers as their deals for kids are very very good. just make sure that your dc's are measured up by a dispensing optician or optometrist.

reactions (photocromic) shouldn't be prescribed to a child under 16 as they ave a permanent tint to them which could make your child too sensitive to light, but Specsavers do a good deal where you can get a pair of prescription sunglasses half price when you get their normal ones.

theUrbanDryad · 13/04/2007 12:59

oh, and they'll get a new voucher each time prescription changes/frames break/they grow out of frames!

Original poster

SparklePrincess · 13/04/2007 13:05

Thanks theUrbanDryad, How do I go about getting her checked out at the hospital clinic? Would she be refered by the Optician, or could the GP refer her? Or could I just ring the hospital myself? The only problem I can see would be a long waiting list to see somebody at the hospital, & it sounds like she needs these glasses asap so we wouldnt want to leave things too long.

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theUrbanDryad · 13/04/2007 13:13

so has she had a sight test then? sorry, i'm prolly being a bit dim...

saffy202 · 13/04/2007 13:24

I just liked the fact that they were prepared not to force the issue of making him wear glasses. DS1 is 13 and 'at that age' I had told him we would consider contact lenses but the optician said his eyes weren't bad enough.

I remember being made to wear glasses and it was awful - the choice of pink, blue or tortoiseshell

The glasses ds1 picked were priced at £64 but he got them free which I was suprised about.

mankyscotslass · 13/04/2007 13:24

you would probably need to go through your gp or the school nurse...our DS get seen at the health clinic by the specialist from the local hosiptal, he holds a clinic there once or twice a month...... He has never had his eyes tested anywhere else so no advice on who is best i am sorry to say

Original poster

SparklePrincess · 13/04/2007 14:19

Yes she had a sight test yesterday, theUrbabDryad, it was at our local Opticians. Its just that because the problems seem to be quite severe dh decided he wanted a second opinion. I think im pretty happy now that the test she had done was thorough after reading all the very helpful replies on this thread. DD has to go back to the Opticians next week (after having some drops in her eyes) so they can confirm what prescription she needs.
We booked another test for her at Boots to put dhs mind at rest. He liked the idea that they supposedly have all the latest equipment, computers etc there & thought it may be a more accurate assessment of her eyes than the local Opticians. We will probably still go to that appointment, it wont hurt to see what they say. Ive heard a few bad reports about them, but my sister & dhs workmate are pretty happy with them. Will see what happens I suppose.
Many thanks to everyone for all your excellent advice

OP posts:

cat64 · 13/04/2007 14:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

theUrbanDryad · 13/04/2007 14:31

SP - most of those machines and computers are completely unnecassary (sp? sorry, feverish ds and brain turning to mush), if a qualified optometrist has tested her eyes and said she needs a prescription i would trust that far more than a machine. i used to work for Specsavers, and we would always double check machine measurements especially with u.16's.

also, if she has had a sight test on the NHS make sure you're not going to be charged extortionate rates by Boots, especially since most of that gadgetry is added extras and not included in the normal sight test fee!!

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