When’s the right age for your child to have an eye test? What about wearing lenses or sunglasses? Share your thoughts with Specsavers - you could win £250 NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

Back in November, Specsavers commissioned a survey of MNers with a child aged 2 to 12 to find out what age parents thought children should have their first eye test.

The average age given by MNers was 3. Specsavers advises children have their first eye test at age 3 – because "Learning difficulties can sometimes be caused by uncorrected vision problems, so the earlier they can be detected, the better the chance of correcting them" say Specsavers.

The average age given by MNers was 15 for first wearing contact lenses – in fact Specsavers say they can be worn from age 10 - "we often find children quickly enjoy the many benefits of wearing contacts from a young age."

And for sunglasses – MNers thought they should be worn on sunny days from age 2 – Specavers says "many people aren't aware of the dangers UV rays can have on the health of your eyes - we'd recommend all children wear sunglasses on a sunny day!"

Please share your thoughts on the above on this thread - would you let your pre-teen have contacts, have you taken your school aged child for an eye test and how do you keep sunnies on your toddler when they are having fun in the sun!?

Add your thoughts to this thread and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £250 voucher from here

Please note Specsavers may use your comments - anon of course - on their pages on MN, on their social media or possibly elsewhere - please only post if you're happy with this.

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

My daughter had a mild lazy eye picked up at 4 and it was corrected within a year because we had caught it so early. Both my children have had regular eye tests since age 4, but my son started to need glasses at 6. I would fully recommend getting a second pair - one for home and one for school, and it also works as backup when one (inevitably) gets broken.

My children have worn sunglasses since they were babies. I had some baby sunglasses with UK protection that had an elasticated strap, a bit like swimming goggles. They looked slightly odd, but the babies got used to wearing them, and didn't pull them off. We certainly got a lot of comments.

I wore contact lenses from 15. I am not sure I would start with them before teenage years, but for some children 13 or 14 might be ok. It depends how reliable they are in caring for their eyes, keeping their hands spotlessly clean when handling lenses etc, and the extent of their lost vision - I wouldn't bother with lenses on a child who only wears glasses for specific activities, as the faff of putting them in and out all day would be unmanageable and there would be a high risk of infection.

I think it's important children are tested before they start school in case they struggle to read and no one knows why - it could be an issue with vision.

Our first baby is due next week. I think we will wait until she is a few years old before her first test, unless there is something making us worried about her sight. We would get her protective sunglasses at a young age to get her accustomed to eye protection.

Mine had their first eye tests fairly young. I'm not sure I would let any of mine wear contact lenses so young as 10 because they aren't very careful and I would be worried that they would keep them as hygenic as they should do. I would be happier if they were a bit older and a bit more responsible.
All my children love sunglasses so I have no problem getting them to wear them, but they do keep losing and breaking them!

My children had eye tests before they started 'proper' school. Luckily they did not need glasses, but I don't think I would have liked them to use contacts until about 14. I must admit they were in their teens before using sunglasses.

When they start school, I don't see how you could accurately gauge it before then.

Bad eyesight is in the family. I would have their eyes tested from 3yo or if they seemed to be having difficulty then earlier. I would not let a child have contact lenses, though, reading about all the bad habits that even adults have!

i took my eldest daughter at 3 to get her eyes tested, she was gutted she didnt need glasses as her friend had them

DS has been having eye tests every year since just after his second birthday. Although he does not need them, he is desperate for a pair of Gruffalo glasses from Specsavers.

my Dd 12 wears contacts no problem. loves them and feels happier in her self just by wearing them! My son has uveitis his left eye and wear sunglasses at the hint of sun due to dilation drops and my other 4 follow suit because it's cool! sport sunglasses are very expensive and he needs a pair but we can't get them on prescription

I never really thought about it, and have not taken my children and had any intention to do so up until now, my husband and I did not require glasses as children so I never considered that it would be a good idea. I took them to the dentist at about 2 years old so they could get used to him and the chair etc.. I might rethink this after reading this, particularly as my one child is getting headaches.

Definitely before school. I was told to wait until they knew their letters before eye test but it seems things have changed now. Definitely worth checking as soon as possible to rule anything out. We went for a routine appointment for my 6 year old and they picked up an eye injury we were unaware of. So even if they don't need glasses regular checks are just as important as going early.

Contact lenses and children, I'm really not sure. What if one comes out at school, will anyone help them find it/put one back in? Also I'd be worried about the chances of injury or problems that are more likely with kids running around all the time.

I must admit I forget sunglasses all the time, mainly because they get broken so easily as the quality isn't always brilliant and I don't want to pay a fortune as they may only be used a few times. I'm not also keen on a lot of the designs. Really must try harder to look!! I hate shopping

DS had his first eye test aged 3.

I'm a bit by kids wearing contact lenses from 10 yo. Seems very young. From teenage years seems to make more sense.

We tried to get DS to wear sunglasses at 6mo and it was a failure. Tried at 1&½ and he's been wearing them sonce then on sunny days (he's 5 now).

I started taking my two youngest children to the optician at 6 months. This was because my eldest ended up with practically no sight in one eye due to such extremely long vision in it that the brain ignored it. If he had developed a squint I would have known something was wrong. As it was I didn't find out until he was 5 and it was too late to correct

I've worn contacts since I was about 16 in the days when daily disposables didn't exist and they were far less comfortable than nowadays. I've tried to lead by example with my 8-year-old when I'm inserting or removing them so that if she ever needs or wants to use them, she'll know the care, comfort and hygiene routines and hopefully she'll realise that using them is no big deal.

DS had his first eye test the summer before he started school. It had never occurred to me to do otherwise, and was recommended by DDs ophthalmologist. DD was referred to the hospital once they detected a slight squint in her eye at the 8 month check (family history) so she has always been to the opticians. Neither of them wear glasses.

Was surprised to learn that children as young as 10 can use contacts. I'm not sure I would want my children to that young, but then I'm squeamish about contacts anyway!

We've always used sunglasses (and hats) since they were babies. We buy from JMB and JL now DS is older. I wear sunglasses all year round so I suppose it seems quite a normal thing for them to wear them.

My daughter developed a squint in her right eye when she was 4, the opthalmologist said she would need to wear glasses. Her eye is better now.
I would not be happy with my daughter using contact lenses until she was older. Mainly due to the maturity needed to look after them and also
hygiene issues.

Mine wear sunglasses in the summer but haven't had an eye test yet - they are 5.

Maybe it's time I got round to it.....

The Health Visitor noticed my daughter's eyes were not quite straight at the weighing clinic when she was about 7 months old and she referred her.
Apart from having a squint (strabismus), she was also later diagnosed with nystagmus (wobbly eyes), which after electro diagnostic testing we found out was caused by Albinism.
She is now registered partially sighted and has to get her eyes checked at the hospital every 2-3 months, she wears glasses that react to light and go dark when she goes outside as the light hurts her eyes.
Eye tests happened regularly from 9 months old, they used the same pictures instead of letters until age 6.
Hopefully when she is older she will be able to wear contacts. You have to be so careful with hand hygiene when using contacts, so a child would have to be mature enough to ensure they did this.
Unless there is an obvious issue, I think 3-4 is a good age to get eyes checked.

i have detached retinas in both my eyes so its really important for my 4 kids to have there eyes tested as young as possible. which is about 3.

When I was in primary school, I often struggled to read the board and teachers thought I was lazy. The truth was I couldn't see, and it hadn't been picked up. I got my glasses at aged 7, and it was like the world had opened up for me.

I am therefore a strong advocate of testing early. As soon as my children could read basic letters and numbers, I tested the myself by asking them to read far away all the time, and they had their first eye test at 3. :-)

All my girls had theirs at age 3, my little boy had one at 8 months as he has DS and it was part of a routine hospital check up.

My dcs are 11 and 9 and had their first optician eye test last year, they have had 2 sets of tests eacch at school though.

I took them as my dd swore that she couldn't see the board at school. It turns out she was having me on and just wanted glasses. Both kids have perfect vision.

They do wear sunglasses when out and about in the summer, but lose about 3 pairs each every year

I wear lenses myself - have never been tempted by surgery as I am not convinced personally by the longevity of the solution - for me, lenses are the best option. Even from when I started wearing them as a teenager to now, the technology is wildly different and therefore would have no problem with my son using them. Would follow the most up to date medical guidance for what age is best.

Re sunglasses - agree with others that as soon as possible they should be wearing, but easier said than done sometimes!

Oops, I keep meaning to get my son an eye test (he is 5) as he keeps blinking quite a lot but I keep forgetting!! He is due one at school soon so hopefully there will be nothing wrong. I would encourage my kids to wear contact lenses as soon as they were able to. My husband used to wear glasses and I know much they can inhibit you.