Do you have questions about children’s eye health? Ask Specsavers expert - £200 voucher to be won

[BellaMumsnet]

Whether you’re wondering when to schedule your child’s first eye test or have concerns about the effects of screen time on their eyes, Specsavers senior optician Maria McAllister is here to provide expert guidance.

• Everyone who shares a questions on the thread below by the 25th August 2024 will be entered into a prize draw
• One lucky Mumsnet user will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice
• Maria will be back on the week of the 26th August 2024 to answer some of your questions

About Maria McAllister, BA BSc (Hons) MCOptom, Specsavers Lead Clinical Performance Consultant: “Maria graduated from the University of Ulster in 2009 with a BSc in Optometry and completed her pre-registration at Specsavers Montrose. She then served as a resident optometrist and practice manager at Duncan and Todd Optician, becoming retail director by 2017, overseeing professional services, hearing care, and retail departments. Maria joined Specsavers in 2021 in the clinical performance team. Driven by a passion for supporting and engaging people, Maria also pursued a BA in Business Management and is currently completing an MSc in counselling and psychotherapy.”

Here’s what Maria has to say:
‘Your child’s eyes are special. In the early years, vision helps them find out about the world around them, about their home, about you. Later, as they go through school, their eyesight lets them learn and discover — in fact, about 80% of what is taught in schools is presented visually. Being able to see clearly is therefore incredibly important in your child’s overall development. Here at Specsavers we take your child’s eyesight seriously, so I'm looking forward to answering your questions.'

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

Hi @rosiegoodwin5432, most very young children have their eyesight assessed as part of routine developmental checks. While these are very important, they aren’t as thorough as a complete eye test by a qualified optician. So we recommend that your child has their eyes tested before they go into full-time education, around three-and-a-half years. It also means that any problems that they may have, are identified early, setting them up for a happy and fulfilling school life.

Hi @Doopdoopdedo - most very young children have their eyesight assessed as part of routine developmental checks. While these are very important, they aren’t as thorough as a complete eye test by a qualified optician. So we recommend that your child has their eyes tested before they go into full-time education, around three-and-a-half years. It also means that any problems that they may have, are identified early, setting them up for a happy and fulfilling school life.

My 5 year old son has non verbal autism, global development delay and a genetic condition inherited from me which is a microdeletion of 7q31.33 which could potentially effect his eyes, we took him to a children's hospital to have his eyes looked at buy proved to be extremely difficult to keep him still so the specialist could check his eyes properly, I have no problem with my eyes what so ever, in fact I got very good eyesight, so is this a positive thing for my son as he's inherited this condition from me? I worry because he is unable to communicate if he's having problems.. any advice would be great

My little one is registered blind but really struggles with bright, overhead light so I am looking for sunglasses for him. He is a wheelchair user and has poor head control which means sunglasses with arms either fall off or are pushed off when his uncontrolled movements means his head turns to the side. I have hunted high and low but can't find armless sunglasses now he is growing up, where can I get them from?

Thank you

Thanks - and you're welcome

My child (8) is being assessed for dyslexia. Would you advise getting a visual stress test?

Thanks to everyone who took part in this Expert Q&A. The winner of the prize draw is @Fancyquickthinker - congrats!

Thank you so much !!

What age should you start routine eye tests? Dad inky recently started wearing glasses mum doesn't need them.

My son started wearing contacts for secondary school so 11. We did it in the summer holidays before he joined so he could get used to putting them in and anything else. He’s now 26 and has had laser corrective surgery.