Eyes Health
THE
S IG H T M
G O O D RIGHT TO
Children who have uncorrected sight problems can fall behind in their school work, writes Thea Jourdan
y three-year-old son, Hugo, leafs through his picture books with his head literally
buried in the pages. When it’s time for his favourite television programme, Gigglebiz, he rushes up to the screen and presses his nose against it. I am a life-long wearer of glasses but I haven’t even considered that he might be short-sighted – like me: maybe I should. Recent research shows that
parents – even the super-diligent ones – tend to overlook the health of their children’s eyes. Yes, they make a point of taking them to regular appointments to go and see the dentist, but an eye examination is rarely on their “to do” list. According to recent research by
Te Eyecare Trust, a charity that raises awareness about eye health, half of all children aged eight and under have never had a sight test. Tis is despite the fact that eye tests are free in the UK for children up to 16. Te consequence of this oversight
can be serious. Te Eyecare Trust estimates that one in five school- aged children have an undiagnosed vision problem. Rosie Gavzey, optometrist and director of the Eyecare Trust says: “Good vision during a child’s early years is vital as visual learning accounts for 80% of the entire learning process.”
www.firstelevenmagazine.co.uk Clare Holland, an optometrist
who practises at Keith Holland Associates in London where 75% of the patients are children, says that parents need to be made aware that visiting an eye doctor is a necessity: “We need to get this message across. At the moment, there is a ‘wait and see’ attitude and an expectation that the child will complain. In fact, this rarely happens because the child just accepts the situation as normal.” Some conditions, like a squint, are
easy to spot, but others have subtle signs. Tell-tale clues that something may be wrong with your child’s vision include difficulty picking up small objects, being clumsy with poor hand/eye co-ordination and eye-rubbing frequently. So what age is the right age to
start regular eye examinations? Hugo, who has just started his last year at pre-school is exactly the right age to visit the eye doctor for the first time. “Te year before a child goes to reception class in school is ideal,” explains Clare Holland. “Tere is a lot we can do if we pick up a problem at this age and stop a small problem from getting worse.” For example, lazy eye, or
amblyopia, occurs when one eye is normal and the other is considerably long-sighted. Te child will manage with the strong eye, but the condition gradually causes the weak eye to become lazier and lazier. “If you
✏ Autumn 2011 FirstEleven 55
PHOTOS: ISTOCKPHOTO
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116