KIDS EYETEST – ARE FREE!!!!
Here at Didsbury Eyecare we pride ourselves on our Children’s Testing. Our test is designed to be a fun experience in a relaxing atmosphere. We advise that children should have their first eye examination at around three years old. Learning difficulties can sometimes be caused by uncorrected vision problems, so the earlier they can be detected, the better the chance of correcting them.
It is imperative to make sure your children have regular sight tests as part of their development. Very often sight deficiencies can go undetected in young children as parents and teachers can be unaware. Children under the age of 16 (or under 19 if in full-time education) are entitled to free eye tests on the NHS. To find out who else is eligible to a test for free visit - free eye tests.
Children will have vision screening as part of their routine development checks, but are not as thorough as a full eye examination by a qualified optometrist.
SCHOOL
It is important for children to have an eye examination before starting school. The optometrist needs to determine if a child’s vision system is adequately prepared to handle reading, writing and other close work. Toddlers use their eyes mostly looking at distance, however, school children require the eyes to focus on very close, small work for many hours a day. This can cause vision problems to arise but as children believe that what they see is ‘normal’, and believe everyone sees the say they do, it is rare that they report problems.
The eye chart test, performed by the school vision screening, cannot tell if a child’s eyes are healthy, focus comfortably, and are used together for a long periods of time. It can therefore be no substitute for a proper examination by your family optometrist.
In order to minimise the chance of an eye or sight defect being carried into adulthood a regular sight test is imperative.
Inside the test room
Remember that sight tests don’t hurt! We try to make the examination as much fun as we can for your child and they don’t have to be able to read, as we can use pictures and small objects.
CHILDREN FRAMES
Our children's glasses are built to last!
Children have a busy active life, with lots of rough and tumbles. For this reason, we have children's glasses that are built with this in mind, with something for everyone. They are specifically designed to fit small faces and will be fitted and adjusted to ensure they are comfortable to wear. They'll also be given a free case in which to keep them when not being worn, and a lens cleaning cloth.
Children spend more time outside and, like skin, their eyes need protection from UV rays with the use of sunglasses. Always protect your child's sight in the sun. There is increasing evidence to suggest that over-exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays (UV) can contrivute to the development of cataracts, age-related macular degeneration and ocular meanoma (eye cancer). On average, people receive 50% of their lifetime sun exposure before they are 18 years old. We have some great sunglasses for babies and young children so that you can be sure that there eyes are as well protected as yours.