As children grow, their eyes are constantly changing, making it essential to monitor their eye health regularly. Vision is crucial for a child’s learning and development, and undetected vision loss can significantly impact their ability to succeed in school and everyday activities. Let us help keep your child’s vision sharp for a bright future!
In order for us to have clear vision, light must pass through the cornea and lens (transparent structures at the front of the eye) and then meet at a point on the retina (a light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye).
If the eye is too short, the light focuses behind the retina and this is known as long-sightedness or hyperopia. This means the eye has to adjust and focus more than usual, in particular for close up tasks.
If the eye is too long, the light focuses in front of the retina and this is known as short-sightedness or myopia. This means that the eye struggles to see things further away such as a TV and whiteboard.
Myopia is on the rise and it is predicted that 50% of the world’s population will be myopic by 2050. You can learn more about myopia and ways it can be managed here.
If the eye is more curved in one direction than the other, this is known as astigmatism. This means the light rays focus in more than one place on the retina, therefore letters like ‘C’ can look like ‘O’ or ‘G’. Astigmatism can occur alongside long-sightedness or short-sightedness.
Myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism can easily be treated with glasses or contact lenses.
Amblyopia is more commonly known as lazy eye or squint and can be hereditary.
We usually recommend an eye test at the age of four or younger if there are any concerns or family history of amblyopia.
Some symptoms of lazy eye include:
Amblyopia can occur if one eye is more short or long-sighted compared to the other. Muscle weakness can also cause the eye to drift from the centre.
The critical period of eye development is before the age of eight, the sooner any vision correction is given the better the outcome.
1 in 12 males and 1 in 200 females are unable to see colours in the usual way.
This does not tend to affect individuals on a day-to-day basis, however it is essential to pick this up during the eye tests so that reasonable adjustments can be made if required.
Poor eyesight can lead to issues affecting children’s development, school performance, professional opportunities, and quality of life. Being able to detect any issues with sight at this crucial stage of development and education can also help to ensure your child doesn’t fall behind due to difficulty seeing the board, for example.
