Children’s sight at risk due to parental ignorance on tests, experts warn
Half of parents incorrectly think their children’s sight is tested in school.
Optometrists have raised concerns that parents may be putting their children at risk of sight problems by failing to get their eyes tested.
It comes after a poll conducted on behalf of the Association of Optometrists (AoP) found that just over half (52%) of parents with school-age children believe their child’s sight is tested in schools.
The AoP said that sight tests are not routinely offered at British schools.
It warned that this may mean that children could be suffering with undiagnosed eye conditions.
Some problems are treated more successfully if they are treated early.
A survey of 1,200 optometrists found that almost three quarters have seen children in the past year who had vision problems that could have been treated more successfully if they had been diagnosed at an earlier age.
The AoP’s A B See campaign is urging parents to take their children for an NHS-funded sight test at a local optician every two years, or more often if recommended.
