Your Child’s Eyes & Vision – Why it’s important to test early

My child is starting school soon, should I get their eyes tested?

Young children often don’t verbalise any visual problems because they do not have a point of comparison between what they are experiencing and what “normal” sight should be. Without having an eye examination, there is a risk a problem may not be spotted which could affect their development, learning, and overall well-being.  It is usually a good idea for children to have a full eye examination before they go into full-time education.

Specialist Eye Professionals

Besides finding out whether a child can or cannot see clearly, an eye examination is important for checking and monitoring eye health. At Taylor-West & Co Opticians in Battersea and Dulwich, specialist optometrists will carry out comprehensive health checks of the front and the back of eyes. Retinal scans with advanced imaging technology are taken as part of a routine eye exam. The Optomap uses the latest pioneering technology to capture a high resolution ultra-widefield scan of the back of the eyes, capturing up to 82% of the retina in a single image. With the OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) device, in-depth scans are captured, showing the structural layers of the retina and optic nerve.

What usually happens during a children’s eye test?

Children eye examinations at Taylor-West & Co Opticians are enjoyable and friendly. The optometrist will measure the level of their vision, using shapes or symbols, if not numbers or letters. Different tools and pictures are used to keep young children engaged. They will assess how their eyes move and focus, how they work together, and whether they have any colour vision deficiency.

The optometrist will assess the health of your child’s eyes and will also determine whether your child needs glasses. If they do, the optometrist will establish the best and most comfortable spectacle prescription (glasses correction) needed to achieve normal vision.

Why might my child need spectacle correction at this early stage?

When objects at a distance can be seen more clearly than closer objects, this is known as hyperopia or hypermetropia (long-sightedness). Hyperopia occurs when the eye is shorter than normal or the cornea is not curved enough, causing light to focus behind the retina rather than directly on it. If significant hyperopia is left uncorrected, children may struggle to see objects up close, such as books, tablets, or writing on paper. This can make reading, writing, and other close-up tasks challenging, leading to frustration and avoidance of these activities.

Astigmatism is a type of vision condition due to irregularly shaped cornea or lens (commonly explained as the front structures of the eye being shaped like a rugby ball). This condition results in distorted or blurred vision at all distances because light entering the eye falls on multiple points of the retina. This can make it difficult for children to see clearly both near and far, affecting activities like reading, writing, viewing the board at school and sports too.

Myopia, also known as short-sightedness, is when things up close are clear but glasses or contact lenses are needed to be able to see things further away. Due to elongation of the eyeball, light entering the eye focusses in front of the retina, rather than on it, resulting in blurred vision.

Managing myopia

The prevalence of myopia is rising at an alarming rate globally. Currently, about 30% of the world’s population is myopic, and this figure is projected to increase to 50% by 2050, affecting nearly 5 billion people. Not only is myopia inconvenient, further elongation of the eyeball can cause problems later in life, including increased chance of retinal detachment, glaucoma, and myopic maculopathy. The higher the degree of myopia, the higher the chance of these issues occurring.

If your child is found to be myopic (short-sighted) following an eye test, Taylor-West & Co Opticians would usually recommend that a myopia management strategy is started as soon as possible. Managing myopia in children is critically important, because generally when myopia onsets in childhood, it tends to progress more rapidly as the eyes continue to grow. The younger a child becomes myopic, the faster they tend to progress and the more likely they are to reach higher levels of myopia in adulthood. Taylor-West & Co Opticians staff are trained in specialised myopia management techniques including soft myopia control contact lenses, orthokeratology (‘night-time lenses’) and specialist spectacle lenses such as Miyosmart. These methods aim to slow excessive eye growth and therefore limit the severity and risk of progression of childhood myopia. They will offer the most suitable options for your child’s visual and lifestyle needs, considering the eye health factors determined in their eye examination.

How is Eyewear selected?

The choosing of eyewear is fun and easy with the Taylor-West & Co Opticians who will go through a very inclusive and shared selection process, yet always giving the most suitable options for your child’s visual needs. They take into consideration the anatomical structure of a child’s face and advise on the best frame fitting and prescription lens requirements.

They have carefully selected independent eyewear brands that are designed and manufactured to specific parameters taken from measuring children of different age groups; and are passionate about helping and rewarding your child.

They also provide individualised prescription sport, swimming and sport specific eyewear.

Taylor West & Co

68 Northcote Road, SW11 6QL
0207 924 4488
taylorwestandco.uk/battersea/ 

80 Lordship Lane, SE22 8HF
0207 018 7020
taylorwestandco.uk/branch/dulwich