As a mum myself, before any child-related appointment, I like to be fully aware of what is going to happen, how long it may take and possibly how many sweets I may need for bribery.  This is quite a long document, but hopefully it answers all the questions.  We can also email it to you if required.

 

What to expect during a Children's Vision screening appointment?

 

Every year, the school nurses assess the vision of the children in reception class and those new to a school.  This is carried out using letters on a special chart and if a child is not comfortable saying the letters, they can match them up by pointing.

 

Your child has been referred to us at Coton & Hamblin as we are part of the school screening program and our optometrists have done additional training to be part of this service.

 

During the school screening test, your child was found to have vision that may need spectacles.  The point of seeing us is to double check what they can see and if they need spectacles, we can prescribe them.

 

Finding out your child's vision may not be as good as you thought it was,  can be upsetting, but please be assured we will do what we can to put your mind at rest and make the appointment as stress free as possible for all.

We like to make our children's eye tests fun to get the best responses and so that any future visits are looked forward to.

 

There is a lot of information below about the eye test - hopefully most questions will be answered there, but if not, please do call and we will gladly answer any questions you have.

 

 

The first appointment has two parts on the same day

Part 1

 

In the first part, we ask lots of questions about their vision and history, including if they were premature.  We also ask about anyone in the family with eye problems as some eye conditions can be hereditary. It is a good idea to ask about and check if anyone has had a squint, lazy eye, very strong spectacles etc.

 

We check the vision for distance and near using a special program which comes up on the screen - we usually use letters and if your child is unsure of the letters, we can do matching.  We also have some pictures and numbers we can use if needed.

 

We check how the eyes work together and try and make the whole experience as fun as possible for the child.

 

To get an accurate prescription (the power of any spectacles that may be required) we use drops. (Full info below) These drops take about half an hour to work and relax the eye muscles, so when the optometrist shines a special light in the eyes they can see if spectacles are required.  While the drops are working, we are happy for you to go out of the practice – but to return in 30 minutes.

 
Part 2

 

When you return for part 2, the Optometrist will shine a special light in the eye whilst your child wears some funny optician glasses to determine if any spectacles are required.  They will also check the health of the eyes using another special light.  We make this as interactive and as fun as possible.

 

Once we have checked the power of the eyes there are three possible outcomes:

 

1) No spectacles required - you are discharged from the Children's vision screening, and we recommend annual eye tests.

2) Spectacles are required (more info below)

3) Referral to the Hospital Eye Department - this is rare and only if we find the vision is not as good as it should be for the child's age or if we see an anomaly which requires a second opinion.

 

Most children will either be discharged, or they will require spectacles.

 

If spectacles are required

 

If your child requires spectacles, their care will be handed over to one of our qualified Spectacle Dispensers who are experts at finding the right fitting spectacles that your child will love to wear.  They will also discuss with you the lenses that your child will look through and explain any recommendations such as anti-glare lenses - this will all be explained at the time of choosing.

 

NHS Entitlement

All children under the age of sixteen are entitled to an NHS funded eye examination (usually once per year, if they need to be seen more often, this is decided by the optometrist based on their vision) and if spectacles are required, they are entitled to a spectacle voucher. 

 

The voucher covers basic lenses and a range of spectacles we have in practice.  If you wish to upgrade the frames or the lenses, this starts at £10.

 

Please note we never prescribe spectacles that children do not need.

 

Once the spectacles have been chosen, they are ordered and usually take 7-10 working days.

 

When the spectacles are ready, we call you to make an appointment to collect and check that the spectacles are fitting properly and make any necessary adjustments. 

 

Your child must be present to collect the spectacles.

 

Follow up appointments

 

6-week telephone call

If your child is prescribed spectacles, we will call you approximately 6 weeks after they have collected the spectacles to see how they are getting on.

If you are having any problems, please call us  and we will see you sooner.

 

12-16 week check with your optometrist

Once your child has been wearing the spectacles as advised for 12-16 weeks, we will see them again and check their vision.  It can take this amount of time for the vision to improve.  Please think of this as weight training.  If you decided you were going to be able to lift 100kg you wouldn't be able to do it straight away - you would train for it.  The vision in the eyes improving also takes time - they need time to get used to the clearer image and for this to become their new normal.

 

Most children at this point will have improved vision from wearing the spectacles and they will be discharged from Children’s Vision Screening and advised to be looked after by our optometrists under normal NHS eye care.

 

If the vision is not where we want it to be, we may retest the eyes and/or refer to the hospital eye department.

 

FAQ’s

How long do the appointments take?

 

First appointment

I would usually give at least an hour and a half – this is for both parts of the test, waiting for the drops to work and then, if spectacles are needed, time to choose.

 

Collecting spectacles – 10 minutes

 

Phone call – less than 5 minutes

 

12-16 week follow up – 30 minutes

 

What are the drops and why do you use them?

 

The reason we must use the drops is to find the most accurate power of the eyes.  The drops are Cyclopentolate.  Children's eye muscles are very strong, and they can over-focus - are you often amazed by how close your child can get to the TV and still see it, or how they will put a book right up to your face and expect you to be able to read it when its practically on your nose?  That is because as we get older, our eye muscles lose the ability to focus (hence the need for reading spectacles usually over the age of 40)

The drops will reduce the eyes’ ability to focus and give us the most accurate power of the eyes.  This can make it very blurry for the child, so please be mindful that after the appointment they might bump into things and may be extremely sensitive to bright lights - we recommend wearing sunglasses/cap if it is a bright day.

Unfortunately, the eye drops do sting as they first go in. The sensation is like when you peel an onion, and it makes the eyes “smart”.  This does only last 20 seconds, and some children do cry.  If allowed, we do have lollipops and stickers to help make this part of the exam better.

 

What happens if my child does not wear the spectacles prescribed?

If the eyes remain uncorrected when spectacles are required, the eyes may not fully develop, and your child may always have poor vision.  Poor vision which could result in them not being able to do everyday things such as driving when they are older.

 

When an eye needs spectacles, it is because the light entering the eye is not able to project a clear image onto the retina (the light sensitive layer inside the eye at the back).  This image is then relayed into the brain, which interprets the image into what we see.

 

Children’s eyes and brains are developing.  It is called the “plastic stage” and during this stage, connections between the retina in the eye and the brain(nerves) which carry the information can be developed.

 

If the eyes constantly see a blurry sight, the retina will send the blurry information to the brain, and it will think that it is normal vision.  However, if a child is given spectacles and the blur becomes clear, the nerves going to the brain will interpret this and see a clearer view.  The nerves develop and normal clear vision is seen.  However, if they are never given the opportunity to see clearer, the nerves do not develop, and their vision will always be blurred.  Wearing spectacles as an adult will not improve this as the eye has not had the chance as a child to see clearly.

 

Also, preventing a child who needs spectacles from wearing them is a form of neglect and as health care professionals, we have a duty of care to inform local safeguarding teams if we suspect this. 

 

What happens if my child breaks their spectacles?

The NHS do offer a repair and replacement service – please call us  and we will book you in for a repair/replacement appointment. By calling in advance, we can be prepared if we need to order parts etc. We can do most repairs and replacements on the same day.

 

What if my child refuses to do the tests?

 

Do not worry – we are used to dealing with children on a daily basis and several of us are mums, so we have experience with this.  We will do our best on the day. However, if we need to rebook and finish off another day, that is not a problem.

 

Is there a good time to come in?

 

Personally, I would make sure you try and attend when your child is not hungry or tired!  Also, if possible, come without brothers and sisters, so they can concentrate better.

 

Can I bring my child during school hours?

As a medical appointment, you should be allowed to bring your child during school hours – we do email appointment details which can be useful as evidence for missing school.  As the drops do make the vision blurry, I would suggest asking school if you can leave a little earlier in the afternoon.

 

I hope this information gives a clear picture of what to expect from the service and answers any questions/queries that you may have.

 

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us on 

We look forward to seeing you soon.

 

Best wishes

 

Jo 

 

Managing Director, Optometrist and Mum of 3!