National Eye Health Week: Children's eye sight

As part of National Eye Health Week we are encouraging people to ensure they're giving their eyes the best possible care. Today we're looking at children's vision.

Your child’s sight is precious. Good vision helps them to learn, play and communicate with the world around them. Yet, there are more than a million children in the UK with undetected vision problems.* (source: Eye Health UK). Children’s eyes continue to develop until they reach the age of eight, so caring for a child’s eyes in the early years can help lay the foundations for good vision that lasts a lifetime.

There are lots of simple things that you can do to help keep kids’ eyes and vision healthy.

Essential eye checks
Having regular eye tests – annually for under eights and every two years thereafter (unless you’re advised otherwise by your optometrist) is a great place to start.
Eye tests will ensure any problems such as childhood conditions like squint and amblyopia (lazy eye) or myopia (short-sightedness) are picked up early. The sooner problems are identified the better the treatment outcome. Remember eye tests are free for all children in full time education.

Eat a rainbow
Eating a rainbow of colourful fruit and vegetables helps ensure young eyes get the nutrients they need to grow healthily. Foods like tomatoes, melon, grapes and blueberries as well as fish, chicken, eggs and whole grains are packed with eye–friendly nutrients.

Be safe in the sun
It’s also really important to protect your eyes from the sun. When you’re young the lens at the front of your eye is really clear and lets more of the damaging sunlight inside.

If your child is due an eye examination or you have any concerns about their vision, please book in with one of our award-winning optometrists 0131 225 2235.

Further information from Vision Matters who runs National Eye Health Week www.visionmatters.org.uk/downloads/kids-eye-health-leaflet-nehw-2017-no-bleed.pdf