Wednesday 5 June 2019

FREE Children's Eye Care Review with Optical Express (Paid Partnership).

In the UK children under 16 are all entitled to free eye care, including FREE EYE TESTS, but not everyone uses it, in fact 1 in 10 people don't take their children for a regular eye test. We are working in a paid collaboration with Optical Express to show that taking your child for an eye test is easy, quick and entirely painless - in fact my children have always seen it as something of an adventure!

View of Optical Express frontage in intu Trafford Centre Manchester

In their 2019 survey, Optical Express found that children are using screens for an average of 4 hours a day, twice as much time as was reported only 2 years ago. This is leading to an increase in headaches and can also influence the development of short sightedness. Some estimates suggest that by 2050 half of the world’s population will be myopic.

We visited the Optical Express store inside intu Trafford Centre, Manchester for our free children's eye test. Booking is essential. I booked my eye test online and received a follow up call, when I was able to give more information about my son and his health.

inside Optical Express store manchester trafford centre range of glasses
f your child has a vision or eye health problem, the earlier you catch it, the less they will fall behind their friends. Many eye conditions can be corrected permanently or changes made so that your child has an easier life. It has a massive effect on confidence.

There are many other eye conditions an optician can spot, including colour vision deficiency. Colourblindness can be an issue if children can't see all of the information on a page or screen and they can struggle right from the start with colouring in and even being expected to learn colours. I've written about this before, because 3 of my sons are colourblind.

child having puff pressure test on eyes at optical express

My children have visited the optician every 2 years since they were 5 years old, so this wasn't entirely a new experience for my 9 year old son. He can be a livewire, but he enjoys going to the optician and finds it fascinating, so he has no problem staying still for once and says his favourite part is "the machines".

The first test measures pressure in the eyes. I know how important this is because I was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure and the pressure test results during my eye test were the first sign something was wrong.

Optical Express  childs eye test review testing vision

Next my son was asked to read a chart a little distance away using both eyes and when covering an eye. We've never had any worries about his eyesight thankfully and he read the letters confidently.

The optician performs a series of tests and checks for your child's sight and eye health. My son often has a lot of eye bogies 'sleepydust' in his lashes and the optician gave us advice for this. His 3D and colour vision were also checked. I'd confidently told the optician he has Deuteranopia and thankfully I was proven correct, or it would have been embarrassing.

Image with colour changed to mimic Deuteranopia green colourblindness
Deuteranopia  colourblindness - lack of green vision
Poor eyesight can prevent children being able to see the board or their school books. They can miss out because they can't see the TV or catch a ball. They can trip because they can't see where they are walking or running and it can really affect their confidence and ability in many ways. It isn't always easy for a parent to spot something is wrong, but symptoms to look out for include:
  • Your child complaining of headaches, dry eyes or blurred vision
  • Noticing your child squinting or regularly rubbing their eyes
  • Your child sitting too close to the TV or holding their books/ tablets too close or too far away
Optical Express vision testing child and machine looking at eyes

After your appointment Optical Express have a great service whereby they send you a detailed eyecare report, called iScan. For anyone who always feels they need to know more, it's fascinating. I'm sure my son won't mind me sharing the first few pages of his.

Optical Express iScan Eyecare Report pages 1 to 4

My children would happily spend all day on screens if I let them, especially when it's rainy or cold outside. If your child spends an hour or more on small screens a day then the advice from Optical Express is:
  • Encourage them to have regular breaks at least every half an hour for 10 minutes
  • Tell them to look up from their screens every few minutes to allow their eyes to focus on something in the further distance. This only needs to be for a few seconds at a time and can make a big difference
  • Encourage them to take part in sport and activities without screens
  • Don’t allow phones or tablets at the dinner table
  • Encourage children to wear their glasses if they are prescribed. 

The advice for all children is that their eyes are tested regularly, every 2 years as standard. If they need any treatment, including glasses, then they can also receive this free of charge with the NHS. 

You can book an eye test in your local store, or it only takes 2 minutes to book an eye test on the Optical Express website.



We were working with Optical Express in a paid collaboration to cover expenses and time taken. My son's eye test was, of course, free! Advice and statistics are from the Optical Express 2019 survey of 2000 UK parents, Optical Express and Stephen Hannan, Clinical Services Director at Optical Express.

15 comments:

  1. I took Athena to the opticians when she started school and haven't been back since! Thanks for the prompt Jenny, I'll be making an appointment! x

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    1. Definitely do! My 10 year old has glasses now and he's much happier than he was without :)

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  2. My kids love getting their eyes tested. They are such a good company too. x

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    1. I think kids love it. I always loved it when I was a child. It's half an hour full concentration on you for a start, and then there are all of the machines! :D

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  3. Do you know Jenny, I'eve never taken my kids for an eye test outside of the standard one they got when they were little at the Health Centre. I need to rectify this don't I?

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    1. You really do! That's surprised me actually, I'd have thought it would be something you realised with seeing so many kids!

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  4. I’m planning on taking Arthur before he starts school in September - his friend just had his first test at school and after being sent to the optician for further examination he is blind in one eye due to a recent issue with his optical nerve which they are still investigating. No one had a clue until the eye test.

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    1. Wow! That really must have been a surprise. Fingers crossed they can help him with it. It really shows how important it can be!

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  5. Such good tips and lots I didn’t know! I definitely need to get my my four year olds eyes tested x

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    1. They'll be given an eye test around the time they start school, but after that it's on you to take your children in. I'm glad you found it so educational - thank you :)

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  6. Appreciate the recommendation. Will try it out.

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  7. Do you know, I really need to book my children in for an eye test, my daughter has never had one. Thank you for the reminder!

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    1. You're welcome! I'm glad we gave you a nudge and I hope she has as much fun having an eye test as my kids seem to :D

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  8. My children go every 1/2 years and just a few months ago something was picked up with my daughter. Thankfully, after a thorough check up at the hospital she was fine, but I am so grateful our children get free eye tests. I wore glasses from the age of 5 so I am a stickler for them having regular eye tests x

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    1. That is good. I'm pleased that she had her sight problem investigated and is now okay. I'm really grateful it's free - 3 of ours have had glasses by age 10 already :D

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