Make sure your children’s eyes are ship shape before they head back to school

Studies show that around 1 in 5 children in the UK have an undetected eye condition. This is an incredibly high percentage considering the significance vision has on our development and learning from a young age. It’s vital not just in learning key academic skills but in developing things like motor skills, spatial awareness and social skills, too.

The best way to battle this is with regular, thorough eye examinations. Back to school time is perfect to get booked in to have the little one’s vision checked before they’re back to being buried in the books.  

We recommend that school age children have their eyes examined, at the very least, once every two years but if you notice certain symptoms like squinting, rubbing eyes regularly, sitting closer to the TV or closing one eye to read then it’s definitely worth booking in for check sooner.

If you find it difficult to make time to get appointments booked in, we have parent and child appointments available with free childcare included! 

Whilst you're having your eyes checked they'll be entertained with games and our *competition to win an annual National Trust Family Pass (*Aug – Sept 2019 inclusive). Then they'll have their own 15-minute check-up too! 

As well as getting checked regularly there are also a number of ways to help keep your eyes healthy in your day to day routine. Here’s a little list of top tips from the Bayfields family to help you keep your family’s eyes ship shape:

Tip 1 - General health

It won’t surprise to you know that eating well and exercising regularly makes a huge positive impact on eye health – just one more reason to make wellbeing a top priority!​
 

Tip 2 - Know your family eye health history

Knowledge is power when it comes to your family’s risk of hereditary eye conditions. It could mean you’ll need to be particularly careful when it comes to eye health or health in general. Digging through the records or asking around the family is a must!

Tip 3 - Give eyes a well-earned rest 

A top tip for anyone needing to focus on one thing for long periods of time it the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look about 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This helps keep you from suffering from eye strain at work or at school.
 

Tip 4 - Gear up

Whether it’s playing sport, handling chemicals in double science or simply being outside and exposed to UV light make sure you and your family wear the correct eye protective equipment, always!
 

Tip 5 - Healthy conversation is key

Make sure to regularly check in with the whole family and make speaking about your eye health something completely natural in the home. Children can find it difficult to verbalise symptoms, so making regular updates a norm is a great way to notice any changes or irregularities.

We pride ourselves at Bayfields on offering an in-depth eye exam you might not get elsewhere. For something as important as your child’s vision and development in general there’s no reason to leave anything to chance. Our eye exams are all available FREE on the NHS for the under-16s, or anyone aged 16-18 who’s still in full-time education. Book an appointment today and get it ticked off the list!