Get your child’s eyes tested

A South-east London optician is teaming up with schools as a report finds that kids are losing out on education due to undiagnosed eye conditions.

Grove Park and Rowlands Opticians is currently working in association with early years professionals to improve areas of development by offering pre-school and school aged children an eye examination.

A report by the Education Endowment Foundation discovered that 13 per cent of children in the UK are seeing their literacy skills suffer at school, due to undiagnosed eye conditions that could be corrected.

Identifying eye problems and offering treatments can have drastic positive effects on academic learning and development, the report said.

A spokesman for Grove Park & Rowlands Opticians said: “We believe in removing any unnecessary barriers to learning and giving children the best possible chance of development and success.

“The earlier any problems are identified, the better the outcome.”

The vision screening that children are recommended to have in the foundation year does not substitute an eye examination by a qualified optometrist.

Naomi Bailey, an early years coordinator in Lewisham, said: “I advise you to book your child’s appointment in the next month to ensure any eye conditions are identified before school commences in the autumn term.

“An important message to all parents and guardians is to not be one of the many parents misconstrued by expecting the child to alert anyone that there is a problem with their vision, as it will appear normal to them – they will never have known anything different.”

The NHS pays for sight tests for children under 16 year of age.