All children should have their sight tested before they start school stressed the founder of Zoobug, Dr Julie Diem Le, when speaking to OT at 100% Optical 6–8 February, ExCeL London).
“This is important so potential problems can be picked up early and corrected,” she said.
Reflecting on product availability since launching Zoobug a decade ago, Ms Diem Le confirmed that there are a lot more players in the market, as well as a wider selection and people taking quality a lot more seriously.
Also exhibiting at the show was Tomato Glasses UK, which was established by Sarah Gillingham after her son was born with a visual impairment. Diagnosed on the first day of his life, Ms Gillingham explained to OT that at three-weeks-old her son underwent surgery to treat a unilateral cataract.
Requiring spectacles following the operation, Ms Gillingham was surprised that the only frames available to her young son were metal, adding that other options were “limited.”
On launching Tomato Glasses UK, Ms Gillingham observed a barrier between opticians being able to stock these types of frames. Sharing details of her company’s business model, which aims to resolve this, Ms Gillingham explained that opticians can order Tomato Glasses frames as and when required, “helping even small opticians gain the right fitting glasses.”
Children’s trends
Speaking about trends in children’s eyewear, Ms Diem Le explained: “Children want to stand out, they want to look great, they want to look cool. So trends that are important this year will be colour, patterns and florals, all made with lightweight materials and adjustable features.”
Ms Gillingham added: “While the main thing is that they are comfortable and remain in place, if we can get that right and then offer colourful glasses that children like, that’s the goal.”
Both companies attended 100% Optical to launch new frames. Watch more in the above video.
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