AOP launches children’s vision campaign

To raise awareness of the importance of vision for a child's development, the AOP has launched its A B See campaign, which is designed to help make sure children reach their full potential.   

As part of the campaign, the AOP is recommending that parents take their children for a sight test, at their local opticians, every two years, or more often if the optometrist recommends it.

To support the campaign, the AOP released figures that show that more than half (52%) of parents with school age children think their child will have a full sight test at primary school.

The AOP highlighted that sight tests are not offered routinely at schools throughout the UK, which could mean children are suffering with undiagnosed eye conditions, despite there being a ‘window of time’ for treating certain conditions. Furthermore, almost a quarter (24%) of four to 16 years olds have never been taken for a sight test by their parents, the research found.

The survey also reported that cost can play a part, with one in 10 parents believing they must pay for a sight test for children under the age of 16. Yet, 83% said they would be more inclined to book a sight test for their child knowing that it is funded by the NHS.

The AOP also shared findings from its Voice of Optometry survey, which gathered the views of the profession and found that nearly three quarters (74%) of practising optometrists have seen children in the past year who had vision problems that could have been treated more successfully if they had been diagnosed at an earlier age.

Optometrist and AOP clinical advisor, Farah Topia, said the research demonstrates that there is “a huge gap between what most parents think is provided, and the eye health care that children actually receive at school, through vision screening.”

Ms Topia explained: “Many parents also don’t realise that there is a window of opportunity to treat certain eye conditions, which is why many practitioners are seeing children come in with a condition that could have been treated much more effectively had they been seen earlier.

“It’s important to remember that conditions such as amblyopia, or lazy eye as it is often known, can have a detrimental impact on social and academic development, as well as career options later in life. This is why the AOP is advocating that parents take their children for a sight test, which is NHS-funded for those below the age of 16 – as it’s the best way to make sure conditions are picked up and treated early.” 

Ms Topia emphasised: “As a rule of thumb, it is good for children to have their first sight test around the age of three, but children can have a sight test at any age, if a problem is suspected.”

The public-facing research was carried out by Mortar London on behalf of the AOP. The online survey had 1204 respondents from across the UK.