CHILDRENS EYECARE

When Should You First Take Your Child For An Eye Examination?    

The earlier the better. We recommend that parents bring their babies for their first routine check at the tender age of six months - or before if they know that there is anyone in their family with defects such as squints or "lazy eyes".

Why?

Many parents believe that infants don't need eye examinations because they can "spot an aeroplane miles away" or can "pick up tiny crumbs from the floor".  However, simply spotting things is not the whole story. Children may be able to see things but still have an eye defect and, unfortunately, not all parents are aware of this. 

It is vital to detect these defects early as some conditions, including squint (strabismus), if not treated within the first few years, are often discovered too late and as a result, the child will have poor vision in that eye for the rest of their life. A regular professional eye examination then, makes good sense, especially since some problems do not have any obvious signs which parents could spot themselves. Eyes are also a good indicator of general health so a full examination can often tell you a surprising amount about all sorts of other things going on in the body that might be prevented from developing if spotted early enough. 

This is another important reason to go for regular check-ups. After all, we all know that prevention is better than cure.

Optometrists with a Specialist Interest in Children's Eyecare

 All of our optometrists examine babies, infants and young children

• Professor Barnard is the co-author and editor of the book Paediatric Eye Care, Barnard & Edgar, Blackwell Science and formerly Director of Paediatric Optometry Clinic, City University, London

• Dr Levit's Fellowship qualification speciality of the College of Optometrists is Children's Vision,

• Mr Menachem Salasnik was the recipient of the Adrian Evans Memorial Prize for exceptional skills in clinical paediatric optometry.

The Paediatric Check Up - What You Should Expect

It is important that you and your child are relaxed and stress free when coming for your appointment so please try and arrive on time. If it is your baby’s first check your optometrist will want to have a chat to find out some all-important details about your child. 

People often ask "how can you check a baby's eyes when they can't read? The answer is - very easily. Skilled optometrists can find out all they need to during the examination without having to ask the patient questions. Of course, as your child gets older they can start to respond to questions and even more information can be obtained. 

There is a lot to find out about:

• Head posture and general co-ordination

• The outside of the eyes and lids, lashes and tear ducts

• The iris, pupil size and the pupil's response to light

• The cornea, lens, retina and optic nerve

• Eye movements

• Eye position

• Muscle balance between the eyes

• 3D vision (stereopsis)

• The “prescription” - long-sightedness, short-sightedness or astigmatism

• Standard of vision

As the child gets older, the tests become more complex and some new ones are added:

• Matching the picture/letter games for measuring levels of vision

• Assessment of the extent of the child's visual fields

• Measurement of eye pressures where necessary

• Special children's colour vision checks

It is important for the child and parents to build up a strong level of trust with the optometrist so continuity of care and regular checks are essential

Learning Difficulties

The eyes are affected by and integrate with the rest of the body so when something goes wrong with your visual system in general, rather than just your sight, it can have repercussions on co-ordination, balance, development and learning. However, it is important to understand that vision should not be blamed for all learning difficulties or underachievement.

Barnard Levit Optometrists aim to follow an evidence-based approach to investigation, diagnosis and treatment of suspected visual correlates of leaning difficulties. Usually, especially with dyslexics, visual problems are correlates of the underachievement rather than the cause but in some instances especially when the child has been diagnosed formally as being not dyslexic, a visual anomaly can be a major causative factor of the educational difficulties. 

If your child is dyslexic or is underachieving at school we recommend a  fuller more in depth investigation than a routine Eye Examination or Sight Test which we term  a Visual Assessment to investigate visual involvement in learning underachievement, dyslexia and dyspraxia.

The Importance of Children's Eyes and Vision

We receive approximately 80% of all our information through the eyes. Optimal vision is invaluable to help children learn and achieve their full potential, so it is never too early to get your child’s vision and eye health checked. From babies to toddlers and older,

Barnard Levit Optometrists have been pleased to offer specialist eyecare for over 30 years. Prioritising visual development is essential and should start as early as possible.

Mrs Ariella Mirvis and Dr Robert Yammouni are especially interested in the following areas of children’s eyecare; Vision Therapy, Orthoptics, Binocular Vision and Visual Assessments.

Myopia Control

If you are interested in learning about the management and prevention of short-sightedness, please follow the link below to read about the specialist spectacle lenses, contact lenses and visual techniques offered at the practice for myopia (short-sightedness) management.

More about Myopia

How Do I Book an Appointment?

To book an children's eyecare appointment with our team, please contact reception on 020 8458 0599 or reception@barnardlevit.com