Advice for parents about children’s eyesight

November 1, 2001

Following a plea from the Royal National Institute for the Blind to the Government to introduce universal vision screening for primary school children, parents in West Suffolk have been given advice about caring for their children’s eyesight by orthoptists at the West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust.

“If parents of children under 5 have any concerns about their children’s eyesight, they should contact their local Health Visitor through their GP surgery,” said June Carpenter, Head Orthoptist at West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust.  ”Parents may notice their child is squinting or seems to have difficulty watching television.  The sooner that children with vision problems receive expert help, the better the chance of successfully dealing with their condition.”

“Your Health Visitor can arrange for your child to have a free pre-school vision screening test in your local community health centre.  This will be undertaken by a qualified Orthoptist who will check for defects of vision and squint.  If problems are found there is direct referral to the Paediatric Ophthalmologist at the West Suffolk Hospital.”

An RNIB survey released this week revealed that one in five school children may have undiagnosed eye problems.  Vision screening helps with early detection and treatment of eye defects  that will allow children to gain the best use of their eyes during the time of maximum eye and brain development.