Children’s Eyecare

A new-born’s eye will continue to develop for the first two years of their life; all babies will have their eyes checked at birth and then at about six weeks of age by a GP or health visitor. We advise that children should have their first eye examination at around the age of three; it is important to remember that children don’t need to be able to read to have their first eye examination. Your child should then have a check-up once a year as eye problems can occur at any age. However, if you are concerned at any time with your child’s vision then contact an optician immediately. You can view the list of our stores here.
Our examinations can be booked over the phone, online or by visiting your nearest N1 EssilorLuxottica store.

All our qualified opticians are friendly and the eye examination is designed to be fun, with our opticians using pictures to make it feel less like a test.

Healthy eyes and vision are a critical part of a child’s development. During the first 12 years of our lives, as much as 80% of our learning is accomplished through our vision. Without regular eye tests, children with sight problems may have difficulty at school and lose confidence or fall behind. Up to 1 in 5 children have an undetected eye problem. ? If you ensure your child has regular eye examinations, however, you can minimise the chance of an eye or sight defect being carried into adulthood.

Children rarely complain about their sight, but often show in their behaviour that there may be a problem with their vision. This can include sitting too close to the TV/iPad, rubbing their eyes a lot, holding objects very close to the face and/or blinking a lot.

Children aged under 16 qualify for a free NHS-funded eye test. They also qualify for an NHS optical voucher for glasses. All you need is to show their birth certificate in-store as proof that they qualify. Click here to find out more about NHS funded eye examinations.

Squint
A squint is a condition where the child’s eyes point in different directions. It can cause blurred vision, double vision and lead to lazy eye. Around 1 in 20 children have a squint and it is usually picked up by the age of 5 through routine eye checks. Squints can be treated with glasses and eye exercises.
Astigmatism
Astigmatism is a very common, minor eye condition that occurs when the cornea or lens isn’t a perfectly curved shape. It causes blurred or distorted vision. In most cases astigmatism is easily corrected with glasses or contact lenses. Left untreated it can cause headaches, tiredness and eye strain.
Lazy Eye
A Lazy eye usually means that one of their eyes is weaker than the other, causing them to rely more on their ‘good’ eye. Around 1 in 50 children develop lazy eye and is usually detected around the age of 4 through routine eye checks. It can be treated with glasses which will be prescribed to correct the vision in the weaker eye. If the weak eye does not respond fully then a patch can be worn over the good eye for part of the day to force the weaker eye to work.
Short sightedness
Short-sightedness is a common eye condition that causes distant objects to appear blurred, while close objects can be seen clearly. It is usually detected around the age of 12 but younger children can still have it and it can be corrected by glasses.
Long sightedness
Long-sightedness, also known as hyperopia, affects a person’s ability to see objects close to them. Children find it easier to focus on things far away. Most children are slightly long-sighted but often will not require glasses to correct it unless it is causing a problem.

The N1 EssilorLuxottica Kids range is designed for children from infancy to early adulthood and come with ultra tough polycarbonate lenses as standard. These impact resistant lenses are thinner, lighter and stronger to help the glasses survive the rough and tumble of a busy, active life. To find out more click here or contact your local N1 EssilorLuxottica store.