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Children's Eye Care
Many vision problems begin at an early age in childhood, so it’s important for children to receive proper eye care from the time they are infants. Early detection and treatment are essential to preventing conditions that could potentially cause problems or vision loss.
Poor eyesight can have a significant adverse affect on a child’s educational and social performance
Children are screened for eye problems within a few weeks of birth, and then around the time they start school at the age of four. Children should then have a regular eye exam every two years. If you have any concerns in between these tests, or if there are members of your family with eye problems, talk to your doctor or eye care practitioner.
Children under 16, and full time students under the age of 19, are entitled to free eye tests on the NHS.
Optos is committed to educating parents on the importance of having their children’s eyes checked regularly. This commitment to children stems from our origin – Optos' revolutionary optomap Retinal Exam is the brainchild of Douglas Anderson, founder of Optos whose son lost sight in one eye at the age of five due to an undetected retinal detachment. After this tragedy, Mr. Anderson set out to develop a system that not only could capture an unprecedented view of the retina (200°), but that was also patient-friendly, particularly for children, who tend to be more difficult to examine.
Regular monitoring of the retina (back of the eye) can detect serious eye conditions. If left untreated, many of these can ultimately cause blindness. Unfortunately this is what happened to Douglas Anderson’s son.
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