Looking After Little Eyes

We all know that eyes are important, but do we do enough to look after them?

This week is National Eye Health Week and I have been talking to our children about their eyes, how we can look after and protect them, as well as what would make them even better.

With iPads, computer screens and other mobile devices becoming more prominent in our daily lives it is important now, more than ever that we put in place ways of protecting our children’s eyes. We need to ensure that they are kept up to date with eye checks at the opticians and make sure we limit their time spent playing on these devices.

To help promote National Eye Health Week, Boots Opticians asked me and my children to talk about our eyes.

To start off, we talked about our eyes and the colours of them, how they worked and what we could do to make them even better, here's what they thought.


My son: Would like eyes like a chameleon so that he can see all around him, as well as eyes that could pick out a specific piece of lego from a box. Personally I think both of these things are genius, especially the lego thing. 

My daughter, she wanted eyes that could see a castle and everything else, being four i'm not entirely sure she understands the question but I love that she put some thought into the idea, castles are after all one of her favourite things.

I asked them what colour they thought there eyes were, both being blue meant they already knew this easily, I asked them what they though the black part of their eye was, my son knew what it was and that if we closed our eyes it got bigger and if we looked at the light it got very small. Then ensued at least five minutes of looking at each others eyes in fits of giggles.

Wearing glasses myself, I know how important it is for the children to look after there eyes if not just for now but in the future. We always enjoy reading one of our favourite Topsy & Tim books, which is story about going to the opticians, it has been much loved and when we visited the opticians a few months back the children weren't worried or scared and took everything in their stride.

I think that reading a book such as this together is a great way to help give young children an idea about what happens, after all, the dark room and big instruments they face during a visit could we be scary, it is also great opportunity to talk together about your eyes.

Recent research shows 1 in 4 parents admitting their child has never had an eye check and whilst over 90% of children visit a dentist regularly, only 53% of children have ever had an eye check there has never been a better time to think about getting those little peepers checked and ensuring that they are well looked after and seeing everything perfectly.

In the mean time though, Russell Peake, Eye Health Condition Manager at Boots Opticians shares his top tips for kid’s eye health.

• After being way from the classroom for the summer holidays, signs such as your child rubbing their eye, blinking excessively or clumsiness may indicate a sight issue

• Kids won’t always articulate they are struggling to see and will often adapt their behaviour. Keep an eye out for signs such as sitting closer to the television, holding their book closer or squinting at text in the distance

• It’s a myth that children need to be able to read to have any eye check. Children should have their eyes checked at least every 2 years from the age of three - but you can take them sooner.

• Regular eye checks up to the age of eight are recommended as a child’s eyes are still developing and this can help improve the outcome if they have a sight problem. For example, treatment for a lazy eye is most successful before the age of 7 so early intervention is vital

• If your child is in front of a screen for prolonged periods of time – such as a computer or ipad – use the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes get them to look 20 feet away (six metres) for 20 seconds to help give their eye muscles a break

• Depending on where you live in the UK your child may have their eyesight checked via a local vision screening programme but it is no longer a guarantee.  Remember these should not replace a full eye check at your local optician. Eye health checks are free on the NHS until a child is 16 years old. If your child needs glasses, you can also get an NHS voucher towards the cost, so often they are free of charge

• An eye health check can tell you more about your child’s eyes than just their sight. An eye check can detect diabetes, some cancers and although rare, can also detect some tumours. At Boots Opticians, all eye checks include digital retinal photography as standard which can help us to identify serious health conditions.

To book an eye health check, speak to your Boots Optician or make an appointment by calling 0345 125 3752 or visit www.boots.com/en/Opticians/Eye-Health.

NB: This is a collaborative post.

Keeping Little Eyes Safe This Summer

We all know that we need to keep our skin safe in the sun, it's just part of daily life in summer, however less emphasis is placed on eyes.

According to Steve Schallhorn, chief medical advisor at Optical Express and one of the world’s leading eye experts, many parents are unaware of how harmful sunlight can be to children’s eyes.

He said: “Even babies are at risk from developing eye problems such as glaucoma later in life if their eyes are exposed to UV rays.

“Children’s lenses are clearer than adults they allow light to pass through much more easily. The World Health Organisation estimates that up to 80% of an individual’s lifetime exposure to UV light will occur before the age of 18.”

So what can you do to protect your children's eyes from those harmful UV Rays?

Steve recommends:

- Babies under the age of six months should be kept out of direct sunlight. “The easiest way to ensure very young babies are protected is to keep them away from sunshine altogether,” advises Steve.

- “All children should wear quality well fitting sunglasses.  Without the UV factor protection carried by the CE mark there is no eye health benefit to wearing sunglasses, so check for this seal of approval". For very young children Steve recommends that parents look for wraparound styles such as Babybanz (available at Optical Express, from £16.95).

- Ensure your youngsters drink plenty of water. “Drinking lots of water will help your kids’ eyes maintain a healthy balance of fluid, preventing them from becoming dehydrated and irritated".

- “A hat that shades your children’s eyes will help to block out harmful light – but they shouldn’t replace wearing sunglasses,” said Steve.

- Older children should only wear sunglasses for their age group, even if they are keen to sport the latest trendy adult styles.

So, how about heading to Optical Express for a family eye test, you could even pick up some sunglasses for all the family whilst you are there.

NB: This is a collaborative post.

What My Sight Means To Me

Growing up my brother had many trips in and out of hospital, he had a severe lazy eye and at about 4 years old he had to go into hospital for a procedure to correct his eye muscles and to stop it being lazy.

I remember this vividly, but what if we didn't live in this country? Would he have been left with poor sight in one eye?

Having needed glasses since the age of 11 for reading and using a computer I've become only too aware of what it's like to have a problem with your eyes. I am one of the lucky ones really, only needing them for a few activities.

As a mum I cannot imagine what it would be like to be blind or partially sighted, not to be able see your children or the pictures they draw, their wedding day or any number of the other special moments in their lives.

Devastating is an understatement and for your child to face this would be even worse, for them never to see the beauty of the world, pictures in a book, it is truly unimaginable.

So this week Becky over at Baby Budgeting has been raising awareness for Sightsavers a charity that helps provide sight saving treatments and care across the globe to people who might otherwise end up blind.

It's difficult to put their work into words so I have linked to the Sightsavers video which shows some of what they do, if you have a few minutes to share it or a few pounds to donate it could be the difference between someone seeing the world around them or being blind for the rest of their lives.

For as little as £4 you can pay for cataract operation to give a child their sight back, thats pretty amazing don't you think.