Childrens Eye Tests

When we are young, our eyes are developing at their fastest rate, and good eyesight is also important to enable children to develop to their full potential at school. As a general rule, the earlier that a problem is found, the more effectively it can be treated.

It is possible for children to have an eye test from a very young age, and for many years our optometrists have participated in a screening service at local nursery schools, helping to ensure the health of the whole school population. While your child may seem too young to cope with the eye tests that are normally performed on adults, our optometrists have a wide range of children's eye tests - including charts containing pictures rather than letters, and it's even possible to examine children's eyes without any communication from them at all.

Children's eye tests are funded by the NHS until the age of 16 (or those under the age of 19 in full-time education), and should glasses be required, those children in receipt of an NHS eye examination will also benefit from a voucher from the NHS towards the cost of their chosen frame and lenses. At Walford & Round we have a range of frames that are funded completely by the NHS (in combination with standard lenses) and a wide range of other fashion frames which are available to children on payment of a top-up fee, currently starting at £25.

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Sun Protection for Children

A recently published article in Optometry Today highlighted the fact that sun protection for children's eyes is often overlooked, which is unfortunate as when we are young our eyes have not yet fully adapted to provide the same level of ultra-violet light filtering that is seen in adult eyes. By the time children reach the age of 18, it is estimated that they have already been exposed to more than half of their total lifetime exposure. To provide our younger patients with sun protection, Walford & Round are pleased to offer a range of childrens sunglasses, which can be made to prescription as required, starting from just £30 per pair. In addition to dark lenses to provide glare protection, all of our sunglass lenses provide a total block of UV light so there's no reason for your children not to look great while enjoying the very best in sun protection this summer.

Children & Contact Lenses

We are often asked if children can wear contact lenses, and the short answer to this is yes. For many children, contact lenses will let them lead a more active life, being better suited to contact sports and every day activities. They can also improve how young people feel about their appearance, and improve confidence and performance at school compared to glasses that may be removed when no-one is watching !

Daily disposable contact lenses can often be a good starting point, as they work best for infrequent wear, and avoid many of the hygiene issues that can arise with other methods of contact lens use. To discuss the suitability of contact lenses, please ask your optician following your next eye examination.