Being the tender little soul she is, Miss E was very worried about her glasses and what people might say about them. She even refused to show her siblings at first but with some gentle reassurance and keep reminding her that her favourite person (Nanny) wears glasses and she was up for it. She even told me the other day that she is more popular now she has glasses. That one was a mixed blessing to hear as I like her to feel confident and happy but I hate the popularity thing, too many memories from school!
Taking Miss E for her sight test I asked the Boots Optical Advisor's when my other kids should have sight tests and they told me all children should have regular sight tests throughout their childhoods. I was a bit gob smacked to hear this as I've never been told and I've never seen it publicised, have you?
My children are now 10, 6 and 6 and each of them has had a sight test when they first started school and in fact all mine went to see an Ophthalmologist as toddlers and pre-schoolers due me having a lazy eye and a consequent eye operation as a child myself. I'm glad to say that at that young age they were all cleared as having 50:50 vision and thus good eye sight.
It is now a real concern to me that I've been neglecting JJ's eye health for nearly 6 years as I had no awareness he needed sight tests. I think this is so bad, why is the NHS not ensuring that all parents know this? Where is the advertising in the windows of opticians to encourage us to take our children in? Was I alone in my lack of knowledge I wondered and I don't think so as I've recently seen a post over on the Road Outside blog.
When I goggled I quickly found that the NHS encourage you to take your children for a sight test every two years so now in the future this is what I will be doing.
I'm going to link this up to Loud and Proud and Reasons to be Cheerful as I'm very happy Miss E has found her confidence with her glasses, she also had an assessment for dyslexia yesterday and was upbeat about that too. Get in there, my baby!
So tell me, do you realise your children should be having sight tests every 2 years? Am I the only ill informed parent out there?
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