Back to school eye test reminder from Specsavers

The new school term is shortly approaching and it is important to think about your child’s vision as well as all the text books and uniforms. Studies show that one in four children have an undetected visual problem which can affect their learning ability, reinforcing the importance for parents to take their children for an eye test.

All Opticians recommend a yearly eye test for children from three years old, yet a survey by Specsavers Opticas revealed that in Fuengirola only 42% of respondents with children between 6 and 12 years old had taken their children to have an eye test with an optician. This fact is even more surprising as 92% of the respondents felt that poor eye sight could affect their children’s performance at school.

Experts believe that many learning disabilities could be vision related and learning relies heavily on good vision, so it’s crucial that a child’s eyesight is regularly checked and glasses are worn if they need them.

I can’t wait to show my friends my new glasses

Megan Oliver was just 4 years old when her Mum, Charlotte Way, noticed that her eye was pointing inwards. Having experienced a lazy eye herself she knew that it was important to take Megan to have it checked out as soon as possible.

Tests confirmed that Megan was short sighted, and would need to wear glasses, although doctors were unsure how long she would need to wear them for. Following the appointment Charlotte was unsure and decided to take Megan to Specsavers Opticas in Fuengirola to speak with an optician in English, get a second opinion and find out exactly what was wrong.

The optician explained that Megan´s right eye had been overcompensating for her left, resulting in her eye turning inwards and she was fitted with glasses to treat the problem. As Megan has a twin sister, Chloe, the optician advised her to take Chloe back to the hospital to have some tests done to see if there were any problems with her eyes. A few months later, it was confirmed that Chloe had a lazy eye, which would have gone unnoticed if the optician had not advised her Mum to have her tested. Chloe now also needs to wear glasses to try and help correct her eye and went back to Specsavers in Fuengirola to choose her pink Disney frames.

Chloe is now looking forward to showing off her new look, “When Megan wears her glasses at school, all of our friends want glasses too, so I know that they will like mine and I can’t wait to show them.”

Regular sight tests for children are just as important as they are in adults; if their mother had not taken the girls to the optician when she did it could have caused permanent damage to the girls’ eyes and affected their performance at school.

There are two Specsavers Opticas on the Costa del Sol, in Marbella and Fuengirola, which are offering free eye tests for children and 2for1 kids’ glasses from 50€ including sunglasses. To find your nearest store and book a test visit www.specsavers.es