Children’s eyecare costs zero!

Your child’s sight is precious. At Ruth Bigger Opticians on Clooney Terrace your child has access to top quality FREE eye care and a range of glasses which won’t cost a penny – that’s right they’re FREE!

If your child is under 16, they’re entitled to a free eye examination, and a voucher to help with the cost of new specs or contact lenses. We stock a range of good quality well-fitting frames which are free with the NHS voucher.

As a child’s eyesight is usually fully developed by the age of eight, it is crucial that eye tests are carried out at least once a year from the age of three. Sight tests for all children are free on the NHS – the only investment parents have to make is time.

Conditions such as squint or amblyopia (lazy eye) can lead to lifelong problems so it really is a case of ‘After Eight is too Late’. If detected early, many problems can be easily corrected, usually with glasses. Poor eyesight is not always obvious to parents, or even teachers, and can severely restrict a child’s ability to learn, read, write and spell. Additionally coloured overlays or tinted lenses can improve reading speed.

If our examination reveals that your child needs glasses, he or she will also qualify for an NHS voucher that enables them to choose free frames from a selected range. Alternatively, for an additional charge, they can select frames from our other exciting children’s ranges, all available at an affordable price.

Poor eyesight can have a significant effect on children’s ability to learn and on their behaviour, yet often goes unrecognised by teachers, parents and by the children themselves.

This short video explains the benefits of early sight testing for children.

To learn more about childrens eye care that we provide please click here.

To book a visit phone 028 7134 5891

Reading difficulties and Visual stress Assessment

At Ruth Bigger Opticians we offer a dedicated vision assessment programme to determine if spectacles are required, and if so, whether to include a specific tint or coloured overlay. Vision training exercises can be very helpful, with or without the need for spectacles.

Tinted lenses relieve a visual condition call Visual Stress.  To Learn more click here.

WHY FIT KIDS & TEENS WITH CONTACT LENSES?

More than 3.7m people in the UK enjoy the many benefits of contact lenses but only a very small proportion of them are children.

Nearly one in five children aged 5 to 15 years, rising to almost one in three 16-19 year olds need vision correction yet only about one in twelve of those who could wear contact lenses currently do so. Many more children and teens would potentially benefit from contact lenses.

Another potential benefit currently under investigation is the ability of contact lenses to slow the progress of short sight (myopia) in children. Various approaches have recently been suggested including orthokeratology and new soft lenses specifically designed to ‘control’ myopia. These approaches, and the size of the effect, need to be supported by large-scale, long-term studies. Click on the link to read more.

UV risk to Children’s eyes

If your child is outdoors in the summer you may need to think about sunglasses which protect their eyes from UV rays.

‘The sight charity, Eyecare Trust, is issuing a stark warning to parents to protect their children’s eyes from the sun or put them at risk of permanent damage to their sight.

Our eyes are ten times more sensitive to UV light than our skin and children’s eyes are at the greatest risk of UV damage. Big pupils and clearer lenses mean up to 70 per cent more UV light reaches the retina than in an adult’s eye.

Latest figures from World Health Organisation estimate that this lack of natural eye protection combined with the disproportionate amount of time children spend playing outdoors could mean that as much as 80 per cent of a lifetimes’ UV is absorbed into the eye by the time a child reaches the age of 18.’

To read more about the risks of U.V to the eye read these two links

The Eyecare Trust’s full article – Click Here

All about vision web article

Click Here

Your child’s eyesight is precious. Make an appointment today – or arrange for us to give you a call at your convenience.Click here to arrange a ‘Call Back’»