Optometrists are encouraging parents and teachers across the country to take their children for a special eye test as part of its Bright Eyes For Back to School campaign which runs next week (September 6 to 11).  

The eye test specialists say many children are not getting their sight tested early enough under the current State scheme.

The campaign by the Association of Optometrists (AOI) includes a special eye test its optician members are offering for young children to help detect any sight problems early, which enables the best treatment options.

Proper levels of eye care can help prevent vision problems which can affect a child throughout their life, the AOI says.

AOI optometric adviser, Lynda McGivney Nolan, said that undetected vision problems can lead to learning difficulties.

"Over 80% of what a child learns is based on vision and vision plays a vital role in playing and interacting with their peers. If a child has vision problems which are not detected and therefore untreated, that child will not be able to achieve his or her full potential. This can in turn lead to behavioural difficulties."

Ms McGivney Nolan said ideally, all children should have their vision assessed by the age of three and then again at five, but many children in Ireland are not being seen until much later, if at all, through the national school screening system.

“Not only does this screening happen too late, it is also inadequate and can miss certain vision problems and give a high false positive rate. This results in children being referred to the community ophthalmologist for further testing, but it can take up to two years depending on where you live to get an appointment. This delay can have huge consequences for a child’s visual development."

Ms Mc Givney Nolan said a child is only entitled to two screenings during the whole time they are in school.

"A child’s eyesight can change very quickly and within a six-month period, may go from having normal vision to developing a vision problem. This means that children of school going age should have access to regular vision assessments."

The AOI said children’s eye examinations with an optometrist are not covered by the HSE and that parents must pay privately, or else risk having their child on long waiting lists to be seen at HSE clinics. 

Optometrists taking part in next week's campaign will have the "Bright Eyes Back for School" posters on display in their premises. While the tests are not free of charge, the AOI says its members have been encouraged to offer the testing for as nominal a fee as possible.