People sometimes assume that because children are young, they’re not likely to have eye problems. In fact, if a child has always had a problem, they may not know the difference. And they can have difficulty verbalising whether anything is wrong.

 

Vision affects lifetime potential

 
A child’s eyesight is so precious. The quality of a child’s vision can have a lifelong impact on their ability to learn, their relations with other people, and their ability to reach their full potential.
 
Yet 1 in 5 children in the UK are living with an undetected eye condition. And 80% of lifetime eye damage occurs when we’re children. That’s why Bayfields offers UV protection lenses for children’s glasses – not just because they don’t always like wearing sunglasses in summer, but because UV damage can happen all year round, in any weather.
 
And outdoor daylight is important: it enables the eyeball to develop properly, helping to avoid short-sightedness. Plus, going outdoors helps prevent the excessive use of screens!
 

We’re very child-friendly
 

At Bayfields, we love to see little ones and teenagers alike. We’re very experienced, and can make eye exams fun. We can even cope with wrigglers who just don’t want to sit still! We stock a huge range of children’s glasses (children love trying them on), and we’ve fitted children’s contact lenses with children as young as one-year-old.


 

Why do children need regular eye exams?


Regular eye exams can help your child or teenager get into the rhythm of taking the best possible care of their vision, starting a beneficial habit of a lifetime. And a good eye exam can spot:
  • Any problems with your child’s vision
  • Early signs of eye conditions which could threaten your child’s vision, so they can be treated as soon as possible
  • Wider health issues like diabetes, autoimmune disorders and thyroid conditions in children.

How long is a child’s eye exam?

 
Our exams are done entirely by fully trained optometrists, and take 30 minutes if your child or teenager already has a prescription, or 15 minutes if not. If it makes things easier for you, we’ll be very happy to add your child’s appointment onto the end of your own eye exam.

 

What do children’s eye exams cost?

 
Our eye exams are all available FREE on the NHS for the under-16s, or anyone aged 16-18 who’s still in full-time education. And yet you’ll get a more thorough eye exam with Bayfields than you might at other practices.