Jasmine Chandra with Wesley Young testing his eyes. Picture: Luke Fuda
Wesley Young testing his eyes. Picture: Luke Fuda
WHILE parents rush out to buy school bags, leather shoes and stock up on stationery, Liverpool optometrists have reminded parents to test their child's eyesight before sending them to school.
OPSM Liverpool optometrist Jasmine Chandra said 80 per cent of a child's learning was taught visually and parents could be unaware of the importance of eyesight.
"On average, one in four children that come in here have vision problems," she said.
"Blurred vision, short and long-sighted, a stigmatism, focusing and eye co-ordination problems, and most lazy eye conditions are common problems in children — both with and without learning difficulties.
"If it's not corrected the child won't be able to see as good as they should, if you fix the problem at an early age it won't hinder their learning."
She said routine check-ups were important because children might not tell parents about vision problems.
"Children don't even know they have a problem, [which] may not become evident until they reach school age, when they can't see the whiteboard or have trouble completing work."