Opticians in Mirfield: Comprehensive Eye Care with Abra & Co
16 January 2025 No Comments
Introduction Abra & Co is your trusted partner for premium eye care services near Mirfield. While we don’t have a
Myopia Season Is Here: Why Back-to-School Is the Most Important Time to Check Your Child’s Eyes
1 September 2026
Reviewed by our GOC-registered Optometrists, accredited in Myopia Management — Abra & Co Opticians
New shoes, new pencil case, new school year and for thousands of UK children, a new struggle to see the whiteboard. Every September, opticians across the country see the same pattern: a sharp rise in children being diagnosed with myopia (short-sightedness) in the first few weeks back at school. Optometrists call it, only half-jokingly, “myopia season.”
If your child is heading back into the classroom this month, here’s what you need to know and why booking their eye test now, not in the Christmas holidays, could make a real difference to their long-term vision.
What Is “Myopia Season” and Why Does It Spike in September?
Myopia season isn’t a medical term it’s what happens when three things collide at once:
- The summer screen-time surge. Surveys of UK parents have found that during the school holidays, a significant share of children spend upwards of five hours a day on screens — far more than during term time.
- Less time outdoors. Natural daylight is one of the few proven protective factors against myopia developing and progressing. Research from the Global Myopia Awareness Coalition suggests that an extra 76 minutes outdoors a day can cut a child’s risk of developing myopia by around half. Summer holidays, ironically, often mean less structured outdoor time, not more.
- Close-up focusing suddenly increases. The return to reading, writing and looking at a board 6+ hours a day puts new demand on young eyes that have just spent six weeks on tablets and TV at close range.
The result: children who seemed to see perfectly well in July start squinting at the board, sitting closer to the TV, or complaining of headaches by October and parents are often the last to know, because young children rarely realise their own vision is blurry. It simply becomes “normal” to them.
Warning Signs to Watch For This Term
Teachers and parents are usually the first to notice the signs, not children themselves. Contact us if your child shows any of the following:
- Sitting very close to the TV or holding books/tablets close to their face
- Screwing up their eyes or squinting to see the whiteboard
- Complaining of headaches after school or after screen use
- Struggling to read the board and copying from a friend instead
- A sudden drop in reading or copying speed, or falling behind in class
- Blurred subtitles on the TV at a normal viewing distance
- Excessive blinking or eye rubbing
If any of these sound familiar, it’s worth booking a children’s eye test rather than waiting to see if it “sorts itself out.” Myopia doesn’t correct itself — it’s a growth-related change in the shape of the eye, and it typically gets worse, not better, without management.
Why Myopia in Children Is a Genuine Public Health Concern Not Just an Inconvenience
Myopia is officially recognised by eye health bodies, including the College of Optometrists, as a rapidly growing global concern, with updated national guidance issued specifically on how optometrists should manage its progression in children. This isn’t scaremongering it’s why the profession has shifted from “just give them glasses” to active myopia management.
Here’s the part most parents don’t know: untreated or poorly managed myopia isn’t only about needing stronger glasses every year. Higher levels of myopia in adulthood are linked to an increased lifetime risk of:
- Retinal detachment
- Glaucoma
- Myopic macular degeneration
- Permanent vision loss in severe cases
The good news is that this risk is directly linked to how high the prescription becomes which means slowing progression now, while your child’s eyes are still growing, genuinely reduces their risk of serious eye disease as an adult. This is the entire principle behind modern myopia management, and it’s why early testing matters so much more than people realise.
How We Diagnose Myopia at Abra & Co
A basic sight test can tell you a prescription number. It can’t tell you why a child’s eyes are changing, or how fast. That’s the difference at Abra & Co.
Every eye examination at our practices includes over 12 individual tests, assessing both the internal and external health of the eye not just how clearly your child can read a chart. This lets our optometrists understand exactly what condition your child’s eyes are in relative to their age, and what if anything needs to happen next.
Our optometrists are accredited in Myopia Management, meaning they are specifically trained and qualified to identify, classify and actively manage childhood short-sightedness not simply prescribe glasses and review again in two years.
There’s also a common myth we hear from parents every week: “don’t give them the full prescription, it’ll make it worse.” The research says the opposite prescribing the correct, full prescription is a key part of controlling how fast myopia progresses. Under-correcting doesn’t protect your child’s eyes; it can make monitoring harder and progression worse.
Myopia Management Options We Offer
If your child is diagnosed with myopia, we’ll walk you through every option in plain English no jargon, no pressure.
Miyosmart Lenses Our headline solution for managing childhood myopia is Miyosmart, a clinically proven spectacle lens specifically designed to slow the progression of short-sightedness in children. We’re confident enough in this lens that we guarantee it: if your child’s prescription changes by 0.50 or more while wearing Miyosmart, we’ll replace the lenses at no charge. Ask your local Abra & Co practice for full details.
Fully Tailored Spectacle Lenses Depending on the prescription, your child may benefit from spherical, aspheric or digitally surfaced single-vision lenses, along with coatings such as blue light filtering, anti-migraine coatings, or UV protection — particularly important for myopic eyes, which tend to be more sensitive.
Specialist Contact Lenses & Overnight (OrthoK) Lenses For older children and teens, or where glasses aren’t the preferred option, we fit specialist contact lenses, including overnight orthokeratology lenses that reshape the eye gently while your child sleeps for clear daytime vision.
Free NHS Eye Tests for Children No Excuse to Wait
Cost is one of the biggest reasons parents delay booking. It shouldn’t be, because in the UK, eye tests are free on the NHS for every child under 16, and for anyone under 19 in full-time education. There’s no reason to wait until symptoms are obvious regular checks from an early age catch changes long before your child would ever complain.
5 Simple Habits to Support Your Child’s Eyes This Term
Alongside professional monitoring, small daily habits genuinely help:
- Aim for 76+ minutes outdoors a day even a walk to school and a break at lunchtime adds up.
- Build in screen breaks the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds) is an easy habit to teach.
- Watch reading distance encourage a normal arm’s-length distance, not nose-to-page.
- Keep TV/tablet distance sensible, not up-close.
- Book a routine eye test every year, even with no symptoms myopia changes gradually and is easy to miss until it’s advanced.
Find Your Nearest Abra & Co Practice
We’re an independent, family-run group with five practices across Greater Manchester, Cheshire and West Yorkshire, so there’s likely a myopia-accredited optometrist near you:
- Abra & Co – Middleton — 36 Long Street, Middleton, M24 6UQ — 0161 653 0771
- Abra & Co – Cheadle — 19 Wilmslow Road, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 1DW — 161 428 3717
- Ashworth Opticians – Heald Green — 214 Finney Lane, Heald Green, Cheshire, SK8 3QA — 161 437 3400
- Armitage Opticians – Heckmondwike — 14 Market Street, Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, WF16 0JU — 1924 403617
- Winsford Eyecare – Winsford — 27 Delamere Street, Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 2LX — 01606 599030
We also welcome families from Mirfield, Dewsbury and Gatley.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age should my child have their first eye test?
Many optometrists recommend a first check from around age 3, and definitely before starting school at 4–5. There’s no need to wait for a school vision screening.
Is a school vision screening the same as a full eye test? No. School screenings are a basic check and can miss underlying issues. A full eye test like the 12+ point examination we carry out assesses overall eye health, not just whether your child can read a chart.
Can myopia be cured?
No, myopia can’t be reversed, but its progression can be significantly slowed with the right management, reducing the risk of complications in adulthood.
How much does a children’s eye test cost?
Nothing NHS eye tests are free for all children under 16, and under 19 if in full-time education.
How do I know if Miyosmart is right for my child?
This is assessed during a full myopia consultation with one of our accredited optometrists, who will explain your child’s specific type and progression of myopia and recommend the best option.
Don’t Wait for Parents’ Evening to Find Out Your Child Can’t See the Board
Myopia doesn’t wait for a convenient time and neither should you. Book your child’s free NHS eye test at your nearest Abra & Co practice this week and let our accredited Myopia Management optometrists give you real answers, not guesswork.
Call your nearest practice today, or book online in under 2 minutes.
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