My child squints, or sits too close to the TV

What the signs can mean

Sitting close, squinting at the board: short sight — the commonest, and the one that keeps rising through the school years. A turned eye in photos, or one that drifts when tired: a squint, which needs seeing early because it can lead to a lazy eye. Rubbing, headaches after school, not wanting to read: often long sight — the child can see, but only by straining. Losing the place, skipping lines: sometimes the eyes not working together.

Why the school check isn’t enough

It’s a quick sight screen. It doesn’t measure the prescription, doesn’t check the eye health, and misses the long-sighted child who reads the chart by effort. A full eye test does all three, takes half an hour, and is free under sixteen.

From age three, no reading needed

We use pictures and matching cards, and can measure the prescription without any answers at all. Bring a favourite toy; it helps.

If the prescription keeps rising

Each step up means the eye has grown. Myopia control slows it by about half. What we offer →

Guides on this

• Screen time and children’s eyes: what the evidence actually saysScreens don’t damage a child’s eyes. What they do is take the place of the one thing that protects them. That’s a different problem, and an
• Back to school: the eye test that catches what the school check missesThe school check is a sight screen: can the child read the chart. It isn’t an eye test, and the children it misses are exactly the ones who

Five clinics across Greater Manchester, Cheshire & West Yorkshire

Every Book button on this page comes here. Choose your practice — the number appears on the one you pick.

Gland Scan: £15 with any eye examination (included in our Gold eye examination).