'Eye know', but do children?

There are many reasons why children should know about looking after their eyes. The most obvious reason is to ensure that their vision develops normally and that any anomaly (strabismus, ametropia, and so on) is detected and managed as early as possible. While over 90 per cent of children visit a dentist on a regular basis, as few as a third will see their optometrist regularly. With pre-school and early years eye health care still a hit and miss affair, anything that may improve the situation, such as a coordinated nationwide scheme, is to be encouraged.

Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that most of the major causes of sight loss in the UK have controllable risk factors which we as eye care practitioners can influence and that early intervention may help to reduce sight loss in the long term.