Boots Opticians makes progress with child eye health

A fifth of school children in the UK screened as part of an initiative run by Boots Opticians have had potential vision problems discovered and referred to a local optician, said the multiple.

During the five months since the initiative was launched, 181 out of 904 children screened were found to have visual problems. The multiple said research had shown that while 90% of children saw a dentist regularly, only 53% had ever had an eye check. National screening guidelines say that school children aged four and five should be offered a vision test, but a recent report by the College of Optometrists found that fewer than a third of local authorities were providing them.