The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO) has criticised the Optical Confederation's Children's Eye Health Campaign 2011, stating that while the campaign repeatedly asserted sight tests were free for children under the age of 16, the NHS still had to pay for them.
The RCO Paediatric Sub-committee said it would prefer parents to be informed of the evidence-based national programme 'aimed at detecting vision defects in children through clinical examination by appropriately trained staff'.
'We are not aware of any evidence suggesting that there are a large number of children in the UK suffering irreversible visual loss and educational underachievement because of uncorrected refractive error.'
Bob Hughes, AOP chief executive, said: 'Any optometrist who does eye exams among children knows the horrific things they can pick up.' He added that the national screening programme was not aimed at identifying refractive errors and did not exist in large parts of the country. 'We believe optometrists can do a better job than that and are able to do so, looking after the health of our children.'
The RCO claimed that a routine 'sight test' was unnecessary in the absence of visual symptoms in children over five years of age. 'There are certainly a few children who because of their social circumstances or co-existent medical/development problems manage to avoid having an ophthalmic or optometric problem diagnosed in a timely manner. Targeting such vulnerable groups would be a better use of resources and would also help to avoid the possibility of unnecessary prescription of low-power spectacles to help children with non-specific or unrelated symptoms,' it said.
College of Optometrists chief executive Bryony Pawinska said: 'Optometrists are highly trained health professionals and the College does not believe that over-prescribing is an issue.
'The National Screening Committee (NSC) looked at all the available evidence and concluded that all children should be screened at age 4-5 in an orthoptist-led service. That would offer the best results for children and taxpayers. The real problem, in our view, is that the NSC's recommendations are not providing a workable solution and children are slipping through the net in many parts of the country. Failing to screen children in the right way, at the right age is bad for their eye health but also means spending more NHS money further down the line to treat problems we could have prevented.'
She added the College would work with colleagues in optics, ophthalmology and orthoptics to ensure children get the eye care they needed and the NHS spent its money in the smartest way.