Specsavers calls for all children to be tested

One in five children in the UK have never had an eye examination, according to a report commissioned by Specsavers as it launches a new children’s eyewear range.

The study of 1,500 parents and teachers, conducted by Redshift Research, showed 73 per cent of teachers noticed a significant improvement in the quality of work and attention span of pupils who had recently started wearing glasses. It found 76 per cent of the teachers felt there was a lack of awareness among parents as to when children should have a sight test.

Nine out of 10 of the teachers said at least one pupil in their class wore spectacles but a quarter felt there remained a stigma around wearing them.