Children 'getting sight problems because of eye test delays'

Children are developing permanent problems with their vision because they are not being given eye tests early enough, optometrists have warned.
An Association of Optometrists survey of 1,200 people indicated a quarter of school-age children had not been taken for a sight test by their parents.
Of parents surveyed, 52% thought tests would be given in primary school.
While some schools do offer screening, the tests are less comprehensive than those provided free on the NHS.
Delayed diagnosis can make treatment for sight problems such as amblyopia, known as “lazy eye”, much less effective.
One in 50 children will develop amblyopia, where one or both eyes are unable to build a strong link to the brain, causing vision to not develop properly.
The NHS recommends that children should be screened for the condition when they turn four because it becomes harder to treat after the age of six.
Treatments include glasses and using an eye patch or eye drops to obscure the vision in the stronger eye to make the weaker one work harder.