Royton optician urging teens to get eye tests

Teens urged to get eyes tested

Looking good has taken on a new meaning for teenagers with calls for them to focus on their health and get their eyes tested during the long summer break.

Growth spurts and changes as they develop, together with increased demand to spend more time viewing computer screens and devices for schoolwork and leisure, can affect their vision says a Royton optician.

Now Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care on Market Square  is advising young people, who may not have had their eyes tested since infant school, to take control and get a check-up before they return to education in the new term.

Eye tests are free for anyone up to the age of 16 or 19 if they are in full time education.

Manager Liz Watson said: “Teenagers don’t want to be treated like children and we don’t blame them, but sometimes they need help seeing the bigger picture.

“It’s better to focus less on body image and social media pressures or acquiring the latest tech gadgets and more on well-being and health even at this early stage in life.

“As part of our ‘Get yourself seen’ campaign we want to encourage young people to have regular eye tests. They are free of charge, as the NHS covers the cost, and will detect changes in vision they may not be aware of and also act as a guide to general health.”

Most children are given a basic eye test in reception years at school, but this does not always check everything that's covered in a full eye examination with an optician.

As they grow, their bodies go through many changes and this can include how their eyes develop.

The summer break provides an ideal opportunity for teenagers and their parents to book an eye test for them. If 16 or under a parent or guardian also needs to attend.

Recent studies have found that the rate of short-sightedness in Britain has doubled over the past 50 years, because children no longer spend enough time outdoors.

Twenty-three per cent of British 12 and 13-year-olds now suffer from myopia which causes distant objects to appear blurred, while close objects can be seen clearly - compared to 10 per cent in the 1960s, according to a study published by Ulster University.

There is growing evidence that spending two hours a day across the week and weekend outdoors helps limit the chances of young people becoming short-sighted. 

“We appreciate that it’s not always easy to get outside, especially when you’re a teenager, as so much time is spent in a classroom and then doing homework, or revising for important exams.

“But meeting up with friends to enjoy a game of football, or walking to and from school, go towards a healthy lifestyle,” added Liz.