By Ann Gould

Even when parents themselves wear glasses or contact lenses to see clearly, many appear to be in denial about the vision correction and glasses for their children. It is never too early to take their child for an eye examination and In recognition of this, earlier and more regular vision testing of children to aid their personal and academic development is increasingly being promoted by various charitable and professional eyecare organisations to ensure that glasses or contact lenses for children are provided for those with eyesight problems at the earliest possible opportunity. 

Children who struggle to see have low self-esteem which affects their development. Not only do vision problems hinder the child's ability to learn, they can also impact adversely on their personal development by restricting their ability to participate fully in sport and playground activities. In June 2010, the Association of Optometrists' (AOP) wrote to 23,000 head teachers highlighting the fact that 630,000 youngsters would start school for the first time in September to bring the issue to their attention.

The sight charity, the Eyecare Trust, has warned that one in five school-aged children has an undiagnosed vision problem that could interfere with their ability to learn. Good vision during a child's early years (before the age of 12) is vital as visual learning accounts for 80 per cent of the learning process. "Some children are inaccurately labelled as slow learners, dyslexic or even troublemakers when in fact they have an undetected vision condition," explains Iain Anderson of the Eyecare Trust.

Contact lenses for children offer an ideal solution for addressing early stage vision problems by enabling them to see clearly in the classroom and to enjoy sport and leisure activities. Children as young as 6 years old can be fitted with contact lenses including overnight corrective lenses worn only while the child sleeps which can actually halt the progression of short-sightedness  .

Find out if your child can wear contact lenses overnight instead of glasses