Did you ever imagine, there was a corelation between christmas and your Children's Eyes and Vision?

Well, if you are already thinking, what you just read above, is an absurd question, we would try and explain the correlation, but let us first of all, take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy New Year, we hope you have enjoyed the festive season with lots of quality time with family and friends, and of course exchanged lots of gifts.

Coming back to our question, is there really a correlation between Christmas and children’s eye sight, well if you think, there is an indirect correlation, and we have already touched on the answer above. We all gave lots of gifts this Christmas, especially to kids. Within the last few years the children’s wishlist have dramatically changed. The Rubik’s Cube & a Tricycle are now displaced by gaming consoles, handheld devices, PSP’s, Tablets, iPod’s & more.

Children’s consumption of media has dramatically increased, a recent study conducted by Nielsen suggests, around 36% of children with the age group of 2 to 11 use both media, that is, television and internet simultaneously, a report also states that 60% of children under age 3 watch videos online, of which 20% consume media on handheld devices. Research also suggests that 73% of households have a gaming device. With hours spent in front of television sets, computer screens, gaming devices and all other electronic gadgets, children’s eyes are vulnerable more than ever before. It is very important to understand that a child’s visual development directly affects learning, growth and development in other areas. While it is getting very difficult keeping children away from excessive use of these devices, and the harm caused, the least we can do is take measures to identify any deterioration in a child’s eyesight or vision.

During the first 12 years of life, up to 80% of our learning is visually based, many children struggle at school simply because of eye sight related problems, thankfully, for children under the age of 16, or under 19 and in full time education, eye tests are absolutely free through the NHS. Regular eye tests for children would mean that, any deterioration is detected in an early stage, and corrective measures are taken to avoid further damage.

So if your child already uses any gadgets extensively, or if you just gifted him one, this Christmas, please make sure, that its affects on his eye sight or vision are not unnoticed.

At Leightons Opticians, we understand that having an eye-test is not always a child’s idea of fun, so our friendly qualified opticians, will be on hand to help make sure, your child’s eye test is as easy and straight forward as possible.

You can now book your child’s free eye test online at your nearest Leightons Opticians Branch.