Latest news with #lazyEye
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Screen children in schools to find lazy eyes early, experts say
Children with a lazy eye are being increasingly missed for treatment, experts say, in areas where early screenings are not available in councils are unable to offer the service due to capacity or budget constraints, according to the Local Government Association (LGA), which is calling for increased British and Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS) says screening for amblyopia, the medical name for the lazy eye condition, should be provided in all schools in England, as it is in Wales, Scotland and Northern condition, where one eye is weaker than the other, is corrected using patching, but treatment works best before the age of seven. Ellen and Robert Hopkins say they were devastated to find out their son Harry had a lazy eye when they brought him for his first test when he was six-and-a-half years two and five per cent of children like Harry are diagnosed with amblyopia every UK National Screening Committee recommends vision screening for children aged four to five, but about 11% of local authorities do not offer it in has been wearing a patch for the past few months, but his progress has tapered off since he reached his seventh birthday."We'd definitely like to have known about it earlier," mum Ellen says."If we'd known about it when he was three or four, or perhaps at the start of school, then he would have had longer to work on it."Harry's dad Robert said it was a "fluke" they brought him for an eye test, after he thought he was looking past him when they were having a chat after dinner in their home in Derbyshire."When I was a child I was tested in school, I can't believe kids aren't tested because with conditions like this you have a limited amount of time to make an improvement or not," he Murray, chair of BIOS, says it is a hard condition for parents to spot early, and that it is a "postcode lottery" for families on whether they are offered screening or not."We are finding more of those cases of older children who are coming in and they weren't screened, and now it's too late for them to have that amblyopia treated," he said. Around 75,000 children now live in areas that do not offer school screening, according to a BIOS areas like Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire, parents are instead given advice in their child's early development checks, or are signposted towards free NHS tests at their local invite parents to complete a digital health screening questionnaire when children start school to highlight any Smedley, who carries out vision screening in Sheffield schools, says it is a good way to make sure most children are groups of four, she takes the reception children at Marlcliffe Primary School out to the IT room to be 800 children have been referred on for further checks so far this year in the county."Parents often say to us, 'There is no way we would have known that there was a problem if screening wasn't there,'" she says."And if they weren't picked up, they wouldn't be able to access certain jobs later on in life, or even drive a car when they're older, so it's significantly important." Marlcliffe Primary School's head teacher Clare Hayes agrees."It can be difficult for families with busy lives to make appointments at the opticians," she says. "And as parents and teachers, we may not always detect difficulties that children are having with their vision because the children have adapted and got used to that being their sight."Cllr David Fothergill, from the LGA, says he would like to see an increase in the public health grant which funds school-based screening, so that councils can commission and deliver the full range of services needed to improve child says he believes the government's recent spending review overlooked public health the government said a £200m boost in funding, announced earlier this year, would help support local authorities to tackle the root causes of ill health, and build healthier communities say that parents should still bring their children for regular NHS-funded eye tests from the age of three or four every one to two years - even if they do live in areas that screen in schools. Daniel Hardiman-McCartney, from the College of Optometrists, says school vision screening is a good safety net for children's vision, but it is not the same as an eye test at a local opticians - and both are research by the college found many parents are confused about their children's eye health, and only take them for a test if they notice a parents Ellen and Robert are encouraging everyone to make sure they get their child's eyes tested early, even if they are not able to read progress in Harry's right eye is being closely monitored to see if patching is still making a difference, and they say it is thankfully not stopping him from doing his favourite thing – journalism by Kady Wardell and Katherine Gaynor
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Pete Wicks reveals he may be forced to undergo surgery after his best pal Olivia Attwood spotted his worsening eye condition
Pete Wicks has revealed he could be forced to undergo eye surgery after a childhood condition re-emerged. The Strictly Come Dancing star, 37, shared the diagnosis in the latest episode of his Staying Relevant podcast, telling pal Sam Thompson that he previously struggled with his vision during childhood. Pete shared that while he originally sought treatment to fix his eye condition, his pal Olivia Attwood noticed it had begun to return in recent weeks. Sharing that his mum used to affectionately call him Pirate Pete as he wore an eyepatch to help correct the condition, he shared that he may have to attend several doctors appointments while recording his podcast. He told Sam: 'I may have to go back to having an eye patch. I'm going to tell the truth here. 'I used to be called Pirate Pete, it's a weird nickname, but actually it was my mum that first called me that when I was a kid because I had a lazy eye when I used to get tired.' As Sam began to snigger in the background, Pete asked him: 'Why are we laughing at my affliction? 'So I had this eye patch to try to correct it, which it did, so that was great. 'The bad eye is coming back as I'm getting older, it's going for a walk.' As Sam asked what he planned to do about the issue, Pete replied: 'I have to go and see an eye specialist to see whether or not we can re-train it or whether I am going to have some kind of surgery.' Clearly misunderstanding the diagnosis, Sam declared: 'They are going to get rid of the eyeball!' with his pal Pete quickly adding: 'I'm not going to have it removed.' Pete then shared that his close friend Olivia Attwood had played in a part in him speaking to a doctor, as she spotted the eye condition had begun to return. He told Sam: 'I've started noticing, it was Liv that f***ing noticed it. It was Liv that mentioned it then.' As Sam then admitted that Pete's eye was 'getting quite bad,' he then added: 'Well great, I'm glad I don't feel conscious about it,' before confirming his eye appointment was booked in 'a couple of weeks.' During the show, talk also turned to Olivia's raucous 34th birthday bash, which took place on Saturday, with Sam confirming his romance with Love Island's Samie Elishi by sharing a kiss with her outside the party. The podcast episode was recorded before the party had taken place, and Pete was quick to poke fun at Sam over his date for the evening, before accusing his friend of being 'defensive.' Pete said: 'Now you've got a date for the night,' leading Sam to hit back: 'I don't have a f**king date for the night.' Pete then interjected: 'Me,' as Sam, clearly still on the back foot, said: 'Right.' Pushing his pal on the topic, Pete then quizzed: 'Who did you think I meant?' and Sam insisted: 'No one.' Pete, who had previously shared how he helped organise Olivia's birthday, probed: 'Why so defensive then? I was just talking about me.' Meanwhile, Pete has been linked with Samantha Kenny, 27, after they reportedly met and hit it off recently, and she was also in attendance for Olivia's party.
