A seven-year-old boy is in danger of losing sight in one eye because of an undiagnosed condition that was only picked up by a “fluke appointment” at the optician’s.
It was a casual conversation about how parents prioritise dental check-ups, but often overlook eye tests, that led to Mared Jones, from Dinas Mawddwy, Gwynedd, taking her children to be checked for the first time.
While her two daughters were fine, Mared was shocked to find son Mabon had amblyopia – known as lazy eye – and was “more or less” blind in that eye.
The Royal Society for Blind Children said the wellbeing of children relies on their sight, and communication needs to be better around the level of testing at school.
The Welsh government said all children should be screened in schools at age four or five to detect early problems, but they should also be taken to the optician’s regularly for checks.
Mabon has now been given glasses and will be reassessed in six months, but the family have been told there is little that can be done to restore vision in the eye.
“The two girls went first, and they were fine,” said Mared.
“And then Mabon got tested, and it was obvious straight away that he couldn’t see much at all through his right eye.
“I remember the optician looking at me straight away and I could tell from her face there’s something wrong here.”
What is lazy eye?
Amblyopia – often referred to as lazy eye – is a condition where sight does not develop properly in one eye.
While it can lead to squinting, eyes pointing in different directions, blinking a lot, or headaches, many children do not notice there is anything wrong and have no obvious symptoms.
But the brain begins to favour the stronger eye.
This is corrected using glasses or patching, but treatment works best before the age of seven.
If it is not picked up at an early age, such as in Mabon’s case, the weaker eye can permanently lose vision.
Mared added: “He’s probably had this since he was born.
“He has never complained, because he doesn’t know any different.
“We haven’t noticed. He plays sports, and his teachers couldn’t believe it either.”
Mared said as a parent she feels guilty and naïve, and pondered whether serious eye conditions are being missed as parents juggle families, jobs and the day-to-day routine.
“I’m guessing that he’s been missed [from the school screening programme],” she said.
“Is it because of Covid? Could be. He’s seven years old now.
“I would definitely like to make sure that parents take their children to get tested.”
Primary vision screening has been mandatory in Wales since 2015, and is a service provided by school nursing teams for all children between four and five.
In Gwynedd, where Mabon lives, the school nursing lead said: “All reception aged children at school will be offered to have their vision screened using LogMAR book [scale].”
However, director optician Lowri Evans said this does not replace a full test.
“There are ways where we can gauge children’s visual needs from as young as 18 months,” she said.
“With regards to making sure that everything is right with your child’s eyesight, it’s better to take your child to your local opticians to make sure that all the tests are carried out correctly.
“The school screening isn’t the same as going to an eye test at your local optician.
“They don’t identify how much help each eye needs, it just quantifies what level of acuity a child has – what size letters a child can see.”
She added that after eight, the pathways with the brain change, and it may ignore the poorer eye.
The child may also need more time to get used to a high-powered lens, or it may not work at all.
In Newtown, Powys, some mothers feel the issue is not given enough prominence.
“I haven’t tested my kids yet, I think unless you have things [like eye conditions] that run in the family you don’t tend to go and get it sorted,” said mum-of-three Chloe Roberts.
Rose Bell has a daughter with an eye condition, and said: “I don’t think it’s highlighted enough, or made obvious enough to us so that us parents can have that reassurance that we should take our children every year.
“It’s not spoken about as much as teeth or doctors.”
In Wales, NHS eye tests are funded for eligible individuals, including those under 16 and full-time students aged 16 to 18.
However, numbers having their eyes tested are not back to pre-pandemic levels.
There were almost 8% fewer children attending their free NHS appointments in 2023-2024, compared to 2020-2021.
The Royal Society for Blind Children said that early detection of any eye health conditions was “crucial”.
“The majority of families that come to us are at that crisis point because they [have had a late diagnosis] and are looking for support and haven’t been given those opportunities to be supported before,” added Helen Phillips, a family practitioner for the charity.
“We have got waiting lists now.
“There are families out there that are waiting for support because they’ve either been picked up later in the system or they haven’t actually had the support right from the start when they’ve been identified.”
The Welsh government said its school vision screening programme is delivered by health boards and local authorities to children aged four and five.
It said this ensured any problems are captured at the developmental stage of children’s vision.
“Sight tests are provided through NHS Wales for all children up to the age of 16 and between 16 and 18 for those in full-time education,” a spokesperson added.
“A child is never too young to be taken to their optometrist for a sight test, and the College of Optometrists recommends that children should have their eyes examined every one to two years.
“This is crucial for early detection of any potential eye problem.”
