Specsavers has launched its first ever 'eye screen' van to put children's eye health and eye tests at the top of parents' agendas.  

The van was not only equipped with ice lollies, but also visual screeners, to help identify any potential eyesight problems in children and alert their parents if they required a more thorough eye test.   

The activity comes as new research conducted by Specsavers among parents with kids aged four to 16, revealed that a 25 per cent of children of this age have never had an eye test, and a further 9% haven't had one in two years or longer.  

This is despite 20 per cent of parents saying their child had experienced problems at school which could be linked to vision.

The most common issues raised includes struggling to see the whiteboard (42 per cent), having to move to the front of the classroom to see (25 per cent) or experiencing headaches (17 per cent).  

The latest survey found the most common reasons parents haven't taken their child for an eye test is because they have no visible problems (50 per cent) or have not mentioned a problem (50 per cent).  

Specsavers Kenilworth store director, Ambreena Bhatti said: "A lot of parents assume that because their child doesn't display any signs of a vision problem, there's no need to have their eyes tested.

"However, this couldn't be further from the truth.

"Ensuring your child has regular eye examinations from an early age is incredibly important for several reasons. Given more than 80 per cent of our learning, cognitive and social abilities are facilitated through our sight, it's extremely important to your child's overall development.  

"Poor eyesight can cause learning and behavioural problems. Conditions such as squinting and amblyopia (lazy eye) can be treated more effectively if they are picked up earlier, which could make a huge difference to your child. An eye test doesn't just check vision. It can also detect other underlying health conditions."

Children under the age of 16, as well as those under 19 in full-time education, are entitled to an NHS-funded eye test and free pair of glasses at any high street opticians. However, 24 per cent of parents are not aware of this. Awareness of this has diminished over the past 15 years with one in 10 parents not being aware of this in 2009.  

Ambreena added: "We understand how many things parents have to think about, especially during the summer holidays and before the new school year starts.

"We want to continue putting eye tests on parents' radars as they play a significant role in setting children up for a happy and fulfilling school life."

To combat this, Specsavers is looking at ways to make a visit to the opticians more fun with the launch of its friendly 'Optomonsters'. Customers will start to notice the Optomonsters popping up in stores nationwide soon.  

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