Almost a quarter (23%) of parents with children aged between 4-11 do not take their child for regular eye tests every one-two years as recommended
Specsavers have released a ‘catchy’ song to boost kids’ eye health – as 60% of parents admit they would wait for children to complain about their eyesight to book a test.
Research has revealed almost a quarter (23%) of parents with children aged between 4-11 do not take their child for regular eye tests every one-two years as recommended. The average age of a child’s first eye test is now 8.3 years old, with 14% of parents saying their child has never had an eye test at all.
Content creator Kit Brown has teamed up with Stagecoach Performing Arts class in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, to get parents and kids thinking about eye health.
Specsavers say their ‘primary school banger’ is fun, memorable and seriously shareable with an aim to help important information stick and nudge parents to take action.
Their research also says 16% of parents don’t realise kids under 16 years of age can get free NHS-funded eye tests. However, only 16% of parents who do know this include booking an eye test in their top three priorities, with it falling behind buying shoes, uniforms and stationery.
Many parents wait until there’s a problem instead, with 62% saying they’d only book a test if their child complained about their vision or after concerns were raised by a teacher (42%).
Specsavers say that because much primary school learning is visual, that delay in getting checked can have a real impact on confidence and progress.
They hope their new song can prevent this by sticking in kids and parents’ heads Kit Brown, @kjbr0wn, said: “Kids remember what’s fun and once a song’s in your head, it’s there. If they are singing about eye tests, there is a good chance they will remind their parents too.”
Specsavers optometrist Dr Nigel Best said: “Eye tests are not always front of mind for parents but they should be.
“By making the message fun and impossible to ignore, we hope more families will book that first eye test sooner rather than later.”