She couldn’t see the board
An eye test revealed the reason little Jessica was having trouble at school…
Dinner done, washingup sorted, kids in bed… At last I was free to flop on the sofa, exhausted, to watch telly.
My husband Stuart glanced over, looking concerned.
‘You’re covering up your eye again, love,’ he said. ‘You’ve been doing it a lot recently.’
I realised he was right. For months now, whenever I was tired, I automatically put a hand over my left eye. I found it helped me to relax – but maybe it was a sign that something wasn’t quite right.
I booked an eye test at the optician, where I discovered that while my right eye had perfect vision, my left was significantly weaker. I needed glasses to help correct my vision.
That got me wondering about my daughter Jessica, then four. She’d just started in Reception at school. Her teacher had told us she seemed to be having trouble seeing the board during group work.
The problem had been so noticeable the teacher asked Jessica to sit at the front.
Then I discovered my mum and Nan both had the same problem as me. If a weak left eye was hereditary, could Jessica be affected too?
Quickly, I made an appointment for a children’s eye test. Jessica took the test in her stride – in fact she enjoyed it. There were colours and pictures for her to identify, with red and green backgrounds.
As we’d suspected, Jessica’s left eye was weak in comparison to her right – she’d need to wear an eye patch for several weeks.
‘Would you like this pink princess eye patch?’ the optometrist asked kindly.
‘No,’ Jessica replied firmly. ‘I want a black one!’
Her teacher made sure she sat at the front
She was also prescribed ib d glasses, and we took our time picking a design. She opted for a deep purple pair with trendy frames.
‘I might get some in the same colour,’ I told Jessica, impressed by her choice.
She made such fast progress that she only needed to wear the patch for a few weeks. Her teacher noticed the improvement – with her glasses, Jessica was able to see clearly in class.
I’m so glad I took action. I’d urge other parents to book an eye test for their child, even if there aren’t any obvious problems – it could make all the difference.