Six-year-old Jasper’s parents had no idea there was anything up with his eyesight until school vision screening picked up that he had low vision in one eye. Jasper has Amblyopia, often referred to as “lazy eye”, which is a condition where the vision in one eye doesn’t develop correctly, leading to uneven vision.
Jasper, an imaginative child who loves arts and crafts, building train tracks, and constructing cardboard creations, didn’t show any signs that he was struggling.
“If it wasn’t for that school screening, I don’t think we would’ve picked it up as early,” said his dad, Sun. “His reading was always very good, so he was overcompensating quite a bit with his right eye. When we first went to the hospital and did the eye test with the chart, I thought gosh, this will be a big issue if it’s not sorted out.”
After being referred to an orthoptist and hospital optometrist, Jasper was prescribed glasses and began wearing a patch over his stronger eye to stimulate the weaker one. He quickly took to it, despite some initial discomfort. “He’s very compliant,” said his parent. “The patches come in all kinds of different designs and colours. When we went back for a follow-up, he got to pick a box of designs. He’ll say, ‘I don’t want to wear the puppy today, I want to wear the rocket,’ so he gets a choice and has some control.”
Erick Wilson-Gougeon, a Family Outreach Officer from Guide Dogs, was one of the people Jasper saw when he came into the hospital. “While Jasper didn’t need much additional support, amblyopia isn’t always caught so early. For children who need a little bit of further support, there is support available, whether that be information, access to our CustomEyes books with a larger typeface, or even signposting on to further services.
“We want parents to know that regardless of their children’s level of vision we can help.”
Alis Sejourne, from the British and Irish Orthoptics Society, as well as Jasper’s Orthoptist, advocates for mandatory school screening to help children like Jasper: “Amblyopia is a condition where one eye doesn’t develop vision properly and affects up to 5% of children in the UK. Patching is a highly effective treatment, where the stronger eye is covered with a patch or blurred with eye drops to encourage the weaker eye to work harder and strengthen. Without early intervention, amblyopia can lead to permanent but preventable reduced vision.
“Catching amblyopia through school vision screening and timely support from orthoptists is crucial. However, not all children currently have access to school vision screening across the UK, and patching can be challenging for both children and parents. That’s why we’re calling for compulsory national screening and highlighting the support available through the BIOS #WePatch campaign.”
If your child has been diagnosed with a visual impairment and you’d like to find out more about the support and resources available to you, visit guidedogs.org.uk or call 0800 781 1444.
