It used to be the school nurse who would be the first person to check your child’s eyesight – alas that is not standard practise anymore. If you have a suspicion that your child has vision troubles, or they are complaining of headaches, then an eye test at an optician is the thing to do. Optician Stephen Hopkinson at Roger Pope & Partners says “children need not be tested unless there is a known problem, or there is family history, although it is a good idea to have an eye examination when first starting school”.

Children needing glasses tend to fall into two groups – those that need glasses very young – either for a squint, which can often be corrected or long-sight, which can improve with age - and those who are diagnosed with short-sight or long-sight as they approach puberty. This will remain into adulthood.

There are no hard and fast rules. Many opticians are NHS registered and they do not charge to test a child’s sight.