Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage parents and carers to have their children's eyes examined by an optometrist from the age of three as recommended by the Association of Optometrists.

The Department does not recommend that all children have their first sight test around the age of three.

The United Kingdom National Screening Committee recommends that vision screening should be offered to all children aged four to five years rather than routine sight tests for younger children. This approach is supported by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists as well as the British and Irish Orthoptic Society. Local authorities (LAs) have responsibility for commissioning this as local screening services. Public Health England has made available guidance to support LAs to commissioning such services.

All children under the age of 16 are entitled to free National Health Service sight tests. Information about the availability of NHS funded sight tests for children is widely available including being publicised on the NHS website (formerly NHS Choices). The NHS Business Services Authority also provides information on eligibility for NHS funded sight tests. Optical practices providing NHS sight tests are required to display a notice and a leaflet showing the services available under the NHS as well as listing the groups who are entitled to free NHS funded sight tests.