The visual development of a child just about reaches its peak between the ages of six and seven years, though it may be quicker in some children or slower in others. The fact that they are starting school thus poses a number of important questions:

• Is the child ready -in terms of their vision- to be learning how to read and write?
• What are the minimal requirements a child must meet to avoid facing problems with sight throughout their education?
• For what symptoms of forthcoming problems should we be on the look-out?

People are becoming more and more aware of the importance of sound visual accuracy. To see the words on the blackboard is essential, but it does not end there, because the child will spend many hours reading, writing, drawing…in short, to call upon their near sight in activities.

We can confidently declare that, without accounting for physical education and recreation, 80% of a child's time in school is spent using their near sight.

The traditional tests which allow parents to be told "your child has good eyesight, displaying 100% long vision" assess nothing more than one of the numerous skills required for a child to read. Why? What good is excellent long vision to a child if they cannot sustain a gaze of 30-40 cm ahead of them, or read for no longer than 10 minutes at a time?