Good vision and hearing are important. You should have had routine tests when you were little, but as you grow your vision or hearing may change.
For many teens, it’s common to not feel concerned about eye health. If you’re already in good health, it’s easy to believe you’ll always feel healthy and benefit from optimum vision. It is recommended that teens ages 13 to 18 years of age have a comprehensive eye exam at least every two years even if you don’t need glasses.
As you grow you may become short-sighted and notice that it is getting harder to see the whiteboard at school or the screen at the cinema. It is especially important to get your eyes tested when you decide to learn to drive. If you’re 16, 17 or 18 years of age and are in full-time education then you’re still eligible for free NHS eye tests and may be entitled to help towards the cost of glasses.
Contact lenses are perfectly suitable for use by teenagers and young adults. They are a safe, pain-free and effective way to correct vision problems and offer some benefits over glasses. If you don’t like wearing glasses, contact lenses could make you more comfortable with your appearance. If you play sports or engage in any other physical activity, contact lenses offer a better safety should you fall, clearer vision as they won’t get dirty, and an enhanced overall sports performance.
You can make an appointment at any high street optician. They will take to you about your vision and any family history. They can check your eyesight and the health of your eyes. The optician can refer you for a hospital eye test if you need more detailed tests. They have lots of different tests to suit all levels of ability. If you are nervous talk to them before your appointment and they will explain what to expect.
If you are worried about your hearing, you can speak to your GP who will be able to look in your ears. They may suggest you have a formal hearing test. Some opticians have hearing specialists too. Some school nurses may be able to test your hearing. You may need to attend the audiology or Ear Nose and Throat department at the hospital.
Here are some other issues that you may face regarding you may face around your vision and hearing. Please see the main sections for more information:
Auditory processing- Some young people have difficulty processing everyday sensory information. Any of the senses may be over or under sensitive, or both, at different times. These sensory differences can affect behaviour and can have a profound effect on a person’s life.
Sound Sensitivity- Some young people experience sensitivity to certain sounds, where they appear to find some sounds uncomfortable or upsetting, it can vary from child to child. This is sometimes called hyperacusis and a more extreme fear of certain sounds is known as phonophobia.
Visual processing– Visual Processing is the way the brain makes sense of visual information. Visual processing can affect reading.
Visual sensitivity– Some young people are very sensitive to the input that comes in from their visual sense.
Visual stress– The term “Visual Stress” is sometimes used to refer to the collection of symptoms and signs of visual fatigue when reading that are reduced when colour is used as therapy.