'Fluke' optician visit finds boy, 7, in danger of going blind in eye
'Fluke' optician visit finds boy, 7, in danger of going blind in eye
A seven-year-old boy is in danger of losing sight in one eye because of an undiagnosed condition that was only picked up by a "fluke appointment" at the optician's.
It was a casual conversation about how parents prioritise dental check-ups, but often overlook eye tests, that led to Mared Jones, from Dinas Mawddwy, Gwynedd, taking her children to be checked for the first time.
While her two daughters were fine, Mared was shocked to find son Mabon had amblyopia - known as lazy eye - and was "more or less" blind in that eye.
The Royal Society for Blind Children said the wellbeing of children relies on their sight, and communication needs to be better around the level of testing at school.
The Welsh government said all children should be screened in schools at age four or five to detect early problems, but they should also be taken to the optician's regularly for checks.
Mabon has now been given glasses and will be reassessed in six months, but the family have been told there is little that can be done to restore vision in the eye.
"The two girls went first, and they were fine," said Mared.
"And then Mabon got tested, and it was obvious straight away that he couldn't see much at all through his right eye.
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