How would you deal with helicopter parents during an eye exam?
In each issue, Acuity poses a topical question to a panel of members.
Louise Terry MCOptom
Lecturer and optometrist, School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff University
I’m sure we’ve all had those moments in the testing room when you can feel a parent’s breath on the back of your neck as they lean in to watch your every move while you check their little one’s eyes. I find this particularly with my myopia management patients.
Listen carefully to parents’ concerns – as a parent myself, I can say with confidence that I know my children best. Most importantly, be sure to respect all involved – parent and child – and have confidence in your professional abilities.
While these situations can be tricky to deal with, ultimately you all want the same thing – the best for that child.
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Related further reading
To mark World Sight Day, new analysis of UK eye tests data estimates that only around 5% of the total population of children aged five years and under had an eye test in 2025, despite optometrists and opticians recommending that children should be taken for their first regular eye test by the time they start school, from age three to four years old.