Year Six pupils at a primary school in Teddington were enthralled by two New Malden opticians who visited their school to explain more about the eye, how it works, and understand why some children might need to wear glasses.

Aligning with the school curriculum, the pupils from St Mary's and St Peter's Church of England Primary School, aged between 10 and 11, gained a clearer understanding of what a trip to the opticians entails. 

Bhavisha Patel, Specsavers New Malden's optometrist director, talked about eye structures, how they work and how to care for them. 

The importance of having a sight test was explained, including what the optometrist can see at the back of the eye during the examination.

With many children spending more time in front of screens at home and school, Patel introduced the 20:20:20 rule, explaining why it's good to take regular breaks every 20 minutes for 20 seconds and to look 20 feet away, as this helps to rest the eyes.

She said: "I also mentioned the number of times we blink per minute, per hour, and per day - so some maths was included in the talk too. The children found it fascinating and asked a lot of excellent questions."

Accompanying Patel was Sehnaz Uysalramjaun, a trainee contact lens optician and qualified dispensing optician at Specsavers New Malden.

The children also learned more about contact lenses and potentially how those pupils who have a stronger prescription might benefit from wearing them during sports, particularly contact sports.

During the interactive session, the Year Six pupils posed their own questions to the team, including finding out the difference between an optician and an optometrist and how you train to become both.

The students also learned about the difference between being short or long-sighted and how it can impact learning and day-to-day life, hence some children having to wear glasses to adjust their sight.

Commenting on the presentation, Jo Hamblett, a Year Six teacher at the school, said: "That was brilliant, thank you so much. It was really interesting, and you both pitched it perfectly for them. They were really interested in it all and had so many questions."

Following the talk, the children received goody bags containing a glow stick, googly eyes, a free eye test voucher, and tips on eye health, including information about myopia.

For anyone who wants to check if their eyesight or hearing is in tip-top condition for 2025, you can contact Specsavers New Malden on 020 8336 7620 or book online here.