A MOTHER of four is urging all parents to get their children's eyes tested during the summer holidays.

Clair Hoy's youngest child Max starred in a Vision Express advert when he was just seven months old.

Knowing the dangers of potential eye problems, Clair now ensures that Max 3, and his siblings Alexia, 5, Alfie, 9, and Taylor, 10, all have regular eye tests.

Clair, who is from Braintree, said: “Max has just started nursery so I wanted to make sure that there were no problems with his eyesight.

"I get all of the children’s eyes tested regularly and I would urge other parents to take their children to the opticians. It’s free and the NHS provides a discount if they need glasses.”

Alfie was found to have an astigmatism in his left eye, luckily nothing a pair of glasses won't sort.

Optometrist Vishal Modia said: "We encourage all parents to get their children’s eyes tested as early as possible.

"Even with very young children, we have a number of tests we can do to check that the eyes are healthy.

"As the child gets older, we use shapes and symbols rather than letters and numbers to test if their vision and 3D vision is developing correctly, as well as checking their colour vision."

All four children left the Braintree store with smiles still in tact and a snazzy new pair of sunglasses.

Vishal said: “Children’s eyes are still developing so their lenses are clearer than adults and can allow more UV light to penetrate deeper into the eye.

“What’s more, because children tend to spend more time outdoors, their annual dose of UV radiation can be up to three times that of an adult, so making sure children wear sunglasses that provide adequate UV protection is very important.”

For further information about children's eye health visit: www.visionexpress.com/childrens.