AS PARENTS prepare for the start of another school year, there's the usual rush to complete the start-of-term checklist: uniform, stationery and sports kit.

But one important check-up will be missing from many parents' lists of what to give their children for the best chance to learn: an eyesight test.

Opticians in York are reminding families that regular sight tests are vital for youngsters and that now - a week before the start of term - is the ideal time for a check-up.

Deryck Watts, store director of Specsavers Opticians in York, said vision problems that were not dealt with could hinder children's performance in the classroom.

"Vision problems can have a massive impact on a child's ability to learn, therefore to ensure they get the best out of school an eye test should be a crucial part of the whole back to school routine," he said.

He said children's eyesight is fully developed by about the age of eight and problems that were not picked up could then become permanent.

He said: "It's really important that children's eyesight is checked regularly from a young age because much of its development takes place before the age of eight.

"After eight really is too late, as by then it can be much harder to correct any problems."

In many cases, problems with vision are mistaken for learning difficulties, particularly in young children who cannot easily describe their symptoms.

Mr Watts advised parents to look out for four key signs of eyesight problems: l Frequently rubbing their eyes l Experiencing regular headaches l Sitting very close to the television l Showing irritation towards bright light.

Michael Jowett, owner of Coverdales Opticians, in Walmgate, York, said in the past youngsters' vision problems were often picked up a lot earlier through compulsory check-ups in schools.

He said: "A lot of these problems were found a lot earlier. Now unless the child is complaining and sometimes the child does not know what their eyesight should be like anyway, it's easy to miss the problem.

"Sometimes that can result in a lazy eye developing. If that is not picked up before the age of six or seven, that eye will be weak for the rest of the child's life.

"It is important certainly for pre-school children to have a check-up every year, unless there's a history of poor eyesight in the family when it should be more."

Jonathan Binnington, of Binnington And Thurling Opticians, in Micklegate, York, said he was surprised by how many parents did not realise children's eye tests are free on the NHS.

He said: "Getting children eye tested from an early age is very important because there can be problems with the eyesight that would not be immediately obvious to the parent.

"The children may not realise what they are missing. They may accept defective eyesight as normal because they have nothing to compare it with."