Cash award makes for good reading

Experts will examine the literacy skiills of reception and year one pupils in Bradford under the Department of Health-backed study.

Specialists are aiming to find out if poor vision can affect a child’s long-term attainment, along with health and social outcomes.

Poor vision in youngsters is usually due to lazy eye which affects up to one in 25 children, although as many as a third in Bradford fail to attend follow-up care.

Alison Bruce, head orthoptist at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who will lead the work under the Born in Bradford project, said: “Reading is an essential daily living skill, yet there have been few studies examining the impact of lazy eye on reading ability.

“Early detection and treatment is recommended but there is still a debate around its impact on key life outcomes like education, employment and other social outcomes.

“It is therefore vital to know if the essential recognition skills required for reading are affected by the presence of lazy eye.”