A two-year-old had staff at an optical store in tears after he was able to see clearly for the first time with glasses.

Jacob Grilli, two, from River, has severe long-sightedness.

But workers at Vision Express in Biggin Street, Dover, had their hearts melted as he was able to now run giggling around the store with clear eyesight.

His mother Katy Grilli, 31, now wants parents to take advantage of free eye test vouchers available via the NHS.

She spoke out on the eve of National Eye Health Week, which begins on Monday.

Research shows that two in three parents have never had their children’s eyes tested and that only one in five children are having the free tests.

Ms Grilli, a mother-of-four and a paediatrician, has used the vouchers for years. They allow children under 16 to have the tests and contribute towards the cost of glasses.

She explained: “My eldest child Matthew is long-sighted and wears glasses so we take him to have regular eye tests.

“ When Jacob started pinching Matthew’s glasses, and even his grandad’s, we thought he just wanted to raise a smile.

“However, one day he took Matthew’s glasses and watched a whole television programme in them - it was then that I became concerned and decided to take him for his first eye test.”

Lucy Hall, optometrist store manager at Dover Vision Express ,examined Jacob.

She said: “It’s not often that I meet such a severely long-sighted patient, especially one so young.

“However, it’s very positive that we made such an early diagnosis as it means the corrective lenses will enable the pathways from his eyes to his brain to repair over time.

“Jacob will always need glasses but his current sight impairment can be improved significantly.”

Ms Hall said that parents can spot signs of poor vision such as their children squinting, rubbing their eyes a lot or holding books close to their face.

Eye tests at schools are no longer mandatory, yet 80% of a child’s learning is through vision.

Ms Hall adds that sight problems can be the reason that a child doesn’t perform well at school because sometimes they can’t even see the board.

Jacob currently has his eyes tested every six months at Vision Express and has been referred to the orthoptics department at East Kent Hospitals due to the strength of his prescription.

Youngsters’ sight can be tested at any age but it is recommended that they see an optometrist before they start school and begin learning to read.

Vision Express, as official sponsor of National Eye Health Week, is offering free eye tests with an online voucher available for download until September 30.

This is through visionexpress.com/national-eye-health-week-2017/free-eye-test.

The tests from these will be done until Tuesday, October 31.