ST Nicholas Junior School pupils went out and about in Sidmouth to learn more about their eyes and sight.

As part of their body bits topic. the children in class 5NS at the school in Woolbrook Road went with teacher Leah Stratton to Blackmore Gardens, opticians McShaws and the library.

In the gardens they split into pairs and explored what it would be like to be blind. They took turns to put scarves over their eyes and be led around the park.

Pupil Hannah Wilson said: “At first it was disorientating but after a while I felt calm and trusted my partner.”

In groups they visited McShaws. Each group was challenged to show that people need both eyes to see correctly. They were told about the eye and how melanin can influence the colour, and saw lots of different photos of eyes, some healthy, some not.

They were shown a machine which magnified the eye so that they could see the pupil changing size and the melanin in the iris too.

Next, they visited the library, which has books tailored for use by the visually impaired, including large print books and audio books.

There was also a special computer, with a large keyboard, big screen icons and headphones to listen to instructions through. It can even show you braille with a braille keyboard.

Louis Spalding said: “The best part of the day was being ‘blind’ in Blackmore Gardens.”