Overview
Eye conditions are very common. The RACH Paediatric eye department is one of the busiest out-patient clinics in the hospital. Three types of eye health professionals work there – all beginning with the letter “O”. Some children need to see two or even all three in the same visit, so the clinics can be busy and lengthy. So who are they? And what do they do?
Ophthalmologists
Doctors who specialise in medical and surgical treatment of the eyes and visual pathways)
Orthoptists
Professionals who specialise in detecting and treating abnormalities of vision and binocular vision development, and squints; particularly in children). You can read more about Orthoptics at RACH and the outpatient clinics they run.
Optometrists
Opticians who specialise in detecting optical anomalies and prescribing glasses in children.
As a team we see a wide range of conditions affecting the child’s eyes, most of which are also seen in adult ophthalmology: but the extra skill in dealing with children’s eyes, is the ability to detect, diagnose and treat these conditions in a range of ages from the newborn to the mid-teen…and manage their parents too!
We liaise with other related hospital specialties such as neurology, ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) and rheumatology. We also work with community services like community child health and teachers of the visually impaired.
Clinic
Nurses help run the clinic, and usually instil the dilating eyedrops that some children need to help diagnose their condition. We often have trainee doctors, and medical students in the clinic; and orthoptic and optometry students sometime attend.
