What is an Orthoptist?
Orthoptists are health care professionals (registered with the Healthcare Professions Council) who are experts in diagnosing, measuring and treating eye movement disorders and problems with how the eyes work together (binocular vision) in both adults and children.
Orthoptists offer a range of treatments for binocular vision abnormalities including eye patching for lazy eye (amblyopia) and eye exercises or prism lenses for squints (strabismus). If surgery or medical treatment is required, the orthoptist will refer onward to the appropriate ophthalmologist (eye surgeon) to discuss treatment options further.
Who may benefit from seeing an orthoptist?
Patients (adults and children) who would benefit from seeing an orthoptist include:
- Young children with a strong family history of squint (strabismus) and/or lazy eye (amblyopia).
- Children found to a lazy eye (amblyopia) by their optometrist.
- Those with gradual onset, intermittent or worsening double vision (diplopia).
- Those with a squint (sometimes called a ‘turn’) that requires further investigations.
- Those with reading difficulties, eye strain or blur caused by problems with convergence (the ability to draw our eyes together to view a near target)
- Those requiring full eye movement documentation (including electronic Hess screen test) as part of the surgery planning or post-surgery follow up, at the request of an Ophthalmologist (eye surgeon) or Maxillary Facial Surgeons
Where can you access the Binocular Vision Clinic?
Orthoptic assessments are available at our Sevenoaks branch.
Initial orthoptic assessments cost £150.
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