Children’s Eye Services

Hobart Eye Surgeons have two orthoptists who provide a range of ophthalmic services for children of all ages.

An orthoptist is an allied health professional who specialises in assessing vision and ocular alignment in babies and children and monitoring visual development. One of their main areas of expertise is assessment of squint (turned eye) and its main side effect- loss of vision in the turned eye (amblyopia).They are also expert in diagnosing disorders of eye movements.

Orthoptists undertake the initial screening of children referred to the practice with suspected squint or reduced vision. This initial assessment aims to assess the vision, measure any turn present and provide a comprehensive overview of any visual problems. All in a child friendly environment that aims to be fun and relaxed.

The orthoptist is then involved on an ongoing basis in supervising treatment which may involve glasses and or patching. Some children require surgery to straighten their eye and the orthoptist will be involved in accurately measuring the squint pre and post operatively .They are involved in the ongoing monitoring of the child’s visual development and they provide a support base for both child and parent.