Orthoptic Services

Orthoptists are specialist members of the eye care team. We are known as Allied Health Care Professionals. An Orthoptist works autonomously; many of our patients do not need to see a doctor, and are managed solely by the orthoptic team. This said, we also work alongside other medical staff to provide a broad range of care. Our role is primarily to diagnose and treat eye misalignment problems known as squint or strabismus. We are trained to assess binocular vision and visual development problems so we dedicate a large amount of time to testing children in order to ensure that they achieve the best visual outcome. Orthoptists work primarily in hospital outpatient departments. We also lead vision screening in children aged 4-5 years.

As well as treating children, orthoptists manage visual problems in adults including double vision (diplopia), blurred vision, abnormal eye movements or having a problem performing normal visual tasks may necessitate a referral to us. These sorts of problems can arise from underlying medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, neurological conditions, an endocrine problem, stroke or trauma to the eye.

Please access this following websites for further information:

• Orthoptics.org.uk
• Squint Clinic.com