The paediatric ophthalmology service specialises in the assessment and management of eye
disease and disorders of visual development in children.
The out-patient paediatric ophthalmology clinics take place in the Westminster Eye Centre Orthoptic Department in the main Countess of Chester Hospital building.
The team is comprised of a specialist consultant ophthalmologist, orthoptists and optometrists who
use the latest diagnostic equipment and techniques to care for children with a range of eye
conditions including:
• Squint and eye movement disorders
• Congenital/infantile cataracts
• Congenital/infantile glaucoma
• Retinal disorders
• Genetic eye disorders
• Disorders of eye development
• Uveitis screening and treatment
• Dry/watery eyes
What to expect
To help the consultant understand the child’s eye condition and plan treatment several tests may
need to be carried out at each appointment.
Some of these tests are described below:
• Orthoptic Assessment
The orthoptist will assess vision, eye movements and binocular vision and are skilled in
gaining co-operation and testing young children and babies.
• Dilating eye drops
At each appointment it is usually essential to look at the back of the child’s eye (retina). To
do this quickly and accurately it is necessary to put eye drops into both eyes to make the
pupils (black part of the eye) bigger.
This can sting for a few seconds, but the clinicians
doing this are very experienced at putting eye drops in and will do everything possible to
make the process as quick and uneventful as possible.
After having the drops, it is normal for a child to complain of blurred vision when looking at
things close up or they may be more sensitive to bright light.
These symptoms will go away
after a few hours as the drops stop working and the pupils return to their normal size.
• Refraction
This test measures if a child needs glasses to improve their vision and is performed by an
optometrist experienced in testing children and babies.
• OCT (eye scan)
This is an advanced eye scan that creates images of certain structures within the eye and
helps the ophthalmologist detect, diagnose, and monitor many eye conditions.
• OPTOS (eye scan)
This is a state-of-the-art eye scan that creates colour images of a wider area of the retina
than traditional OCT scans.
It is also possible to perform on much younger children and
babies as well as children with special educational needs.
The tests used in the paediatric ophthalmology clinics are designed to be accessible for all ages
and abilities of children.
Moreover, the clinicians in the team are experienced in assessing babies
and children (including those with special educational needs) and endeavour to ensure the
experience is as comfortable for the child as possible.
If you have a child with special educational needs, learning difficulties or autism and are worried
about attending the paediatric ophthalmology clinic you can contact us on the number below for
advice or to request any reasonable adjustments that may help.
Paediatric ophthalmology and orthoptic department:
- Cataract
01244 363003
(0830 – 1630 Monday – Friday)