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Your child has been seen by the neurodisability team at Ryegate or referred by a member of the team. This may have also been via the school vision screening team.
As part of that pathway we arrange an eye test and an appointment for you to attend. The eye test will be done by an orthoptist who is a specialist in testing children’s eyes. They will assess your child’s vision and find out if the eye muscles are working correctly.
We have made every effort to avoid duplication by checking our system to make sure you are not already attending Ryegate or Sheffield Children’s eye department.
We do not have access to other local hospital records or optometry practices. If you are already under the care of another department, please let us know so we can cancel this appointment and offer it to someone else who is waiting.
It is important for us to test each eye separately to see if one eye is weaker than the other. We might use a patch or some glasses to cover one eye in order to do this. It would help if you could practice covering an eye one at a time as a game before you come. Even if just with your hand playing ‘I spy with one eye’.
We test your child’s vision by asking them to name or sign letters and pictures, or match letters and pictures on a card. Another way we can assess vision in non-verbal children and young people is by an observation test using pictures or black and white stripes on a card.
Other tests will be done to check how well their eyes work together. The emphasis is very much on ‘looking games’ rather than eye testing, as a lot of information can be gained about a child’s vision by observing them in a play situation which is called ‘functional vision’
If your child has an eye problem such as reduced vision, squint or a strong family history, the orthoptist will discuss referral to the optometrist or consultant ophthalmologist on a different day either at Ryegate or at Sheffield Children’s.
If the orthoptist finds your child’s eyes are normal they may be discharged.
It may be necessary to continue to monitor your child’s vision. For example, if no problem was found but testing was incomplete and we think that testing at your local optometrist or school entry vision screening would not be possible.
It is very important that children’s eye problems are treated as soon as possible. By the time your child is 7 years old the eyesight is fully developed and sometimes it is too late to treat some eyesight problems satisfactorily at this stage.
If you do not attend this appointment without prior notice, no further appointment will be sent out and your child will be discharged.
If you have any queries please contact Julia Ennis, Head Orthoptist on 0114 271 7616
If you need to reschedule or cancel an upcoming appointment please contact our appointments team on 0114 305 3691 between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday.
When you call we will need to you know your child’s name, hospital number and details of their appointment.
Please note: this is a generic information sheet relating to care at Sheffield Children’s NHS FT. These details may not reflect treatment at other hospitals. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professionals’ instructions. If this resource relates to medicines, please read it alongside the medicine manufacturer’s patient information leaflet. If this information has been translated into another language from English, efforts have been made to maintain accuracy, but there may still be some translation errors. If you are unsure about any of the guidance in this resource or have specific questions about how it relates to your child, always ask your healthcare professional for further advice.
Resource number: EYE54
Resource Type: Article
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TH
United Kingdom
Switchboard: 0114 271 7000
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Help to transform our extraordinary hospital into something even better.