It’s #WorldOrthopticDay! Are you ready to learn about our fantastic team who test, diagnose and treat patient’s eyes?

Find out what happens in the Eye Department and how this has changed over the last couple of months

You might be wondering what are orthoptists? They are Allied Health Professionals who assess and treat problems with eye movements and the development of vision

Eye symptoms can be the first sign of a range of conditions. Orthoptists are specifically trained to look out for conditions which may affect the eyesight and prompt the investigations and treatments

Orthoptists also diagnose and treat patients who need to visit our Emergency Department due to injuries to their eyes

The ones you meet might look a little different at the moment – wearing face masks, gloves and aprons to help keep you safe

You can learn more about PPE here
https://www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk/patients-and-parents/coronavirus-resources-for-children-and-families/

The orthoptist will play a game to check what each of your eyes can see. They will have a game for you whatever your age – even babies can have a vision test

They will then check how your eyes are moving to make sure the nerves and muscles that control them work properly. They might do some extra tests, but will always explain what they are going to do and why

The Eye Department waiting area is a little quieter at the moment but we’re still here to help patients with urgent eye problems. Due to COVID-19, lots of appointments are happening virtually

For more information on virtual appointments, please visit: https://www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk/patients-and-parents/outpatients/video-appointments/

The team always review patient needs. This means they can continue to safely monitor patients conditions from a distance or arrange a safe face to face visit if needed

Please remember, if you think your child has an eye problem, you can get a referral to our team through your GP. All children under 16 are entitled to free NHS eye tests at a local optometrist. If a problem is found, they can be referred to the hospital via your GP!

If your child needs to visit the emergency department with any injury or illness, please do so immediately, we are here for you

Thank you for reading this thread for #WorldOrthoptistDay!