Consultant Paediatric Ophthalmologist-Led Clinic at Children’s Clinic in The Women and Children’s Unit White Reception.
The Consultant Paediatric Ophthalmologist is Mr Aly; he has replaced Mr Naylor who retired in July 2019.
Mr Aly holds his Paediatric Ophthalmology clinic with two Orthoptists on Wednesdays and Fridays at the Children’s Clinic. Your child will see the Orthoptist first, and then Mr Aly.
Children with squints and/or vision concerns attend this clinic. Some general health problems such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis, neurofibromatosis, cerebral palsy, down’s syndrome, developmental delay and prematurity can affect the eyes, and therefore a child with these conditions may be referred to attend for eye screening.
The referrals to this clinic can come from a variety of sources such as:
- High street Optometrists
- GPs
- Visual screening
- Eye clinic in Outpatients
- Paediatricians
- Audiologists
- Specialist hospitals: Alder Hey, Birmingham Children’s, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital etc.
Your child may also visit the clinic for follow up appointments to monitor their eye condition.
Your child will have their vision tested by the Orthoptist and often also have an Orthoptic assessment if appropriate. This can involve measurements and testing of squints, eye muscle problems and assessment of binocularity (how well one uses their eyes together, 3D). The Orthoptic assessment assists Mr Aly to manage your child’s eye care.
The Orthoptist may need to put eye drops in to your child’s eyes to enable Mr Aly to complete a full ocular examination.
In some cases, if you are attending to discuss the option of surgery, following a discussion with the parents or guardians of your child Mr Aly will decide if surgery might be necessary. The children’s clinic has a Paediatric Nurse Team to pre-assess those children who may need surgery or a general anaesthetic, so you do not have to come again for another visit. All this is carried out in the Children’s Clinic with its fun waiting/play area.
Parents and children love the Children’s Clinic with its safe, fun environment. Parents can let their children be as noisy and as expressive as they like with all the toys, crafts and play area whilst they wait for their eye drops to take effect and wait to see Mr Aly.