Referrals

Referral and appointment information

There are 3 ways in which your child can be referred at present:

1. Through the National Vision Screening Programme
2. By a Community Paediatrician via the Child Development Centres
3.  As a sibling to a current patient

 

If you, as a professional, or a parent have any questions or concerns regarding a child’s eyes however, please call us.  We are very willing to discuss and signpost to the best treatment path.

 

 

Why refer to us?

We are specialists in testing children.

 

If a High Street Optometrist finds a problem with a child’s eyes, they often refer to a Hospital Eye Department. Waiting lists for hospital eye appointments are often extremely long. Last year children waited on average just 4 weeks to see us, often sooner.

 

The care that a child would get from the Paediatric Eye Service is exactly the same as that offered by a hospital – just more local and, hopefully, more flexible!

 

We would aim to diagnose the cause of the problem and commence early treatment, allowing your child the reach their full visual potential.

 

The visual system is fully developed by the age of 8, therefore treatment needs to be completed before then.

 

 

 

What will happen at your first appointment?

Prior to your first appointment, you will receive an information pack from the paediatric eye team. Within this pack will be a case history questionnaire. Please complete this and bring it to your first appointment. You will also receive some eye drops to put in your child’s eyes at least an hour before their appointment. 

The drops dilate (enlarge) the pupils to enable the optometrist to check that the backs of the eyes are healthy and perform an accurate glasses test.  The drops can take up to an hour to work, particularly on dark brown eyes.

Your child can go back to school after the appointment so long as the teacher knows that he/she has had drops in and that their near vision will be blurred. You may want to bring sunglasses or a cap if it is a bright day.

Do not worry if you notice your child’s pupils are still large the following day. Sometimes it takes longer for the drops to wear off.

If your child has had glasses ordered, they would normally be re-assessed by the orthoptist after 4 months (no drops required at this visit). It may take your child a while to fully adapt to the glasses. To make this as quick and easy as possible we recommend that children should wear their glasses all of the time.

If your child has been found to need glasses, you will be given a GOS form. This is a record of the glasses prescription, plus voucher and authorisation codes. The voucher provides payment towards the cost of the glasses. The amount that the voucher is worth depends on the strength of your prescription. 

The voucher value changes annually. Current values can be found on the NHS website. Shop around for the best value and only buy glasses when you're happy with the product, including the fit, and cost.  

Take the voucher and your child to any High Street Optician of your choice. They will help you decide what frames will fit your child. The optician that you choose will be responsible for any repairs or replacements of the glasses over the next 12 months. If you lose the voucher, please call the service.

If the glasses you choose cost more than the value of the voucher, then you may have to pay towards repairs or replacements.

If your child has had glasses ordered, they would normally be re-assessed by the orthoptist after four months (no drops are required at this visit). It may take your child a while to fully adapt to the glasses. To make this as quick and easy as possible we recommend that children should wear their glasses all of the time.

Your child should NOT be tested for glasses by any other optician while under the care of the paediatric eye service.