Eye dr for lazy eye?

[calie_j]

HELP!!! The eye dr DD8 has been seeing since she was 1yrs old retired right after she had her eye surgery for lazy eye. Now I need to find a new dr. Does she need to see an opthomologist or is an optician ok? Should I look for someone who specializes in pediatrics (rare around here) or just someone who sees kids? I hate making these decisions and always worry I'll make the wrong one but I need to get her in soon to change the prescription for her glasses (she has bifocals also). I already called and the earliest appt is June so I need to decide so I can make the appt.

Thanks, Calie

 

[Mom to Jordan]

I strongly belive that any child with eye problems needs to see a pediatric Opthomologist. Can her old doctor not recomend someone?? Also ask your child's primary doctor who he or she recomends.

 

[pweyl36]

Ask The Old Dr For Any Referrals,

 

[Tam1067]

We've been through this with my son who has a lazy eye, asigmatism and is far-sighted. Find a pediatric opthamologist. Do not just go to an optometrist because they do not have the proper training. The second choice would be an opthamologist who sees kids, too.

I found ours by going to my health insurance provider's website.

 

[Iluvthemouse]

My DD has worn glasses since she was 8 months old and she is now 7. She went to a pediatric opthomalogist for the first 4 years but now she sees our regular eye doctor. Her doctor said she is old enough to see a regular eye doc. Ours is great and he is very good with her as well.

 

[mickeymousemom]

If you can find a pediatric ophthalmologist this would be great, but many general ophthalmologists also do fine with kids. The ones I worked for were not pediatric, but did muscle surgery on kids quite often. If it's easier to get to a general ophthalmologist, then just try this first. I know we are about 45 minutes from the closest pediatric guy....I also recommend you ask your old doctor. After becoming a tech and working for an ophthalmologist for almost 8 years, I'll never see an optometrist again. Even healthy eyes can routinely see an MD.

 

[calie_j]

Thank you for all the replies. Our old DR is already retired over 6 months ago and I asked for referals but thought our insurance was changing to another network when I did that, now that I have to make an app I'm with the same provider. I called last week and asked the receptionist for a good one and ended up with an Optician but fate intervened and they called to cancel that appt and had me call back to reschedule. So this time I found the website with the list of dr's so I'd know who I was getting, the ONLY pediatric one isn't taking new patients and only sees kids under 2 When they tried to get me to pick an optician I stood firm and after they went to check her old dr's notes made the appt with an opthamologist who sees kids (only on Fridays). For a city with 2 major hospitals/providers it seems like slim pickings. I hate making these decisions, thanks for helping me.

Calie

 

[mickeymousemom]

Good luck with whatever works out for you. I'm surprised you're having so much trouble. I'd have to go to Indy to find an ophthalmology specialist, but there are plenty of just good old ophthalmologists around here. Many of ours see lots of kids and only refer to a ped. in an extreme case. We also have plenty of optometrists(around here an optician is one who measures someone for glasses and possibly works in the lab that makes them...they basically only work in the optical shop of a DO or MD's office) but again, I wouldn't go that route at all. I hope it all works out well and you find a good doctor that both you and your DD are comfy with

 

[DisneyWacker]

I grew up with a fairly severe alternating exotropia (sometimes called lazy eye, but I think it is slightly different). My eye doctor always recommended against surgery for some reason (may have just been that my parents couldn't afford it). It was extremely challenging growing up with this disability. Anyway, I managed to get a medical exemption to go to west point and after graduating my military opthamologist operated on my eyes (at age 24). It was a very easy procedure and aside from my eyes being bloodshot for about a month, wasn't very painful and 100% successful. He (the doctor) told me that the surgery could have been done very easily when I was a child with a very high probability of the same outcome. Anyway, my eyes are perfectly straight now (12 years later) and I wish my parents could have found a doctor to do the surgery when I was a kid.

With that said, best of luck to you. I'm glad you are doing your best to help your child. If it is alternating exotropia your child has, I hope the doctor you find can advise you to do what is best to correct your child's eyes (at least cosmetically, as far as I know there is no way to get the depth perception back).

 

[CleveRocks]

HELP!!! The eye dr DD8 has been seeing since she was 1yrs old retired right after she had her eye surgery for lazy eye. Now I need to find a new dr. Does she need to see an opthomologist or is an optician ok? Should I look for someone who specializes in pediatrics (rare around here) or just someone who sees kids? I hate making these decisions and always worry I'll make the wrong one but I need to get her in soon to change the prescription for her glasses (she has bifocals also). I already called and the earliest appt is June so I need to decide so I can make the appt.

Thanks, Calie

I think we need a little work with terminology. Forget OPTICIAN. An optician is a technician. Usually a high school diploma is all that's required, before specific training that is. Some may get an Associate's degree first. Opticians fit glasses and sometimes contacts, and in rare cases these days, some grind lenses. But all of this is based upon a prescription from someone with a doctoral degree. Opticians are important, but do not provide actual treatment.

An optometrist has the degree "O.D.," Optometry Doctor. They graduate from college, and then go to optometry school to receive their doctorate (a 4 year program I believe, the same length as medical school). The best way I can explain an optometrist is that they are doctors of vision. Not doctors of the eye, but doctors that treat the sense of VISION.

An ophthalmologist (the correct spelling) is a physician. An ophthalmologist has the degree "M.D." or "D.O." They graduate college, then go to medical school for 4 years. All physicians have exactly the same training all the way through the end of medical school. After that, they train in what's called residency. Residency is where they get trained in their specialty. Ophthalmology residencies are typically 4 years, probably the shortest surgical residency (yes, ophthalmlogists are surgeons). They treat diseases of the eye. Many also treat VISION as well, but their main focus (pardon the pun) is diseases of the eye. After completing residency, some ophthalmologists do further training in a fellowship. Someone who is a pediatric ophthalmologist becomes an ophthalmologist first, then does advanced training (a fellowship, at least one year) in pediatric ophthalmology. It would be INCREDIBLY rare for a general pediatrician to then become a pediatric ophthalmologist -- if it's ever been done in that order, I'd be shocked, because it would take MANY extra years.

So after all this long-winded stuff, I never answered your question. Which eye professional should you take your child to? Simple answer -- ASK YOUR PEDIATRICIAN!!!