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Optometry Website

Community Paediatric Eye Clinics


The Optometry department provides support for the Community Paediatric Eye Service, working alongside orthoptists in clinics around the city of Leeds.

The Leeds Community Paediatric Eye Service is part of the Community Children's Services. A service for abnormal vision has been in existence since the early 1970's. This has developed in to a service for reduced visual acuity, amblyopia and squint in health centres in locations around the city. The current health centres used are:

Visual acuity screening is carried out in schools by the School Nursing team in reception class and year 6. Children are also referred to the service by Health visitors and community paediatricians. Orthoptists carry out secondary screening on referred cases. Children found to have a defect are followed up or treated in the centres. Assessment of the refractive error (spectacle prescription) and eye health are carried out by a community ophthalmologist (currently 2 sessions per week) or Specialist optometrists (currently 4 sessions a week). Approximately 1000 children are under review at any one time. A small percentage of children are referred in to the Hospital Eye Service for consultant ophthalmologist opinion or squint surgery.

The administration of the clinics is based at St Mary's Hospital under the direction of a General Manager. The Head of Orthoptic Services, provides the main link for the management of the service between the Community Service and the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. The Orthoptic Clinical Specialist, provides the link for day to day service issues. The Optometry service is managed by the Head of Optometry Services.

 

 

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