Good private paediatric ophthalmologist

[Caron1968]

Daughter may have strabismus (squint), 7 months old, good old in laws are willing to pay privately. My little girl is only grandchild, no chance of any others so are happy to pay for prompt expert medical consultation and treatment. Does any know of an excellent paediatric ophthalmologist.
Thank you in anticipation
John

I would recommend the people either at Moorfields or at King's Hospital in London. Frankly, I would opt for whichever eye hospital is nearest to you.

However, I would also think that your GP will refer you, no problem.

WHereabouts?

We're in SE London and saw Mr Hammond at the Sloane Hospital (though he also works at the PRUH and the West Kent Eye Centre).

He was lovely. COmpletely relaxed atmosphere and DS1 (age 5) loved him

Agree with MI.

DS1 went private only because his eye-thing so completely minor that the waiting list would have been into the next century probably, and DH has bupa through work.

For things that need more input and consideration I'd be tempted to follow the advice of your GP (with regards to referrals, NHS or otherwise).

Thank you for your prompt replies.
GP is referring us to local Dr, however waiting lists are so long and we would like this sorted sooner rather than later. We live in Yorkshire but travel isn't a great issue.

London too far though for repeated appointments.

What I'd do is ask the GP which consultant they'd be referring to (or if referring to a department, find out who the consultants are) and then ask whether the consultant does private too. Ring their private practice and make an appointment.

CHeck out the BMI website maybe. I put in a search for Leeds and it came up with these consultants all of whom do private work (but probably all do NHS too at local hospitals).

www.bmihealthcare.co.uk/consultant/searchresult?p_speciality=40&in_address=leeds&in_distance=15&imageField4.x=23&imageField4.y=8

I do actually agree that strabismus needs tackling as early as possible (I write about eyes a fair bit) but yes it also needs repeated appointments.

Liverpool has some nice people. I rather love the professor of ophthalmology there, who sounds exactly like Billy Connolly.

Manchester has a specialist eye hospital too.

My DD has long sight, which we first noticed when she started to squint.

She sees an excellent paediatric ophthalmologist - or rather, she sees the assistants, as her sight isn't bad enough to warrant the extremely high level skills of the boss.

You could go to London for a first appointment with a top person and then, if all your DD needs is glasses, find someone more local for your six-monthly check ups?

Agree - early intervention ideal. No direct knowledge, but my father has an uncorrected squint (1940s) but my brother, born in late 60s had patches/glasses and various treatments and now has good eyesight and gave up glasses aged 10.

DD's best friend at school has strabismus and think had op at about 18 months and then again at about 3 and now wears very very cool glasses. DD kept complaining about eyesight, and so I had her eyes tested. Turns out she wanted the glasses (not needed, sadly for her).

DS1 is very colour blind (as is my father). Hence non-essential appointment, but wanted to get it done sooner rather than later so could update school about any issues he might have.

That's true Bonsoir- have a friend who has eye condition. He saw consultant at Moorfields and then got a recommendation from him for a more local consultant who happens to specialise in this particular condition.

It won't be 'all she needs is glasses'. With strabismus and/or amblyopia, they intervene with patching and so on, in order to rectify the 'bad' eye. There is a 'window of plasticity' during which this can be done, which closes at the age of around eight or nine, after which some intervention works but mostly it doesn't.

MI - plenty of DCs at my DD's school have only needed glasses (no patching) for strabismus.

Possibly, but that intervention - whether it involves patching or not - is done very carefully. It isn't just an issue of 'all someone needs', that's what I mean.

Interesting things, eyes.

I completely agree that it is crucial to see a paediatric ophthalmologist specialised in strabismus, if that is what you mean, as only they are able to make a proper assessment and diagnosis.

But often the diagnosis only involves getting and, crucially, wearing glasses, and having a six-monthly check.

IME treatment for squint involved very much more than 6-monthly appointments. I wouldn't have wanted to be trecking across the country for each follow-up, bearing in mind it can carry on into school-age, and they'll be missing a day of school for a 10-minute orthoptists checkup.

Not to mention the performance of getting the glasses fixed -- mainstream opticians will not supply and fix glasses for a 7mo, so you need a decent hospital within striking distance. Little kids break glasses, a lot, and they change prescription every 5 mins.

By all means go to London for a second opinion to check that your local centre are on the right lines, but for a straightforward condition, organising treatment in London if you live in Yorkshire is madness.

Both my boys are long sighted and have had surgery on their squints.

DS1 ended up with an overcorrection and needs to wear glasses to correct that.
DS2 just had his surgery age 5 and it has been a great succes with 70% improvement of the squint, he still needs his glasses though as is blind as a bat.
DS3 is 10months and is being closely monitored as the earlier they do Botox the more successful it is thus avoiding surgery.

They are seen every 8 to 12 weeks by the orthoptist and bi-annually by the consultant.

Any questions feel free to ask i feel like i live at the eye clinic.

sorry
DS1 was 4 when he had surgery.
they break their glasses constantly and DS2 prescription has changed 6 times this year.

I agree with Polly you want something as local as possible

We have had such excellent and prompt assistance from the NHS in London for dd's squint that I really don't think we would have gained anything in terms of speed or service by going privately.

If you do have to do patching, the follow-up appointments may come fast and furious, so distance from home to hospital will be very important.

To be honest my daughters referal took weeks rather than months (unfortunately it can't be treated........ After months of the poor dear wearing patch and glasses) and we're in Yorkshire!

Thats a shame bulby, DS2 will always have a slight squint without his glasses but as he can't see without them it is a bit irrelevant.
DS1(10) over correction was a bit of a kick in the teeth but it is improving with wearign his glasses to train the muscles. He doesn't want more surgery either so wonky eyed children i am destined to have.

There's hardly anyone in our family who does not have wonky eyes.

There are many issues for which, I think, it's worth paying for private medical treatment but, based on what I've seen with dd, paediatric ophthalmology isn't one of them.

We live in S Yorks and trekked to Moorfields/Great Ormond St on a monthly basis for a while with dd was small (she was born in London and we started care there and thought regional health care would be worse) It was not worth it. Our consultant was Mr Abu Ryar (spelling is appoximate) and we found him privately as he had a good reputation as a pediatric ophthamologist but he had such a poor bedside manner that dd just screamed at him and all he knew about her eyes was that she wouldn't open them when he was in the room. We booked a private consultation when we realised something was very wrong and the same day requested a referral on the NHS from the hospital she was born at (who didn't have a clue about eyse!) we cancelled the private appointment when we were offered and NHS appointment with the same consultant at the same hospital just 4 days later than our private one.

We see Miss Jane Marr (through NHS) at the Hallamshire in Sheffield for routine stuff now, She is fantastic. she's got a way with children to examine them without them knowing she's even doing it. (but she's on maternity leave at the moment) and Prof Irene Gottlob at Univ leicester hospital every now and again as she is a leading expert in our condition (a really rare genetic disorder) She is world reknown but less use in many ways than Miss Marr as before you get to see her you have to see an army of junior doctors and by the time we see the big cheese dd is tired and fid up and nuder a chair.

The only benifit we found from going to GOSH was that they can do a test to measure the visual acuity of very young children called an electro retinagram (ERG) They can flick between imgaes of kids TV (they showed dd Teletubbies when she was 12 weeks old and she is STILL obsessed with them at 4!) to patterns and measure the responses in the brain. The Hallamshire have the equiptment but can't toggle between the images and kids TV and dd found it so distressing having the electrodes glued to her head that she wet herself whilst sitting on my knee in the chair (it floodded the place, I really daren't take her back to Sheffield for that test!) But now she can read and name the pictures we don't need electronics to measure her vision.

Caron Are you sure that you would have a long wait on the NHS - sometimes even GPs dont have a clear idea about waiting times for individual specialities, especially ones that they probably dont refer to that often.

You might find that paying for private treatment may not add anything to your DDs traetment.