Can anyone recommend a good optometrist/optician?

[LIttleMissTickles]

My DD (6) has lazy eye, and we have just moved to the SW19 area from abroad. She used to be under the care of an paediatric opthalmologist, but our GP says to go to an optician. Any recommendations?

The people who tend to look after this here are called orthoptists. They are usually found in ophtalmology depts in hospitals so you may wish to go back to your GP and ask for a referral.

My dd1 had complex lazy eye and short sight, and my other dc are all at high risk for eye problems. In the first instance I'd go back to the GP and insist on a referral to Moorfields, where they will make a decision whether she needs treatment or can be discharged to the care of an optician. An optician can't make a referral anyway, so if a high street optician found anything unusual you'd have to go back to the GP for a specialist referral anyway.

If she has a lazy eye at 6 she's still just within the treatment window for patching, so crucial to get it checked asap. After the age of 8 or so it can't be fixed. If your GP won't play ball, you could try another GP or as a last resort you could take her to Moorfields A&E and get her into the system that way.

The other very specialist place is the children's eye clinic at City University in Bath Place (two mins walk from Moorfields). That is where we go since my dc were discharged by Moorfields. You can self-refer to the university clinic, don't need to go through your GP. The downside is that they only have appointments in termtime, so the earliest appointment you'd get is probably october. It is a teaching clinic, so the appointments take a long time and have students in with the staff, but are very thorough, and the staff are brilliant with children (as are the orthoptists at Moorfields).

Thank you so much for your responses, I will go back to GP.