If you have experienced double vision, lazy eyes, or squinting, you would have been referred to our orthoptist – a trained eye health professional that evaluates and manages conditions involving eye movement and alignment.
Our orthoptists conduct comprehensive assessments of vision and binocular functions, enabling accurate diagnoses by SNEC’s ophthalmologists. Supporting the work of the orthoptist is a myriad of orthoptic testing instruments, from the age-old synptophore used to assess the imbalance of eye muscles to the more recent smart computerised vision-testing system that incorporates numerous vision and binocular function tests.
The orthoptists also facilitate orthoptic treatment and management when necessary. This includes prism therapy and eye muscle training as home exercises with regular follow-up visits to monitor progress.
Our orthoptists are experts when it comes to dealing with children and checking their vision and eye alignment. Babies and toddlers are not too young for an eye check. They are also trained in early intervention and rehabilitation of young children with poor vision. Hence the paediatric clinics stock a wide array of interesting toys and rewards to gain the attention of babies and young children during an eye examination.
In line with SNEC’s culture of academic medicine, the orthoptic team is actively involved in collecting and analysing data related to strabismus (squint), amblyopia (lazy eye) and other conditions, for research and audit purposes. The team is involved in teaching medical officers, general practitioners, nurses, optometry and orthoptic students, and continues to upgrade their knowledge and expertise by attending and participating in education programmes and international conferences.
In 2014, the orthoptic team was bestowed the GEM (Ground breaking, Effective, Momentous) award for its new eye exercise mobile application called MyEyeGym, at the annual SingHealth Allied Health Innovative Practice Awards. The award recognises and celebrates the contributions and innovations of allied health professionals who have helped to transform patient care.
The app also garnered a bronze in the Best Social & Community Product category from the Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation in the same year.
As part of SNEC’s Orthoptics Service team, orthoptist Catherine Ng sees patients from as young as six months old, to as old as 94 years with various ocular misalignment and eye movement disorders such as double vision and lazy eyes. Catherine challenges herself to provide better treatment plans by implementing evidence-based practice into her daily clinical work. She finds it rewarding when her patients recover and return home, no longer having vision issues.
Catherine pursued her passion in orthoptics with the help of the SingHealth Health Science Scholarship (HSS). The scholarship had provided her with many opportunities for clinical attachments in the local healthcare system. Read more about her professional development with HSS here.
Click below to learn more about our orthoptists role in SNEC.
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