Pediatric Ophthalmology

Henry Ford diagnoses and treats all pediatric ophthalmology conditions.

Pediatric ophthalmology focuses on diagnosing and treating strabismus (misalignment of the eyes), amblyopia (also known commonly as lazy eye), diplopia (double vision) and all other pediatric eye conditions.

Henry Ford pediatric ophthalmologists have received special training in pediatric eye disease and have extensive experience treating children of all ages, even small infants if problems are suspected.

Our pediatric ophthalmologists also understand the unique needs of children and their families. We know how stressful it can be for children – who may not yet be able to verbalize their symptoms – to get an eye exam or procedure, and we work to ease their anxiety and make the process fun while getting the proper diagnosis or treatment.

When do children typically develop eye conditions?

Most serious pediatric eye conditions are identified in the preschool years. The earlier these are caught and diagnosed by a pediatric ophthalmologist, the better the outcome is likely to be during treatment.

Pediatric ophthalmology diagnosis

Regardless of the condition, a full pediatric ophthalmology eye exam is necessary to establish a treatment plan.

Pediatric ophthalmology treatment

Following the eye exam, you will receive a treatment plan that is tailored to the needs of your child. Depending on the specific condition, this could include:

• Glasses: If your child has a pediatric refractive error, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, your pediatric ophthalmologist will prescribe glasses to correct this error.
• Orthoptic treatment: For patients who have eye movement disorders, non-surgical orthoptic treatment may include special lenses (with or without prism therapy), eye exercises and eye patching therapy.
• Laser treatments and other minimally invasive procedures: Henry Ford pediatric ophthalmologists are experienced in the latest laser treatments and other minimally invasive procedures to treat a variety of conditions, including retinopathy of prematurity and blocked tear ducts.
• Surgery: Our ophthalmologists are also experienced in pediatric ophthalmology surgery, including advanced procedures such as strabismus surgery (which may include the use of adjustable sutures and Botox® injections of eye muscles).

At Henry Ford, patients come first.

The Henry Ford Department of Ophthalmology is committed to providing our patients with compassionate, personalized care. We feature the most advanced treatments in eye care and are dedicated to vision research – always staying at the forefront of innovation. A leader in Michigan, as well as one of the largest ophthalmology practices in the United States, we treat more than 55,000 patients per year at 12 locations throughout southeast Michigan. In addition, our team works closely with Henry Ford Medical Group physicians in other departments, providing multidisciplinary, coordinated care for those patients who need it.