Cornwall Orthoptist

Through my work as a qualified Orthoptist in Cornwall I assess, diagnose and manage various eye conditions in adults and children. I assess adults and children with double vision, blurred vision and suspected binocular vision dysfunction which are often caused by imbalance or weakness in one or more of the eye muscles. Most of my patients report visual difficulties that remain unexplained after a routine eye exam.

All of my examinations start with a vision and orthoptic assessment to check that each eye sees well for near and far and how well the muscles around the eyes work to keep the eyes aligned and balanced. I will test your binocular vision control to learn more about how well your eyes work together as a pair or to determine why they’re unable to do so. I’ll also assess your ability to maintain clear, focused vision at all distances and to adapt your focusing strength accordingly. It’s important to have these assessments done before moving onto assessing for visual stress, tracking difficulties or visual perception skills.

Visual processing is the ability of the brain to interpret and make sense of what our eyes see. Struggling with one or more aspects of visual processing may cause difficulties with reading, writing and learning. Examples of visual processing difficulties include visual stress, saccade/tracking difficulties, visual memory or spatial relation difficulties.

I will discuss your needs prior to booking and will often request that your routine eye tests are up to date (not always, particularly for younger children). Many patients need a multi-disciplinary approach to their care, which I cannot always offer on a private, independent basis. I will be honest and transparent with this and will inform you if I feel you or your child is best suited to NHS care, where treatments for many general orthoptic problems are offered.

A visual processing difficulties (VPD) clinic or specific learning difficulties (SPLD) clinic is a specialist post-graduate clinical area which some Orthoptists, like myself, undergo additional training in.

Many of my patients come to me for a VPD assessment due to ongoing concerns with reading, writing or learning, often being directed to me by some of the excellent dyslexia assessors in Cornwall who recognise the importance of visual perception and binocular vision. It’s important to note here that dyslexia is NOT a visual issue and neither eye exercises or coloured filters will help with dyslexia. However, the signs of these can overlap and it’s important to address visual issues.

I allow long initial assessment times of 2.5 hours (breaks welcome) for patients booking my VPD service and provide in depth reports which include recommendations and treatment advice. You are welcome to share this with school/college/university SENCOs or your workplace to help guide them on how to support you.