Ophthalmology is concerned with the health and diseases of the eye and the parts of the nervous system related to the eye. Because they are also doctors, ophthalmologists are regulated by the General Medical Council. To see a practitioner, whether NHS or private, a referral is normally needed from a GP.
Children's visual systems in the brain develop until about the age of nine years, and monitoring of this process may be needed to maximise later vision. Very many children with cerebral palsy have some kind of visual difficulty. Strabismus is often a feature of spastic cerebral palsy, where the eyes are out of alignment with one another.
Royal College Of Ophthalmologists, tel: 0207 935 0702. www.rcophth.ac.uk. Publishes information, including factsheets on a range of paediatric eye conditions.
Khetpal V and, Donahue SP. Cortical visual impairment: etiology, associated findings, and prognosis in a tertiary care setting. Journal of the AAPOS. 2007 Jun;11(3):235-9.
Kozeis N et al. Visual function and visual perception in cerebral palsied children.
Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics 2007 Jan;27(1):44-53.
