Children’s Services
Testing the vision of children offers a unique set of challenges for the optometrist and requires special skills to put the young patient at ease. The ACO Clinic
offers a relaxed clinical environment to all children under the age of 18 with staff who have specialised in the provision of optometric care to children and young adults.
This service is available for routine eye examinations or if specialist assessment is required resulting from an examination after a problem has been highlighted by someone who is part of the vision, health or educational care of that child.
- assessment and management of difficult cases of strabismus, amblyopia and other binocular vision problems
- functional and developmental assessment and management of children with developmental delays, learning difficulties or medical conditions.
The emphasis of the specialist services is on a multi-disciplinary approach to care. Vision problems which are identified will be treated in consultation with the referring professional and reports will be contributed to the interdisciplinary management of the child.
Primary care assesses the clarity of sight, whether short-sighted, long-sighted, or have astigmatism. How well both eyes work together can also be assessed. Any problems with poor eye coordination or eye movement, focussing, eye control, colour vision and developmental visual information processing can be investigated.
Diagnosis and treatment are available in the areas of strabismus (eye turn) and amblyopia (lazy eye), accommodative/vergence disorders and delayed development of visual information processing. Referral to other appropriate professionals may be recommended.
| Locations |
Carlton*, Braybrook, Broadmeadows, Doveton-Hallam, East Preston, Frankston
*Please note that Carlton offers an extended range of specialist paediatric services. |
| Eligibility |
All children under 18 years of age, irrespective of circumstance, can attend the Children’s Clinic at Carlton.
For children to be seen at other Clinic locations, they must be listed on a Health Care Card. If the child is covered by a Health Care Card, glasses may be prescribed at a subsidised rate. Please refer to our eligibility criteria for further information.
No referral is required unless under the care of another eye care practitioner. |
