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Duties and Tasks
Orthoptists may perform the following tasks: - measure and assess visual acuity (ability to discriminate detail), focusing ability, eye movement, binocular function and colour vision
- detect disorders of the eyes which prevent normal vision, such as strabismus (turned eye) and amblyopia (lazy eye)
- devise treatment plans for disorders, using eye exercises, techniques to control eye movement and other strategies
- conduct specialised tests to determine the effects of general pathology and eye diseases (such as glaucoma) on the eyes, and in some circumstances, refract and prescribe spectacles
- provide strategies to assist people with neurological disorders (such as stroke or head injury) or low vision to maximise their remaining vision
- provide reports on the existence of eye defects to medical practitioners, therapists and transport authorities
- provide educational information to patients and members of the community about eye conditions and their effects
- provide eye tests to groups within the community (e.g. pre-school children).
Specialisations
Orthoptists may specialise in: - ophthalmic diagnostic techniques such as ultrasonography (imaging using sound waves), fundus photography (taking photographs of the back of the eye), tonometry (measuring pressure in the eye) and contact lens management
- paediatric treatment involving pre-school children and children with delayed development
- visual rehabilitation for stroke and head injury patients, and for sufferers of visual impairment and developmental disability
- education or research.
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Quick Facts
