Pediatric Optometry and Binocular Vision Service

The Pediatric Optometry and Binocular Vision Service is a specialty and referral clinic which provides vision and eye care for children from birth to age 12 years. The service also provides specialty care for adults and children with binocular vision problems including amblyopia (lazy eye) and strabismus (eye turns). The service provides evaluation for children with learning problems including visual perceptual testing and dyslexia screening tests. The service provides vision therapy as part of its treatment program.

Three locations are available:

• Davie at 3200 S. University Drive
• Ft. Lauderdale at 1111 W. Broward Blvd.
• North Miami Beach at 1750 N.E. 167th St.

Indigent care available at Ft. Lauderdale Clinic.
Medicare and Medicaid Accepted.

Services Available

Eye Examination:
A diagnostic battery of tests that include a comprehensive patient history, visual acuity assessment, refraction (corrective lens determination), ocular motility and binocular vision (eye movements and eye teaming evaluation), and ocular health assessment and systemic health history/screening. The service is performed on infants, toddlers, and children as well as on adults. A pair of single vision glasses is provided without added cost to the patient.

Strabismus Evaluation:
An eye turn examination at any age. The examination includes all areas of a comprehensive adult or pediatric eye and vision examination and additional tests specific for the strabismus (the evaluation of sensory, motor, refractive, and accommodative functions are evaluated in depth). Corrective lenses and prisms are prescribed if necessary and diagnosis of specific type of strabismus and its etiology are determined. Prognosis and management are outlined at the end of the examination.

Amblyopia Evaluation:
Lazy eye examination at any age. Refers to evaluation of unilateral or, infrequently, bilateral condition in which the best corrected visual acuity is poorer than 20/20 in the absence of any structural anomalies or ocular diseases. The evaluation includes a comprehensive patient history and ocular examination (visual acuity, refraction, monocular fixations, ocular motor deviation, sensory motor fusion, accommodation, ocular motility, ocular and systemic health assessment). The evaluation will disclose the etiology of the amblyopia and the cause of the reduced visual acuity (functional, psychogenic, structural/pathological). Optical correction, occlusion and visual therapy are some of the forms of treatment.

Perceptual Evaluation:
Evaluation of childhood and adult learning problems. The evaluation includes a comprehensive history, and specific test to probe the child or adult ability to learn. Gross motor test, fine motor skill, form perception, laterality, and directionality, intersensory integration, spatial relations, visual processing skills, expressive and receptive language skills, perceptual speed, and auditory testing comprise some of the used. The evaluation is useful to identify developmental disorders and possible learning disorders in speech and language, hearing, and reading. A report is sent to the referring professional with recommendations and referrals.

Acquired Brain Injury Visual Evaluation
A comprehensive evaluation of the visual changes that are associated with closed head trauma. The examination includes a comprehensive history probing the patient chief visual complaint after the brain injury, a social/occupational/functional history, as well as the mental status, ocular health, and systemic health history. Visual acuity, visual field and functional visual field loss, ocular motor status, accommodative and vergence skills, binocular and fusional assessment, cognitive evaluation, and postural and visual neglect determination. Problems of double vision, loss of vision, coordination, photophobia and poor concentration and attention are addressed by the evaluation. The goal of the evaluation is to aid in the multi-disciplinary rehabilitation of head trauma and to reestablish employment abilities and normal daily activities.

Oculo-Motility Clinic Evaluation:
Clinical studies of eye movements including nystagmus, saccadic insufficiencies, cerebellar dysfunction, and vergence deficiencies.

Vision Therapy:
An individualized treatment program prescribed to improve conditions like crossed eyes (strabismus) or lazy eye (amblyopia). The vision therapy programs help patients learn, relearn, or reinforce specific learning skills. Such skills include eye movement control, focusing control, eye coordination and team-work of the two eyes.

Perceptual Therapy:
An individualized structured treatment program to improve perceptual skills so that the child will be able to process and organize information more rapidly and efficiently in a learning environment.

Click here to go to the Pediatric and Binocular Vision Website