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ORTHOPAEDIC CLINIC
Dr. A. Karim—School Medical Officer
This clinic was re-organised in April, 1971 on a monthly basis. Since that time 135 school
and pre-school children have been seen with a variety of foot problems. The commonest of these
were knock knees, flat feet, and weak ankles. A scheme has been put into being to study the
effects of various ways of treating these conditions.
Group 1 were advised to wear inneraze shoes.
Group 2 were fitted with a valgus insole to the shoe.
Group 3 were given foot exercises by a Physiotherapist.
The children will be reviewed at six-monthly intervals; it is too early yet to show any conclusive
results.
Children presenting with more serious conditions are referred to the Orthopaedic Surgeon
at Hillingdon Hospital for further investigation and treatment.
ORTHOPTIC CLINIC
Mrs. G. Lister— Orthoptist
Orthoptic therapy is used in the diagnosis and treatment of disturbances of binocular vision,
that is, the ability to use both eyes together in the normal way. In a school clinic the most common
causes of anomalies of binocular vision are squints and errors of refraction.
If it is suspected that a child has a defect in vision, or in the movements of the eyes, by either
his family, or at a routine school vision test, or in younger children by the health visitor or school
nurse, he will be referred to an Ophthalmologist for a comprehensive eye test.
After an examination of his eyes and the correction with glasses of any error of refraction,
the patient is sent to the orthoptist for further treatment. This may include:
(1) the occlusion of the better eye for children who are losing the use of one eye due to
squint or unequal refractive error.
(2) weekly exercises at the clinic to restore binocular function and to teach the patient to
control his squint.
(3) in cases where the squint is too large for voluntary control, the patient may be referred
to a hospital for surgery on one or more of the muscles controlling eye movements.
No child is too young for an eye test and early diagnosis and treatment can do much to
prevent the further development of a squint and the loss of visual acuity which almost always
accompanies it—a condition which will not respond to treatment in an older child, and will result
in complete loss of vision in the squinting eye.
The prognosis for most cases of squint and muscle imbalance is good with full binocular
vision being restored. In those cases where this is not possible, a cosmetically satisfactory result
can be achieved.
PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICE
Mrs. J. M. Gilboy—Senior Physiotherapist
Basically three categories of patient have been referred for treatment at Uxbridge Clinic,
namely medical chest patients, those with slack or defective posture and those with foot defects.
The majority of patients who suffer from asthma, bronchitis, etc., are referred from the
Consultant Physicians at the Chest Department at Hillingdon Hospital and some are referred
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