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REPORT ON THE WORK OP THE OPHTHALMIC CLINIC
by
Miss A. A. S. RUSSELL, M.B., Ch.B., D.P.H., D.O.M.S.
Work: in the eye clinic followed the usual routine which had been found previously
to be most effective in dealing with the large numbers of children requiring ophthalmic
examinations. As in previous years the majority of cases attended for refraction and
glasses ordered when necessary; 1,603 pairs of glasses were prescribed.
A number of children were seen because of complaints which were found on full
examination not to be due to any defect of the eyes so glasses were not ordered.
The number of attendances in the eye clinic greatly exceeded the number of children
for whom glasses were ordered, as in addition to those examined and found to have no defect,
some were already wearing satisfactory glasses and many made more than one attendance for
complete examination, also many were reinspected in the eye clinic and the children with
squints made frequent attendance. in addition some children attended for treatment of
external eye diseases.
Most of the cases of squints are also seen in the orthoptic clinic, but the following
figures refer to the main eye clinic only.
Children with squints for whom glasses were prescribed during the year were 509
school children, 118 under school age. In addition the number of children with squints
reinspected during the year were 66l school children making 1,851 attendances; 134 under
school age making 363 attendances. Of these cases those requiring and obtaining operative
treatment made the greatest number of attendances. 90 children received operative treatment
for squints during the year, and as a few had the operation in stages, I carried out 97 such
operations on children from the West Ham area in Whipps Cross Hospital; 75 were school
children but the other 15 children were under school age having been referred from the Child
Welfare Department. Other cases I operated on were 3 children with ptosis, one a baby of
18 months of age -a case of bilateral ptosis who also had a third operation for marked
epicanthus as well as that on each upper eyelid.
Three other young children were also admitted to Whipps Cross Hospital during the
year, one for a blocked lachrymal duct and two for examination under a general anaesthetic.
The orthoptic department has unfortunately been subject to changes and interruptions
as Miss Carter, the full time orthoptist, left in the Spring and there was a few months'gap
before the appointment and commencing dates of Miss Bowen, her successor. During this
interval the services of a part-time orthoptist were obtained two days per week.
In March this year, a full time optician was appointed to the Eye Department so
children can now be measured and fitted for glasses in the clinic the day they are ordered.
Glasses provided in the clinic are of the types specified under the National Hospital Service
but parents still have free choice to take children wherever they wish, and any child on
request is given their prescription for glasses to be taken to any outside optician. Those
wishing spectacle frames of a type outside the special range must take their prescription
outside and pay whatever fee the optician cares to charge for the frames so chosen., but the
children can and should always return to the School Eye Clinic for examination of their eyes.
The optician also deals with the repair of broken glasses in the clinic.
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