It all starts with an assessment that allows us to identify insufficient convergence or a muscle problem.
Rehabilitation then consists of performing a series of sessions of around twenty minutes based on rather playful exercises. For example, fix a set of dotted lines until the shape of a fly comes off; or make both eyes converge so that the parrot, on the right, ends up entering the cage, on the left …
If the little ones consult mainly for the sake of strabismus, adults consult for a wide variety of reasons: cataracts, headaches or difficulties adapting to progressive lenses. Blurred vision, slow focus, or a heavy eye sensation may also require rehabilitation. Much like frontal headaches or the feeling that others are not walking straight. Finally, older people use it, especially in cases of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease of the retina that deprives vision of details.
Too much computer
Officially created in 1956, the profession is increasingly in demand. Not just because of the aging of the population. The development of IT has been, as specialists humorously stress, “blessed bread for the profession”! This is because attaching screens to the flickering image can cause visual discomfort that glasses do not always relieve.
Ophthalmics, overwhelmed, call more and more on orthoptists: since 2002, the latter have also been authorized to perform certain additional examinations, such as the visual field or the Lancaster test (in case of double vision). However, they do not have the right to prescribe glasses, nor to establish a medical diagnosis, which is the responsibility of the ophthalmologist. To each his role …
As its name suggests, that of the orthoptist is to help us “see straight”. This is already a lot.
To note
The orthoptic assessment and rehabilitation sessions must be prescribed by a doctor.
