Ophthalmology: What to Expect | Cincinnati Children's

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Hi, and welcome to the Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology at Cincinnati Children's. We want you to know what to expect during your visit so we can work together to meet your child's needs.
First, let's get you checked in. To make things go smoothly, you'll want to bring your insurance card, previous exam records and any questions you may have. Having questions ready will help us give you answers from the specialists on our team.
Once you go back to our examination room, you and your child can stay together through the whole process. We'll go over your child's medical history, even if you are a returning patient. This will help us keep updated history for any follow-up visits. We also may need to update your child's medication list.
Let's begin the pretesting portion of the examination. These are all painless and straightforward.
These tests will examine your child's depth perception, eye alignment, visual acuity and pupil reaction. We will carefully examine each eye and ask your child to follow lights and objects, as well as identify pictures, symbols or letters. We will check your child's eye alignment by covering one eye and then the other.
Our specialists use developmentally appropriate techniques to match your child's abilities. These test vary depending on your child's needs and could take up to 20 minutes.
After pretesting, we may need to dilate your child's eyes. Don't worry. This nothing to be afraid of. The dilation drops do not hurt. It may feel like saltwater going into the eye, but the feeling will go away within 10 to 15 seconds. These drops will help the doctor have a better view of your child's eye during examination. Some parents have found it helpful to practice using saline eye drops at home to help know what to expect before coming in.
After 30 to 45 minutes, the dilation drops will take effect, and the technician will call you back for the final portion of your child's examination. The physician will follow up to check your child's eyes with lights and other instruments.
It is important at the end of your examination that you take time to understand the instructions from your team, along with any prescriptions and treatments they recommend. You may need to schedule follow-up appointments so we can monitor your child's health together.
Knowing what to expect can help you prepare for your visit and make the experience a good one. When you leave, we want you to leave happy.
At Cincinnati Children's, we want to give you the best care possible. You can count on us to take care of you and any concerns you may have.
We offer ophthalmology services at the main Burnet campus and five neighborhood locations.