The Ophthalmology Clinic provides standard eye evaluations for children with straightforward eye problems as well as consultations for children with complex ocular and medical problems. Diagnostic evaluations include behavioral testing and visual evoked potential to assess vision in preverbal infants and nonverbal children.
The ophthalmology team of clinicians and vision scientists employs state-of-the-art technology rarely found in other pediatric hospitals. Electroretinograms probe function of the macula and retina, while confocal microscopy provides corresponding anatomic details about these structures in children with retinal and optic nerve diseases. Visual field testing and transient visual evoked potentials measure optic nerve function and supply information about cortical processing of visual inputs to the brain. Children with strabismus and eye movement abnormalities receive the benefit of eye-muscle imaging technology and quantitative analysis of their eye movements.
The division’s most recent publications include, among others: 1) Delineation of anatomic abnormalities with 3-dimensional CT in children with nasolacrimal obstruction 2) Clinical and oculomotor characterization of divergence insufficiency 3) Anatomy and function of the macula and outcome of surgical tenotomy in achiasma 4) Visual outcomes in children treated for visual pathway tumors and 5) Molecular characterization of a new form of achromatopsia due to a thyroid receptor mutation.
Our research focuses on increasing our understanding of the eye disorders of our patients so we can optimize their care and treatment. We strive to provide specific information about child eye diseases and the visual disability associated with each disease.
Joining Drs. Avery Weiss , Francine Baran, and Erin Herlihy, we have recently recruited Dr. Kristina Tarczy-Hornoch to Seattle Children’s as our fourth pediatric ophthalmologist. Her focus areas are disorders of childhood vision development including refractive errors, amblyopia, and strabismus, eye movement disorders; congenital and acquired structural and functional anomalies in and around the eye in children; ophthalmic manifestations of systemic disease in children, especially craniosynostosis and neurologic and neurosurgical conditions.
Having four full-time pediatric ophthalmologists, a fulltime pediatric ophthalmology fellowship program, two PhD vision scientists and state-of-the-art technology, Seattle Children’s Hospital is well-positioned to provide eye care for children with routine or complex eye problems across the Northwest region.