Pediatric Ophthalmologist

Where Can I Find a Pediatric Ophthalmologist?

Every parent is concerned with their child’s health; mindful of signs that they need care that are not as obvious as a high fever, or rash; and diligent in making sure they have the proper shots, and screening.  For some reason, it’s rare that it occurs to a parent to seek out a pediatric ophthalmologist.  This is especially true for parents with more than one child.  By the time I had my last child, I was pretty well resigned to the thought that as long as something washed off, rubbed off, or wore off eventually, whether it was tears, or his brother’s sudden urge to cut his hair, there was little reason for excessive concern over his well-being.  As my youngest son grew older, I began to notice some disturbing issues with what I thought at the time was his inability to balance himself properly.  For instance, for the first seven years of his life he refused to participate in any activity that required him to balance, such as learning how to riding a bike, or skateboard.  He eventually mastered the bicycle, so I chalked it up to the fact that he had severe ear infections until he was five years old, when tubes were inserted to prevent further infections.  By the time he was nine, he was doing things that were somewhat more disturbing.  He would run up to a set of stairs, and then always come to a dead stop before proceeding.  Just odd little things like that began to add up to my suspicion that there was something more serious than a minor problem with his balance.  After thorough tests to determine that he was healthy in every other way, it finally occurred to me that he might have a problem with his eyesight.  Sometimes a parent must follow the intuition that general screening has not revealed a health issue.

Pediatric ophthalmology is somewhat different from the practice of a pediatric optometrist.  Ophthalmologist vs. optometrist is relatively simple.  A pediatric ophthalmologist specializes in the eye disease, and surgical needs of children, whereas a pediatric optometrist emphasizes the level of function of a child’s eyesight, and any non-surgical corrective methods necessary {e.g. glasses}.  My son had been screened by pediatric optometrists repeatedly, and no issue had ever presented itself.  This may be one reason why it hadn’t occurred to me that his issue was a problem with his eyes, rather than damage to his ability to balance due to his ear infections.  I was fortunate in that a friend of mine was a retired teacher, and had observed similar issues in other children.  At her insistence, I sought out a pediatric ophthalmologist, and was also fortunate enough to find one that was willing to listen to my concerns, as well as pursue testing that another specialist may have refused as unnecessary.  Dr. Wang, pediatric ophthalmologist, determined that my son had suffered damage during birth, and had limited peripheral vision on the upper portion of his right eye.  Although he was describing the sensation of feeling as if he might fall, he was actually just unable to see a slight portion of his surroundings, giving him an incomplete picture of how he could maintain his footing.

I think we all assume that any health issues of major concern will be prevalent, and identifiable enough that we’ll know the proper specialist needed to address them.  Rarely does an illness or disease create a nagging feeling, rather than a frantic trip to the doctor’s office, or emergency room.  It may be wise simply to familiarize oneself with the doctors in the area, and their respective specialties.  If you live in Kirkland, Washington, a simple internet search for pediatric ophthalmologist Kirkland will yield many options, as well as services for determining a specialist’s reputation; likewise with pediatric ophthalmologist Plantation; pediatric ophthalmologist Plainview, and so forth.

Specialists can be expensive.  When faced with having to pay for a medical crisis when little information is available as to the cost for treatment, a general education of the salaries of different types of practitioners, and specialists may yield an equally general idea of the fees some physicians may charge.  For example, a search for pediatric ophthalmologist salary will offer somewhat of an idea of charges in proportion to a similar search for salaries of general practitioners.  This is obviously not a great way to determine what your financial needs will be as precisely as necessary.  However, if it’s the weekend, and you’re desperate for some kind of answer until a more definite determination is possible, it will do in a pinch.

Although I’m not sure why we feel the need for such unreasonable, self-imposed criticism, all parents are a little ashamed when they discover that they don’t possess the foresight of the Amazing Kreskin when it comes to their children’s care.  The main thing a parent can do that is most helpful to their child is to keep in mind that many health issues do not have blatant symptoms.  I’m not suggesting that parents inflict themselves with unnecessary insanity; children don’t need any help ensuring that their parents will be eligible for a vacation in the loony bin.  But, education about the general, subtle signs of more serious issues, both physical, and mental is prudent.  We were especially fortunate that we were aware of the difference between a pediatric optometrist, and a pediatric ophthalmologist; and that we were able to find such a capable specialist when we needed one.