Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus

The Pediatric Eye Health Center is an innovative, state-of-the-art center equipped with the latest diagnostic and treatment technologies. The center provides comprehensive care for children with eye conditions across all ophthalmology subspecialties, including cornea and cataract, glaucoma, retina, strabismus and amblyopia (lazy eye), neuro-ophthalmology, uveitis, and oculoplastics (eyelids, eye socket, and tear ducts), with care tailored to each child’s age and developmental stage.

Because children’s visual systems are still developing, eye conditions that may have only a minor effect on adults can cause irreversible vision damage in children. Early detection, accurate diagnosis, and appropriate treatment are therefore especially important.

Our specialists treat a wide range of pediatric eye conditions, from retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) to eye injuries and tumors.

The center’s ophthalmologists perform surgery for a variety of conditions, including glaucoma, cataracts, retinal disorders, tear duct problems, and strabismus, including severe and complex cases caused by cranial nerve palsies or trauma.

We also provide vision rehabilitation for children with amblyopia, diagnosis and treatment of focusing disorders, and support for children with low vision.

Our team provides daily ophthalmology consultations throughout Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital, including examinations of children referred from the Emergency Department, consultations for children with neurological and neurosurgical conditions, and care for patients hospitalized in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

A Unique Center Designed for Children

In addition to providing advanced medical care, the Pediatric Eye Health Center is designed specifically around the needs of children and their parents:

• The center operates in a dedicated area separate from the adult ophthalmology clinics.
• Examination rooms are equipped with advanced, state-of-the-art technology.
• Special attention has been given to reducing waiting times.
• The spacious waiting area provides a comfortable environment for children and parents during the approximately 40-minute wait required after pupil dilation between stages of the examination.
• The waiting period and eye examination experience are designed to be friendly and enjoyable for young children. Our robots invite children to play games and watch videos and can even follow them around the clinic. The robot also helps prepare children for their examination through a memory game featuring the shapes they will see on the examination screen. The robots offer games and videos in four languages: Hebrew, Arabic, English, and Russian.

Areas of Treatment

• Monitoring and treatment of eye conditions in premature infants, including retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)
• Strabismus surgery in children and adults, including complex cases resulting from nerve palsies and injuries
• Treatment of amblyopia (lazy eye)
• Treatment of tear duct obstruction
• Pediatric electrophysiological testing (VEP, ERG)
• Diagnosis and treatment of inherited retinal diseases at the Pediatric Retina Clinic
• Pediatric Neuro-Ophthalmology Clinic
• Surgical treatment and rehabilitation for children with cataracts
• Pediatric Glaucoma Clinic
• Treatment of chronic inflammatory eye diseases (uveitis)
• Orbital and eyelid surgery
• Diagnosis, exercises, and treatment for children with focusing difficulties (orthoptics). Orthoptic assessment and training are provided by a team of orthoptists and generally include 3–5 sessions combining treatment at the clinic with guidance for exercises at home.

Research

The Pediatric Eye Health Center at Ichilov is also an active research unit, with many of its physicians involved in clinical research.

The center has conducted two groundbreaking studies: one involving a device for the treatment of amblyopia and another involving a device for its diagnosis. The team aims to serve as a center for innovative research and the development of breakthrough technologies in pediatric eye care.