| Descriptors |
- Understand and apply knowledge of medicine and surgery relevant to paediatric ophthalmology practice, to make diagnoses and recommend management plans.
- Be informed by the patient’s unique medical, educational, psychological and social circumstances.
- Use the indirect ophthalmoscope with appropriate indentation technique.
- Understand the tests and imaging techniques that might be helpful in deciding about and guiding treatment, including alternative approaches to visual assessment in children who are unable to engage with formal acuity testing.
- Be able to interpret findings from a functional visual assessment and use them in formulating a diagnosis of brain related visual problems/cerebral visual impairment.
- Implement a detailed management plan to include care from triage to discharge from care.
- Use with accuracy and efficiency instruments available to assess the patient, including optometric and orthoptic equipment, ultrasound and specially designed paediatric equipment.
- Have a good knowledge of the complexities of prescribing glasses in children – including those with hypoaccomodation – and, prescribe as appropriate from a cycloplegic and subjective refraction.
- Acknowledge and follow relevant guidelines and protocols.
- Practise in line with the latest evidence.
- Involve the patient, their carers, and relatives in the choices about their care and enable them to express their informed consent where possible.
- Share decision-making by providing appropriate and comprehensible information, prioritising the patient’s and family’s wishes and respecting their beliefs, concerns and expectations.
- Communicate the uncertainty of options in a manner that patients will understand.
- Enable self-management where possible.
- Understand and apply knowledge of clinical genetics relevant to paediatric conditions.
- Advise patients and families about patterns of inheritance if they request to know, and recognise when it is appropriate to refer a patient for genetic counselling.
- Understand the indications, risks and limitations of conservative, medical, optical and surgical treatments and identify patients for whom these treatments would be appropriate.
- Recognise when a patient has had or is developing a complication or side effect from treatment and be able to manage this in an appropriate and timely manner.
- Maintain an understanding of new developments in relevant technologies.
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