With the help of vision, a person perceives up to 80% of information about the world around him; this is one of our most important senses. Unfortunately, many people, including children, cannot fully see the world around them due to congenital or acquired diseases of visual analyzer.

Timely diagnostics and modern treatment of ophthalmological pathologies make it possible in most cases not only to preserve vision, but often even to improve it, ensuring a high quality of life for child in future.

In their practice, ophthalmologists use only the most modern diagnostic methods, innovative laser equipment and the latest drugs, and carry out the most complicated microsurgical surgeries every day.

The main treatment advantages in Pediatric Ophthalmology Department of TAMC:

Highly qualification, rich clinical experience and professional training of our ophthalmologists.
Accurate, fast, comprehensive and safe diagnostics of eye diseases.
Modern equipment for ophthalmic diseases treatment.
Special approach to children so that they do not feel fear during diagnosis and treatment.
Excellent conditions in clinic.
Opportunity for parents to be with their child during diagnostics and treatment (except for surgeries).

Thanks to rapid and active introduction of advanced examination and treatment techniques into practical ophthalmology, Israeli doctors in the vast majority of cases manage to avoid vision loss in children even in the most difficult situations.

Child's optometry concept - little girl checks eyesight in eye ophthalmological clinic, telephoto

Practice spheres

In Pediatric Ophthalmology Department of TAMC, we will provide all necessary comprehensive care to children with any congenital or acquired diseases of visual system, but most often people turn to us for help with the following pathologies:

Eye refractive errors (myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism and their combination) and amblyopia (“lazy eye”). These disorders can be either congenital or appear as child grows older.
Strabismus – parents of different ages children seek help, but the sooner specific treatment is started, the better results. In our practice, there are many cases of successful strabismus treatment in children under one year of age.
Lesions of optic nerve (neuro-ophthalmology) are congenital or acquired pathologies that often cause irreversible blindness. These children are treated by ophthalmologists together with neurologists and neurosurgeons.
Pathologies of eyelids, lacrimal canal and orbit (dacryocystitis, tumors of the eyelids, orbits, blepharitis). Children often undergo treatment who require reconstructive interventions on eyelids when they droop, for example, post-traumatic eversion or entropion, etc. A plastic surgeon must be included in complex treatment of such patients.
Retinopathy of prematurity is a severe pathology that develops in premature babies due to underdevelopment of retina. TAMS performs modern laser vitreoretinal surgeries that help effectively get rid of problem.
Congenital retinal diseases – there is a whole group of degenerative retinal lesions that are genetically determined. Ophthalmologists of our department are engaged in diagnostics and complex treatment of such conditions.
Diseases of the cornea that lead to clouding and vision loss. At TAMC, ophthalmologists perform donor cornea transplantation surgery in such cases.
Congenital cataract is a congenital clouding of lens. Such children may be partially or completely blind to affected eye. Specialists of our department implant modern intraocular lenses (artificial lenses), which completely restore vision to children.
Congenital glaucoma is a severe congenital disease that is accompanied by increased intraocular pressure and gradual complete vision loss. Ophthalmologists of our department perform modern microsurgical interventions that eliminate the cause of glaucoma once and for all.
Onco-ophthalmology (benign and malignant neoplasms of eye and orbit) – retinoblastoma most often occurs in children. Children with this diagnosis can receive complex and modern therapy at TAMC Pediatric Ophthalmology Department. Also among children may occur intraocular lymphoma, eyelid hemangioma, eye melanoma, eyelid tumors (fibroma, trichoepithelioma, syringoadenoma, papilloma, various nevi, histiocytoma, keratoacanthoma, melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma of the meibomian glands), metastatic lesions of vision organ.
Congenital malformations of eyes are congenital pathologies that arise due to improper formation of individual structures or eye as a whole. The severity varies from a minor cosmetic defect to vision absence. Most often among children there is: hyper- and hypotelorism (wide and narrow set eyes), coloboma is a defect of eye tissue in eyelids area, iris, retina or optic nerve, microphthalmia – a small eyeball, congenital cataract (clouding of lens), anophthalmia (complete eye absence), congenital strabismus and amblyopia. Lesions can be either unilateral or bilateral.

What diseases does Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus treat?

Contact us

Diagnostic methods in pediatric ophthalmology

Diagnostic program at TAMC consists of 3 stages. At the first, patient and his parents receive an initial consultation with a specialist, during which doctor collects complaints, studies the medical history, and reviews medical documents that you brought with you. Next, depending on preliminary diagnosis, child’s age, and state of his general health, ophthalmologist makes up a plan for further examination.

The second stage takes place in diagnostic unit of Pediatric Ophthalmology Department, where all the necessary laboratory and instrumental diagnostic techniques are available. This stage lasts 1-3 business days. Most often, diagnostic complex includes the following examinations:

Determination of visual acuity.
Intraocular pressure measuring.
Refractometry – measuring of eye refraction.
Color vision study.
Perimetry – peripheral vision measuring.
Biomicroscopy is a method of studying the transparent structures of the eye using a special microscope (slit lamp).
Ophthalmoscopy is an examination of eyeball fundus, retina, vessels and optic nerve head.
Ultrasound of eyeball.
Electrophysiological study.
Keratotopography – study of corneal surface condition, diagnosis of keratoconus and keratoglobus.
Optical coherence tomography helps to evaluate retina and optic nerve condition.

An ophthalmological examination of a child with a suspected eye tumor is performed under general anesthesia to carefully examine all parts of eye. An ophthalmologist will examine eye in detail with a dilated pupil using special equipmenta – ophthalmoscope or a slit lamp (biomicroscopy). Also, using a special RetCam camera, photographs of changes in fundus are made. Based on examination, doctor makes fundus pictures, which schematically depicts detected tumor. These drawings, together with the RetCam photo, are a starting point and are subsequently used to control treatment.

Examination is necessarily complemented by eye ultrasound diagnostics (ultrasound of eyeball), which allows us to assess blood flow, see the tumor on device’s monitor, and determine its thickness and height.

Ophthalmologist also measures intraocular pressure, which often increases with intraocular tumors, and performs electroretinography (retina electrical activity measurement).

Examination for eye tumors necessarily includes CT and MRI of eye and head. These modern imaging methods allow us to confirm diagnosis, determine tumor size, extent of its spread and stage of the disease.

If diagnosis of retinoblastoma is confirmed in a child, siblings should be examined prophylactically, because the tumor has a genetic predisposition. It is also possible to conduct a modern genetic test to identify carriage of mutant gene (RB1) that causes disease development.

At the third stage of diagnosis, ophthalmologist examines all results of additional examination and, together with parents, discusses all treatment options. If necessary, a council of specialists gathers to choose correct treatment tactics in complex clinical cases.

Important!

Pediatric Ophthalmology Department is equipped with the most modern expert-class diagnostic equipment, so our examinations of children are not only effective, but also safe.

Modern diagnostic methods in pediatric ophthalmology

Today pediatric ophthalmology in Israel has reached a high level of development. All modern laser and microsurgical technologies are available in our department, and experienced specialists know all the necessary surgical techniques for treating pathology of any complexity degree.

Strabismus is a very common problem in pediatric ophthalmology. The causes of this eye position disorder can be either congenital or acquired. Strabismus is not only a cosmetic defect; if problem persists for a long time, amblyopia of squinting eye develops, that is, a decrease in visual acuity and complete exclusion of this eye from the act of vision. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to treat strabismus and the sooner you start, the better the prognosis.

The Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology at TAMC uses a comprehensive approach. Treatment program for each child is selected individually. The main objectives of strabismus treatment in children:

increasing visual acuity and developing binocular vision;
preventing the development or treating existing amblyopia;
elimination of a cosmetic defect.

Treatment measures complex includes optical vision correction (selection of glasses and contact lenses), hardware treatment of strabismus to prevent and treat amblyopia, surgical treatment when hardware procedures fail to achieve success.

Surgical treatment to correct strabismus at TAMC clinic is performed:

in “one day” mode;
under general anesthesia or local anesthesia (depending on child’s age);
without hospitalization.

Patient is discharged home on the same day. The final recovery lasts about a week, but after such strabismus correction, doctors recommend a course of hardware treatment.

At TAMC, ophthalmologists practice an innovative method of treating glaucoma – using Trabectome device. This is a unique device for performing trabeculectomy. The main technique advantage is the preservation of conjunctiva and sclera integrity. Normalization of intraocular fluid outflow occurs by creating a mini-puncture rather than a large incision.

Installation of premium trifocal lenses is the most modern treating method of cataracts. Trifocal intraocular lenses allow us to completely avoid glasses after surgery. 98% of patients who are implanted with such an artificial lens are more than satisfied with the results of procedure. These trifocal intraocular lenses are made specifically for each patient.

Cornea transplantation surgeries in children are performed to restore vision when cornea is clouded, for example, after burns, injuries, or infections. Typically, a donor cornea is transplanted. In Israel, such surgeries are very popular today, since all the necessary conditions have been created for their implementation. There is a donor bank that cooperates with similar organizations from other countries, which makes it possible to select material for transplantation in the shortest possible time. In Israel, at least 500 cornea transplantations are performed every year.

Important!

You can undergo a comprehensive vision examination and get help from one of the best pediatric ophthalmologists at Pediatric Ophthalmology Department of Tel Aviv Medical Clinic.

Our ophthalmologists have extensive experience in diagnosing and treating both common eye diseases and quite rare ones.

Microsurgical laser interventions in pediatric ophthalmology. TAMC ophthalmologists prefer modern microsurgical laser interventions for eye pathology over classical microsurgical one, since laser surgery is distinguished by high precision incisions, a shorter recovery period, low trauma and the absence of severe pain, which is very important in pediatric practice.

Using safe and effective modern medical lasers (femptosecond, excimer), TAMC ophthalmologists successfully eliminate pathologies of cornea, lens, retina, and choroid. Laser vision correction has become the standard treatment for refractive errors: myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism. In addition, laser has found application in other areas of ophthalmology: laser capsulotomy for cataracts, LASIK method for correcting visual acuity, laser treatment of retinal dystrophy, trabeculoplasty for glaucoma, etc.

Treatment for congenital eye defects primarily depends on the type of defect, ability to restore impaired vision function, and also on child’s age. In case of eyeball abnormalities, stimulation of orbital growth is used applying special implants. In future, child may undergo artificial eye implantation for cosmetic purposes. To improve vision, pleoptic therapy is required using special simulators. It helps stimulate the development of necessary part of eye.

Surgical treatment of congenital malformations of ocular apparatus includes surgeries, for example, to replace crystalline lens with modern trifocal intraocular lenses in case of congenital cataracts; interventions on cornea, as well as its transplantation, and other microsurgical ophthalmological procedures.

Vision correction in case of congenital eye diseases is also carried out using glasses and contact lenses. If iris is underdeveloped or completely absent, special lenses are used.

Treatment of oncological eye lesions in children. Treatment tactics depend on the main diagnosis, its stage, tumor size, damage to one or both eyes, t child’s he age, and patient’s and his parents wishes. The therapeutic program is usually complex and includes simultaneous or sequential use of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgical procedures.

Chemotherapy for eye tumors can be not only systemic, but also regional, when drugs are injected directly into eyeball or into space between eye and orbit. A type of regional chemotherapy is ophthalmic artery chemotherapy, as well as intravitreal chemotherapy and periocular chemotherapy.

Ophthalmic artery chemotherapy is a complex procedure that requires modern equipment and is performed by an interventional radiologist. Doctor inserts a catheter into an artery (usually femoral artery in leg), which is threaded up to ophthalmic artery. Next, a certain dose of chemotherapy is injected through this catheter directly into ophthalmic artery, which reaches tumor and acts in desired area. Thus, there are no unwanted side effects, as with systemic chemotherapy, and in meantime, effectiveness of this treatment method is amazing – 3-4 procedures once a month are enough to completely cure the patient, sometimes even one procedure was enough for recovery.

Intravitreal chemotherapy is a type of regional chemotherapy in which medicine is injected directly into eye (vitreous humor). The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis and is almost painless. For a full course of treatment, 3-4 sessions of this therapy are used once a month.

Periocular chemotherapy is also a type of regional chemotherapy, in which drug is injected into the tissue surrounding eyeball using a thin needle. This technique is used in combination with ophthalmic artery chemotherapy or intravitreal technique to achieve the best results and prevent future relapses of the disease.

Laser therapy for benign tumors is a non-invasive method of surgical treatment (destruction) of eye tumors. A focused beam of laser radiation is delivered through pupil to tumor bed, leading to its coagulation. The technique is applicable in an outpatient setting and is almost not accompanied by pain.

Cryotherapy is another modern non-invasive outpatient surgical technique for treating eye tumors. In this case, a special sensor is brought to tumor site, generating ultra-low temperatures, with the help of which destruction (cryodestruction) of tumor occurs.

Laser and cryotherapy are methods of focal (contact) treatment of eye tumors. Another method of focal tumor treatment is brachytherapy. This is a type of contact radiation therapy using special radioactive plaques that are placed on affected eye. These are special discs that are made individually for each child. Treatment takes place in inpatient radiology department. Placing and removing radioactive plaques is a surgical procedure. The discs are removed 1-4 days after installation (depending on required radiation dose). This procedure can have long-term consequences such as cataracts, radiation retinopathy, and permanent visual impairment.

Only in extreme cases (a widespread tumor or its large size, destruction of eye structures) is surgical removal of eye performed – enucleation. Recently, great success has also been achieved in the field of cosmetic implantation in ophthalmology. Therefore, if patient has lost an eye, it can be replaced with an implant with an ideal appearance, which will be practically no different from a real eye.

Also, all patients in Pediatric Ophthalmology Department at TAMC have the opportunity to participate in clinical trials of experimental drugs or surgical procedures. For some, this is the only chance to prolong a healthy life, especially for those children for whom all standard treatment methods have proven ineffective.