Orthoptics: A Career in Eye Care
What Is an Orthoptist?
Orthoptics is a highly specialized field of eye care focused on eye alignment, eye movements and binocular vision.
Certified Orthoptists receive extensive education and clinical training in conditions such as strabismus (misaligned or crossed eyes), amblyopia (lazy eye), double vision and complex disorders of eye movement.
Orthoptists are especially valuable in pediatric ophthalmology, where evaluating vision, eye alignment and how the eyes work together in infants and young children requires specialized training and experience. Children’s Eye Care is fortunate to have a large team of orthoptists working closely with our pediatric ophthalmologists to manage many conditions.
What Does an Orthoptist Do?
Orthoptists do much more than perform testing. At Children’s Eye Care, they work closely with our pediatric ophthalmologists in the ongoing care and treatment of patients with amblyopia, strabismus, double vision and other disorders of eye alignment and binocular vision.
Once a diagnosis and treatment plan have been established, many follow-up visits can be appropriately scheduled directly with an orthoptist. During these visits, our orthoptists manage progress, monitor how a patient is responding to treatment, provide treatment guidance within the physician-directed plan, and recognize when a change requires the involvement of the ophthalmologist.
At Children’s Eye Care, our orthoptists may:
- Measure vision in infants, children and adults using age-appropriate techniques
- Evaluate and measure eye alignment, eye movements and binocular vision
- Follow patients with amblyopia and monitor their response to treatment
- Guide families through amblyopia treatment, including patching, and make appropriate adjustments within the established treatment plan
- Follow patients with strabismus, including intermittent exotropia, to monitor alignment and changes over time
- Evaluate patients with double vision and help manage their symptoms
- Measure, select and fit prisms, including Fresnel prisms, when appropriate
- Perform specialized binocular vision and ocular motility testing
- Educate patients and families about their condition, progress and treatment
- Answer questions and provide guidance throughout the course of care
- Identify findings or changes that require evaluation by the ophthalmologist
Why Would My Child See an Orthoptist Instead of the Doctor?
For many patients, seeing an orthoptist isn’t a substitute for seeing their ophthalmologist. It is an intentional part of the care plan. Our physicians trust the specialized training and exceptional knowledge of our orthoptists to provide these follow-up visits and to involve the ophthalmologist whenever needed. If we schedule your child for an Orthoptist Visit, it isn’t because the visit is less important.
For certain conditions, the information needed at a follow-up visit falls directly within an orthoptist’s specialized training. This team approach allows the right member of the eye-care team to provide the right care at the right visit.
A Specialized Skill Set — Especially With Children
Evaluating a young child’s vision is very different from asking an adult to read an eye chart.
Children may be too young to identify letters, too shy to answer or simply have very different ideas about how an eye examination should proceed that day.
Orthoptists are trained to obtain meaningful information through specialized testing, careful observation and age-appropriate techniques.
Their expertise becomes particularly important in conditions such as strabismus and amblyopia, where small changes in visual acuity, eye alignment or binocular function can influence the treatment plan.
Meet Our Orthoptic Team
Children’s Eye Care is proud to have one of the largest and most experienced teams of Certified Orthoptists in Michigan.
Our orthoptists work alongside fellowship-trained pediatric ophthalmologists caring for children with both common and highly complex eye conditions, as well as adults with strabismus and double vision.
Nina Apple, CO, COT
Stephen Burwell, CO, COT
Katrina Callus, CO, COT
Mary DeYoung-Smith, CO, COMT
Kendra Ferguson, CO
Elizabeth Gayeski, CO
Judy Higgins, CO, COT
Lauren Marozas, CO, COA
Martha Wright, CO, COT
More Than Clinical Care
Orthoptists at Children’s Eye Care are also deeply involved in medical education.
Members of our orthoptic team help teach ophthalmology residents and pediatric ophthalmology fellows how to evaluate strabismus, amblyopia, ocular motility disorders and other pediatric eye conditions.
That teaching role says something important about their expertise: our orthoptists don’t only work alongside physicians, they help educate physicians learning to care for patients with these conditions.
Our orthoptists also participate in clinical research, professional education and continuing education in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus.
Is Orthoptics a Good Career?
Orthoptics can be an especially rewarding career for someone interested in healthcare who also enjoys science, problem-solving and working directly with patients.
It may be a good fit for someone who:
- Enjoys working with children
- Likes anatomy, neuroscience and the visual system
- Enjoys solving clinical puzzles
- Wants substantial interaction with patients and families
- Prefers a highly specialized healthcare profession
- Enjoys working collaboratively with physicians
- Is interested in teaching, research or academic medicine
- Wants opportunities for continued professional learning
Because orthoptics is a small and highly specialized profession, many people first discover it while working, volunteering or observing within ophthalmology.
For the right person, discovering orthoptics can open the door to a fascinating healthcare career combining science, patient care and problem-solving.
How Do You Become a Certified Orthoptist?
In the United States, becoming a Certified Orthoptist generally begins with earning a bachelor’s degree and then completing an orthoptic fellowship program accredited by the American Orthoptic Council.
Orthoptic education combines academic instruction with extensive hands-on clinical training.
Students study subjects including:
- Ocular and neurological anatomy and physiology
- Ophthalmic optics
- Visual development
- Binocular vision
- Strabismus and ocular motility
- Amblyopia
- Pediatric ophthalmology
- Pharmacology
- Genetics and systemic diseases affecting the eye
- Diagnostic testing
- Medical and surgical treatment of eye movement disorders
Traditional orthoptic fellowship programs generally require approximately 24 months of training.
After successfully completing an accredited program, graduates are eligible to pursue certification through the American Orthoptic Council.
Finding an Orthoptic Training Program
Children’s Eye Care of Michigan previously operated an accredited Orthoptic Training Program and is proud of the Certified Orthoptists who trained here.
Children’s Eye Care is no longer accepting students into an orthoptic training program.
Students interested in becoming Certified Orthoptists can find current accredited orthoptic training opportunities throughout the United States through the American Orthoptic Council and American Association of Certified Orthoptists.
Our History of Orthoptic Education
Although Children’s Eye Care no longer operates an orthoptic training program, orthoptic education remains an important part of our academic history. 
Our program began in 2012 and provided intensive clinical and academic training alongside pediatric ophthalmologists and experienced orthoptists.
Several graduates subsequently joined Children’s Eye Care as members of our orthoptic team.
Our former trainees also earned national recognition, including Richard G. Scobee Memorial Awards for outstanding achievement on the national orthoptic certification examinations.
We’re proud of that history and especially proud that orthoptics continues to play an important role in patient care and medical education at Children’s Eye Care today.
Learn More About a Career in Orthoptics
If you’re interested in a healthcare career involving vision science, pediatric eye care, eye movements and binocular vision, orthoptics is a profession worth exploring.
The American Association of Certified Orthoptists provides additional information about:
- Careers in orthoptics
- Orthoptic education and training
- Accredited U.S. training programs
- Certification
- Continuing education
- Employment opportunities
