Orthoptics is a paramedical profession that is interested in the screening, rehabilitation, rehabilitation and functional exploration of vision disorders.

 This discipline is for everyone, from children to the elderly. Eye rehabilitation improves strabismus in newborns, helps older people adapt to their changing vision, but it also offers relief to those who work in front of a computer screen and experience eye strain. 

The reasons for going to see an orthoptist are many and varied. These include:

• un strabismus ;
• diplopia;
• dizziness or disturbed balance;
• blurred vision;
• headaches;
• visual fatigue;
• difficulty adapting to glasses;
• tearing or stinging of the eyes;
• or for a baby who is not playing, staring at or not interested in the world around him.

The orthoptist works on medical prescription, generally at the request of an ophthalmologist:

• he performs a check-up to assess visual capacities (visual acuity examinations) and the disorders to be treated;
• he can measure the pressure inside the eye, determine the thickness of the cornea, perform x-rays, analyze the fundus of the eye, and is able to estimate the power of the optical defect that the doctor will have to correct;
• based on the results of the assessment, he determines the exercises necessary to correct and improve vision. He can :
  • treat the muscles of the eye through rehabilitation sessions;
  • re-educate the patient’s vision;
  • help him to better control his gaze or reduce the impact of discomfort felt.
• the orthoptist also intervenes after a trauma or a surgical intervention, to propose a rehabilitation.

In the majority of cases, orthoptists work in private practice, in their private practice or in that of an ophthalmologist. The other options are to practice in a hospital, a care center, or a nursing home for the elderly.

The consultation with an orthoptist does not involve any particular risks for the patient.

Become an orthoptist in France

To practice as an orthoptist, you must hold an orthoptist certificate. This one prepares in 3 years in a unit of training and research (UFR) of medical sciences or techniques of rehabilitation and is integrated after an entrance examination.

Become an orthoptist in Quebec

To be an orthoptist, you must follow a 2-year orthoptic education program. Beforehand, you must have obtained an undergraduate degree from a recognized university.

Note that there are three programs accredited3 by the Canadian Medical Association and none is located in Quebec.

To find an orthoptist:

• in Quebec, you can consult the website of the association of orthoptists of Quebec4, which has a directory;
• in France, via the website of the National Autonomous Syndicate of Orthoptists (5).

The first person to become an orthoptist was a woman, Mary Maddox. She practiced in Great Britain at the beginning of the XNUMXth century.