Kids are not simply little adults, a reality that the seven ophthalmologists, one optometrist, four orthoptists and two opticians that make up Children’s Eye Care (CEC) know well. And so, they’re never treated as such when they visit one of CEC’s four metro Detroit locations.
At CEC, everything from the length and setup of the examination rooms to the overall décor to the practitioners’ approach to care takes into account that children are different anatomically as well as developmentally.
From the routine to the complex, CEC practitioners address a range of eye and vision issues.
“We do it all,” says CEC Executive Director Traci Fritz. “We are a full, comprehensive pediatric ophthalmology practice.”
That means CEC ophthalmologists treat the smallest of tykes from premature babies with infantile or congenital cataracts or glaucoma to 6-year-olds with amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, to teenagers ready for their first contact lenses.
“We also see children with special needs,” says Fritz. “And we handle high level pathology including such conditions as retinoblastoma, a type of cancer in the eye.”
The ophthalmologists at CEC have all completed a one-year fellowship specifically in pediatric ophthalmology. This is in addition to their ophthalmology residency. This extra training has helped each CEC physician to develop his or her own style for interacting with young patients.
“Some of our physicians sing, some dance, some tell jokes,” Fritz notes. “One doctor can whistle amazingly well. One knows the words to every Disney song. All have developed facilities to engage and keep the kids part of the examination process.”
Beyond the personalities so integral to the inner workings of CEC are the offices designed to engage children. Animatronic plush animals are hard wired into exam rooms and begin to sing and dance at the press of a button.
“We’ve designed everything about our offices to find that brief moment when children are looking where we need them to be looking to assess what needs to be assessed,” Fritz explains.
With locations in Clinton Township, Dearborn, Detroit (at Children’s Hospital of Michigan) and West Bloomfield, CEC is the premier pediatric ophthalmology practice in southeast Michigan.
“As an adult undergoing an eye exam, you’re part of the process,” Fritz notes. “You can respond to the question of whether lens one or lens two is better. Kids may not be able to do this. They may not know their letters yet, and obviously infants can’t be verbal. Our ophthalmologists are trained to handle the nonverbal or developmentally delayed child and everyone in between.”
For more information on Children’s Eye Care, visit childrenseyecaremich.com.
