Division of Ophthalmology

To patients who are visiting ophthalmology for the first time

To give priority to children who need highly advanced medical treatment, we currently limit the first visit to the ophthalmology department to the following.

Those who were diagnosed by physicians of other division at the National Center for Child Health and Development that they need to consult an ophthalmologist in our hospital.
Those who were examined by an ophthalmologist at another hospital and were diagnosed as needing ophthalmological examination or treatment in our hospital.

If you were diagnosed that you need to see a doctor in our hospital, please prepare a medical referral letter and make an appointment for the first visit.
The waiting time is usually for about three months. If there is an emergency, the medical institution you are currently visiting should call the medical cooperation office [03-5494-5486] directly.

Diseases that require prompt treatment, such as glaucoma, congenital cataract, retinal detachment, and retinoblastoma, are handled outside the appointment window.

Characteristics of Ophthalmologic Visits and What Patients Should Know

Because some tests and eye drops take time before the examination, the appointment time is fixed at 9 o'clock. We accept from 8:30 and call you for examination, eye drop, etc. in order of acceptance. Because there are so many patients who come to see a doctor and there are eye drops for tests before the examination, you may have to wait for a long time.

Due to the nature of our hospital, seriously ill patients may come to the hospital in an emergency, and the order of examination may change. We appreciate your understanding.

Ninety percent of the sensory information surrounding us is obtained through our eyes, making vision our most dominant sense. Early diagnosis and treatment of vision problems during childhood play a key role in preventing visual impairment. Our division provides the highest standards of diagnostic and therapeutic care for children with chronic diseases that threaten vision.

Medical services

Our division is made up of doctors and medical specialists certified by the Japanese Ophthalmological Society, and orthoptists who specialize in pediatric ophthalmology. We provide medical services including examinations, diagnosis, surgery, orthoptics and low vision care, and treat sight-threatening diseases with advanced procedures and techniques, some of which are uniquely developed in our division. We accept patients from around the country and from abroad. Children with incurable visual impairment are cared for in our Low Vision Care Clinic.

Diagnosis and treatment policy

Our policy is to employ the latest in advanced procedures and techniques to ensure that children who suffer from severe ocular diseases achieve good vision.

Specialties

Our medical care encompasses all fields of pediatric ophthalmology and we offer the following services:

Examinations

we examine visual acuity, visual field, crossed eyes or strabismus, binocular vision and other aspects of vision. We also assess the structure and function of eye tissue and the central nervous system using advanced techniques, including fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography, ultrasonography, electroretinography and visual evoked potential.

Diagnosis

diagnosis and indication for treatment are determined by analyzing examination results. We also examine the genetic and cellular characteristics of disease pathogenesis at our Laboratory of Cell Biology.

Surgery

we address the full spectrum of ocular surgery for all children from infancy through to adolescence, including lid reconstruction, strabismus surgery, corneal transplantation, intraocular lens implantation, glaucoma surgery, vitreoretinal surgery, orbital reconstruction and tumor surgery.

Orthoptics

our orthoptists provide eye training and vision exercises to encourage the development of visual acuity, binocular vision and ocular alignment for patients with amblyopia, deficiency of binocular vision and strabismus.

Low vision care

we provide consultations and rehabilitation therapy, including advice for patients on how to manage their school life, and usage of various optical aids.

Target diseases

We treat all diseases that threaten vision in childhood, including refractive error, strabismus, amblyopia, impairment of binocular vision, lid anomaly including ptosis, anterior segment diseases in the cornea and conjunctiva, cataracts, lens anomaly, glaucoma, vitreoretinal diseases including dystrophy, retinal detachment and retinopathy of prematurity, neural diseases, orbital diseases, tumors including retinoblastoma, eye diseases that require plastic surgery, and diseases of the central nervous system affecting vision.

Advanced/specialized treatments

Early vitreous surgery for severe retinopathy of prematurity
Retinal reattachment and reconstruction for severe vitreoretinal proliferative diseases and retinal detachment
Intraocular lens implantation for congenital cataracts
Pediatric corneal transplantations
Advanced examinations of the structure and function of the eye using image inspections and electrophysiology
Genetic and cellular examination at the laboratory
Orthoptics for amblyopia and impairment of binocular vision
Rehabilitation and low vision care

Laboratory science and translational research

In our Laboratory of Cell Biology, we analyze clinical data and the genetic and cellular characteristics of diseases. We also investigate the molecular and cell biology of the visual system by employing novel diagnostic techniques using iPS cells, molecular and cellular therapy, reproducing medicine and other new technologies for examination and surgery.