What is a Orthoptist?

Orthoptists are key members of a team whose goal is to provide evaluation, understanding, and treatment to children and adults with disorders affecting visual function.

 The focus of orthoptics is the evaluation and non-surgical treatment of disorders of vision, eye movements, and eye alignment. Orthoptics combine diagnostic ability, technical understanding and therapeutic skills. Orthoptists are actively involved in the decision-making for patient care. By choosing various test procedures, the orthoptist formulates a statement of impressions including a differential diagnosis and possible modes of non-surgical treatment.

 To maintain certification an orthoptist must remain in good standing as outlined in the Code of Ethics determined by the American Orthoptic Council and accrue the required number of approved continuing education credits.

 (information provided by the AACO website www.orthoptics.org)

Our Orthoptists

Peggy Therriault, CO, COT,

Peggy Therriault, CO, COT, graduated from Boston College with a degree in biology. Peggy then moved to Baltimore, Maryland to train for two years in orthoptics at Johns Hopkins Medical Institution.

 Peggy joined Children’s Eye Care in 1988 as a certified orthoptist and shortly after became certified as an ophthalmic technician. She left the group in the Fall of 2000 to pursue education in feng shui. At the same time, she worked for a large adult ophthalmology group with a cornea specialist.

 In the Fall of 2004, Peggy rejoined Children’s Eye Care to assist with the growing number of adult strabismus patients and complicated pediatric eye muscle cases. She is thrilled to be back working in her field of expertise. 

Peggy Therriault lives in Southport with her husband and two children.

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