An eye doctor in Petaling Jaya for your child and your parents: squint and cataract
A child's squint, a parent's old squint, a grandparent's cataract. Whether one eye doctor in Petaling Jaya can see all of them, why squint and cataract cross the ages, and what to bring to the first visit.
- Dr Chan Li Yen, a paediatric ophthalmologist in Petaling Jaya, sees children first and also parents and grandparents, for squint, cataract and general eye care. She operates on both squint and cataract.
- AAPOS says some paediatric ophthalmologists also take care of adults with crossed or drifting eyes, and that many adults can have successful eye straightening with surgery, depending on the cause.
- A squint or double vision that appears suddenly in an adult is not a wait-and-see problem. Both AAPOS and the NHS say it needs a medical check.
- Cataract can happen in children as well as older people. AAPOS puts it at around 3 in every 10,000 children.
- Bring glasses, medicines, any referral letter and the family eye history. Check any doctor on MeRITS and the NSR before booking, and ask the centre about appointments.
Yes. Dr Chan Li Yen, a paediatric ophthalmologist in Petaling Jaya, sees children first, and also sees parents and grandparents, for squint, cataract and general eye care. She operates on both squint and cataract. For many families that means one eye doctor for a child's crossed eye and a grandparent's cloudy lens.
This page explains why squint and cataract are one subject across ages, what each age needs, and what a family can bring to the first visit. Where she practises is on the About page, and the family-wide view is in eye checks for the whole family.
Is there an eye doctor in Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya who can see my child and also my parents, for things like squint or cataract?
Yes. Dr Chan Li Yen is a paediatric ophthalmologist in Petaling Jaya. She sees children, and she also sees their parents and grandparents for squint, cataract and general eye care. Children come first, and the adults who bring them are welcome to ask about their own eyes.
The wording matters, so it is worth being exact. A paediatric ophthalmologist is a doctor who has trained further in children's eyes. That does not mean the clinic is closed to adults. Dr Chan operates on squint and on cataract, and the two conditions are not limited to one age group. The rest of this page is about why, so that a family can judge whether this suits them.
Why would one eye doctor see both a child and a grandparent for squint?
Because the problem is the same: eyes that do not point in the same direction. The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) describes a paediatric ophthalmologist as a doctor who looks after eyes that do not look the same way (strabismus), glasses problems such as short-sightedness, and lazy eye. It adds that some also take care of adults with crossed or drifting eyes.
A child's squint is the main reason families arrive, and the parents' guide to squint and lazy eye in children covers what it means and how it is treated. Many adults live with the same thing. AAPOS says adult squint either carried on from childhood or began suddenly. The two are different: a squint from childhood is usually a long-standing problem, while a new squint in an adult needs a medical check first, because it usually brings double vision and can have causes outside the eye.
For the adult who has always had a drifting eye, the answer to "is it too late" is no. AAPOS says many adults can have successful eye straightening with surgery, depending on the cause. Squint in adults: is it too late? sets out what the operation involves and what the studies found.
Does an adult squint or cataract need a different doctor?
Not automatically. What matters is whether the doctor treats that problem. A cataract is a cloudy lens, and both government and private services in Malaysia operate on it. An adult squint is a narrower subject, and not every clinic takes it on, which is why families ask the question in this page's title.
Two things are worth knowing before booking, for any doctor. First, a squint or double vision that appears suddenly in an adult should be checked this week, not at the next convenient date. The NHS advises seeing a doctor about a squint or double vision that develops later in life, and AAPOS says a sudden squint in an adult needs medical evaluation. Second, ask the clinic directly whether the doctor sees adults for squint and what to bring. Clinics differ, and a phone call settles it.
For a cataract, the decision to operate is made around daily life. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says the ophthalmologist will recommend removing a cataract when it keeps you from doing things you want or need to do. Reading, cooking, recognising faces and night driving are the usual markers. Ah Ma's cataract: government or private covers the routes, the waits and how a family can decide, and what helps and when surgery is due deals with the drops and supplements that families ask about.
Can a child have a cataract?
Yes. AAPOS says people often think cataracts only happen in older people, but they can happen in children as well, and it puts the figure at around 3 in every 10,000 children, with the number differing around the world. No Malaysian figure is given here, because none was found.
In a baby the part of the brain that sees is still developing, and it needs a clear picture to develop properly. A cataract that blocks light can leave that eye weak, which is why a white spot in the pupil, or a white glow in a flash photograph, should be seen by an eye doctor within the week (the white glow in a photo explains why). Cataract in children: not only a grandparent's problem explains why timing matters so much in babies.
A grandmother's cataract and a baby's cataract are the same word for two quite different situations, which is one practical reason an eye doctor who sees both ends of the age range is useful to a family.
What should the family bring to the first visit?
Bring what a doctor would ask for first. For a child, that means the health record book, current glasses, any referral letter, a list of medicines and allergies, and any family eye history. For an adult, bring the glasses you wear now, the names of any eye drops or medicines, and, for a squint, a note of which eye turns, in or out, since what age, and whether you see double.
It helps to say the family history out loud. A parent's squint, a grandparent's early cataract or strong glasses in the family are all useful to the doctor, and they are a reason to have the children checked too. How we test children's eyes shows what the child's part of the visit looks like.
Wherever a family goes, check the doctor first. How to check a children's eye specialist is registered in Malaysia takes a few minutes on a phone, and it works for a parent's doctor as well as a child's. Dr Chan Li Yen's registration numbers are MMC 43128 and NSR 132980.
Where does the family book?
Where Dr Chan practises, and how to reach the clinic, are on the About page. Appointments and clinic hours are handled by the centre, so ask there when booking, and tell them how many people in the family would like to be seen and for what.
Families who prefer a referral can still ask for one. Finding a children's eye specialist in KL and Selangor explains the referral route, the registers and what to bring. The aim is the same for every age: the eye is looked at properly, the cause is named, and the family knows the next step.
- A baby or child has a white glow in the pupil, in person or in a flash photograph.
- An adult develops a squint or double vision suddenly, when the eyes were straight before.
- Vision drops suddenly in one or both eyes, in anyone of any age.
- An eye is painful and red, especially with sensitivity to light or a change in vision.
Common questions
Is there an eye doctor in Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya who can see my child and also my parents, for things like squint or cataract?
Can an adult have squint surgery?
Will my parent's cataract be seen in the same clinic as my child?
Can a child have a cataract?
Is a new squint in an adult urgent?
Do I need a referral letter to see a paediatric ophthalmologist?
How do I check that the eye doctor is registered?
- American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) · Pediatric ophthalmologist · www.aapos.org
- AAPOS · Adult strabismus · aapos.org
- AAPOS · Cataract · aapos.org
- NHS · Squint · www.nhs.uk
- American Academy of Ophthalmology · What is cataract surgery? · www.aao.org