Preparing for your child’s UCCC visit

The Uveitis Coordinated Care Clinic sees patients on the first Tuesday of the month in the mornings. You and your child can expect to be at the Hospital for approximately two hours or longer, depending on your child’s needs.

If your child is referred outside of CHOP for a uveitis evaluation, please ask the eye doctor to complete the Uveitis Assessment Form and bring it with you to your child’s appointment at CHOP. You can also upload it using MyCHOP or fax it to 215-590-4750.

What to bring to your appointment

Please make sure you bring the following to your first appointment:

• Copies of your child’s prior eye exams, including labs and any workups showing abnormal vision or inflammation.
• Results from any screening or blood tests — even if normal.
• Health history.
• Referral paperwork. This must be in place at the time of the visit or your visit may be delayed or rescheduled.
• Any authorization your insurance company may require. You should call your insurance company to get this information.
• Co-pay or co-insurance for the visit. If you have any questions, please call 267-426-1467.
• The name and phone number of your pharmacy.
• A parent or legal guardian must be present for the first consultation. If you are a legal guardian, please bring proof of guardianship.
• All of the medications your child currently takes — including over-the-counter medications — in a bag. If you’d prefer to write a list of medications, we will need the medicine name, dosage, frequency, prescribing doctor, pharmacy name and phone number, as well as how long your child has been using this medication. Most families find it easier to toss everything in a bag and bring it along!

When you arrive

We encourage you to arrive 30 minutes prior to your child’s scheduled appointment so we can review all of your paperwork and ask any additional questions. Register your child with our staff at the front desk.

If you arrive late, you risk being seen later or having your appointment rescheduled. Please call us at 215-590-5761 if you are running late. If you need to cancel your appointment, please give us 72 hours’ notice. Another family will be grateful for your time.

During your child’s exam

When your child’s name is called, you and your child will be escorted to a private examination where our clinical team will:

• Take a full medical history of your child, including any family history of illness.
• Discuss your child’s symptoms and what brings you to this visit.
• Review your child’s medical records and previous test results.
• Review your child's medications and allergies. Please remember to bring any prescriptions and over-the-counter medications your child is taking.
• Discuss possible next steps including diagnostic tests.

During the appointment, your child may undergo a variety of tests and exams to monitor for inflammation and vision loss.

These tests may include:

• Physical examination including careful observation of all parts of the eyes
• Measuring vision and pressure in the eyes
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT), which can be useful in monitoring macular edema, a complication of uveitis
• Visual field testing if your child has glaucoma, one possible complication of uveitis

We encourage you to ask any questions you have about your child’s condition or treatment plans, and you can always contact our team after your visit if you have follow-up questions.

Follow-up

After your child’s initial visit, you will receive a visit summary report detailing the examination, recommended next steps (such as additional testing) and instructions for your child’s care. We will also send your child’s primary care provider a letter detailing your child’s diagnosis and are plan.

Depending on your child’s condition, he may be scheduled to return to the UCCC clinic for coordinated visits between ophthalmology and rheumatology, or scheduled for individual visits with ophthalmology or rheumatology between clinic visits.

If you have specific questions for your ophthalmologist, call 215-590-5761. For your rheumatologist, call 215-590-2547.