August 2021 Newsletter

Make Sure Your Child is Ready for Success in School!

Twenty-five percent of school children have vision problems; many go undiagnosed and untreated. That can leave too many kids behind, wasting years of education and money. Requiring comprehensive eye exams can help more kids succeed academically and graduate. Don’t delay in scheduling your child’s eye exam.

We have a “Back to School” Student Special available: $175 for full dilated eye exam and glasses*.

When purchasing a new pair of glasses for your child you can put their new prescription in an old frame for $29.95*.

* Single Vision Clear Polycarbonate Lenses up to RX +/- 4.00. Not to be combined with other offers.

Eye Health Tips for High School and College Students

Students face special challenges to the eyes when they are under academic performance pressure. Lack of sleep, prolonged computer use and long hours studying make for tired eyes that are dry, scratchy and achy.

Prolonged computer use contributes to eye fatigue because you blink less frequently. Less blinking significantly reduces lubrication in the eye making it feel tired, scratchy and “dry” as a result.

Also, eyes are not designed for prolonged focus on a single object, such as the computer. Remedy: place a note on the computer screen as a reminder to blink and to look away from the screen and focus on objects in the distance. Looking out a window (20 – 20 – 20 rule: for every 20 minutes of computer work, look away for 20 seconds, and focus on a scene or object at least 20 feet away) is a good break for the eyes. The key is to give your eyes a rest.

“Dry eye” is a common feeling from not giving your eyes enough rest while some people just naturally do not produce enough tears to keep their eyes healthy and comfortable. Some common symptoms of dry eye are stinging and burning to the eyes, scratchiness, excessive eye irritation from smoke or wind and excessive tearing. Remedy: If you have occasional symptoms of dry eye, you should try eye drops called artificial tears. These are similar to your own tears and help lubricate the eyes and maintain moisture. For persistent “dry eye,” see your Eye Doctor.

Contact Lenses and Sleep Deprivation

When a contact-lens wearer stays awake studying for 18-20 hours or more with their contacts in, it’s almost the equivalent of sleeping with contacts in, something that we warn against. Prolonged wearing of your contact lenses is a problem for people who wear regular hydrogen lenses, since traditional hydrogels are relatively less permeable to oxygen than newer alternatives like silicone hydrogels. The eye needs oxygen to keep it healthy. Without regular exposure to oxygen, the eye’s cornea can become inflamed and the vision blurry. Prolonged contact lens use can even lead to infections or corneal ulcers that in the worst case can permanently damage vision.

Sometimes students fall asleep without knowing it (with their contacts in), while studying. Remedy: Alternate wearing contact lenses with use of eyeglasses during long study periods. Also, students with irregular sleep patterns can wear contact lenses made of silicon hydrogen, a new material with improved oxygen permeability, which may reduce risk of infection and discomfort.

Medical Myth Exposed: “Children Outgrow Crossed or Misaligned Eyes”

False. Children do not outgrow crossed eyes. A child whose eyes are misaligned may develop poor vision in one eye because the brain will “turn off” or ignore the image from the misaligned or lazy eye. The unused or misaligned eye will not develop good vision unless it is forced to work, usually by patching the stronger eye.

Children who appear to have misaligned eyes should be examined by an eye doctor. In general, the earlier the misaligned eyes are treated, the better. Treatment may include patching, eyeglasses, eye drops, surgery, or a combination of these methods.

Vision Problems are Common in Children with Hearing Loss

About one-fifth of children who have a particular type of hearing loss also have visual disorders, according to a recent study. An estimated one to three children per 1,000 has some degree of sensorineural hearing loss, which occurs as a result of abnormalities in the inner ear or in the auditory center of the brain. Half of all cases in children result from environmental causes and half from genetic causes; one gene accounts for a large proportion of sensorineural hearing loss cases in Caucasian patients. Because children with hearing loss rely heavily on their other senses, undiscovered visual problems could have further harmful effects on their development. Eye examinations for all children with sensorineural hearing loss can lead to early diagnosis and to help minimize visual problems.

InfantSEE Eye Exams

InfantSEE is a national program designed to address the problems of early childhood eye problems that often go undetected

We are fortunate to have an InfantSEE doctor on staff, Dr. Jason Kolodziejczyk.

This program was developed by the American Optometric Association and provides no-cost assessments for children ages 6 to 12 months old.

Providing children with eye screenings at an early age can prevent many problems from occurring or reduce the harmful effects of many eye problems. Early intervention can prevent many eye and vision problems and can more easily correct those problems that do occur.

What we look for in an InfantSEE Assessment:

1. What is the patient/family history?

We will look at risk factors such as low birth weight, premature birth, family history of eye problems, infection of the mother during pregnancy, and difficult labor.

2. Can the baby see?

We will determine if the baby can see by having the child follow an object with his or her eyes and focus on an object. We will also see whether your child prefers to look at objects that are close up or far away.

3. Are the eyes healthy?

We will look at the structure of the eye, the tear ducts, and pupil function. All of these tests should be performed when the baby is calm and relaxed, such as during a bottle feeding or while the child is sleeping.