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man rubbing eyes after looking at a computer too long
19Nov 2018

How to Create the Optimal Work Environment to Reduce Digital Eye Strain

Eye strain slowing you down at work? Learn solutions to prevent computer vision syndrome, including glasses for computer use like blue light blocking glasses.

How to Create the Optimal Work Environment to Reduce Digital Eye Strain

Your job requires you to look at screens – perhaps multiple screens – a day for extended periods of time. From a desktop or laptop to your cell phone or tablet, your job must be completed via the use of digital, blue light-emitting devices.

And, as you may guess, you’re not alone.

According to the Vision Council, approximately 80 percent of American adults report using digital devices for more than two hours per day. On top of that, about 67 percent reported using two or more devices simultaneously.1

The result of all this use? 70 percent of adults report suffering from digital eye strain.2

While there is no way of avoiding staring at digital screens for the vast majority of your work week, there are multiple ways you can create an optimal work environment that not only reduces eye strain, but also helps your eyes achieve comfort while you work.

What is Digital Eye Strain, Exactly?

Digital Eye Strain – also known as Computer Vision Syndrome – is a condition that encompasses a group of eye and vision-related problems that develop from prolonged digital screen use, such as a computer, cell phone, e-reader, etc.

While Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is common and growing in occurrence among individuals of all ages, including children, it is treatable and preventable.

Generally speaking, the level of discomfort depends on an individual’s current eye health, visual abilities, and the amount of time spent looking at a digital screen. Overall,
CVS symptoms tend to increase with the amount of digital screen use.

Computer Vision Syndrome Symptoms & Causes

The most widely experienced symptoms associated with CVS are:

  • Blurred Vision
  • Eyestrain
  • Dry Eyes
  • Neck, Back and Shoulder Pain
  • Headaches

But what causes digital eye strain in the first place? Research has shown that CVS symptoms are most commonly caused by:3

  • Improper Viewing Distances
  • Poor Seating Posture
  • Poor Environment Lighting
  • Poor Screen Lighting
  • Glare on the Digital Screen
  • Uncorrected or Undetected Vision Issues, such as farsightedness, an astigmatism, presbyopia, inadequate eye focusing or coordination abilities, and more
  • A Combination of These Factors

Computer Vision Syndrome Can Be Prevented

Symptoms and causes of digital eye strain are usually only temporary and will cease after digital screen use has ended for an extended period of time. More importantly, CVS can be avoided in the workplace.

With the average American professional spending an average of seven hours a day on the computer,3 and a total of 10 hours a day on all digital devices,4 prevention techniques at the office can go a long way.

8 Ways to Prevent Computer Vision Syndrome & Achieve Eye Comfort While Working

To help alleviate or prevent digital eye strain altogether, turn the following steps into everyday habits:

1. Wear Glasses for Computer Use, such as Blue Light Blocking Glasses

Regardless if you already have a prescription for eyeglasses or contracts, it’s advantageous to discuss your options in glasses for computer use with your optometrist, including blue light blocking glasses.

Special computer glass lenses that have an anti-reflective coating and work to shield your eyes from harmful blue light can give your eyes the most amount of support.

Glasses for computer use:

  • Reduce screen glare
  • Help you avoid eye strain, eye fatigue, and general eye discomfort
  • Can deliver the best correction for intermediate and close-up distances from digital screens

2. Adjust Work Station Ergonomics

How far your computer screen is from your eyes plays a significant role in how much strain your eyes will experience.

In addition to adjusting your own posture, as this will help improve your overall comfort while working, be sure to arrange your desk so your computer screen is 18 to 30 inches (ideal range is 20 to 24 inches) away from your eyes.

Last of all, adjust the center of your screen to be approximately 10 to 15 degrees below your eyes. This will help your neck and head to rest at a more comfortable position.

3. Correct Office Lighting

A major culprit to digital eye strain is not in the digital device at all. If your work environment is extremely bright – due to overhead lighting and/or light coming through the windows – your eyes are probably overworking to adjust to surrounding light and the lighting from your digital device.

As a general rule, when using the computer, your office’s ambient lighting should be about half as bright as what is typically found in most offices. While this is largely out of your control, there are ways you can try to correct your office lighting, such as:

  • Closing drapes, shades or blinds to reduce or eliminate exterior light
  • Using fewer or lower intensity light bulbs or fluorescent tubes to reduce interior lighting
  • Turning off overhead fluorescent lights and using floor lamps that give off indirect incandescent or halogen lighting

4. Reduce Direct or Reflected Glares

In conjunction with correcting office lighting, you’ll want to be sure the steps you take are also reducing glare.

Glares appear when there is a high contrast between the intensity of light in the foreground and background.

You can reduce direct or reflected glare in your workspace by:

  • Completing all the steps for correcting office lighting
  • Positioning your computer monitor so the windows are off to the side
  • Changing office furniture and walls to neutral and dark colors to further reduce glare and reflection
  • Using an anti-glare screen filter on your computer screen

5. Change the Text Size and Color Combination on Your Computer

In addition to battling glare, screen flicker, and blue light, your eyes are trying to read small text and understand digital color combinations.

To help your eyes help you, adjust your text to be three times the smallest size you can read from a normal viewing position.

By also working to avoid low contrast text and background color schemes, your eyes won’t experience as much strain. Your eyes like the traditional dark-on-light combinations, such as black text on a white or slightly yellow background, so try to stick to that.

6. Prevent Dry Eyes

Another double-whammy to your eyes is viewing a digital screen for a long period of time while contending with dry eyes.

If you experience dry eyes at work, or know you live with persistent dry eyes, you can:

  • Use artificial tears
  • Blink more often
  • Lower the position of the computer monitor so more of the eye surface is covered by the eyelid because it is looking down
  • Increase the amount of water you consume to keep your eyes, and entire body, well hydrated

7. Follow the 20-20-20 Rule

Promoted by the American Optometric Association, the 20-20-20 rule is extremely simple and effective:

Take a 20-second break to view something 20 feet away every 20 minutes.

This exercise will give your eyes a break and help break up time spent staring at a digital screen. It will also give your mind some down time, too.

8. Schedule an Annual Eye Exam

With as much as you rely on your eyes, it’s imperative you get an annual, comprehensive vision exam to ensure your vision is in optimal condition and, if you are contending with any vision conditions, they can be detected early and treated with corrective solutions or preventative strategies.

As noted above, your optometrist can help ensure you get the right glasses for computer use, such as blue light blocking glasses, which has the potential to drastically reduce digital eye strain.

Protect Your Vision with Computer Vision Treatment

At iCare Vision, we take digital eye strain seriously. You can protect your eyes
and achieve comfortable vision while viewing your digital screens.

If you are experiencing any signs of digital eye strain, schedule a healthy eye exam for a quick and painless assessment. We can help you return to a productive workday with more comfortable eyes.

Resources:
1 The Vision Council. Digital Eye Strain. Accessed October 29, 2018. https://www.thevisioncouncil.org/content/digital-eye-strain.
2 NBC News. Read it and blink: 70 percent of adults report ‘digital eye strain’. Accessed October 29, 2018. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/read-it-blink-70-percent-adults-report-digital-eye-strain-flna2D11883909.
3 American Optometric Association. Computer Vision Syndrome. Accessed October 30, 2018. https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/protecting-your-vision/computer-vision-syndrome.
4 CNN. Americans devote more than 10 hours a day to screen time, and growing. Accessed October 30, 2018. https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/30/health/americans-screen-time-nielsen/index.html.

Categories:
woman with glasses before LASIK eye surgery
19Nov 2018

Thinking about LASIK Eye Surgery? Ask Your Doctor These Questions

Considering LASIK eye surgery? A corrective eye surgery consultation can help you assess whether or not you’re a good candidate. Contact iCare Vision.

Thinking about LASIK Eye Surgery? Ask Your Doctor These Questions

Clear, comfortable vision isn’t just about seeing well; it’s about living well. As our dominant sense, vision plays a vital role in our overall quality of life. Indeed, good vision can lead to a healthier, happier you.

If you live with a vision condition and long to break free from your eyeglasses or contacts, LASIK (laser eye surgery) may be able to help you see clearly and better than ever without corrective lenses.

It must be noted that LASIK isn’t for everyone, and it’s important to thoroughly discuss the benefits and risks with your optometrist before committing to the procedure.

The Basics of LASIK Eye Surgery

LASIK corrective eye surgery is a procedure done to a very delicate part of the eye. With millions of people already living with improved vision thanks to LASIK, the definition of success is important to understand.

LASIK 20/20 and 20/40 vision are common phrases when discussing this procedure. How do these measurements compare to your current vision correction with glasses or contact lenses?

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) reports that nine out of 10 patients achieve somewhere between 20/20 and 20/40 vision.

20/40 vision, however, may not be sharp enough for certain work or leisure activities. In fact, even 20/20 vision does not always equate to perfect vision.

LASIK results all depend on your eye health and condition before the surgery. For many, LASIK is a life-changing procedure, but you must discover if you are a good candidate or not and learn the pros and cons:

Are You a Good Candidate for LASIK?

Generally speaking, good candidates for laser eye surgery are:


 
18 years and older – preferably in their mid-20s and older:
Even though LASIK is an elective procedure, optometrists usually strongly suggest only patients aged 18 and older get the surgery. Why? Good candidates for LASIK have a stable prescription for at least two years. Since vision changes rapidly as a child grows, prescriptions can adjustment several times before the age of 18.

In fact, most optometrists encourage patients to wait until they enter their mid-20s, when their prescription is likely more stable than at 18.

It is also recommended to get LASIK before the age of 40. Around this age, eyes can begin to change again. In some individuals, presbyopia – a condition that makes it hard to see things within an arm’s length – can develop. Unfortunately, LASIK cannot correct this eye condition. Instead, surgeons can perform monovision laser surgery, where the non-dominant eye is left slightly nearsighted, so the patient can see things up close.

Keep in mind, however, that LASIK is performed on patients of all ages. It all comes down to how healthy and stable your eyes are, which is why a consultation with your optometrist is a crucial first step.


 
In good health and free of eye diseases:
Certain eye diseases, eye viruses, and health problems can be barriers to getting LASIK, such as:

  • Eye Diseases:
    • Glaucoma
    • Keratoconus
    • Cataracts
    • Certain retinal and optic nerve diseases
  • Eye Viruses:
    • Herpes simplex
    • Herpes zoster
  • Health Problems:
    • Collagen vascular disease
    • Uncontrolled diabetes
    • Autoimmune disease
    • More

 
Committed to pre- and post-eye surgery responsibilities:
Care for your eyes before and after surgery is crucial. Good LASIK candidates are committed to the process beforehand.

Pre- and post-LASIK responsibilities may include:

  • Stop wearing contact lenses for two to four weeks prior to the consultation and/or surgery
  • Not wearing cosmetics and perfumes during the surgery
  • Arranging transportation to and from the surgery
  • Post-surgery medication schedule
  • Post-surgery follow-up eye exams
  • Annual eye exams
  • More

 
Willing to accept reasonable risk:
As with any surgical procedure, LASIK does come with certain risks of complications. Occasionally, LASIK can result in less than 20/20 vision. Before electing for the surgery, you must be willing to accept the potential of a rare complication occurring.

11 Questions to Ask Before LASIK Eye Surgery

Before opting for surgery, you need to know if you’re a good candidate and be fully prepared for what the procedure will involve. The best way to learn if LASIK eye surgery is right for you is to talk with an optometrist who specializes in comprehensive LASIK eye surgery consultation and care.

Here are 11 recommended questions to ask during your consultation:

  1. Has my eyesight been stable for the last two years?
  2. Do I have a health condition that could prevent me from getting the surgery?
  3. Is my age going to hinder the success of the LASIK eye surgery?
  4. What results can I expect with corrective eye surgery?
  5. What are the potential risks of LASIK eye surgery?
  6. What is LASIK recovery like, and how long will it take me to recover from the surgery?
  7. Is corrective eye surgery compatible with my lifestyle?
  8. What are the costs of LASIK?
  9. Are there medications I need to stop taking before the LASIK procedure?
  10. What is LASIK 20/20 and 20/40 vision, and how do these measurements compare with my current vision correction?
  11. Will the results last for life, or will I need another LASIK operation later?

While every question is important to ask and get a thorough answer, it’s beneficial to spend a little more time on the last question. Since every patient is contending with different vision issues, it’s hard for LASIK to deliver the same optimal results every procedure.

In conjunction with discussing the risks and results, it’s important you know what is possible if LASIK does not meet your goals and desired outcome. Be sure to ask what is involved in retreatment.

Additionally, undesirable side effects are possible with LASIK. Make sure you leave your consultation with a complete understanding of the potential side effects, how they’re treated, and how long it takes for them to resolve.

Comprehensive LASIK Eye Surgery Consultation and Care in Mount Vernon, Ohio

If you’re tired of wearing glasses or contacts every day, you owe it to yourself to schedule a consultation to explore LASIK corrective eye surgery.

Take the first step and get an in-depth analysis of your vision health.

While iCare Vision does not perform LASIK surgeries, we can help you learn whether or not you’re a good candidate for the procedure and walk you through the ins and outs of LASIK. We might also recommended an additional ophthalmologist’s – an Anterior Segment Specialist – opinion. These specialists have received additional training in front surface ocular conditions, and as a result often have higher success rates post LASIK surgery.

When you start your corrective eye surgery journey with us – eye care experts with no financial stake in your procedure and completely unbiased recommendations – we’ll only suggest procedures that will help make your life and vision better.

Even though most patient’s outcome is now 20/20 in each eye it is recommended that you still get yearly exams to monitor for retinal problems, glaucoma, and general health. Many lasik centers offer “free” touch ups if patients see their local doctor yearly.

Categories:
prescription night vision glasses
22Oct 2018

Improve Your Night Vision

You can improve your night vision. Learn strategies and discover how prescription night driving glasses can mean all the difference.

Seniors: How to Improve Night Vision While Driving

Life doesn’t stop when the sun goes down, but driving at night – especially with oncoming headlights and bright light – can cause vision problems for some seniors.

If you live with night blindness, also known as nyctalopia, or contend with vision problems at night or in dim light, there are steps you can take to improve your vision at night and begin experiencing life after dark in more ways.

Read how to improve night vision while driving, and learn more about night blindness and what you can do to improve or evade the condition.

prescription night vision glasses

What is Night Blindness?

Night blindness is the inability to see in dim light or at night.

For seniors living with night blindness, this doesn’t mean you can’t see anything at night. Instead, night blindness means your vision is weaker at night and doesn’t fully support you in various nighttime endeavors – especially driving at night.

While nyctalopia is not a disease, it is a symptom of another type of vision issue.

What Causes Night Blindness?

The following eye conditions can cause night blindness:

  • Nearsightedness – the inability to clearly see objects far away
  • Cataracts – the clouding of the eye’s lens
  • Retinitis pigmentosa – the collection of dark pigment in the retina, leading to tunnel vision. Early diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa and genetic testing may allow some treatment plans (especially with vitamins) to be started early in life and prevent serious loss of vision
  • Usher syndrome – a genetic condition that affects both hearing and vision
  • Vitamin A deficiency – an important vitamin that is key in transforming nerve impulses into images in the retina

It’s important to note that older adults and seniors, and individuals with diabetes, have a greater risk of experiencing vision problems at night and developing night blindness.

Ways Seniors Can Improve Night Vision

Improving one’s health and nutrition – especially taking vitamins A and B – can help improve your night vision. Special night driving glasses with anti-glare coated lenses are one of the best ways to improve vision by a least 5% or more. Sometimes, a small amount of tint, especially yellow, in the Rx can deliver eye relief.

Here are more details on the top ways to improve night vision to help with night vision driving and other dim light activities:

Consult with Your Optometrist First

Because of the complexities and varied eye conditions that can cause night blindness or poor vision at night, it’s vital that your first step in improving your eye health and night vision problems is to see your trusted optometrist. Playing the guessing game as to what is causing your condition or how you can make it better doesn’t get to the absolute root of the problem.

More than likely, there is something else going on with your sight that needs addressed. In turn, your vision at night will likely improve in tandem.

Without knowing exactly what your eyes are contending with, it’s hard to talk specifics in this article. But we lay out different eyeglass options and strategies your optometrist may suggest or prescribe to help with night vision driving and your overall night vision and eye health.

1. Night Driving Glasses

Night driving glasses are specially recommended eyeglasses that fit your vision needs and may help you see better and reduce glare while driving in the dark. Effective night driving glasses include:

  • Light sensitivity glasses for night driving.If you have light sensitive eyes, it can feel as if you’re blinded by oncoming traffic, and you may even struggle with light contrast after dark. These difficulties are very normal, as everyone’s pupils constrict when bright light enters the eye. Everyone’s eyes adapt at different speeds. Tinted glasses are never the solution at night. Light sensitivity glasses for night driving can help to reduce reflections from special lens enhancements that will better help with night vision driving to combat light sensitivity from headlights and street lights.
  • Anti reflective glasses for night driving.To help your eyes focus properly on the road and other obstacles at night, anti reflective glasses for night driving can be prescribed. They’re special night driving glasses with an anti-reflective coating. When it comes to driving at night vision problems, these glasses help reduce glare, sharpen vision, and help many seniors see better overall on the road at night. Depending on the anti reflective lenses you’re prescribed, some are developed with wavefront diagnostic technology that can also reduce halos, star bursts, glare, and other visual distractions. Anti reflective glasses for night driving are usually based on your individual prescription to deliver the best possible vision for your eyes.

In addition to prescription night driving glasses, your eye doctor may recommend these additional ways to improve your night vision:

2. Choose the Right Pair of Sunglasses

How you take care of your eyes during the day will significantly help or hurt your eyes at night. Unfiltered sunlight exposure can cause your night vision to suffer. But you can’t just hide out inside all day; too little light during the day won’t help your eyes at night, either.

Finding a pair of effective sunglasses – ones that match your prescription, block UV rays, and help keep out light and rays that could enter from the side of your face – can help improve your night vision.

Be sure to read our article on How to Choose the Right Pair of Sunglasses.

3. Give Your Eyes Time to Adjust Naturally

If you know ahead of time you need to drive or do something outside at night, set 10-20 minutes aside and allow your eyesight to naturally adjust to darkness. As an acclaimed method by U.S. Military personnel, here’s what you’ll need to do:

  • Find a dark room.
  • Sit for approximately 10-20 minutes with your eyes open.
  • Go directly outside when you’re done. (Do not head back toward a brightly-lit room.)
  • If you don’t have a dark room (or 10-20 minutes), slip on a sleep mask and sit in a room for a few minutes as your eyes adjust.

4. Avoid Direct Eye Contact with Light Sources

Nightly, outdoor activities will always involve bright lights. But to promote optimal night vision, it’s important to not look straight at a light source. Strong lights will cause the size of your pupil to shrink. When this happens, it will take longer for your pupil to open up and let more light in.

When diving, headlights are constantly hitting you from the front and the back. While still ensuring utmost safety, try to adjust any mirror that is getting blasted with a rear car’s headlights. Additionally, when learning how to improve night vision while driving, focus your eyes more toward the white line of the road, as opposed to the middle of the road where more oncoming headlights are.

5. Eat Vitamin A-Rich Food

Vitamin A is an important component of rhodopsin, a light-absorbing protein in the retina. Rhodopsin helps you see more clearly in the dark. This is why night blindness is one of the first symptoms of a vitamin A deficiency. This deficiency, however, is uncommon in developed countries, but it may be worth it to talk with your doctor about ways to alter your diet to benefit your vision.

Before adjusting your diet in any way, be sure to consult with your doctor first. While ensuring you’re consuming adequate levels of vitamin A, there is a point where you can be getting too much.

Talk to Your Doctor About Cataract Surgery

Because cataracts are a main cause of night blindness in older adults, you may want to have a conversation with your optometrist about removing your cataracts through surgery.

During surgery, your cloudy lens(es) will be replaced with clear, artificial ones. If it’s discovered that your cataracts are the underlying cause of your night blindness, your night vision will significantly improve after surgery.

An Eye Exam Can Help You Enjoy the Night with Clear Vision

Don’t let your vision hold you back from doing anything you’re capable of or want to do at night. Clear night vision is possible, we just need to understand what’s causing this challenge in the first place.

Through a healthy eye exam, every aspect of your vision will be thoroughly assessed, and you will receive a prescription and/or insight to improve your night vision – which can eliminate any current driving at night vision problems.

Come see the eye experts at iCare Vision today.

Schedule Your Prescription Appointment Today
Categories:
blurred vision
16Oct 2018

Blurred Vision: The Ultimate Guide

What causes blurred vision? Learn the causes of sudden or temporary blurred vision & discover the eye care that’s available to ensure healthy vision.

Blurred Vision: The Ultimate Guide

blurred vision

Did you lose sharpness in your eyesight?

Did your vision become hazy and out-of-focus – whether for a moment, off and on, or for a prolonged period of time?

Let’s get to the bottom of what’s going on right away.

Vision is our dominant sense. Through vision, we are able to derive meaning and learn from what we see. We heavily rely on our eyes, and that’s why blurry and unclear vision is so alarming to experience.

 

Cloudy Vision vs Blurry Vision: What’s the Difference?

Blurry vision is the loss of sharpness of eyesight. With blurred vision, objects will appear out-of-focus and fuzzy.

Cloudy vision is where objects can appear obscured from looking through a seemingly ‘milky’ lens. Cloudy vision is most commonly a symptom of cataracts.

While the two are frequently used interchangeably, they are slightly different conditions. It’s important to note that blurred and cloudy vision can both be symptoms of a serious vision issue.

Regardless if you have blurry or cloudy vision, your eye doctor can determine exactly what’s going on through a comprehensive eye exam.

If you’re experiencing sudden, persistent blurry or cloudy vision, call us at iCare Vision immediately.

740-392-4000

 

Symptoms of Blurred Vision

“I am always amazed at the number of people who come in and have just accepted their blurred vision because they’ve had it for so long. They don’t even complain about it to the doctor, and this can go more than 20 years. We can help you reclaim clear, healthy vision.”​Dr. Wineland
  • Loss of visual sharpness
  • Unclear vision
  • Unfocused vision
  • Dim vision
  • Hazy vision
  • Fuzzy-ghosty vision

Blurred vision can happen in one or both eyes, and it can affect your entire line of sight or just parts of your vision in the affected eye(s) – such as your peripheral vision, which is what you see beside you when looking straight ahead.

 

What Causes Blurred Vision?

The main cause of blurred vision is refractive errors – where the shape of your eye does not bend light correctly – or presbyopia – a gradual, age-related condition where the eyes lose the ability to focus on nearby objects.

But your temporary or sudden blurred vision could also stem from a non-eye condition.

 

Eye Anatomy & Blurred Vision

From the front to the back of the eye and into the brain, the eye contains over two million working parts and is considered the second most complex organ in the body (only second to the brain).

The inner structures of the eye all work together to produce an image that your brain can understand. In order to produce a clear image, the eyes must complete an intricate process with all parts healthy and fully functioning.

Your eyes deserve the best, and your future vision depends on how you treat and nurture it today. Let us help you take the best care of your eyes.

  Schedule Healthy Eye Exam  

When it comes to the anatomy of the eye, here’s what can cause blurred vision:

Tears

If the three layers of a tear – oil, water (H2O2), and lipid (fatty) – are not balanced, they can be abnormal and become an almost film-like tear that can cause blurred vision. This may be due to dry eye. After assessing hdry eye and tear production, there are a multitude of solutions we can use to rebuild the delicate yet complicated surface.

Cornea

If the surface is irregular, a condition called corneal dystrophy may be present and cause blurred vision. There are more than 20 types of corneal dystrophies, each with different symptoms. All cause a buildup of foreign material in one or more layers of the cornea. Over time, vision may become cloudy or blurry.

Corneal Abrasion

When the cornea gets scratched or injured, a corneal abrasion may develop. In addition to blurry vision, you may feel like there’s something in your eye.

Conjunctival

The conjunctiva is the clear, thin membrane that covers part of the front surface of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids. If irritated from allergies or another irritant, conjunctival tissues may cause blurred vision.

Eye Lids

If the eye lids are not even and normal, like a good “windshield wiper,” this can blur vision. A stye and lid bumps can make this worse and more painful.

Aqueous Fluid

Aqueous fluid behind the cornea must be clear and clean of inflammation. It’s common to get an iritis, which is where thousands of white blood cells flood this area and cause blurred vision, pain, and redness. This all can be greatly helped with medication and a diagnosis by an eye doctor.

Lens

The lens of the eye can become defective and not focus (causing blurred vision) at young age, or with the aging of the eyes it can stop working with presbyopia. In later years, the lens can be the area that gets cloudy in a cataract.

 

Common Causes of Blurred Vision

Your eyes are stained.

With today’s digital-driven lifestyles, eye strain is incredibly common. But it doesn’t always have to involve digital devices (cell phone, computer, TVs). It can occur after looking at and focusing on something for a long time without a break.

When it’s the result of focusing on an electronic device like a computer or cellphone, it’s sometimes called digital eye strain. Other causes include reading and driving, especially at night and in poor weather.

Your blood sugar is high.

Very high blood sugar levels cause the lens of your eye to swell, which results in blurred vision.

You caught conjunctivitis.

Conjunctivitis, also known as pinkeye, is an inflammation of the conjunctiva – the thin, clear tissue on top of the white part of the eye and the lining of the inside eyelid.

While common among children, adults can catch this highly contagious virus. Pink eye usually will subside in one to two weeks without treatment, but, in the meantime, it is known to cause spurts of temporary blurred vision.

If you feel you have a severe case of pink eye, schedule an appointment to see your optometrist.

You slept with your contacts in.

When you blink, your contact lenses move across your eyes, causing micro-scratches on the surface of your eyes. Sometimes, infection-causing microorganisms can get caught under the lenses and get into these small scratches. When you sleep with your contacts in, you are allowing these organisms to grow and cause corneal ulcers that can lead to blurred vision.

A very simple solution? Remove your contact lenses every night before you fall asleep.

You're pregnant.

During pregnancy, your body undergoes several hormonal changes. These fluctuations can alter the shape and thickness of your cornea and tear production which can lead to blurred and variable comfort.

Blurry vision is common during pregnancy, and it can sometimes be accompanied by bouts of double vision.

Even though blurred vision is usually not threatening to your sight or health, you should always communicate any vision issues to your doctor, as, in some cases, blurred vision could be a symptom of gestational diabetes or high blood pressure. Some patients just need to wear their glasses more and take a mini vacation on their contact usage.

You have chronic dry eyes.

Did you know that blurred and/or fluctuating vision is a cause of dry eye syndrome? In addition to the irritated, gritty, scratchy or burning eyes you feel, your vision can seem out-of-focus.

You can reclaim comfortable, clear vision with dry eyes, but sometimes it takes more than artificial tears to achieve this.

After assessing your vision, your optometrist can prescribe prescription eye drops to keep your eyes lubricated and healthy.

You suffer from ocular migraines.

An ocular migraine (retinal migraine) is a rare condition that can cause short-term vision loss or blurred vision,missing vision, kaleidoscope vision, among other possible bizarre visual symptoms, before the migraine pain sets in, or during the migraine period.

An in-depth eye exam by an optometrist will be able to fully assess your eye health and identify any vision issues you may be contending with. Upon completion of the exam, you will receive a definitive treatment plan to address your specific eye condition that will aim to prevent future migraine episodes and temporary blurred vision.

You're diabetic.

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes can cause blurred vision if it is uncontrolled. The biggest concern with diabetes and your vision is diabetes can cause diabetic retinopathy – a serious eye disease caused by diabetes that is a leading cause of vision impairment and blindness.

Diabetic retinopathy has been dubbed a sneak thief of vision, as you can tragically lose your vision from diabetes without even knowing you have diabetes.

If you have or suspect you have diabetes, make regular eye exams apart of your round of routine checkups.

You have high blood pressure.

High blood pressure can cause vein occlusion, a painless, mini stroke of the eye. Vein occlusion can cause patients with HBP to experience blurred vision – usually in just one eye.

If you live with HBP and are experiencing blurred vision, see your optometrist right away. While this condition can be treated, diagnosis and treatment must be administered right away for the most effectiveness.

Regular eye exams – which can protect against vein occlusion – should be a part of any individual’s round of routine checkups if they live with high blood pressure. There is also a higher risk of glaucoma problems in the eye because of higher than normal pressures in the body.

You need prescription or reading glasses.

As previously noted, refractive errors – such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism – are the most common causes of blurry vision.

More times than not, refractive errors are fairly easy to fix with a prescription from your optometrist. This includes getting an updated prescription or reading glasses. Each refractive error is discussed in more detail below.

A comprehensive healthy eye exam will uncover exactly where your vision is at and what prescription is right for you. Let us help you best support your vision.

  Schedule Healthy Eye Exam  

Development of an Eye Condition

Experiencing blurred vision can also be a symptom of a developing eye condition. If you’re experiencing blurred vision and none of the common causes of blurred vision fit your situation, a comprehensive eye exam may uncover that:

You're nearsighted.

Myopia – also known as nearsightedness – is the most common refractive error. With nearsightedness, objects in the distance become blurred, and you could be experiencing blurry vision in one or both eyes. Accompanying symptoms to nearsightedness are eye strain, headaches, and squinting.

You're farsighted.

If you can clearly see objects in the distance but objects close-up appear blurry, you could be developing hyperopia, or farsightedness. Accompanying symptoms to farsightedness include eye strain and fatigue from trying to constantly focus on objects right in front of you.

You have astigmatism.

Struggling to see at near and far distances is a sign of an astigmatism – a refractive error that is caused by an irregularly shaped cornea.

Blurred vision with an astigmatism is caused by light rays failing to meet on a single focus point on the retina. Without a single focus point, clear vision cannot be produced at any distance.

Regardless if you are nearsighted, farsighted or have an astigmatism, these refractive errors can be corrected with an eyeglass or contact lens prescription or refractive surgery, such as LASIK.

You have presbyopia.

Most commonly occurring in individuals aged 40 and older, presbyopia is a naturally occurring age-related condition where blurry vision begins to develop when reading or viewing objects up-close.

Since the lenses inside the eye begin to harden with presbyopia, progressive lenses, bifocals, reading glasses or presbyopia surgery are all viable options to correct this condition.

You have eye floaters.

An eye floater is a spot in your vision that may appear as black or gray specks, black or gray strings, or cobwebs.

When these temporary spots drift into your line of sight, you can experience blurred vision.

While eye floaters are a normal part of aging, you should call your optometrist immediately if you suddenly experience a shower of floaters, as this could be a sign of a torn or detached retina. Visual exam for best outcome needs to occur within 24-48 hours that is why most offices have after hours emergency phone service.

You're developing glaucoma.

Glaucoma, also known as the silent thief of sight, is a disease that damages the optic nerve, causing the optic nerve to slowly die over time. Vision loss with glaucoma is a slow process, and, for the most part, there are no obvious symptoms.

This is why an annual eye exam is so crucial – to catch diseases like glaucoma before they permanently claim your vision.

When signs do present themselves, blurred vision can be a symptom of glaucoma. To err on the side of caution, be sure to schedule an eye exam.

 

When Blurred Vision is an Emergency

If you’re currently experiencing sudden blurred vision, or you contend with temporary blurred vision from time to time, the good news is that most causes don’t threaten your eyesight.

Blurred vision, however, can be a sign of a serious vision and/or health issue. For this reason, you should call iCare Vision or go to the emergency room as soon as possible if you experience any of the following:

  • Sudden changes in your vision, such as blurriness, that don’t subside after closing your eyes or blinking a few times
  • Persistent pain in one or both eyes
  • No vision in one or both eyes, or in a specific area of an eye

If you feel your blurred vision is non-threatening, it’s still important to schedule a comprehensive eye exam soon to ensure your eyes are healthy and you’re seeing clearly.

  Schedule Healthy Eye Exam
Categories:
online vision test
26Sep 2018

What You Should Know about Getting a Glasses Prescription Online

Can you get prescription glasses without a prescription? Learn about online vision testing & things to consider before getting a glasses prescription online.

What You Should Know about Getting a Glasses Prescription Online

Jumping online to shop or complete a task is almost always more convenient than heading to a store or an in-person appointment. For individuals who require prescription eyeglasses, online vision testing and mail-order eyeglasses may seem like the next best thing.

In some instances, it can save you time and money. In other ways, it may lack in thoroughness and quality. With most vision insurance plans a deductible of $20 ($69 average for no insurance) for a full on site professional exam may worth cost for peace of mind with a person to person (doctor to patient) interaction.

If you’re considering online vision testing for a prescription, it’s important to understand how it works and what you need to consider before committing your eyes to corrective lenses that were matched online.

How to Get a Glasses Prescription Online

If you think you need a new or updated eyeglass prescription, you may be wondering if you can get prescription glasses without a prescription from an optometrist.

Online vision testing is a new medical technology that delivers eye care services via the Internet. The results of a virtual vision exam may be able to tell you what corrective eyeglasses would be best for your current vision needs. Several states have disallowed non- onsite examinations sighting safety and ethical concerns with non doctor to patient personal encounters.

It’s important to note that an online vision test will vary depending on the company you elect to take an exam through. Additionally, since you will take these exams on your computer or smartphone, your environment’s lighting and device’s stabilization can play a big role in how effective the results are.

An online vision test may assess:

  • If you have blurry or stretched vision – which is a condition known as astigmatism
  • The sharpness of your vision
  • Your eye’s sensitivity to light
  • If you have color-blindness
  • Much more

Online vision tests will also require that you:

  • Decide what lens material and lens coatings you need, such as polycarbonate, high-index, etc.
  • How much protection from ultraviolet light you want
  • Enter an exact PD (distance between your pupils) measurement
  • Enter an exact head measurement, for sizing purposes
  • Much more

Depending on the test you take, it may offer tips and helpful resources along the way to guide you through the exam. Some may allow you to upload a photo of yourself, so you can get a better idea of what the frame will look like on your face.

Things to Consider Before Testing Your Vision Online

 
1. Are you between the ages of 18 and 39?
Vision can shift more frequently under the age of 18 and above the age of 40. For this reason, online vision testing is only recommended for individuals who are 18-39 years of age with non-severe corrective eyeglass prescriptions and have no symptoms of eye disease.


2. Do you have symptoms or risk factors for eye disease?
If you are or think there is a possibility you are experiencing any vision risk factor or symptom of an eye disease, it is strongly encouraged that you seek the medical attention of an optometrist or ophthalmologist immediately. An online vision test will not assess your eye health and cannot diagnosis or catch crucial eye disease warning signs.


3. Do you have your eyes assessed in-person by a licensed optometrist every five to ten years, even if you have no symptoms or risk factors?
While online vision tests are a new wave of service and technology, any exam you take should openly suggest that adults – 18-39 years of age – who elect to take their web-based exam still need to have a comprehensive eye exam every five to ten years, even if you feel your vision is healthy. In-person eye exams are the only way to detect common, rare and/or vision-threatening eye diseases and conditions that have little or no symptoms.


4. If you already have a prescription from an optometrist, will the new eyeglasses be approved by your optometrist or opthamologist?
Regardless of the online vision test results, all eyewear prescriptions should be approved by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Research has found that about half of all online glasses had the wrong prescription or other problems. Purchasing and wearing the wrong prescription can lead to very uncomfortable vision, headaches, blurred vision and much more.


5. If you already have a prescription from an optometrist or ophthalmologist, do you have a high-power or irregular prescription?
Unfortunately, almost all online vision testing services do not offer high-power or irregular prescriptions. Additionally, the more complex the prescription, it’s best to always consult with your optometrist or ophthalmologist and forgo buying a prescription online.


6. Are you well-versed on the different types of lens material and lens coatings?
Science, medicine and technology have evolved to the point where there is a wide array of lens material and coatings that can accompany any prescription eyewear. Because they all offer something slightly different and are intended for certain vision issues, it’s imperative you do your research on what each lens material and coating offer. Choosing the wrong option can result in an incorrect prescription and make you eyesight worse.


7. Do you feel confident in obtaining an exact PD and head measurement?
The part of every eyeglass lens that delivers the exact vision support you need is the optical center. This center should be directly in front of your pupils. In order for your prescription glasses to align perfectly with your pupils, the eyeglass lab needs the exact distance between your pupils, or PD measurement.

While the vision test may provide a step-by-step guide on how to measure your PD, be aware that this measurement is not easy to obtain on your own. Even experienced eye doctors have difficulty taking their own PD measurement. Before you commit to a corrective eyeglass prescription obtained online, be sure the PD measurement is exact.

The head measurement is necessary to ensure the eyeglasses fit your face and head correctly. If the glasses are too tight around your head, keep slipping on the bridge of your nose, or any number of other factors, you will not feel comfortable in your glasses.


8. What is the return policy if you were to buy the recommended eyeglasses from the online vision test?
Even if everything seems to be checking out, there is always a chance that you may need to return the eyeglasses. It could be as simple as you decide you’re not completely satisfied with how they look on you. Before you commit to the purchase, be sure you will be able to return them and obtain a full refund. Some companies that offer online vision testing offer a limited return policy or don’t offer one at all.

The Best Way to Use Online Vision Testing is as a Follow-Up Tool

Ultimately, there is no substitute for a comprehensive, in-person eye exam. Online vision tests only assess vision and do not check the overall health of your eyes. This means that if you have a vision-threatening condition, such as cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, floaters, retinal conditions and so on, you will not know your vision is compromised.

It should also be stated that since online vision testing is relatively new, it needs to be continuously evaluated over time to ensure safety and effectiveness.

If you have recently had an in-person eye exam by an optometrist, and they confirmed you have healthy eyes and gave you the green light to update an old prescription online, then a web-based vision test can be a beneficial service for you.

Give your eyes the best care and see an optometrist first and enjoy a peace of mind that you are getting true information from a licensed professional in person.

Categories:
child wearing glasses and pointing to brain
12Sep 2018

80% of the Brain is Visual

Vision is the primary sense by which we learn. Learn why healthy eyesight is crucial to a child’s learning, coordination and development.

How Does Visual Impairment Affect Learning

Did you know 80% of the brain is visual?

child wearing glasses and pointing to brain

The extensive knowledge and memory we acquire is due in large part to our eyesight. As stated in the Journal of Behavioral Optometry, 80% of what we learn is obtained through visual processing of information.1 In fact, it’s been found that our brains rely on our eyes so much that our vision accounts for two-thirds of the electrical activity of the brain. In more scientific terms, two of the three billion electric firings per second are due to what we see and the information the brain processes.2

With vision being the primary sense by which we learn, it’s easy to understand how poor vision can significantly interfere with an individual’s ability to learn and cause learning related vision problems. This is especially true for young children

Vision Issues are a Leading Cause of Disability in the U.S.

The College of Optometrists in Vision Development describe learning as a process that occurs through a number of complex and interrelated processes, where vision is a key contributor. At such young ages, children lack the ability to fully communicate what they are feeling and experiencing. Furthermore, visually impaired children may not know that what they are seeing (or not seeing) is incorrect and a call for concern.

Vision problems and certain eye conditions are the fourth most prevalent class of disability in the United States and visual disabilities are one of the most predominant conditions in childhood.3

Learning Difficulties Are Commonly Linked to Vision Problems

With more of our neurons dedicated to vision than the other four senses combined, weak eyesight is commonly the culprit to learning issues. However, even though some signs, symptoms, and behaviors of learning difficulties are extremely similar to those of vision problems, assessing a child’s eyesight isn’t part of the solution nearly enough.

How does visual impairment affect learning? Take a look:

  • Vision problems affect 1 in 20 preschoolers and 1 in 4 school-aged children.4
  • An estimated 10 million children below 10 years of age have vision problems which affect their ability to learn.5
  • Reports have highlighted the fact that children with reading problems exhibit a greater than 50% prevalence of visual deficiencies in eye focusing problems, eye tracking problems or poor eye alignment as compared to normal achieving peers.5
  • As many as 80% of children who compete with a reading deficiency show insufficiency in one or more basic vision skills, such as eye focusing problems and eye tracking problems.5

Arguably more concerning, students with visual impairments can experience a lack of direction, feel insecure and inadequate, and embody a scarce sense of self-assurance.

Why an Annual Eye Exam by a Children’s Eye Doctor is Critical to Social, Emotional and Academic Success

It’s normal and necessary for children to focus at near and far distances for prolonged periods of time to accomplish certain tasks – like sustained reading for at least 15 minutes. A true indicator of a vision-related learning issue is when a child cannot complete a near-sighted activity – like writing, reading, and fun work books.

While the American Optometric Association (AOA) encourages parents to schedule regular comprehensive eye exams at approximately 6 months of age, three-years of age, and just before first-grade (around age five),6 only about 14% of children in the US have had an eye exam by the age of five or six.7

If a child is not achieving their potential in school or enjoying even fun learning activities, a comprehensive pediatric eye exam should be part of the evaluation period when trying to understand the ‘why’ behind the struggle. It’s crucial to note that the majority of vision problems are not detected during a routine school vision screening. These vision assessments typically only test a child’s distance vision. But to get a complete picture of a child’s vision and an accurate diagnosis of any vision issues, the following must be tested:

  • Near vision (critical for reading and writing)
  • Focusing skills
  • Binocular coordination
  • Eye movement skills
  • Peripheral awareness

When a child’s vision is thoroughly checked by a children’s eye doctor every year, a lot can begin to turn around. Not only will learning and coordination skills improve – such as reading, writing, comprehension, recognition, and recollection – but a child’s cognitive, emotional, neurologic, and physical development will improve; frustration with the learning process will subside; self-esteem can drastically increase.

A Successful School Year Starts with a Healthy Eye Exam by a Children’s Eye Doctor

Children learn best with clear, comfortable vision. With more than 12.1 million school-age children – or one in four – living with some form of a vision problem, and with studies showing that 60% of students identified as problem learners have undetected vision troubles, it’s crucial that a child’s vision is assessed before the beginning of the school year to give them a healthy start.

The ability to see clearly and possess adequate vision skills is key to a successful education and future, and with the right help, your child doesn’t have to contend with the effects of visual impairment on learning. At iCare Vision, we’re committed to your child’s vision and ensuring that their eyesight is promoting a healthy lifestyle. With school back in session, it’s never too late to schedule a pediatric eye exam. Request an appointment today to help your child have a bright year.

Schedule Pediatric Healthy Eye Exam

Resources:

1Journal of Behavioral Optometry. Children’s Vision Care in the 21st Century & Its Impact on Education, Literacy, Social Issues & the Workplace: A Call to Action. Accessed August 10, 2018. https://www.oepf.org/sites/default/files/journals/jbo-volume-22-issue-2/22-2%20Zaba.pdf.

2The Sniper Mind. Your mind Does All the Seeing. Accessed August 10, 2018. https://thesnipermind.com/blog/your-mind-does-all-the-seeing.html.

3College of Optometrists in Vision Development. Signs & Symptoms of Learning-Related Vision Problems. Accessed August 10, 2018. https://www.covd.org/page/symptoms.

4Healthy Day, News for Healthier Living. Vision Problems Can Harm Kids’ Development, Grades. Accessed August 10, 2018. https://consumer.healthday.com/eye-care-information-13/eye-and-vision-problem-news-295/vision-problems-can-harm-kids-development-grades-724812.html.

5PaTTAN Educational Video Series. Vision and Learning. Accessed August 10, 2018. http://www.pattan.net/presentation/download/index.php?presentation_id=624&download_id=2427&file_name=Presentation%20Slides&content_type=pdf.

6All about Vision. Eye Exams For Children. Accessed August 10, 2018. https://www.allaboutvision.com/eye-exam/children.htm.

7VSP Vision Care. The Importance of an Eye Exam by Age. Accessed August 10, 2018.
https://visionbenefits.vsp.com/dms-inline/pdfs/client-resources/wellness-information/life-stages.pdf.

Categories:
child completing school work
27Aug 2018

How IEP and 504 Plans Relate to Vision

Is your child on an academic support plan? Learn how your child’s learning difficulties can be caused by undetected vision issues.

How IEP and 504 Plans Relate to Vision

As a parent, you know your child like the back of your hand. You know what they need, when they need it, and you can sense when something is off before they even realize it themselves.

When it comes to their academic success and advancement in school, you’re there – every night – helping your son or daughter with homework. If they’ve recently been struggling or you’ve been notified they’re being placed on an IEP or 504 Plan, you may be searching for answers as to why.

Undeniably, your child is bright and wants to learn and achieve.

child completing school work

Did you know that there’s a 75% chance that a child’s poor learning skills or learning difficulties are caused by vision problems?

If you’re trying to navigate your child’s learning issues and have a hunch they could be related to unidentified vision issues, keep reading to learn about IEP’s, 504 Plans, and how your child’s coordination and learning skills heavily rely on his or her ability to see clearly.

What are IEP and 504 Plans?

For students who require more support and/or more individualized instruction, there are special education services – such as IEP and 504 Plans – that can tailor to a student’s exact learning needs. These services strive to ensure that students with learning difficulties who need special accommodations have a level playing field within the classroom.

While these services encompass a lot, the simple difference is that:

Individualized Education Program (IEP) plans are for students who would benefit from more focused, specialized instruction. IEP plan also mandate a special report from a doctor of Optometry or Ophthalmology to be filled out shortly before or during the initial phase of an IEP and then filed with the students IEP official record. Special testing,reporting,and recommendations are required from the eye doctor to help and advance the visual learning of student.

504 Plans are for students who have accessibility needs, such as extended time for tests, large print textbooks, special seating, specific lighting, etc. However, 504 Plans do not deliver specialized instruction, and students on 504 Plans do not qualify for special education programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Regardless of which plan your child is placed on, it’s crucial to understand how vision problems can be a main contributor to your child’s challenges in school.

What Research is Telling Us

Researchers at the Ohio State University, with support from the Ohio Optometric Association, have found a conclusive link between vision issues and students who are placed on IEPs or 504 Plans.

  • The study focused on 255 students who were on IEPs to establish a connection to vision problems.
  • The study focused on students aged 5-18 years old.
  • The main takeaway was this: “There is considerable association between ocular anomalies and poor school performance. These problems are illustrated by the high prevalence of a variety of eye problems experienced in patients with IEPs.”

They found that students who were on IEPs had more difficulties with vision issues, such as child eye focus problems, eye tracking problems, and much more, than the general student population.

Do you have school aged children and suspect they contend with eye tracking difficulty, blurry vision or another vision issue that may be interfering with their living and learning needs? Read about signs and symptoms of child eye focus and eye tracking problems and the effects of vision therapy for certain visual skills:

Causes and Symptoms of Eye Focus and Eye Tracking Problems

What are child eye focus problems?

Did you know – with the help of the ciliary muscle, or focusing muscle, which is located inside the eye – that a focusing adjustment is made every time we look from one place to another?

Eye focusing problems occur when a child is unable to quickly and accurately relax or contract the focusing muscle – or if this muscle contraction cannot be maintained for adequate periods of time while they’re reading or doing work at their desk.

Symptoms of Eye Focus Problems

  • Blurred Vision
  • Headaches
  • Pain in or around the eye
  • Eye strain
  • Fatigue
  • Avoidance of reading and writing
  • Moving print
  • Reduced efficiency and productivity
  • Difficulty maintaining clear vision
  • Difficulty shifting focus from one distance to another
  • Difficulty with visual concentration and attention
What are child eye tracking problems?

For a child to effectively and efficiently use their vision, the eyes must move accurately, smoothly, and quickly from place to place to accurately scan the visual environment – like looking from the board to the desk, or reading when the eyes jump from one word to another, or during sports when following moving objects or for any eye-hand coordination need.

Eye tracking problems are when eye movements are slow, inaccurate, or require head or finger movement to help the eyes track. Child eye tracking problems interfere with a multitude of sport performances and learning skills, like handwriting, reading fluency, reading comprehension, copying and more.

Symptoms of Eye Tracking Problems

  • Guesses at words
  • Avoids or resists reading
  • Easier to read large font
  • Head movement (side to side) when reading
  • Overwhelmed by pages of text
  • Difficulty copying from the white board
  • Poor accuracy with word endings
  • Poor awareness of punctuation
  • Poor handwriting
  • Poor reading comprehension
  • Poor reading fluency
  • Poor reading speed
  • Text or words may appear to “float” or “move” on the page
  • Tilts head when reading
  • Uses finger or guide when reading
  • Poor sports performance (particularly ball-playing sports)
What causes eye focus and eye tracking problems?

The most common cause of child eye focus problems and blurred vision are refractive errors.

Common causes of child eye tracking problems include issues with fine eye movements, poor peripheral vision and visual processing difficulties.

The Effects of Vision Therapy for Focus and Tracking Problems

When it’s determined that glasses, contacts or surgery can’t treat a certain vision issue, vision therapy can prove effective.

Because vision is the primary sense by which we learn, it’s incredibly common for a child with a learning or behavioral difficulty to also have an underlying, undiagnosed vision problem that’s contributing to their learning/behavioral problems.

Most optometrists use vision therapy as a piece in a multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of varying degrees of eye focus and tracking problems and learning difficulties.

Learn more about pediatric vision therapy, including signs your child may benefit from vision therapy and more:

Pediatric Vision Therapy: Is it Right for My Child?
Vision Therapy Exercises You Can Try at Home
iCare Vision’s Corrective Vision Therapy For Adults and Kids

Furthermore, and perhaps even more alarming, out of the 179 students that required vision treatment from a children’s eye doctor, approximately 69% (124 students) passed the school vision screening exam.

School vision screenings are setting children, parents, and entire academic plans up for failure because they don’t depict the entire picture and fail to identify treatable vision problems that are leading to shortcomings in the classroom.

This is a serious underlying issue in our schools throughout the country.

Why School Vision Screenings Lack in Effectiveness

Vision tests that are administered at your child’s school or pediatrician’s office only catch about 15-20% of vision problems and don’t provide your child’s full vision diagnosis.

These exams only focus on testing a child’s distance vision. But to truly detect vision issues that can lead to eye strain, tiredness, headaches, and learning difficulties, the following must the thoroughly assessed:

  • Near vision (critical for reading)
  • Binocular coordination
  • Eye movement skills
  • Focusing skills
  • Peripheral awareness

When It’s Time to See a Children’s Eye Doctor

Is your child expressing or displaying any vision-related issues, such as, but not limited to: squinting, frequent eye rubbing, extreme light sensitivity, chronic eye redness or tearing, viewing objects really close-up or moving their head in an odd position to see better?

If your child is on an academic support plan and/or showing or talking about vision issues they’re experiencing, it’s time to get a comprehensive pediatric eye exam by a children’s eye doctor.

Child eye tracking problems, eye focus problems, and other vision issues can be the root cause of your child’s learning issues.

A children’s eye doctor will run specialized tests to identify your child’s exact visual learning problems and recommend effective solutions, such as a prescription and vision therapy exercises.

Each School district has a parent/child advocate that can help you and the school to find the right help and directions. These key people know the in’s and outs of getting local, state, and federal help if your child is not performing.

As the school year gets underway, schedule your child’s pediatric healthy eye exam today. As Dr. Wineland likes to say, “help your child perform up to his or her IQ.”

Schedule Your Child’s Pediatric Healthy Eye Exam

Questions for Kids: Tell Us About What You See at School

  • Did you feel better when you sit in the front of the class or back of the class?
  • Is it easy to read words or see pictures from your papers and textbooks?
  • Do you feel like you can see clearly? Or do your eyes feel burry?
  • Do you feel like you squint to read a book, the chalkboard, or a computer screen?
  • Do your eyes hurt after using a computer?
  • Do you ever get a headache after reading?

Be sure to tell a parent or teacher what your eyes feel like, or what you’re experiencing.

Understanding what is going on with your eyes is very important to help you see clearly and comfortably – and help you do your best in school.

Categories:
computer glasses to relieve digital eye strain
27Aug 2018

How Looking at Screens All Day is Affecting Your Eyesight

Digital eye strain is hurting your eyes and making you less productive. Learn ways to reduce this problem, including computer eye strain glasses.

How Looking at Screens All Day is Affecting Your Eyesight

Technology and digital screens walk hand-in-hand. As technology advances and more innovative, streamlined processes are implemented, our daily lives become inundated with digital screens.

While a digital world makes things more efficient and more exciting, our eyes are paying the price.

We Perform the Majority of Daily Tasks by Looking at a Screen

To highlight just how often we rely on our digital devices for day-to-day tasks, the Vision Council reports that:75.6 percent of Americans use a computer to conduct research

  • 56.6 percent of Americans use a smartphone as an alarm clock
  • 54.2 percent of Americans use a computer to shop
  • 53.7 percent of Americans use a smartphone to check the weather
  • 48.7 percent of Americans use a computer to find a recipe1

This doesn’t take into account how often individuals watch TV or use their smartphones for social media, text messages, and to take photos.

Think about how often you look at screens on a given day. Aside from using your phone and computer, you may curl up to read a good book on an e-reader, certain stores have transitioned to digital check out stations, new car models have digital touch screens for music and navigation, managing your health can be largely done on an exercise tracking device, and telling the time now requires looking at a small digital screen thanks to smart watches.

With so much screen time, our eyes are growing exhausted, becoming uncomfortable and dry, and delivering blurred vision. Our eyes are stressed for the majority of the day and most of us are beginning to experience the very real consequences associated with digital eye strain.

What is Digital Eye Strain?

Digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome, refers to a group of eye and vision-related problems caused by frequent and prolonged periods of staring at digital screens.

Digital eye strain symptoms can vary from person-to-person, and largely depend on an individual’s digital screen use and habits. The most common symptoms are:

  • Dry eyes
  • Irritated eyes
  • Squinting
  • Blurred vision
  • Shoulder and neck stiffness
  • Headaches
  • Reduced attention span
  • Poor behavior
  • Irritability
  • Frustration
  • Much more

Digital eye strain develops because of the repetitive motion our eyes follow – typically a back and forth movement as you read – and the focusing efforts our eyes have to take to account for screen glare, blue light, contrast, and flicker.

Additionally, when viewing a screen (like working at a computer), then looking at papers on a desk, and then back to the screen, our eyes have an increasingly hard time re-adjusting so fast and so often.

With each movement, change in activity/object to view, and adjustment in lighting, your eyes have to react and send images to your brain for processing. Every movement takes a lot of effort from our eye muscles.

The longer your eyes are forced on screens with no support, digital eye strain gets worse. Furthermore, individuals who already live with eye issues are more likely to experience more intense digital eye strain issues.

Above all, it’s important to know that digital eye strain doesn’t just affect working professionals who sit at a computer all day. This eye issue affects 70% of Americans, including adults, teens and young children.

Digital Eye Strain Affects All Ages

Digital eye strain can develop after just two hours of digital screen use. According to a report compiled by The Vision Council, the following age groups say they regularly use digital devices for more than two hours per day:

  • 87.7 percent of Americans aged 18 to 39
  • 82.6 percent of Americans aged 40 to 59
  • 76.3 percent of Americans aged 60 and up1

For children under age 18:

  • 72 percent of Americans report their children spend more than two hours a day looking at a screen, such as a TV, iPad, smart phone, etc.
  • 30.1 percent of Americans report their children experience one or more digital eye strain symptoms1

Without question, digital eye strain is a serious issue plaguing the majority of Americans. Luckily, this eye issue can be prevented and treated.

Ways You Can Protect Your Eyes in an Increasingly Digital World

1. Wear Computer Glasses
For maximum protection and comfort when staring at a computer or digital screen for long periods of time, consider customized computer eye strain glasses.

Regardless if you wear eyeglasses or contacts already, it’s a great idea to schedule a comprehensive eye exam by a licensed optometrist to discuss your options in computer glasses and anti-glare glasses for computer and digital screen use.

Computer eye strain glasses are effective at protecting your eyes from harmful blue light and the refresh rates of digital screens. To give your eyes the most amount of support, computer glass lenses should have an anti-reflective coating to eliminate reflections of light that can cause eye strain.

2. Make small adjustments
Your eyes will benefit when you:

  • Increase the text size on all your devices so words are larger and easier to read
  • Reduce overhead lighting to reduce or remove all screen glare
  • Place your computer at arm’s length
  • Follow the 20–20–20 rule: Take a 20-second break from the screen every 20 minutes and look at something 20 feet away

3. Block Blue Light
Blue light is what emits from almost all digital screens. Blue light has a very short wavelength, so it produces a higher amount of energy. It’s also associated with more eye strain.

Blue light is what gives screens their brightness, and most digital displays need a lot of it.

For most devices today, there is a way to block blue light. For example, on Apple products, there is a setting called Night Shift that dims and shifts a digital screen display to a warmer orange light at night. Lower color temperatures on screens make for better long-term viewing comfort.

Where to Find the Right Pair of Computer Glasses for You

It’s easy to find inexpensive computer eye strain glasses over-the-counter, but to reap the full benefits of computer glasses, an accurate and customized eyeglass prescription is needed.

Schedule a healthy eye exam for a quick and painless assessment. Your optometrist can help you return to a productive workday with more comfortable eyes.

Resource:

1 The Vision Council. Digital Eye Strain. Accessed August 3, 2018. https://www.thevisioncouncil.org/content/digital-eye-strain.

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woman rubbing temples to relieve migraine
26Jul 2018

Could Your Migraines Be Related to a Retinal Disease?

What is an ocular migraine? Learn about ocular migraines and the best route for ocular migraine treatment.

Could Your Migraines Be Related to a Retinal Disease?

Migraines are not only frustrating and terribly inconvenient, but they can also be incredibly debilitating.

As an individual who suffers from occasional or frequent migraines – or someone who has only experienced one or two migraines recently – you know all too well that they can knock you out of your entire daily routine and force you to lay low until your symptoms pass.

The root cause of any given migraine can vary from individual to individual. When a migraine includes repeated, short bouts of weakened vision or blindness in one eye, there may be a more serious, underlying condition present.

If you or a loved one have experienced repeated visual disturbances in one eye before a migraine attack, you could be suffering from an ocular migraine – also referred to as a retinal migraine.

Keep reading to learn what an ocular migraine is and the best route for ocular migraine treatment.

What is an Ocular Migraine?

An ocular migraine (retinal migraine) is considered a rare condition that can cause short-term vision loss or blindness before the migraine pain sets in, or during the migraine period. Ocular migraines only affect one eye and can include the following monocular (in one eye) visual symptoms:

  • Seeing twinkling lights (Scintillations)
  • Areas of decreased or lost vision (Scotoma)
  • Temporary blindness

Symptoms of an Ocular Migraine

In many ways, ocular migraine symptoms mirror those of a regular migraine. Ocular migraines, however, include one defining symptom that helps distinguish them from traditional migraines: a temporary change of vision in one eye.

Learn more about the telltale symptoms of an ocular migraine:

Vision Loss

As stated earlier, the main symptom of an ocular migraine is vision loss in one eye. While this alarming experience is temporary, the duration can vary. Some individuals can experience vision loss for 10 to 20 minutes, while others may contend with this vision impairment for close to an hour.

Vision loss associated with ocular migraines can be accompanied by a pattern of black spots, or scotomas. As scotomas slowly get larger, an individual can experience complete vision loss in one eye for a brief period of time.

Partial Vision Loss

Vision loss with ocular migraines doesn’t always result in complete, short-term blindness in one eye. Individuals suffering from an ocular migraine may only partially lose vision in one eye.

Partial vision loss is often caused by scintillations, which can be described as twinkling lights or even blurry, dim vision. On average, partial vision loss from an ocular migraine can last 60 minutes.

Strong, Debilitating Headaches

Ocular migraines are often worse than regular migraines. Even after the vision issues, an individual can still contend with a full-blown migraine that can last anywhere from several hours to several days.

These intense headaches can include feelings of nausea, extreme sensitivity to light and sound, and throbbing in the head. It’s common, too, for this pain to only affect one side of the head.

Causes of an Ocular Migraine

During an ocular migraine, the blood vessels within the eye constrict and begin to narrow, causing blood flow to that eye to significantly reduce. This results in vision impairment or temporary blindness.

When the migraine begins to cease, the constricted blood vessels will slowly start to reopen and allow the eye’s normal blood flow to begin again. When all systems are functioning as needed, vision is restored.

Certain activities, conditions, and foods can trigger ocular migraines, such as intense exercise, dehydration, low blood sugar, smoking, etc. But these triggers vary greatly from person to person.

Some eye experts believe that the loss of vision in one eye is a sign of a more serious medical condition, like a retinal disease.

Brief Overview of Retinal Disease

Your retina is the innermost, light-sensitive layer of the eye and contains millions of light-sensitive cells. These nerve cells receive and organize visual information before sending the data through the optic nerve to the brain. Once the brain processes the information, you see the images.

When the retina undergoes a disorder of structure or function, a retinal disease can form. It’s important to note that retinal disease is not singular. There are, in fact, multiple types of retinal diseases that can vary widely. Almost all of them affect a part(s) of the retina and lead to some form of vision issue.

Ocular Migraine Treatment

Depending on the medical specialist you talk to, ocular migraines can be treated with various types of medications. But because the migraine(s) you’re experiencing are affecting your vision, it’s vital that you consult an eye doctor immediately.

Through an in-depth eye exam, an optometrist will be able to fully assess your eye health and identify any vision issues you may be contending with. Upon completion of the exam, you will receive a definitive treatment plan to address your specific eye condition that will aim to prevent future migraine episodes.

Even if what you’re experiencing is not associated with your retina, you will gain peace of mind in ruling out any vision-threatening conditions.

Come see the eye experts at iCare Vision for a comprehensive healthy eye exam today.

Categories:
child trying to read
26Jul 2018

Could your Child’s Disinterest in Reading be Linked to Problems with Vision?

Is your child displaying an apathy toward reading and learning activities? The reason could stem from undetected vision issues. Read more.

Could your Child’s Disinterest in Reading be Linked to Problems with Vision?

You child is bright, intelligent, and embodies endless potential. Lately, though, you’ve noticed your child’s apathy toward reading and overall disregard for learning activities – even the fun ones. Understandably, your child’s behavior is worrisome and has sent you searching for an explanation.

Did you know that approximately one in four children have a vision disorder that interferes with their ability to learn?

In fact, there is a 75% chance that a child’s poor learning skills or learning difficulties are caused by vision issues, such as eye focusing problems, eye tracking problems, and much more.

Additionally, the vision exams that are conducted at your child’s school or by your child’s pediatrician only catch about 15-20% of vision problems, leaving the door wide open for undetected vision issues that can also cause a child to experience eye strain, tiredness, headaches, and, worst of all, learning difficulties.

Why School Screenings are Ineffective

It’s incredibly common for parents to review the results of their child’s school or pediatrician eye exam and not think twice about the validity of it. Unfortunately, these exams usually only focus on inspecting a child’s distance vision and completely neglect to assess a child’s:

  • Near vision (critical for reading)
  • Binocular coordination
  • Eye movement skills
  • Focusing skills
  • Peripheral awareness

Without a comprehensive pediatric eye exam by a children’s eye doctor, eye focusing problems, eye tracking problems and other vision issues can be the underlying reasons your child is displaying a disinterest in reading.

It’s a common misconception that a child who can see well doesn’t have any vision issues. It’s actually the other way around. Children can have good vision and still have vision problems that affect coordination and learning skills – such as reading,
comprehension, recognition, and recollection.

Because children grow and develop rapidly, their vision changes quickly. Often times, children don’t even realize that their eyesight has shifted.

When vision issues go untreated, learning problems and confidence issues can emerge and cause unnecessary frustration, poor academic performance, and an evident disinterest in learning activities.

Aside from your child’s indifference toward reading, are they displaying any of the following signs of vision problems?

  • Squinting
  • Frequent eye rubbing
  • Eye focusing problems
  • Eye tracking problems (the ability to follow an object with the eyes)
  • Extreme light sensitivity
  • Abnormal eye alignment or movement
  • Chronic eye redness or tearing
  • Inability to see objects at a distance
  • Sitting too close to the TV

It’s important to observe your child and note any unusual head positions or actions they take in order to see something. Typically, children with vision issues will stand a certain way or tilt their head in an advantageous direction to enable them to see better.

When it comes to reading, have you noticed your child holding the book abnormally close to their face or angling their head in an odd position to simply view a page?

The Importance of Annual Eye Exam by a Children’s Eye Doctor

The educational and optometric ophthalmic communities both recognize that children who contend with reading and learning problems due to vision issues are less likely to:

  • Go to college
  • Obtain high level jobs and careers, and
  • Achieve their full potential as an adult

Several studies also show high correlations between children who read for pleasure
and adult achievements such as:

  • advanced degrees
  • job growth or advancement
  • higher incomes

If your child’s vision is hindering their development, advancement, or confidence in any way, an eye exam by a children’s eye doctor is imperative.

At iCare Vision, we make sure your child’s vision is healthy and supporting his or her learning and living needs. As a team of licensed optometrists who specialize in pediatric eye exams, we thoroughly assess your child’s vision and see to it that they find the experience fun and engaging.

If your child needs a prescription, they can find the precise frames that fit their personality within our collection of children’s frames.

Don’t wait for school to start. Help your child get on track today.

Questions for Kids: Tell Us How You Feel About Reading

  • Do you like to read?
  • If not, why don’t you like to read?
  • Do you feel like you squint your eyes when you read?
  • Do you feel like you rub your eyes a lot when reading?
  • Is it easy to read words or see pictures from your books?
  • Do you feel like you can see clearly? Or do your eyes feel burry?
  • Do you have to hold the book close to your face to see the words better?
  • Do you ever get a headache after reading?

Tell a parent or teacher what your eyes feel like, or what you’re experiencing, when you read.

Understanding what is going on with your eyes is very important to help you see clearly and comfortably when reading.

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