Are your child's eyes ready for the classroom?

Parents want their children to succeed in school, and most will do whatever they can to help. But have you thought about checking your child's eyes? Before the kids head back to school this year, consider taking them to see an optometrist for a comprehensive eye exam.

Why? Your child's vision is a critical tool when it comes to learning. In fact, 80 percent of learning is achieved visually. However, the American Optometric Association reports that one in four school-aged children has some form of vision problem-which can hinder academic performance. And while many schools and pediatricians offer basic vision screenings, they are not a substitute for a thorough eye exam.

Undiagnosed vision problems in children can lead to difficulty with schoolwork, resulting in poor performance. Many times, children will not complain of vision problems simply because they don't know what "normal" vision looks like.

Are your child's eyes ready for the classroom?

Parents want their children to succeed in school, and most will do whatever they can to help. But have you thought about checking your child's eyes? Before the kids head back to school this year, consider taking them to see an optometrist for a comprehensive eye exam.

Why? Your child's vision is a critical tool when it comes to learning. In fact, 80 percent of learning is achieved visually. However, the American Optometric Association reports that one in four school-aged children has some form of vision problem-which can hinder academic performance. And while many schools and pediatricians offer basic vision screenings, they are not a substitute for a thorough eye exam.

Undiagnosed vision problems in children can lead to difficulty with schoolwork, resulting in poor performance. Many times, children will not complain of vision problems simply because they don't know what "normal" vision looks like.


InfantSEE Program

West Georgia Eye Care participates in the InfantSEE® Program. Under this program, we provide comprehensive eye and vision assessments for infants within the first year of life regardless of a family's income or access to insurance coverage, free of charge.

An InfantSEE® assessment between six and 12 months of age is recommended to determine if an infant is at risk for eye or vision disorders. Since many eye problems arise from conditions that can be identified by an eye doctor in the infant's first year of life, a parent can give an infant a great gift by seeking an InfantSEE® assessment in addition to the wellness evaluation of the eyes that is done by a pediatrician or family practice doctor.
One in every 10 children is at risk from undiagnosed eye and vision problems, yet only 13 percent of mothers with children younger than 2 years of age said they had taken their babies to see an eye and vision care professional for a regular check-up or well-care visit. Moreover, many children at risk for eye and vision problems are not being identified at an early age, when many of those problems might be prevented or more easily corrected. Early intervention is critical to successful and cost-effective treatment.

Sunglasses Season is Here

Style Tips 101 As summer approaches, one of the hottest accessories is sunglasses. Not only can sunglasses protect your eyes they can also make fashion statement.  The theme for summer is go big, bold, and colorful. For ladies, larger lenses are in this season and are complimented by lots of colors and bold designs on frames. For men, the classic vintage look is in but the cool aviators are sticking around for the long haul. To see the latest style of sunglasses come by for your free sunglasses fitting.

Sunglasses: Protection for Your Eyes Putting on sunglasses is as  important as putting on sunscreen. They both offer protection against the sun's harmful rays. A good pair of sunglasses acts as a shield that can offer 100% UV protection and keep your eyes healthy for years to come.    To see if your sunglasses measure up, stop by our office for a free UV meter test. For more information on sunglasses and their importance please visit our website.

Getting the Most Out of Your Sunglasses  A $20 pair of sunglasses can look pretty similar to a $250 pair, so why pay more? The difference is in the technology, which offers more comfort, durability, and performance. Most find name brands that they recognize offer a sense of reliability in the quality of their product. When you know the name you trust the quality of the craftsmanship.  How do you enhance the performance of any pair of sunglasses? Polarized lenses offer the ultimate vision experience and provide enhanced vision by eliminating glare off of surfaces such as water, windshields, and snow. To learn more about polarized lenses visit our website or come by for a polarized demonstration

Allergy Season - Worst in Years

We have felt has been a bad allergy season, now it is official. I just read that Paul Gomes, the director of allergy research in Andover, Mass has reported that this year's weather was perfect for increased pollen counts. He says, "Trees received a healthy amount of precipitation during a very cold winter. This was immediately followed by a sunny, warm and dry spring."

A pollen count is high at 120 - Yet in April, Atlanta recorded a pollen count of 5,722 - it's second highest count ever. In my career, I have never seen so many eye allergies or seen as many bad cases. I guess the drought wasn't all bad?

May is Healthy Vision Month

The following is from a press release from the National Institute of Health. I hope that we can spread the word about the importance of regular eye exams for everyone. I am really surprised that 9% of all Americans have never had their eyes examined.

The National Eye Institute (NEI)is encouraging community organizations and Americans to make vision health a priority. This year’s theme, “Your Eyes are the Windows to Your Health,” highlights the importance of scheduling an eye exam to maintain good quality eye health and preserve the sense of sight.

In a 2005 national survey conducted by NEI and the Lions Clubs International Foundation, 70 percent of adults reported that the loss of eyesight would have a great impact on their daily lives—a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. However, 26 percent reported they had not had an eye exam within the previous two years, and 9 percent reported never having had their eyes examined.

Unfortunately, an estimated 14 million Americans are visually impaired. In fact, the prevalence of myopia, or nearsightedness, was shown to have increased 66 percent in the past 30 years, according to a 2009 NEI study. Nearly 11 million Americans have refractive errors that can be detected during an eye examination and simply remedied with glasses or contact lenses, according to the NEI.

Click here for a Link to the NEI web-site.

Help with Glaucoma Medicine

I was reading an article from the Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) that I thought would be good to share. Most of the time, glaucoma is treated with prescription eye drops and our biggest barrier is problems with the drops. The GRF shares some ideas on helping with drops and I want to share them with you. Enjoy....

-To help you remember to take your medications, schedule them around daily routines such as waking, mealtimes, and bedtime.

-Keep your medications in a visible place at home and carry them with you when you are away from home. Remember to keep all medications, including eye drops, out of the reach of children. Also, keep bottles out of direct sunlight.

-If you are putting in more than one drop or more than one type of eye drop, wait five minutes before putting the next drop in. This will keep the first drop from being washed out by the second before it has had time to work.

-If you forget to use your eye drops on schedule, put the drop in when you remember. Do not wait until the next scheduled time. Then get right back on your regular schedule.

-Tell your doctor or pharmacist if your medications are causing reactions, or if you are having any difficulty using them. It may be possible to change your medication program.

Here is a link to the Glaucoma Research Foundation website.

Spring is in the Air

Spring is in the air and allergies are coming with them. In Georgia, April brings the Masters, beautiful blooms on the trees and pollen. The pollen covers everything with a thin film of yellow that runs down the streets after a good spring rain.

With this new life, we all experience some form of allergy. (Almost all of us anyway.) For some it is a runny nose and sneezing and for others a sinus headache. But many have the dreaded watery and itchy eyes - our speciality.

So what should you do if you have eye allergies? First, you should resist the urge to rub your eyes. This can cause a release of inflammatory cells and make things worse. Try instead, using a cold cloth on your eyes to relieve the itchiness and irritation. There are many over-the-counter drops that help with itching and redness but be careful not to use too regularly as they can actually cause a dependency on the drop.

If cold cloths and OTC drops aren't enough, we can prescribe drops that have quick action and are long-lasting. For some patients, we change their contact lenses to daily disposable during allergy season or permanently. Other treatments are available so that no one has to suffer this allergy season.