Nearsightedness, also referred to as myopia, causes blurring of objects at a distance. It affects over 1.45 billion people globally.  When diagnosed during childhood years it can progress quickly, leading to dependence on glasses or contact lenses for most visual activities.  A family history of myopia (at least one parent) increases the risk of having progressive myopia.

There has not been any way to alter the increase of myopia, until recently.  A new spectacle lens from Zeiss called MyoVision has been developed ...

Read on... 

Time to get your eyes checked?  Request an appointment online and take a proactive step towards healthy eyes and clear vision. 

During this Back To School season, don't forget to bring your kids in for their annual eye exam to make sure they are set up well for the school year.  80% of learning is visual, and many problems with vision can go undetected in children.  Back to school eye care also applies to your high school and college-age kids - their contact lenses and eyeglasses should be up to date for them to be able to meet the increased visual demands of classroom and computer work.

"Won't my child complain about their eyes if they have a vision problem?"

Not necessarily.  Children, teens and even young adults are used to the way they see - for them their vision is normal.  Many eye and vision problems can go undetected without an evaluation by an optometrist.  Knowing that your son or daughter can spot things on the side of the road before others can actually doesn't tell us very much about how well his or her vision system is operating as a whole under a variety of conditions.

"What kinds of symptoms might indicate a vision problem?"

Inattention while reading or in class, frequently losing place while on the computer or while reading, rubbing eyes or squinting, or headaches may all be signs of an uncorrected vision problem.

Don't forget about eye health - we perform a complete ocular health assessment from front to back at every eye exam.  We will also check focusing and binocular vision (the ability for the eyes to work together).  Many factors may influence one's visual performance in a school setting.   

Request an appointment online for a complete ocular health check and vision examination to make sure everyone in the family is ready for another school year. 

Is it possible to "see" using another part of the body?  Researchers at the University of Wisconsin say yes.  They've been developing a way to help the visually disabled learn to use their tongues as a way of replacing their lost sense of vision. 

Paul Bach-y-Rita is the neuroscientist who invented the specialized gear, which consists of a video camera that converts a recorded image to an electric signal on a plastic strip.  The strip is placed on the tongue.  What the camera "sees" is then transmitted to the user of the device via a tingling sensation.  The tongue essentially replaces the eyes as the new organ that "sees" for the brain.

The brain is actually what does the seeing, says Bach-y-Rita.  The eyes are simply receptors that relay information to the brain.  The brain then interprets the signal to provide us with what we understand as vision.  Because the brain is so adaptable, we can learn to use another part of our body and fill a similar role as what our eyes are normally used to doing for us.  This could help the visually disabled navigate through a twisted hallway, step over an object in the way or even localize another object moving towards them.

This new technology involving plasticity of the brain is being studied more and more in neuroscience and may have other applications in health.  You can read more about this by clicking here.

Request an appointment online for a complete ocular health check before renewing your prescription.