Prevention costs less

Many people are concerned about the economy. Gas prices continue to rise and foreclosures seem innumerable. In a tme like this many people begin to cut back and spending slows. While this may be good for those who have been living beyond their means there are fundamentals that should not be negleceted.

One such aspect is in healthcare. I have seen a trend in the area where people are neglecting their health. They are cutting back on vision exams, dental visits and the like citing that it is too costly for them. However, people who neglect their health end up spending more than those who took advantage of preventive care.

Case in point. Glaucoma is a debilitating vision disorder. It usually has no symptoms and can progress to late stages without the patient's realization. A regular doctor visit can detect early signs of glaucoma and begin treating it with a nightly eye drop. However, if a person waits until symptoms arise before evaluation the treatment is more uncertain and costly. Intense procecdures and surgery are often need to preserve what is left of sight. The cost is not just monetary as vision, in the later stages of glaucoma, becomes much harder to preserve.

So, my advice for anyone reading this: Don't neglect your health. Ride your bike to your doctor and get the care you need. Preventive care costs less.

Local information

If you are looking for information about the St. George area checkout www.stgeorge.us

When to see the eye doctor

When to see the doctor.


Good vision is best promoted by preventive medicine. There are many eye diseases and vision disorders that often go undetected (glaucoma, amblyopia etc). For those who have neglected regular eye care the following is a list of telltale signs that it is time to visit Clear View Eye Care. (Source: The Vision Council)
* Blurry vision
* Poor night vision
* Visual “floaters”
* Problems reading
* Eye Stress, tired eyes
* Poor visual acuity even in broad daylight
* Increase in the frequency or severity of headaches

For children
* Sitting too close to the television
* Holding objects close to the face
* Trouble seeing the blackboard
* In turned our out turned eye


If it has been more than a year or you are having any of these symptoms call for an eye exam.

Tips for Dry Eyes

With Utah being the second dryest state in the nation dry eyes are virtually ubiquitous. Dry eyes can cause symptoms of burning, decreased vision, and tearing. Our hot summers, wind, and long hours at the computer can make these symptoms worse. The following are tips for dealing with dry eyes.

1. Use artificial tears (eg., Optive, Systane, Refresh Tears). Use them four times per day.
2. Lower your computer screen. Having your computer screen below your line of sight will expose your eyes less.
3. Blink. People forget to blink when doing computer work. Make a consious effort to blink every ten seconds.
4. Lid scrubs. There are multiple components to tears. The tear glands can get plugged. Use a warm wash cloth to clean the margins of your lids.
5. Protection. Keep your eyes out of the wind with a good pair of sunglasses.

Relief from dry, irritated eyes will come by simply taking these measures. If these suggestions are not enough to relieve your dry eyes we can help you with more aggressive treatment.

Taking care of dry eyes is part of clear, comfortable, healthy vision.

Six tips for Red, itchy, watery eyes

Six tips for
Red, itchy, watery eyes

More than 22 million Americans suffer from allergies. Most of these people also have allergic conjunctivitis (allergies in the eyes). This can cause itchy, red, watery eyes. Though many people simply endure these symptoms there is much that can be done to relieve your allergies.

1. Avoid the allergan. If you know what causes your eyes to itch then avoid it, if you can. This cannot always be done but is the most effective when possible. Unfortunately, people with allergies are often allergic to many things and cannot avoid them.
2. Don’t rub. Rubbing your eyes induces and increases the allergy response. When you rub your eyes it releases histamine, a chemical that induces itching.
3. Cool compresses. A cold wash cloth will help settle the cascade that causes the inflammation and itchiness.
4. Drops. Eye drops such as Elestat, Pataday, and Zatidor can relieve itchy eyes and will reduce allergies when used regularly
5. No Visine. This may get the redness out but can lead to a rebound effect where your eyes are worse than when you started.
6. Artificial Tears. These can be useful in rinsing out your eye. A clean eye will have less to react with.

Taking one or more of these measures can often relieve those itchy, red, watery eyes. You do not have to suffer from ocular allergies. If the tips above do not relieve your symptoms, talk with us about more aggressive treatments.

Never too young for contact lenses

There is no age limit for contact lenses. Someone can wear contacts when they are ready to care for them. Furthermore, in the case of progressive myopia, fitting a child with corneal molding lenses may be prescribed at a young age.

Family First

It is important to put family first. Everyone in the family, including children, should be seen by an optometrist. Yesterday I asked my wife why she took the kids to the dentist if their baby teeth were going to fall out anyway. She answered well indicating the problems that can occur in children's teeth. Our eyes need the same care that we give our teeth. Regular check ups to check for retinopathy, glaucoma, strabismus and refractive error will prevent sight threatening and uncomfortable conditions in the eye. Scheduling regular eye exams is one more way we can put family first.

Quality is embedded in Crizal

Crizal Avance with Scotchgaurd is the ultimate in Anti-glare for lenses. Coatings that boasted anti-reflective properties in the past had issues that may make people wary of putting it on new lenses. They were hard to clean, crazed and cracked.

Great advances have been made since the inception of anti-relfective eyewear. With the advent of Crizal Avance many of these problems have become history. First, Avance is embedded into the lens. By marrying the Crizal to the substrate the phenomenon of crazing becomes less of an issue. Furthermore, a hydrophobic/oleophobic layer repels dust, oil and static making the lens very easy to clean.

Clear View Eye Care recommends Crizal to all patients. The treatment is so good it comes with a two year unlimited warranty. This reflects the confidence that the product will perform.

Kids need eye exams too.

For those with children how many of you took your child for their wellness exams? The doctor checks an infant often to ensure good health and discover potential problems early to promote good development. A child's vision is no different. The American Optometric Association suggests having your child see the eye doctor within their first year of life. An optometrist can detect vision and life threatening diseases that may not be identified by the child's pediatrician. Amblyopia, cataracts and retinoblastoma are a few examples of disorders that can be detected by an optometrist.

Another issue relating to this is school screenings. Parent are often mistakenly comforted by school screenings. If he can read the eye chart then his eyes must be OK. These school screenings are very good for finding children who are nearsighted. However, they miss some very real and serious aspects of vision. Vision efficiency, hyperopia, strabismus and anything related to health are most often missed. A thorough eye exam from an eye care professional should be conducted on a regular basis to rule out an manage any of these potential concerns.

Tintilation

For those of you who like outdoor sports, the right tint can help enhance your performance. For instance, a brown tint is good for field hunting. If you like tennis and/or golf try a green tint to enhance the contrast of the ball. When choosing prescription sunglasses ask your doctor what colored tint might be best for your outdoor activities.

Seeing Hunters Through Rose Colored Glassses

For those who are getting ready for hunting season remember there is much you can do optically to maximize your chances of a good hunt. Sunglasses for instance can help you see what you are looking for. When field hunting a brown tint in your glasses will increase the contrast helping your prey to stand out.

Many people will spend thousands of dollars on binoculars and range finders. Remember that the whole system needs to be optimized and that includes a good prescription. If you wear contacts get your prescription updated and ask about toric contacts if you have astigmatism. The Rx can also be optimized for your shooting eye. Ultimate clarity will only occur if you have good optics all the way through.