Tuesday, March 31, 2009

A fun crossword puzzle

Click on the puzzle for a full size view.

How to save money on youR vision

Five ways to save money on your eyes.

1. Vision insurance: if you have vision insurance like VSP or spectera use your benefits. Don’t let benefits lapse because it is not an emergency.
2. Health insurance: Remember that healthy vision is a medical concern and will pay for your vision exam
3. Find alternatives: If you cannot afford LASIK right now try Corneal Molding. With our special you could be free from contacts and glasses for as little as $500.
4. Do not procrastinate: Postponing your yearly eye exam can lead to far more expensive problems that are vision threatening.
5. Star Values: You can get frames and lenses for as little as $89. Optimal vision can improve your quality of life and increase productivity. Star Values can clear things up without cleaning out your wallet.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Orthokeratology to treat myopia

PENN LAIRD - Dae'Quan Scott wears a pair of contact lenses that don't look like regular contact lenses. They're grayish with tints of green and blue colored in concentric rectangles around his pupils.

For generations parents have watched their children's eye glasses grow thicker and thicker every year and have wondered what they could have done to prevent or treat the nearsightedness that has affected their children's eyes.

First it is important to understand what is and causes nearsightedness. Nearsightedness is a focusing defect caused by eyes that have too much focusing power for their length. The eyeball is too long and light rays coming from a distant object come into focus before reaching the retina. With nearsightedness, as a child grows so do their eyes, and their nearsightedness becomes worse.

Children with nearsightedness may complain of headaches, eyestrain and fatigue from trying to see something that is too far away. You may notice your child squinting, turning their head sideways, or just sitting closer to the TV to see it more clearly. If you notice any of these traits, take your child to an optometrist to have their eyes checked.

Approximately 40% of the population has nearsightedness or will develop it at some point in their lives. Usually nearsightedness will begin to appear between the ages of eight and twelve and will increase during the teen years leveling off at about age 25. Nearsightedness can occur at any age though. Approximately 5% of children are born with nearsightedness and the condition has been known to start with adults as late in age as 80.

Nearsightedness in children is determined both by a recessive trait inherited from the child's parents and the manner in which individuals use their eyes when performing detailed close-up work. In cases where nearsightedness is inherited the condition is impossible to prevent although treatable.

Children should have their eyes checked every year as often they themselves are unaware of how distant objects should look. There are a number of ways to treat nearsightedness including the wearing of eye glasses or contacts as well as orthokeratology. Eye exercises are of no benefit in treating nearsightedness since they can not alter the size or shape of the eye.

Until recently the traditional treatment for nearsightedness was eyeglasses. Although glasses do not affect the progression of nearsightedness, they do help individuals see more clearly. Since children are growing and their nearsightedness increasing, it is not uncommon for a child to need new glasses several times a year. For glasses, impact resistant lenses are required by law and polycarbonate plastic, the best possible protection against eye injuries, is recommended for all children.

A more advanced treatment for progressive nearsightedness is orthokeratology. Orthokeratology uses computer designed vision retainers to reshape the front surface of the eye to slow down or stop advancing nearsightedness in children and teens. While similar to contact lenses, the vision retainers are worn only at nighttime during sleep. They are then removed upon awakening to provide clear vision without using glasses or contact lenses.

Original Post from: http://contact-lenses28023.blogspot.com/2008/10/leemen-blow-past-blazers-harrisonburg.html

LASIK vs Corneal Molding

This is a good post comparing LASIK to corneal molding. There are certain risks but the risks involved in LASIK such as dry eyes, poorly cut flaps etc are not a part of corneal molding.

The advantage that LASIK has over corneal molding is that if you have LASIK the potential is to be free of all correction.

Still, LASIK is not the best fit for everyone. If you are nervous about surgery or have dry eyes then corneal molding might be a better fit. Also, if prescription does change in the future then it is far easier to adjust it in corneal molding. Clear View Eye Care

Myopic orthokeratology is getting better

Myopic orthokeratology is an amazing procedure that can help an increasing range of patients. The WAVE contact lens system can help patients up to about 6 diopters. Hyperopic orthokeratology is still in its early stages but may get better as the technology improves. Clear View Eye Care

Acantamoeba is a risk of contact lens wear

The risk for acantamoeba is a risk that should be addressed with all contact lenses. Increased risk of acanthomoeba is one reason that contact lenses are not worn when swimming.

The risk can be reduced by taking care of your lenses including proper solutions and hygeine.

Latisse and Make-a-Wish


March 26, 2009 Allergan, Inc. hosted a star-studded event in Hollywood to launch LATISSE™ Wishes, a charitable public awareness campaign designed to help make wishes come true. Actress Brooke Shields and beauty expert to the stars Anastasia Soare will lead the campaign to generate $1 million to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children with lifethreatening medical conditions.

The LATISSE™ Wishes campaign was borne out of the tradition of blowing on an eyelash to make a wish come true and leverages the excitement surrounding the availability of Allergan’s LATISSE™ (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03%, the first and only science-based prescription treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for hypotrichosis of the eyelashes (inadequate or not enough lashes) that is used to grow eyelashes, making them
longer, fuller and darker.

“In the short time LATISSE™ has been available, the product has already made many women’s wish lists,” said David E.I. Pyott, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Allergan. “While LATISSE™ may fulfill the wish for more prominent eyelashes, we also wanted to shine the spotlight on the Make-A-Wish Foundation and provide support for the important work it does in granting children’s wishes.”

The LATISSE™ Wishes campaign launched with an initial donation of $500,000 from Allergan to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Consumers are encouraged to help double this amount to $1 million by registering their support at www.LATISSE.com to help grant the wishes of children in
their local communities. Between now and December 31, 2009, Allergan will donate $5 for each new visitor who registers online, up to an additional $500,000.

“Every 40 minutes the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish to a child with a life-threatening medical condition. Forty seconds is all it takes to visit www.LATISSE.com to register your support and help make wishes come true,” said David Williams, president and chief executive officer of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “We urge everyone to log on to the LATISSE™ Web site and register their support to help grant the wishes of children in their communities.”

“I am delighted to be a part of LATISSE™ Wishes, to not only help educate women on an eyelash growth product that is the first to be scientifically proven, but also to support a worthy organization such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation,” said Shields. “I remember being a child and
blowing on an eyelash hoping my wish would come true, and as a mother I’ve passed this tradition onto my children. Through LATISSE™ Wishes and in partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, we can keep the tradition alive and fulfill the hopes of so many more children
around the country.”

In addition to Shields and Soare, other stars including Debra Messing, Angie Harmon, Marisa Tomei, Mandy Moore, Debi Mazar, Jewel, Jennifer Coolidge and Perrey Reeves attended the red-carpet kick-off event for the LATISSE™ Wishes campaign. Over the next several months, campaign ambassadors Shields and Soare, who both use LATISSE™ solution, will travel to cities across the country hosting informational events aimed to further support the
campaign and its goal of providing $1 million to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Local events will be held in New York, Miami, Dallas, Minneapolis and San Francisco.

“In my business I constantly work to help make women’s beauty wishes come true and now we can help children’s wishes come true through the LATISSE™ Wishes campaign,” said Soare. “I am excited to bring this worthy campaign to cities across the country.”
For more information about the LATISSE™ Wishes charitable awareness campaign, please visit www.LATISSE.com.

Latisse is available through prescription at Clear View Eye Care

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Screening for kids


MSNBC (3/12) reports that, according to Carmen Bunde, program director with Prevent Blindness Nebraska, "blurry vision in a child can cause brain damage if the vision is not corrected." In some cases, "amblyopia is to blame. It's often called 'lazy eye,' because weak eye muscles make the eye drift to the side, eventually disrupting vision." Amblyopia "is responsible for more vision loss in people age 45 and younger than all other eye disorders combined." The article details how "trained volunteers" with Prevent Blindness Nebraska "screen more than 3,000 low income children a year, many of them...preschool age," for eye disorders. Children "who fail the eye exams are sent to their doctors for follow-up care." Approximately "one in 20 preschoolers are referred to" eye doctors "after the screenings." Experts point out that the "best time to catch eye disorders is between the ages of three and five years old."

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Schedule online


Does it frustrate you to make a doctors appointment? Setting an appointment over the phone is a challenge. First, you cannot see the doctor's schedule. Second, the receptionist does not know your availability. So, it becomes a game of Battleship. We have one this afternoon at 3....miss. How about 10 AM tomorrow...miss. Can I come in Thursday at 4? No, the doctor will be in surgery that day...miss. How about scheduling online? 4Patientcare has a great system where you connect to their system. Give them basic information and then up pops all the available appointments. Now you can scan your calendar and the doctors and pick the best one for you. The doctor is immediately notified and the process is done. What if you need to change your appointment? Log back in and change it as necessary. Simple, easy, effective. You sunk the battleship.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Good habits for vision


CNN (3/5, Braff) reported, "Vision problems creep up on you as you age," but "good habits...can help keep your eyes healthy." The article provided "tips to safeguard...vision now and for years to come," such as wearing sunglasses, even when it is overcast, to protect against ultraviolet rays that "can cause eye diseases, increased nearsightedness, and skin cancer around the eyes." Because "spending hours in front of a computer can cause tired, aching, and dry eyes, and possibly eyestrain headaches," the American Optometric Association recommended "placing your monitor as far as possible from your eyes, but not so far that you have to squint," and looking "away from the screen periodically to rest your eyes and change focus." By "exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight," people may be able to "prevent diabetes, a chief cause of vision impairment that may lead to blindness." Finally, people over 40 should undergo "a baseline eye-disease screening...to detect early signs of" cataracts, glaucoma, or age-related macular degeneration.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Introducing Latisse


Hypotrichosis is another name for having inadequate eyelashes. Contemporary solutions include eyelash extensions, mascara, eyelash dyes, fake eyelashes and the like. All of these vary in cost and effect. Latisse is a new treatment that can grow eyelashes, making them longer, thicker, and darker. Lattisse affects the growth of eyelashes by increasing the length of the lashes and the number of lashes that grow in. Though the effect is gradual significant improvement is seen in most people by 2 months. This prescription drug is FDA approved and shown to be effective by clinical trial. For more information on Latisse and how to get your prescription call Clear View Eye Care at 435-674-3502.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Corneal Molding is great for sports.


Corneal Molding is great for those who are active in sports. The advantage is that you can discard your glasses and contacts to get clear vision through the day. It can be done on kids because it is non surgical and can be adjusted if their prescription changes. It is great for swimmers and skiers because contacts should not be worn in water and prescription goggles can be a hassle. If you are in a physical sport like karate contact lenses can come out easily.

Corneal molding is a procedure that reshapes the eye during night time hours. A corneal mold corrects your vision while you sleep.

For a short time Clear View Eye Care is promoting Corneal Molding by offering it at 75% off. If you are interested in this procedure and how it might help you or your children contact us for more information.