The holidays are just around the corner and that means new toys for the kiddies. Well meaning grandparents delight in treating the young ones with the coolest toys for the holiday season.
The American Optometric Association advises that parents teach others about the guidelines about toy safety and vision. Mishaps with unsafe toys and games often take place, sometimes resulting in damage to eyes, or even blindness.

Below are some tips to safeguard kids from toy related harm:

1. When buying a gift, confirm that it is age appropriate. Be careful not to allow younger siblings to play with toys and games intended for older children.
2. Look for a toy that is made of strong, durable material and look for any rough edges. Make sure long-handled toys such as swords or brooms have rounded handles.
3. Supervise young children during playtime.
4. Protect little eyes by throwing out any toys or games that have jagged or staggered edges or projectiles, such as be-be guns.

Before you shell out the popular toy that your kids have been itching for, take a minute to check eye safety tips when it comes to toys. The holidays are a great time for creating special moments with your family members, not the doctor on call at the nearest hospital. Happy Holidays to all.

Call for a Montgomery, AL Optometrist Visit Now!

Need a new pair of eye glasses for the kids? Time for an eye examination? Contemplating refractive surgery? Now is the time to take care of your eye and vision needs. December 31st is quickly approaching which means that your annual flex plan will soon expire. If flex spending doesn’t strike a familiar chord you may not have a flex spending account but you should confirm your health plan to clarify.

If you contribute to a Flex Spending Plan through your employee benefits check how much credit you have left. The majority of plans obligate you to spend any contributions no later than the last day of December or you will lose it!

With your FSA you can get big savings on your eye care needs. Comprehensive eye and contact lens examinations, eye wear, contacts, even laser vision correction may all meet the requirements for a refund. Keep in mind that some procedures, such as Lasik have a screening process that takes time so call us sooner than later.

If you have any questions, we are happy to go over your eye care benefits with you. Our Montgomery, AL Eye Care Practice is here for you!

Call our Montgomery, AL Optometry Practice for a vision test

Color vision problems are a generally hereditary disability that impairs the ability to discern among shades of color. Color blindness is a result of a dysfunction of the cones in the retina, typically preventing a viewer's capability to distinguish between shades of red or green, but might adversely affect the perception of additional hues also.

The discernment of different hues depends on cones found in the eye.} People are generally born with three types of pigmented cones, all of which perceive different wavelengths of color. When it comes to shades of color, the size of the wave is directly associated with the perceived color tone. Long waves produce red tones, moderately-sized waves produce green tones and short waves project blues. Which type of cone is missing determines the spectrum and seriousness of the color blindness.

Because it is a sex-linked genetically recessive trait, many more males are green-red color blind than women. Nevertheless, there are plenty of women who do experience varying degrees of color blindness, particularly yellow-blue color blindness.

Some people obtain color vision deficiencies later on resulting from another condition such as medicinal side effects, cataracts and especially macular degeneration. However, with these situations, treatment of the condition may be able to restore color vision.

There are many tests for the condition. The most widely used is the Ishihara color test, called after its inventor. In this test a plate is shown with a circle of dots in different sizes and colors. Inside the circle one with proper color vision can see a numerical figure in a particular color. The individual's capability to make out the number inside the dots of contrasting tones examines the level of red-green color vision.

Although hereditary color blindness can't be corrected, there are some steps that can assist to make up for it. For some using tinted lenses or anti-glare glasses can help to see the differences between colors. More and more, new computer programs are being developed for regular computers and even for smaller devices that can assist people to differentiate color better depending on their specific diagnosis. There is also exciting research underway in gene therapy to correct the ability to perceive colors.

The extent to which color vision problems limit a person is dependant upon the type and severity of the deficiency. Some patients can accommodate to their condition by familiarizing themselves with alternate cues for determining a color scheme. For example, learning the order of traffic signals or comparing objects with color paradigms like green plants or the blue sky.

If you notice signs that you or your child could be color blind it's important to get tested by an optometrist. The sooner a diagnosis is made, the sooner you can help. Feel free to call our Montgomery, AL optometry practice to schedule an exam.

Diabetes is the dominant causal agent of blindness among adults aged 20-74 years. In the past four years alone, over 4 million people in North Americaliving with diabetes were diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy. Of this group, 70,000 had advanced diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to total blindness.

While not every individual is at risk of diabetic retinopathy, it is important to be aware of the connection between the disease and vision loss.

To start, those living with diabetes are at risk. Anyone in this category should ensure that they have an eye exam regularly. The longer the disease goes unchecked, the greater the risk of diabetes related blindness. Timely treatment is necessary to preventing further deterioration.

Women who are pregnant that are diagnosed with pregnancy-related diabetes have a stronger risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. It is advisable to have a comprehensive dilated eye exam after diagnosis as well.

If you are curious as to why all the concern? Wouldn't you notice of blindness?

Well the truth is no. There are several sorts of diabetic retinopathy, and only those in the acute phases are easy to discern. Advanced diabetes might have no symptoms. Macular edema is another diabetes caused disease which results in serious sight loss. Both conditions may develop without any obvious symptoms. This is why early detection is crucial to preventing long term loss.

A thorough assessment will seek out symptoms of diabetic retinopathy. There are distinct phases to this exam which will detect the typical clues, such as leaky blood vessels, swelling of the retina, the presence of fatty deposits on the retina, and damaged nerve tissue. Want to know what are the steps in a complete vision exam?

First of all you will undergo a visual acuity examination by means of an eye chart which is used to assess how correctly you are able to see at varying distances. This is identical to the visual acuity exams given by your eye doctor, to see if you require corrective lenses.

To give a dilated eye exam, the eye doctor puts drops in your eyes to dilate the size of your pupils. Not a favorite of most patients, but it can prevent loss of vision in subsequent years. This procedure makes it feasible to see more of the inside of your eyes to identify for unique symptoms that imply the presence of diabetic retinopathy. The fleeting discomfort could save your eye sight.

Regularly monitor your health, even a little hesitation may cause irreversible damage. If you are diabetic, it is essential to plan a vision test with an optometrist today.

To achieve proper vision, the eyes and the brain must operate in cooperation. In instances when this process doesnt function properly, the result can be amblyopia or lazy eye. With most instances of ambylopia the actual eyes are usually in good health however visual acuity can not be achieved by just the use of prescription lenses. Left not treated amblyopia can cause severe visual impairment, even blindness in the affected eye.

Lazy eye is the most common vision disorder in children. Given that it typically starts as an infant developmental problem, the disorder is often difficult to detect. Early diagnosis and treatment increase the chances of complete recovery. Treatment usually works faster and more effectively for those who begin before the adolescent years.

Therefore it is important to have your childs vision tested early on in development. According to the AOA (American Optometric Association) children should have a comprehensive optometric examination by six months and another when the child turns three.

Causes of Lazy Eye

Amblyopia may be caused by any condition that affects typical eye and vision development. One common cause is strabismus, an imbalance in the positioning of the eyes. Strabismus results in eyes that cross in (estropia) or turn out (exotropia) and therefore arent able to work together. Amblyopia can also be caused by a condition where one eye is more nearsighted, farsighted, or astigmatic than the other eye. This is the result of a condition called anisometropia. Occasionally, lazy eye is the result of other optical conditions such as cataracts or another anatomical problem.

How is Lazy Eye Treated?

Amblyopia is treated by measures to achieve normal visual acuity to both eyes. In addition to using prescription lenses, one of the most common approaches involves making the patient use the weaker eye. A few treatment options exist to do this and the treatment plan is prescribed based on the patients situation anda consultation with an optometrist.

Frequently you will see a patch used to cover the better eye. The patient is then compelled to use the weak eye, which stimulates proper sight in the weak eye and helps the visual processing system to develop properly. Nevertheless this treatment largely depends on compliance of the patient to wear the patch, which can be a factor particularly in the case of children.

Another option is the use of atropine. When placed in the better eye, atropine drops temporarily blur the sight and therefore force the preference of the other eye.

Some vision can be improved by vision aides alone, such as prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses that improve vision in each eye, yet this is rare. Additionally, vision therapy to train the eyes to operate together or in some cases a surgical procedure might also be tried.

Since amblyopia involves a disruption in the vision process, younger patients often experience more success with treatment. Nevertheless, there have been many cases in which older patients completed successful treatment and therefore anyone who thinks they or their child has lazy eye should schedule an appointment immediately with their optometrist If you are looking for amblyopia management in Montgomery, AL, be in touch to book a visit. Amblyopia doesnt heal itself so dont delay in starting to restore your vision!

Have you ever wondered what 20/20 vision actually stands for? 20/20 vision is a phrase to express a normal level of clarity of eyesight (visual acuity) calculated from 20 feet away from the object. That is to say that someone with such eyesight will be able to see an object clearly from 20 feet away which is deemed normal to see clearly at that distance.

In cases of individuals that don't have 20/20 visual acuity, their visual acuity score is determined according to where they begin to see clearly compared to what is normally expected. For example, if your acuity is 20/100 that means that at a distance of 20 feet you can only see what someone with normal vision can see at 100 feet away.

It's also possible to have better than 20/20 vision. For instance a person that has 20/10 eyesight can see clearly at 10 feet an object that the average person can see only at 20 feet. Members of the animal kingdom have been known to have incredibly acute vision in comparison to humans. For example, hawks have been known to have 20/2 eyesight, designed for locating prey from great heights.

A typical eye test is done with the use of a vision chart most commonly the classic Snellen eye chart created by Dutch eye doctor, Herman Snellen in the mid-1800's. While there are many variations, the chart generally has 11 lines with capital letters which get smaller in size as they move toward the bottom. The chart begins with the capital letter - ''E'' with letters being added subsequently as you look down the chart. During the eye exam, the optometrist will assess the smallest line of letters you can make out. Every row is assigned a rating, with the 20/20 row usually being ascribed the eighth row. For young children, illiterate or disabled persons who are not able to read or vocalize letters, a variation of the chart is used called the ''Tumbling E''. At the same scale as the regular Snellen chart, this version portrays only the capital letter E in different rotations. The patient uses their hand to point to the right, left, top or bottom based on the direction the E is facing. Either chart needs to be positioned 20 feet away from the patient's eyes.

Despite common conception, 20/20 visual acuity does not mean an individual sees perfectly but only that their distance vision is normal. ''Perfect'' vision includes a number of other important abilities such as side or peripheral vision, perception of depth, focus for near vision, color vision and coordination between the eyes to name a few.

Although a vision screening using a Snellen chart can conclude if you need glasses to correct for distance vision it will not provide the optometrist a full understanding of your complete eye health. It's recommended that you still schedule an annual comprehensive eye exam which can identify any more serious diseases. Call us today to schedule an eye exam in Montgomery, AL.

As the end of summer approaches, many individuals start to suffer from ragweed allergy or hay fever. Above sneezing and congestion, symptoms that affect the eyes can significantly impede one's ability to function normally.

Eyes can become itchy, swollen, and red and often burn or tear. Vision can often be affected as well by blurriness or light sensitivity. These symptoms can make it so uncomfortable for allergy sufferers that they prohibit an individual's ability to perform in all aspects of everyday life - from work to play.

If you wear contact lenses, eye allergies are sometimes exacerbated because contact lenses can often collect pollen. Further, we tend to rub itchy eyes, which can cause even more irritation for those wearing contacts. Use of rewetting drops can sometimes alleviate discomfort but many lens wearers choose to reduce the use of their lenses. If you wear contacts and experience ocular allergies, you may want to consider a different brand of contacts, particularly if you aren't using daily disposables which reduce the likelihood of allergen collection. You don't have to suffer from your contacts - visit our Montgomery, AL optometry practice to discuss your options.

Regardless of whether you wear contacts or not, here are a few ways to minimize exposure and symptoms of fall ocular allergy discomfort:

• Check the area pollen count and stay indoors when counts are high, particularly at peak times such as midday.
• Use large sunglasses to help block allergens from entering your eyes.
• Keep pets indoors as they can carry allergens into the house.
• Clean floors with a damp mop rather than a broom which can often stir up rather than get rid of allergens.
• Try not to rub your eyes. Use a cool compress for soothing irritation or itchiness.
• Take a shower each night to clean yourself of any allergens you may have collected throughout the day.

If over the counter medications are not helping you may need something stronger. If this is the case, make an appointment with your eye care professional as soon as possible to talk about your options and begin effective treatment. Our Montgomery, AL eye care office is here to help your eyes feel their best despite allergy season!

With the fall comes Halloween and with that, dressing up. It's important to be aware of certain hazards to your eyes that could accompany with the holiday spirit.

A popular costume addition as of late has been decorative contact lenses and this is alarming eye doctors. Contact lenses are a governmentally regulated medical device. It is illegal for unlicensed distributors to sell contact lenses which is applicable to most stores where costumes and party goods are sold, however the regulations are often ignored. Lens manufacturers operating without a license may use subpar plastics or even dangerous coloring elements to color the lenses. Additionally, use of lenses without adequate fitting and adhering to proper hygiene, can cause serious damage to the eyes or even blindness.

For those who do wish to use special-effect contacts, it is essential to make an exam appointment with your optometrist first. After a comprehensive eye exam, the optometrist will determine the proper size, curvature and if required prescription needed for the lens. The practitioner will also give necessary guidance on how to properly insert, remove and care for the lenses.

Despite the fact that many incorrectly consider vanity lenses as just another cosmetic item, uneducated use of contacts can cause significant harm to your eyes and vision. No item should ever be applied into the eye without proper professional consultation.

Only buy contact lenses from a licensed seller that you can be sure comply with all FDA regulations. Non-corrective lenses must also adhere to health regulations and require a proper prescription. Steer clear of e-commerce sites, flea markets or beauty supply stores that may carry homemade products colored with unapproved tinting agents. To determine whether the retailer is authorized to sell lenses you can ask for the state license number and call the state Department of Professional Regulations (DPR) to check.

If your Halloween costume just won't be the same without special effect contacts, call your local optometrist before making any purchase. Don't let Halloween be a "Hallowed" night for your eyes. Be aware of the dangers uneducated use of lenses can be to your eyes.

Findings from the American Optometric Association show that more than 70 percent of employed persons that sit for the majority of the day on a computer (around 143 million individuals) experience computer vision syndrome or eye strain. Prolonged computer use can cause eye strain and impact eyesight in kids and adults. If you spend more than two hours daily at a computer screen it is probable that you will experience some level of computer vision syndrome.

Effects of Computer Vision Syndrome

Extended computer use can cause some or all of the usual symptoms of computer vision syndrome for instance:

• Blurred or Double Vision
• Pain in Neck, Shoulders or Head
• Difficulty Focusing
• Dry, Burning or Tired Eyes

What Causes CVS?
Computer eye strain and computer vision syndrome are caused by the necessity for our visual systems to compensate for viewing words on an electronic screen in a different way than they do for letters on a page. Although our visual systems have little problem keeping focus on printed content that has dense black letters with sharp borders, they have more difficulty with texts on a screen that don't have the same degree of contrast and definition.
Characters on a digital screen are formed by pixels, which are brightest in the center and diminish in intensity as they move outward. Consequently, it is harder for our eyes to keep focus on these images. Rather, our eyes feel more comfortable at the ''resting point of accommodation'' or RPA.

Our eyes involuntarily revert to the RPA and then strain to focus on the text. Such constant strain on the muscles of the eyes to focus results in the fatigue and eye strain that often are present during and after use of a computer or digital device. CVS isn't a concern just for computer users. It's important to note that other handheld gadgets such as smart phones or iPads can cause similar eye fatigue and in some cases more severe. Because the screens on handheld digital devices are often small in addition to pixilated the user often struggles even more to read text.

CVS Treatment
If you are at risk for computer induced eye fatigue, you should make an appointment with an optometrist as soon as possible.

At a computer vision exam, the optometrist will perform tests to detect any vision problems that might contribute to symptoms of computer eye strain. Depending on the results of the exam, your practicioner may suggest ophthalmic computer eyeglasses to reduce discomfort at your screen. An anti-reflective coating is highly recommended for computer eyeglasses. An anti-reflective coating reduces reflections on the front and back surfaces of the lenses that cause glare and affect your ability to focus on images on your screen.

Alternative Treatments for CVS
Ergonomics, or physical changes to your workstation to reduce the need for your eyes and your body to accommodate in unhealthy ways, can help relieve some physical symptoms of computer vision syndrome. A well lit work area and taking periodic breaks from staring at the screen will cause some relief. However, very often computer eyeglasses are also required to fully eliminate CVS.

If you think you are suffering or at risk of computer related eye strain, contact our Montgomery, AL optometry office.