Karen Griffith – Page 11 – Westside Optometry

Fall Eyewear Event

August 26, 2014August 26, 2014 Karen Griffith

Come one, Come all for the Westside Optometry Fall Eyewear Event
Featured this year is the entire Clearvision Collection and Maui Jim sunglasses. Clearvision includes frames for the whole family:

Ellen Tracy, Cole Haan, BCBG for women
Izod, Marc Ecko for men
Jessica McClintock, Izod and Dilli Dalli for children
Included in each line are sunglasses too.

The festivities are Saturday, September 6th at our office
320 Petaluma Blvd South in downtown Petaluma
10:00 – 2:00

Look for the Maui Jim tent in the parking l

There will be refreshments

Electronics and Kids Eyes

August 19, 2014August 19, 2014 Karen Griffith 1 Comment

This is my last back-to-school post for the year, but I feel very strongly about providing children with good vision. A vision screening performed in the pediatrician’s hallway or the vision test done at school are no substitute for a comprehensive eye examination.

My focus today is the use of technology: phones, games, computers and tablets. Summer vacation probably wasn’t much of a break from electronic devices for most children. The integration of technology into the classroom is more reason for children to have an eye examination.

Kids are digitally connected longer than parents think. According to a survey done by the American Optometric Association (AOA), 83%of children report using an electronic device more than 3 hours daily while only 40% of of parents think their kids exceed that mark; furthermore, 42% of kids report 5 hours of use or more.
All that time can cause eye problems. 80% of children report their eyes have burned, itched, felt tired or had blurry vision after using an electronic device.
Kids aren’t taking appropriate breaks. Students should follow the 20-20-20 rule. This simple rule advises that after 20 minutes of computer, tablet or other device work, the user take 20 seconds to look in the distance at least 20 feet away.
Most learning happens visually. An estimated 80% of all classroom learning happens through visual pathways – nearly all tasks a child performs depend on good vision.
Get children eye exams early. I recommend a child’s first eye exam happen at 6-12 months of age.

Get your kids off to a good start this school year. Schedule a back-to-school eye examination.

Kids and Contact Lenses

August 12, 2014August 12, 2014 Karen Griffith

When can children start wearing contact lenses? Research has shown that children as young as 8 years old can successfully handle, care for and wear contact lenses. Is your child ready to try them? Consider the following information before making a decision:

Contact Lenses for Active Kids

Spectacles are cumbersome. They don’t fit under sport helmets and can fall off or slide down the nose with vigorous activity. Spectacle frames obstruct the field of view and cold weather plus hot kid can fog lenses up.

Contact Lenses can Boost Confidence

Contact lenses can improve how kids feel about their appearance and sports abilities as well as their interactions with peers.

Vision with Contact Lenses

Contact lenses provide more natural vision than spectacle lenses, which can make objects look distorted. Spectacle lenses for the correction of myopia can also make objects appear smaller than they really are.

Contact Lenses are Cost-Effective

After taking into account the cost of lenses and frames, and replacing spectacles due to damage or loss, contact lenses may actually be a less expensive option.

Kids can Learn to Care for Contact Lenses

Research at the Centre for Contact Lens Research found that children aged 8-16 years old with no previous experience wearing contact lenses were easily fit with and able to care for contact lenses.

Is Your Child Ready to Try Contact Lenses?

Parents are in the best position to know whether a child is responsible enough for contact lenses. Does your child keep his room tidy? Does he need reminding to brush his hair and teeth? Can you trust her to know when to remove a contact lenses?

The Bottom Line

Serious ocular complications from contact lens wear are rare, and no more common in children than in adults. While contact lenses might not work for every child, a motivated child can be just as successful with contact lenses as an adult.

Back-to School

August 5, 2014August 5, 2014 Karen Griffith

I know it’s tough to think about school starting in a few weeks. While you are scheduling immunizations, sports physicals and dental appointments, don’t forget the most important sense used in school – VISION.
Nearly 80% of learning is done through a child’s eyes. Reading, computer usage and whiteboard work are all visual tasks students perform everyday. A child’s eyes are always in use in the classroom. Therefore, when a child’s vision is not working properly learning and class participation will suffer.

Children with undetected vision problems are sometimes inaccurately diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). When vision is difficult, it requires greater effort than normal causing the child to avoid close work.
Many children with undetected vision problems struggle in the classroom. Listed here are some of the behaviors associated with vision problems:

Trouble finishing written assignments
Losing his place when reading
A short attention span when doing close work
Skipping words when reading
Having greater potential than grades may indicate

Start the school year off right, schedule a comprehensive eye exam for your child.

Types of Contact Lenses

July 29, 2014July 29, 2014 Karen Griffith

At Westside Optometry we fit not only common soft contact lenses, but specialty lenses as well. In the class of soft contact lenses we are successful with daily use, 2 week and monthly replacement modalities. Within each replacement schedule are options such as designs for astigmatism and presbyopia and different materials. Soft contacts work well for most people, but some people are very successful in rigid gas permeables (RGP).
RGPs are excellent for achieving crisp clear and stable vision. This is especially true of higher powers and astigmatic corneas. RGPs are custom designed so I can select material, color, size and power. They last on average, 2 years.
A few years ago we added the hybrid lenses to our repertoire. Hybrid lenses blend the crisp vision of RGPs and the comfort of soft lenses. They can correct most refractive errors, myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia. A Hybrid contact lens will last 6 months with proper care.
Newest to our arsenal of contact lenses are the scleral lenses. This is a very large, gas permeable lens that doesn’t touch the cornea. The lens rests on the sclera allowing correction for irregular corneas such as keratoconus and post-surgical eyes. Scleral lenses are also used as a treatment for extreme dry eyes.

Contact lenses are not a one size fits all, nor a one kind fits all. Different eyes require different lenses and different lenses require different care. When fitting the best contact lens for you, we also determine the best contact lens care regime to enhance your contact lens success.

Make an appointment for an eye examination online.

Book Review: EYEFOODS

July 23, 2014July 23, 2014 Karen Griffith

A book review is new to the eyeblog, but I’m not sure why I haven’t written one sooner. As many of you know, I am an avid reader. I have been trying to expand my reading scope beyond fiction. I’ve been picking up the occasional business book, or human interest best seller. The inaugural book I want to share is Eyefoods, a Food Plan for Healthy Eyes by Drs. Capogna and Pelletier. They are Canadian optometrists who obviously have a special interest in nutrition.

I am often asked and many times offer information about how what we eat, smoke and drink effects our eyes. Most of my information comes from studies, lectures and my knowledge about vitamins, minerals and other ingested substances. Eyefoods is written for the layperson, it is logically laid out, with beautiful photographs. The reader can find information by eye disease : age-related macular degeneration, cataracts or dry eye, by type of nutrient: Vitamin C, Zinc, or Anti-Oxidant, and by food sources of healthy eyefood. For example, I recommend 10mg of Lutein a day for patients at risk for macular degeneration. The section about “leafy green vegetables” says that one medium leaf of raw kale is enough to achieve your daily goal of lutein and zeaxanthin. So that’s why kale is so popular lately. The authors also include recipes and simple tips to incorporate healthy choices into your routine.

Healthy lifestyle and food choices not only benefit the eyes, but our over-all health. In fact the book concludes with an Eyefood Lifestyle Plan:

Wear good quality sunglasses
Take control of your health
Get moving
Quit smoking
Take an eye vitamin
Maintain a healthy weight

If you are looking for a food and health resource, check out this book. I know my copy has found its way to everyone’s desk in the office and each one of the Westside staff has gleaned a valuble nugget. From fiber content in cabbage to dry eye prevention, it’s all here.

Eyefood, A Food Plan for Healthy Eyes. Laurie Capogna, OD and Barbara Pelletier, OD

Too Much Sun can be Dangerous for Eyes

July 9, 2014July 9, 2014 Karen Griffith

Corneal Sunburn

If the eyes are exposed to excessive amount of Ultraviolet (UV) radiation over a short period of time, “sunburn” called photokeratitis can occur on the surface of the eye (the cornea). This condition may be painful and includes symptoms such as red eyes, a foreign-body sensation or gritty feeling in the eyes, blurry vision, excessive tearing and extreme sensitivity to light. Photokeratitis is also called snowblindness because it occurs often when enjoying winter sports where the light is reflected from the snow. It is usually temporary and rarely causes permanent damage, but can take days to heal.
Premature Aging
Ongoing exposure to UV radiation, however, can cause serious harm to the eyes and age them prematurely. Research has shown that exposure to small amounts of UV radiation over time increases the chance of developing cataracts, macular degeneration and eye cancer.

Prevention
Whether it’s cloudy or sunny, summer or winter protect your eyes from the sun’s rays in order to decrease the risk of eye diseases and disorders.
A good rule of thumb to follow is to wear sunglasses, glasses or contact lenses with UV protection, apply sunscreen and wear a hat to protect the eyes and tissues around them.
And don’t forget your children, their eyes are more susceptible to damage from UV.
A good way to monitor eye health, maintain good vision and keep up-to-date on the latest UV protection is by scheduling yearly comprehensive eye exams.

Swimming with Contact Lenses

July 1, 2014July 1, 2014 Karen Griffith

What is a contact lens wearer to do when playing in the pool, river or ocean? Water activities are more fun without worrying about losing glasses or not being able to see. Two of the many advantages to wearing contacts instead of glasses is the freedom to use non-prescription sunglasses, and to see without glasses.
Unfortunately, there are all kinds of nasty bugs living in swimming pools, oceans, lakes, hot tubs and even tap water that can attach to your contact lens and cause serious damage to your eyes. That’s why you should avoid swimming with contact lenses whenever possible. If you do decide to wear contacts while swimming, remove, clean and disinfect your lenses immediately to reduce your risk of eye irritation and infection. Better yet, wear swim goggles; when it comes to the health of your eyes it’s always best to be safe than sorry!
I do fit individuals with contacts specifically for water activities such as surfing and water-skiing. In these cases, I prescribe daily use contact lenses to prevent reintroducing any contamination into the eyes. And overnight wear is absolutely forbidden as sleeping in the contacts increases the risk of corneal edema and abrasion, leaving the eye vulnerable to infection.

If you are missing the fun of water activities, consider daily use contact lenses that you can throw away after a day of fun.

Myopia Prevention

June 25, 2014June 25, 2014 Karen Griffith

It might not be possible to prevent nearsightedness (myopia) completely, but researchers are making interesting discoveries about controlling myopia in children.
One intriguing finding is that kids who spend more time outdoors appear to have less risk of becoming nearsighted. Researchers in the U.K. found that for each additional hour children spent outdoors per week. the risk of myopia fell by about 2 percent.
Though the cause for this finding is not fully understood, some scientists believe exposure to sunlight increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the eyes, which may prevent elongation of the eyeball.
So if you want to minimize the chances of your child developing myopia, the best advice to give them might be, “go out and play.”

Stepping away from video games and other screens can reduce visual stress which is thought to contribute to nearsightedness also. Click here to read about myopic stress.

Do you have Cataracts?

June 18, 2014June 18, 2014 Karen Griffith

June is cataract awareness month.

Here are some of the clues that you might have cataracts?

Vision is cloudy or blurred
Vision is discolored
Vision is impaired at night and there is more glare
Vision is double in one eye

A cataract is the clouding of the lens of the eye. The proteins in the lens discolor and clump causing blurry and obscured vision. Age is the leading cause, but certain medications can speed up the process also. Two contributing factors that you can control are protecting your eyes from UV damage by wearing sunglasses, and to stop smoking.

For more details about cataracts click here.

Author: Karen Griffith