Responsible contact lens wear can improve self image in children compared to glasses

Do you find yourself constantly reminding your child to wear their glasses? Does this often lead to a battle you know that you can’t win once they are away at school? If so you may take heart in knowing that contact lenses can have certain advantages over glasses in some younger patients. Though contact lenses are not a perfect option for every child, many children can benefit from the new technologies of the contact lens industry leading to a better quality of life.

Daily contact lenses are a great option for children as they allow these patients to wear a fresh contact lens each day without the hassle of remembering to store and clean the lenses properly. This simplifies the contact lens experience for children and their parents as they only have to remember to throw the lenses away each night before bed. In addition the less time a lens is on your eye and reused, the result is a lower chance of infection and potential allergic complications.

A former study shows that contact lenses can have a dramatic effect on self image for children. In our office I often see this in terms of younger patients feeling better about their appearance without glasses, or even in their ability to excel athletically with contacts aiding their vision. You can read the details of this study from The Ohio State University College of Optometry by clicking the above link.

Above all contact lenses are a medical device and may present a risk for certain patients. Therefore, the decision for your child to go into contact lenses should be agreed upon by the eye doctor, parents, and a responsible child to ensure safe and healthy contact lens wear.

Taking Advantage of New Progressive Lens Designs

Have you noticed that your computer and reading material are not as clear as they used to be? Do you feel like overnight you have lost the ability to focus on reading material up close? If so you may be suffering from a normal aging process known as presbyopia. This condition refers to a loss of the ability to focus on objects at a near distance that usually occurs around the age of forty when the lens in the middle of the eye has become less flexible.

The best technology for overcoming this condition in eyeglasses is known as a progressive lens. Progressive lenses are true multifocal lenses that provide a seamless progression of many lens powers for all viewing distances.

With progressive lenses, you can look up to see clearly across the room during an office presentation or when driving. You can also look ahead to view your computer in the intermediate zone and drop your gaze downward to read and do fine work comfortably.

A corridor of optimum vision runs vertically down each progressive lens. Your eye care practitioner will take careful measurements of your eyes and eyeglass frame in order to place the corridor in just the right location so your eyes can naturally access the various powers within the lens for comfortable viewing at all distances.
Progressive lenses also enable you to avoid the annoying image jump phenomenon that occurs with lined bifocals.

Thanks to today's modern progressive lenses it is also easier than ever to adapt to these lenses.

A recent exciting improvement in progressive lens technology has come in the technology of Free Form Progressive Lenses. Free Form is a computer-aided design and manufacturing process that allows for larger intermediate and near visual field areas when looking at your computer and reading material. This makes the lenses much easier to adapt to and adds to their overall clarity and reduced distortion thanks to a reduction of optical aberration level.

If your eyes are feeling tired at the end of the day and you are stretching things away from you so that you can read them, then this new progressive lens design could help you see more clearly at comfortably at all distances.

Dry Eye Syndrome

You may have noticed the sensation that your eyes feel more dry this time of year. As the heaters have been turned on and the humidity drops, dryness can often creep in. This dryness can be particularly bothersome if you are a person suffering from Dry Eye Syndrome or what is also referred to as Ocular Surface Disease.

A person suffering from Dry Eye Syndrome may often feel like they have burning, stinging eyes, redness, and a foreign body sensation. There are certain systemic diseases as well as eye and eyelid conditions that can exacerbate this condition. Some of the most common systemic diseases that put you more at risk for dry eye include Diabetes Mellitus, Thyroid disease, Lupus, and Rheumatoid Arthritis. In addition, lifestyle factors such as increased caffeine consumption, increased computer use, and certain medications can lead to dry eye if not properly managed.

Your eye doctor plays a very important role in the fight against dry eye by diagnosing and treating this condition in a number of ways. The first line of treatment is often properly managing any eye conditions (i.e. blepharitis) or systemic diseases (i.e. Diabetes). Once this is under control your doctor will emphasize the necessity to change any lifestyle factors that are increasing your dry eye symptoms, such as making sure your work environment is ergonimically friendly for your eyes.

Artificial tears can be found over the counter and help alleviate dry eye symptoms in the short term, but if you find yourself using these more than 4 times a day, you should talk to your eye doctor about the possibility of using a prescription eye drop for your irritated eyes. Omega 3 vitamin supplements have been shown to improve your tear film and alleviate many symptoms of dry eye syndrome. Still another option for treating dry eye include punctal plugs which keep your tears from draining as quickly and thus keeps the tear film on your eyes for a longer period of time.

There are many different ways that your eye doctor can effectively treat your dry eye symptoms so be sure to mention it if you have any of these symptoms the next time you are in the office.