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The brain and the eyes work together to create a visual experience. On one hand, the eyes send signals to the brain, which allows it to translate that data into visuals; on the other, the brain sends signals to the muscles attached to each eye, controlling their movements. If anything disrupts these signals and the brain, there may be problems with eye teaming, eye tracking, motor skills and learning. Balancing boards, or teetering boards, help with these components by retraining motor patterns and neurological links.

What to Expect In Treatment

During a vision therapy session that includes a balancing board, the patient stands—feet shoulder length apart—on the wobbly board that is able to move backwards, forwards and from side to side. Often, during the first session, the person is asked to start by balancing themselves forwards, backwards, right and left. This exercise allows the individual to learn how to adjust their balance and control their body. Coordinating the body is important because the coordination of the eyes rely on the body and brain’s ability to balance the entire body, thus learning to balance the body helps the eyes.

Once the patient has mastered adjusting their body on the board, they can then move on to other activities like using the board with a saccadic fixator, which is a wall-mounted square board with a starburst design. Along the various striations of the starburst are lighted buttons. As the buttons light up, the individual works quickly to see how many buttons they can push before the lights go out. The key in doing this activity is to keep the head still and the body steady while on the balancing board. Saccadic fixators and balance boards are used together to test, evaluate and develop eye-hand coordination, reaction times and spatial integration.

Additional Treatment Options

Another addition that may be used with a balancing board is a chart that is pinned to a wall. The patient is then required to track and locate letters and numbers in columns and rows while they are balancing at the same time.

Marsden balls may also be incorporated. Here, a ball with letters, numbers, colors, pictures, or a combination is hung from the ceiling. In activities used to help the patient focus their visual attention, they may be asked to focus on a figure while knocking the ball with a rod, or hitting or catching it with their palms, fists or thumbs. Again, in this vein, these activities are done while the patient is using a balancing board.

Over time, using balancing boards with other vision therapy programs can help in the following areas:

Cognitive

• Learning fresh material

• Sequencing information and data

• Integrating sensory information
   

Visual

• Eye tracking

• Eye teaming
   

Motor

• Rhythm

• Handwriting

• Speech

• Coordination

• Posture and gait
   

Having patients stand on a teetering board, or balancing board, as they look at objects and perform visual tasks helps the brain and eyes work better together so that they can do their jobs. Doing so helps the patient move better and adjust to performing tasks in their “real-world” environment, which is constantly moving or having them move while they think and use both their eyes and brain to assess and make sense of the things around them.

Contact lenses, or therapeutic lenses, are thin lenses that are placed on the surface of the eye. While some wear them for cosmetic reasons, their primary function is to correct and improve vision problems related to refractive errors, act as a protective layer in patients with eye injuries, reduce discomfort or pain associated with refractive and non-refractive errors, and minimize light sensitivity in patients with eyes disorders or injuries to the eye.

For many, the term binocular vision conjures images of super powers or the rare ability to spot objects far away, but having binocular vision simply means having two eyes with which to see. Binocular vision does lend creatures with two eyes advantages over those with only one, such as enhanced vision, depth perception, and a wider field of view. Our two eyes functioning properly allow us to view the world in the way we do, perceiving objects both up close and far away, using peripheral vision to see objects at our sides, and using our overlapping field of vision to see objects in greater detail.

In order for binocular vision to function properly, both eyes have to work together. When eyes cannot work together, vision disorders occur. Disorders with binocular vision occur in a large percentage of optometry patients, as many as 20 percent, and can affect those patients' ability to see properly using both eyes. Binocular vision disorders affect normal, daily activities like driving, reading, seeing a computer screen, and participating in sports. The two most common binocular vision disorders are strabismus (crossed eyes) and amblyopia (lazy eye). These disorders often present themselves in young children. The two conditions often occur together, but can present individually.

Six muscles support each eye, and ideally work together to keep the eyes pointed in the same direction. In strabismus, these sets of muscles do not coordinate. As a result, the two eyes do not line up in a single direction, and end up focused on different objects. The brain receives two separate images. Unable to combine the images, the brain begins to favor the dominant eye and ignore images from the other. Symptoms of strabismus include double vision, crossed eyes, eyes which are not aligned, independent eye movements, and loss of depth perception. If left untreated, the less dominant eye will become even weaker, eventually leading to amblyopia.

Amblyopia, the most common childhood vision problem, is the loss of one eye's ability to see details, when the nerve path connecting the eye to the brain does not develop. Though strabismus is the most common cause of amblyopia, it can occur independently. Astigmatism, cataracts, nearsightedness, and farsightedness can all cause amblyopia. Symptoms include eyes which do not move together, poor vision in one eye, loss of depth perception, and eyes which turn in or out.

Sources:

American Optometric Association (2014). Amblyopia (Lazy Eye).

American Optometric Association (2014). Strabismus (Crossed Eyes).

eyeSmart (2014). What Is Strabismus?.

National Eye Institute (2013). Facts About Amblyopia.

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, reports the Glaucoma Research Foundation. This common eye condition typically affects older adults, although infants and young adults are also at risk. Fortunately, however, cutting-edge research is improving diagnosis and treatment of this common eye disease. Talk to your optometrist about glaucoma care for the latest information about treatment options.
 

Causes and Symptoms of Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a condition characterized by increased pressure within the eye, which damages the optic nerve that sends visual information to the brain. Most cases of glaucoma are called open-angle glaucoma, which occurs when drainage channels are partially blocked and cause gradual increases in intraocular pressure. The primary symptom of open-angle glaucoma is gradual loss of peripheral vision. Acute angle closure glaucoma, on the other hand, occurs when the iris bulges and suddenly blocks drainage channels. This form of glaucoma causes rapid pressure increases, associated with eye pain, nausea, and vision problems.
 

Traditional Glaucoma Care

For many years, the approach to glaucoma care included medications in the form of eye drops. The traditional approach most commonly featured beta blocker eye drops, which were used to alleviate intraocular pressure. Many patients disliked beta blockers because of their adverse side effects. Surgery was another alternative for severe cases of glaucoma, but surgical techniques often came with unpleasant side effects as well.
 

Advances in Glaucoma Care

Pharmaceutical Treatments

Today, improved medication options and surgical procedures offer hope for patients with glaucoma. Many individuals now use prostaglandin eye drops, which are more effective at reducing intraocular pressure and come with fewer side effects than beta blockers. Recent studies have found a single injection of anecortave acetate, a steroid medication, to effectively lower intraocular pressure to normal limits. Other pharmaceutical treatments, including alpha-adrenergic agonists or miotic agents, are also used in glaucoma treatment. New classes of medications continue to be investigated.
 

Surgical Treatments

New surgical techniques are also being employed. Glaucoma experts are excited about micropulse laser trabeculoplasty (MLT), a surgery that uses a laser pulse to reduce intraocular pressure. MLT has a lower risk of side effects than more traditional surgical options. Canaloplasty, in which is tiny catheter is placed into the eye’s drainage canal, is another new surgical technique to lower intraocular pressure. One of the most exciting advances in glaucoma care is the Trabectome procedure, which improves fluid drainage in the eye. This surgery is performed in out-patient clinics, allowing patients to undergo surgery and return home the same day.

Source:

Glaucoma Research Foundation.

Astigmatism is an extremely common eye condition that affects both children and adults. It occurs when there is an imperfection in some part of your cornea, the clear tissue that covers your iris. Light rays pass through the cornea as they travel to the retina, a thin layer of cells at the back of your eye. The retina turns light rays into impulses that are transmitted to your brain, which interprets them as images.

Normally, the cornea is completely round. If you have astigmatism, some parts of your cornea may be rounder than others, which can cause a distortion in the way light rays focus on your retina. Astigmatism is considered a refractive error because it affects the way your eyes refract, or bend, light. It often occurs in conjunction with other refractive errors, such as nearsightedness or farsightedness.

Symptoms of Astigmatism

Common symptoms of astigmatism include:

• Blurred or distorted vision

• Trouble seeing clearly when driving at night

• Squinting

• Eyestrain

• Headaches
   

If you have a mild case of astigmatism, you may not notice any changes in your vision.

Diagnosing Astigmatism

Many of the symptoms of astigmatism, such as blurred vision and eyestrain, can also occur if you need glasses or you already have glasses or contacts, but your eyes have gotten worse. Luckily, astigmatism can be easily spotted during an eye examination.

During the examination, your visual acuity will be measured based on your ability to read letters or numbers on an eye chart. The focusing power of your eyes will also be determined, and an instrument called a keratometer may be used to measure the curvature of your cornea. These tests help eye care professionals determine if you have astigmatism.

Treating Astigmatism

Eyeglasses will help improve your vision if you have been diagnosed with astigmatism. Although you probably will not be able to notice any difference just by looking at your new glasses, a subtle change in your lenses will allow you to see better. Glasses improve vision in people with astigmatism because the lens power is increased in a small area of a lens to compensate for the imperfection in your cornea. Some people with astigmatism feel that contacts offer better vision than glasses, but either option will help improve your eyesight.

Reshaping the cornea can alleviate astigmatism temporarily or permanently. Special contact lenses that are worn overnight change the shape of the cornea, allowing you to see clearly during the day. However, if you stop wearing the lenses at night, your symptoms will return. Two types of laser surgery, LASIK and photoreactive keratectomy (PRK), permanently reshape the cornea but may have associated risks.

Helping you make the most of your vision is our priority. If it's been awhile since we have seen you, call us today to schedule an appointment.

Contacts are a smart choice for individuals who are active and dislike the feeling of wearing glasses. However, the process of caring for contacts and getting used to them can take a week or two. Navigate the transition with ease by learning how to properly care for contacts and becoming familiar with common symptoms that occur when you first wear contacts.

What to Expect When First Wearing Contacts

As with any new eye prescription, it may take a few days for your eyes and brain to adjust to the changes. New prescriptions may cause mild headaches or slight dizziness. If this persists after the first week, it may be a sign that your prescription needs to be adjusted. Talk to your optometrist immediately if you experience any of these symptoms.

Contact lenses sometimes cause mild eye irritation during the first few days of use as you get used to the new sensation. You may feel uncomfortable that there is something in your eye or notice when your contact lenses begin to dry out. After a day or two, these symptoms typically go away. If you continue to experience eye irritation after a week, contact your optometrist for recommendations.

Does the Type of Lenses Matter?

Most contact lens users start with soft lenses, which are flexible and conform to the surface of your eye. Individuals with certain eye conditions must use rigid gas permeable lenses, or “hard” contact lenses. These lenses may cause eye irritation or redness that persists for several days. Eye irritation and other side effects are more common with hard lenses than with soft disposable contacts.

Caring for Your Contacts

One of the most common causes of eye irritation is improper care for contact lenses. Always wash your hands before and after touching your eyes to avoid spreading bacteria. Lens manufacturers recommend cafefully rubbing contact lenses with your fingers and thoroughly rinsing them using a multi-purpose solution. Remember that rewetting drops, saline solutions, and tap water are not appropriate ways to clean your contact lenses. Always use fresh solution to store your contacts overnight. Reusing contact solution may cause eye irritation or infection. Following the proper disposal schedule also helps you adjust to wearing contacts and keeps your eyes healthy. Ask your optometrist for more specific recommendations about your contacts.

Sources:

Contact Lens Manufacturers Association (CLMA), "Frequently Asked Questions."

All About Vision, “Contact Lenses: Frequently Asked Questions.”

American Optometric Association. “What You Need to Know about Contact Lens Hygiene and Compliance.”

All sunglasses are designed to shield your eyes from bright sunlight. Many sunglasses go a step beyond and also promise protection from ultraviolet (UV) light rays and other types of natural radiation from the sun. Protecting your eyes from these damaging rays is essential for keeping your eyes healthy. Choosing the right pair of sunglasses can make all the difference.
 

What Should You Look for in Sunglasses?

Color and style are not the most important factors in choosing sunglasses. Their ability to block light and harmful UV rays matters most.

Sunglasses should block 99 to 100 percent of UV rays. Look for sunglasses with this feature. Both plastic and glass lenses can absorb some UV light. UV absorption is greatly improved, however, in sunglasses where a special coating is applied to the lens or a chemical is added to the materials in the lens during production.

Check lenses to make sure they also block out enough visible sunlight. A good pair of sunglasses should block out at least 75 percent of visible sunlight. The lens should be dark enough to obscure your own eyes.

Buying wraparound sunglasses can further enhance eye protection. These type of sunglasses block light from entering in around your temples and further limits exposure to dangerous UV rays.
 

Quality Matters with Sunglasses

Sunglasses have plenty of extra features that can enhance their ability to protect your eyes. Consult with your eye care professional to see what features will help protect your eyes from being damaged.

Some eyeglasses feature polarized lenses. These are helpful in reducing glare from light bouncing off water, snow or paved surfaces. Sunglasses made with polarized lenses are especially useful when driving, boating, bicycling or doing other outdoor activities.

If you are looking for sunglasses that will work in outdoors and indoors, photochromic glass lenses can offer a good solution. The photochromic lens automatically darkens when exposed to bright light and becomes lighter again in low light. This feature is popular with people who already need to wear prescription eyeglasses to improve their vision.

Select impact resistant sunglasses. No lens is totally immune from breaking. Plastic lenses are much more durable, however, than glass lenses when struck by a hard object. They are less likely to shatter and cause potential injuries. Longer lasting eyeglasses will do more to keep your eyes from suffering long-term damage related to sunlight exposure.

Sources:

EyeCare America. “Sunglasses.” The Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Glaucoma Research Foundation. “A Guide to Sunglasses.” April 16, 2013.

When they’re great, the correct pair of glasses perfectly complements your face and seamlessly facilitates your experience of the visual world. When they are not the right prescription or hastily chosen, glasses can be uncomfortable, cause headaches, detract from your appearance, and become a nuisance that distracts from everyday life. A few easy tips can help you choose glasses that look and feel so great that you forget they are there.
 

Types of Lenses

Glasses come with a variety of lens types, and manufacturers continue to make advances in lens technology. Today, most lenses are actually made of plastic, not glass. Plastic tends to be lighter and less damage-prone than more traditional glass lenses.

One of the most popular types of lenses are made of polycarbonate. These lenses are perfect for active individuals or children, because they are impact-resistant and fairly durable. Polycarbonate lenses also block ultraviolet rays, protecting your eyes from sun damage. Those who want further sun protection may choose photochromic lenses, which change from clear to a darker tinted shade when exposed to UV light.

If you have a very strong prescription, you may have resigned yourself to thick lenses. But newer high index plastic lenses provide a lighter, thinner lens for strong prescriptions. Aspheric lenses also tend to be thinner and flatter because of their unique surface curvature, which also corrects for minor visual distortions.
 

Bifocal or Trifocal Lenses

In the past, bifocal lenses were easy to spot by the clear line delineating the two sections of the lens. Today, multifocal lenses -- also known as progressive lenses -- look indistinguishable from regular lenses. Bifocals are commonly needed by individuals over 40 who have difficulty focusing on near objects, such as reading a book. Trifocal lenses add an additional section to enhance your ability to see objects about an arm’s length away. These objects fall in an intermediate zone that may be challenging to see with bifocal lenses.
 

Lens Coatings

After discussing the lens material and your potential need for multifocal lenses, your optometrist can advise you on the need for lens coatings. Many people opt for scratch-resistant coating, which adds a further layer of protection on the lens. Ultraviolet coating may also be a good choice to prevent sun damage. Also remember to ask your eye doctor about tinted lenses, which can improve ability to detect contrast or certain colors.

With careful consideration, you can find the perfect pair of glasses to frame your face and improve your vision. Review your options with your optometrist to get a professional opinion about what features are best for you. If you make the right choice, your glasses will become an unnoticeable addition to your everyday look.

Sources:

Vision Service Plan (2012). Types of lenses.

All About Vision (2012). Eyeglass basics.

It's easy to take vision for granted when the eyes perform flawlessly. However, when eye problems crop up, it's hard not to wonder how the eyes work. In a properly functioning eye, a number of elements must cooperate perfectly to create good vision; just one malfunctioning factor in this instantaneous process can cause blurry vision, pain or even blindness. The entire field of optometry is dedicated to managing vision problems and determining the best method of correcting poor vision.
 

The Birth of a Picture

Vision begins when light rays are reflected off objects and into the eyes via the cornea, a transparent bulge that covers the front of the eyeball. The cornea refracts, or bends, the light rays so that they pass through the dark, small round hole, called the pupil. The amount of light permitted to enter the pupil is regulated by the iris, the colored part of the eye that changes the size of the iris.

After passing through the pupil, the light rays shine through the lens. This remarkable component changes it shape to bend the rays as needed to focus them on the retina located at the back of the eyeball.
 

Translating the Picture

The retina is composed of millions of two types of nerve cells that detect the light. Cones are found primarily in the center of the retina, in a region called the macula, and specialize in sharp vision with fine details and colors. Rods reside beyond the macula to provide peripheral (side) vision, detect motion outside the central vision, and provide vision in dim or dark lighting conditions.
 

Decoding the Message

Both cones and rods convert the received light rays into specific patterns of electrical impulses to be delivered to the brain through the optic nerve. In the brain, the impulses are assembled and decoded to form an image.
 

When Things Don’t Line Up

The overall shape of the eyeball ultimately determines how well the eye can focus and receive the incoming image; when a patient experiences poor or blurry vision, an optometrist exams the eye to figure out what went wrong.

Normally, the eye retains a spherical shape. If the shape changes, such as with an elongated eyeball, the cornea's curvature will no longer focus the incoming light rays appropriately to match the distance from the lens to the retina.

Consultation with an optometrist can determine whether corrective lenses or surgery are needed to restore properly focused vision.

Sources:

American Optometric Association (2013). How Your Eyes Work.

Ophthalmologists, optometrists and opticians all play an integral role in eye and vision care. While they often work in collaboration, they require varying levels of education and are qualified to help you and your eyes in different ways.

If you aren’t sure who to talk to about your eyes, keep reading for an overview of the three Os of eye care and how each of them can help you.

Optometrists

Optometry tends to be the first line of defense in maintaining healthy eyes. The scope of practice for optometrists can vary from state to state but primarily focuses on vision problems.

One of optometrists’ primary responsibilities is to perform eye examinations to detect the presence of vision problems. Many people associate eye examinations with poor vision, but they aren’t only for people who need glasses. Regular eye exams can play an important role in maintaining overall health and helping detect other diseases, including diabetes and hypertension.

Optometrists can also prescribe glasses, contact lenses and sometimes medicated eye drops to correct the problem.

Optometrists often collaborate with ophthalmologists, or eye surgeons, and recommend patients to them who may need specialized care. Sometimes, the optometrist provides pre- or post-operative care for patients undergoing eye surgery with an ophthalmologist.

Optometrists typically provide:

• Vision services, such as eye examinations

• Treatment of conditions such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism

• Eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions and fittings

• Low vision aids and vision therapy

• Diagnoses of eye conditions, such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and conjunctivitis

• Medication prescriptions to treat certain eye conditions (in some states)

• Pre- or post-operative care for people who need surgery
   

Ophthalmologists

Ophthalmology is the study of the anatomy, functions and diseases of the eye, and ophthalmologists deliver total eye care. As licensed medical professionals, their minimum of eight years of medical training allows them to diagnose, treat, manage eye diseases and perform surgery. They are experts in the entire optic system and provide insight into how both eye diseases and their treatments interact elsewhere in the body. Ophthalmologists can customize treatment to suit patients’ unique vision health needs.

Some of the services ophthalmologists provide include:

• Eye health services, including regular eye exams and refractive eye care

• Medical eye care for conditions such as chemical burns, glaucoma and iritis

• Surgical eye care for trauma, cataracts, glaucoma and other vision problems

• Diagnosis and treatment of eye conditions related to other diseases, such as arthritis or diabetes
   

In addition, some ophthalmologists provide plastic surgery — to correct drooping eyelids and to smooth wrinkles around the eyes.

If your eyes have been bothering you or you have any questions about the right person to see for your eyes, contact your doctor for more helpful information.