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Rotation trainers consist of a disk – with various designs – that is attached to a rod-like base. As the disk rotates, the patient is asked to perform tasks that are designed to test and enhance eye-hand coordination, space awareness, perceptual awareness and visual acuity.

Are You Struggling to Keep Dry Eye Symptoms Under Control?

It's amazing how much dry eye can affect the quality of your life. When your eyes are constantly itchy, burning, and red, it's difficult to focus on the words on your laptop screen, enjoy a walk on a windy day, or even sleep comfortably. Even worse, your eyes may feel dryer or moister depending on the day or season.
 

Why Dry Eye Is So Difficult to Treat

A thin layer of tears constantly covers your eyes. Unfortunately, your eyes may become too dry if there aren't enough tears to lubricate your eyes. The condition can happen if you don't make enough tears, your tear film is low-quality, or the tears evaporate too quickly. Although drugstore eye drops can be helpful, the relief they provide is often only temporary.

Treating dry eye can be a challenge due to many factors, including:

• Your Age. Your eyes naturally become dryer as you age. In fact, most people over 65 report dry eye symptoms, according to the American Optometric Association.

• Blowing Air. Blowing air from car vents and indoor heating vents may cause tears to evaporate more quickly than usual.

• Contact Lenses. Dry eye is a common complaint among contact lens wearers. More than 50% of people who wear contact lenses report problems with dryness, according to a 2020 report in Contact Lens Spectrum.

• Winter Weather. Lower humidity in the winter, combined with cold temperatures and wind, can dry out your eyes. Low humidity can be a problem both indoors and outdoors.

• Pollution and Irritants. Exposure to air pollution or strong chemicals may irritate the eyes and decrease your tear film, causing dry eye symptoms.

• Poor Sleep. Trouble sleeping could be a contributing factor if you have dry eye. Poor sleep quality can affect tear production and the amount of salt in your tears, according to a study in Cureus published in 2022. Salt is needed for tear production and also helps prevent tears from evaporating too quickly.

• Medication. Some medications may dry your eyes, including antihistamines, decongestants, hormonal medications, beta blockers and anti-depressants.

• Chronic Diseases and Conditions. Your eyes may feel dryer than normal if you have rosacea, Sjogren's syndrome, blepharitis, meibomian gland dysfunction, a thyroid disorder, lupus, vitamin A deficiency or rheumatoid arthritis.

• Stress. Dry eye is yet another effect of stress and anxiety. Feeling stressed could decrease tear production, leaving your eyes dry and irritated.

• Blink Rate. Blinking every few seconds spreads the tear film over your eyes. Have you noticed that your dry eye symptoms seem to be worse when you use your laptop or cellphone? People tend to blink less when using digital screens, which can lead to dry eye.
   

With so many factors affecting dry eye, it's not surprising that it's hard to find relief from your symptoms.
 

How to Improve Your Dry Eye

Reducing stress, improving sleep quality, staying away from air vents, wearing glasses or sunglasses on windy days, and making an effort to blink more could help you keep your eyes moist. Unfortunately, sometimes these changes alone aren't enough to make a difference.

Luckily, your optometrist can determine the cause of your condition and identify factors that may be worsening dryness, like content lens wear or working outside. After your eye doctor narrows down contributing factors, he or she can recommend treatments that may relieve your symptoms and also offer tips for managing dry eye.

Do you need help with your dry eye symptoms? Contact our office to schedule a visit with the optometrist.
 

Sources:

American Optometric Association: Dry Eye

https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/dry-eye?sso=y

Contact Lens Spectrum: 2020 Report on Dry Eye Diseases, 7/1/2020

https://www.clspectrum.com/issues/2020/july-2020/2020-report-on-dry-eye-diseases

Cureus: The Association Between Dry Eye and Sleep Quality Among the Adult Population of Saudi Arabia, 3/2022

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8969758/

Review of Ophthalmology: Dry-Eye Studies: Beware These Pitfalls, 5/2/2011

https://www.reviewofophthalmology.com/article/dry-eye-studies-beware-these-pitfalls

How to Tell if You Have Macular Degeneration

Could macular degeneration be the reason you're having trouble seeing? The eye disease causes changes to your central vision and affects almost 20 million people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
 

What Is Macular Degeneration?

Macular degeneration is often referred to as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) because it most often occurs in people 40 and older. AMD affects the macula, the center part of the retina. The retina plays a very important role in vision and is responsible for sending electrical signals from the eye to the brain. Damage to the cells in the macula makes it harder to use your central vision.

Both the "wet" and "dry" forms of AMD can cause vision problems. The more common dry form happens when macular cells thin and clumps of a yellow protein called drusen form on the macula. As the cells in the macula break down and die, permanent central vision loss can occur.

The wet form of AMD is caused by new, abnormal blood vessels that leak blood or fluid. The leaking vessels cloud your vision and can be a factor in the formation of scar tissue that worsens central vision loss.

Injections and laser treatments are available to seal the leaking blood vessels and decrease abnormal blood vessels if you have the wet form of AMD. Although there is currently no treatment for the dry type of AMD, your eye doctor may recommend taking special supplements that could slow the progression of the disease. The supplements contain vitamins C and E, copper, zinc, lutein and zeaxanthin, nutrients essential for good eye health.
 

What Causes Macular Degeneration?

It's not always clear why people get macular degeneration, although several factors seem to increase your risk of developing the disease. According to the American Optometric Association, your risk may be higher if you smoke, don't exercise often, have family members with AMD, or don't eat a healthy diet. Other risk factors include obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and sun exposure.

How Will I Know if I Have Macular Degeneration?

Macular degeneration doesn't usually cause any noticeable changes to your vision at first. Although you can't tell anything is wrong, your optometrist can spot changes in your macula when your eyes are dilated. If you don't visit the eye doctor every year, you may not be aware that you have macular degeneration until you begin to notice these vision changes:

• Blurriness. AMD may cause blurry central vision. If your peripheral (side) vision is much clearer than your central vision, AMD might be to blame.

• Blind Spot. As AMD worsens, a blind or dark spot could develop in the middle of your visual field.

• Difficulty with Everyday Tasks. AMD makes it difficult to do many things, from reading to driving to watching TV. Since the disease also affects your eye's ability to adjust to different light levels, you may need brighter lights to see the words on a page or notice that it takes longer for your eyes to adapt when you walk between dark and light rooms in your home. Glare may also make it harder to see.

• No More Straight Edges. Changes in the macula can affect the way sharp, straight lines look to you. Seeing wavy or distorted lines indicates that something isn't quite right with your vision.
   

The Amsler Grid: A Simple Way to Monitor Your Central Vision

If you're at risk for developing AMD, or you already have the disease, your eye doctor may recommend that you look at the Amsler Grid every day to monitor your symptoms. The grid features intersecting horizontal and vertical lines with a black dot in the center. Viewing the grid makes it easier to spot changes in your vision, like blank or blurry spots or wavy lines.

The grid is best viewed at a distance of 12 to 15 inches from your eyes, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. All of the lines should be straight and crisp when you look at the grid. If any of the lines are blurry, hazy or wavy, or there's a blank spot, contact your optometrist right away. Be sure to also let your eye doctor know if you already have AMD and notice that your symptoms are worse.

Do you need a copy of the Amsler Grid? Print a free grid from the American Macular Degeneration Foundation website.

Worried about changes in your vision? Contact our office to schedule an appointment.
 

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), 10/31/2022

https://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/vehss/estimates/amd-prevalence.html

American Optometric Association: Macular Degeneration

https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/macular-degeneration?sso=y

American Academy of Ophthalmology: Have AMD? Save Your Sight with an Amsler Grid, 5/26/2020

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/facts-about-amsler-grid-daily-vision-test

American Macular Degeneration Foundation: Amsler's Chart To Test Your Sight

https://www.macular.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/amslerchart.pd

Delicious Recipes That Are Healthy for Your Eyes

Poor eating habits can increase your risk of developing cataracts, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. Fortunately, adding one or more of these healthy recipes to your meal rotation could help you reduce your risk of these eye diseases.
 

Healthy Vegetable Dip

Raw vegetables make excellent appetizers and offer important health benefits for your eyes. Peppers and tomatoes are high in vitamin C and could help lower your risk of cataracts. Carrots contain beta-carotene and vitamin A, nutrients that offer protection from infections, dry eye, and night blindness. Love squash? Lutein and zeaxanthin in both yellow and green squash may protect your eyes from the harmful effects of the sun.

Although raw vegetables may be healthy, the dip you use might not be. Dips made with melted cheese or full-fat sour cream and mayonnaise can be high in calories and unhealthy fats. The next time you make a dip for your vegetable tray, use low-fat Greek yogurt as the base.

Stir one or more of these ingredients into 8 ounces of Greek yogurt:

• Garlic or Onion (Raw or Powdered)

• Cayenne Pepper

• Chili Powder

• Cumin

• Paprika

• Apple Cider

• Vinegar

• Lemon or Lime Juice

• Parsley

• Dill

• Thyme
   

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Elegant Hasselback potatoes offer a tasty alternative to boring side dishes. Thin cuts made in a whole potato allow seasonings to penetrate every surface of the vegetable while it bakes. Although Hasselback potatoes are traditionally made with white potatoes, there's no reason you can't use healthier sweet potatoes instead. Like carrots, sweet potatoes contain both beta-carotene and vitamin A.

Follow these steps to make Hasselback sweet potatoes:

• Preheat the oven to 400F.

• Wash and dry four sweet potatoes.

• Cut a series of thin slices in the sweet potatoes about 2/3 through the potato (Don't cut through the entire potato.)

• Fan open the slices and brush them with this mixture: 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 teaspoon olive or canola oil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon parsley.

• Lightly sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper.

• Bake for approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the potato slices are crispy on the outside and soft inside.
   

Note: The thickness of the slices will affect baking time. The thinner the slices, the quicker the potato will bake. Food Network recommends serving the potatoes with a sauce made of 1/3 cup of non-fat Greek yogurt and 1 chopped scallion.
 

Spicy Baked Salmon

Salmon, along with mackerel, tuna, herring, trout, halibut and other cold-water fish, are high in omega-3 fatty acids. These acids are essential for a healthy retina and may improve tear production and reduce inflammation in the eye, according to the American Optometric Association. Eating baked salmon provides an easy way to include omega-3 fatty acids in your diet.

Preparing a delicious baked salmon entree is as easy as following these simple steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400F.

• Remove four salmon fillets from the refrigerator and allow them to rest on the counter for 10 minutes.

• Spray olive or canola oil over the bottom of a shallow baking pan or line the pan with parchment paper.

• Mix 3 tablespoons of olive, canola or avocado oil with 1 1/2 teaspoons of minced garlic or diced onion.

• Add 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons each of chili powder, paprika and dill to the mixture.

• Spread the mixture evenly over the fillets with a basting brush. Place the fillets skin side down on the prepared baking pan.

• Bake for 12 - 20 minutes. Baking time will depend on the thickness of the fillets. The salmon is done when the fish flakes easily. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends baking salmon to an internal temperature of 145F.
   

If you prefer a crusty finish on your salmon, place the fillets under the broiler for three or four minutes after baking. (If you add this step, decrease the baking time slightly to prevent the salmon from becoming overdone.)

Prefer your salmon less spicy? Substitute thyme, parsley, fennel, rosemary or coriander for the chili powder and paprika.

Healthy eating, in addition to regular visits to the optometrist, will help you protect your vision. Ready to schedule a visit with the eye doctor? Give us a call!
 

Sources:

Foot Network: Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/hasselback-sweet-potatoes-recipe-2106932

American Optometric Association: Diet and Nutrition

https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/caring-for-your-eyes/diet-and-nutrition

U.S. Department of Agriculture: Safe Minimal Internal Temperature Chart

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/safe-temperature-chart

Treatment Options for Presbyopia

Reading glasses aren't the only option if you're struggling to read the fine print due to presbyopia. Contact lenses, refractive surgery, or special eye drops could also help you see close objects clearly. Your optometrist can help you choose the best solution for you.
 

How Presbyopia Affects Your Vision

Have you noticed that you have to hold books and papers farther away from your eyes to see clearly lately? If you're 40 or older, you may have presbyopia, a vision problem related to aging. Nearly everyone develops presbyopia, including people who've never had to wear glasses or contact lenses in the past.

Presbyopia affects the lens inside your eyes. Located behind your iris and pupil, the lens focuses light rays on the retina, a layer of light-sensing cells that line the back of the eye. Your lens constantly changes shape to accommodate near, intermediate, and distance vision. The lens becomes less flexible with age, which makes near objects look blurry.
 

8 Ways to Treat Presbyopia

These options can help you improve your near vision:

• Reading Glasses. Reading glasses offer the least expensive way to correct your near vision. Although you can buy reading glasses at many stores, it's best to visit your optometrist for a prescription. The reading glasses available at the drugstore or grocery store are available in limited strengths and may not offer the sharp, crisp vision prescription reading glasses provide.

• Bifocal or Trifocals. If you're nearsighted or farsighted, adding an extra lens power to your eyeglasses for near vision will help you see better. Bifocals include two lens powers separated by a thin line, while trifocals include three lens powers separated by lines.

• Progressive Lenses. Progressive lenses work the same way as bifocals and trifocals without the lines.

• Contact Lenses. Multi-focal contact lenses offer several lens powers in one contact lens. Each power gradually transitions to the next one for seamless vision. Monovision contact lenses offer another option. One lens corrects distance vision, while the lens in the other eye improves near vision. Your eye doctor will give you a few trial pairs of monovision lenses, as some people feel dizzy wearing different lenses in each eye.

• Prescription Eye Drops. Special eye drops could also sharpen your near vision. The drops are placed in your eyes once a day and improve your vision for as long as six hours.
   

Surgical Options Your Optometrist Can Suggest

• LASIK Refractive Surgery. Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) provides a permanent solution to vision changes caused by presbyopia. During the surgery, your eye doctor uses a laser or a blade to make a small flap in your cornea, the clear tissue that covers the iris or pupil. A laser reshapes the underlying layers of the cornea, correcting your vision. If you choose LASIK, one eye will be corrected for near vision and the other for far. It may be a good idea to try monovision contact lenses for a few days before the surgery to ensure that this will be a good option for you.

• Corneal Inlays. Corneal inlays are implants placed in the cornea directly in front of your pupil during minimally invasive surgery. The inlays change the way light ways focus on your retina, improving your near vision. Inlays are usually added to just one eye.

• Refractive Lens Exchange. Replacing the lens with an artificial lens called an intraocular lens implant (IOL) provides another presbyopia treatment option. The surgery permanently improves your near vision and makes it possible to give up your reading glasses. When performing a refractive lens exchange procedure, eye doctors use the same techniques used to replace cloudy lenses during cataract surgery. If you think you will need cataract surgery soon, ask your doctor about using an IOL that will correct your presbyopia.
   

Has presbyopia worsened your vision? Schedule an appointment to learn more about these treatment options.

Sources:

NCBI: Clinical Ophthalmology: Presbyopia – A Review of Current Treatment Options and Emerging Therapies, 5/24/2021

Ophthalmology Times: FDA Approves Eyes Drops for Treatment of Presbyopia, 10/30/2021

American Academy of Ophthalmology: What Is Presbyopia? 2/3/2022

American Optometric Association: Adult Vision: 41 to 60 Years of Age

Summertime Allergies and Your Eyes

Allergies may be to blame if your eyes feel itchy and uncomfortable during the summer months. Fortunately, you don't always have to stay indoors to keep your summer allergies under control. Your optometrist can recommend eye drops and other treatment options that will soothe your symptoms.
 

What Causes Summer Eye Allergies?

A simple misunderstanding is responsible for allergies. When a speck of pollen or mold enters your body through your eyes, mouth or nose, your immune system mistakenly decides that these harmless substances are a threat to your health. The body immediately begins producing histamines, chemicals that seek out and destroy allergens. Unfortunately, histamines also cause the symptoms you associate with allergies, including:

• Itchy, Red, Watery Eyes

• Sneezing

• Stuffy Nose

• Runny Nose

• Swollen Eyelids

• Dark Circles Under the Eyes
   

Common allergens include mold, animal dander, dust, and pollen from trees, grass, and weeds. During the early to mid-summer, mold and grass and pollens are usually responsible for eye allergy symptoms. In late summer, ragweed, mugwort, thistle, and other weed pollens can trigger symptoms. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, mold thrives when the days are hot and humid, while ragweed and grass pollens become a problem during warm days/cool nights.
 

How to Manage Your Summer Eye Allergies

These tips can you reduce your allergy symptoms this summer:

• Check the Forecast. Weather websites often include information about allergen levels in your area. If mold or pollens are high, spend as much time as possible indoors. Pollen counts tend to be higher on dry, windy days.

• Use Your Air-Conditioner or Air Purifier. Fans blow allergens throughout your house. When allergen levels are high, it's best to close the windows and keep your home cool and comfortable with an air-conditioner. Both air-conditioners and air purifiers filter out allergens from the air.

• Wash, Clean, and Mop. Allergens enter your home through open doors and windows and hitch a ride on your clothing and shoes. Get rid of allergens by mopping floors, dusting furniture, and vacuuming carpeting, rugs and upholstered furniture often. Change your sheets every few days. Putting hypoallergenic covers on your pillows, mattress, comforter and box springs will keep dust and mold spores from triggering allergy symptoms. Does your dog or cat spend time outdoors? Before you bring your furry friend inside, run a moist washcloth over your pet's fur to remove allergens

• Buy a Dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers remove humidity from the air and reduce the amount of mold in kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and other moist places. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends maintaining a 30% to 50% humidity level for your dehumidifier.

• Put on a Pair of Shades. Wear wraparound sunglasses to prevent allergens from entering your eyes. Eyeglasses and sunglasses are helpful too, although they don't provide quite as much protection as wraparound sunglasses.
   

Ask Your Eye Doctor About Eye Allergy Treatments

If making a few changes at home doesn't relieve your eye allergy symptoms, it's a good idea to pay a visit to your optometrist. He or she may recommend:

• Saline Eye Drops or Artificial Tears. Using these drops throughout the day washes away allergens before they can irritate your eyes.

• Over-the-Counter Eye Drops. These eye drops soothe itchiness and relieve redness. Check the label before purchasing the drops, as some types of eye drops should only be used for a few days, while others can be used longer.

• Oral Allergy Medication. Oral antihistamines and decongestants can also be helpful in treating summer allergies. Dry eye can be a side effect of oral antihistamines, according to a Review of Optometry article.

• Corticosteroid Eye Drops. If other medications don't help your symptoms, your eye doctor may prescribe corticosteroid eye drops to reduce inflammation.

• Allergy Shots. Allergy shots may be an option if you're still suffering from eye allergies. The shots contain tiny amounts of allergens and make your body less sensitive to the effects of the allergens.
   

Are you suffering from summer eye allergy symptoms? Get in touch with our office to make an appointment with our optometrist.
 

Sources:

American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology: Seasonal Allergies, 12/28/2017

Review of Optometry: When to Prescribe an OTC Allergy Drop, 8/17/2020

American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology: Eye Allergy

American Academy of Ophthalmology: What Are Eye Allergies, 1/11/2022

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America: Eye Allergies (Allergic Conjunctivitis), 10/201

Want to Protect Your Children's Vision? Encourage These Healthy Eye Habits

Good vision is essential for everything your child does, from riding a bike to tying his or her shoes to mastering math facts. Encouraging your kids to adopt these healthy eye habits will decrease their risk of eye injuries and may even help them avoid myopia.
 

Spend More Time in the Sun

Urging your kids to go outside to play might lower their chances of developing myopia (nearsightedness). Children who are nearsighted see close objects clearly, but objects in the distance look blurry.

Spending an additional 76 minutes outside per day could reduce a child's myopia risk by as much as 50%, according a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of sunlight on myopia. Unfortunately, increasing outdoor time didn't stop myopia from getting worse if children were already nearsighted. The researchers, who published their results in Acta Ophthalmology in 2017, noted that more research is needed on the subject.
 

Limit Screen Time

Staring at digital screens for hours can lead to dry eye. That's not surprising since people tend to blink less when looking at screens. Spending too much time using screens can also cause eyestrain, headaches and other symptoms.

An Indian survey on the effects of digital devices on vision during the COVID-19 lockdown reported that digital device users experienced watery eyes, dry eyes, shoulder pain, back pain, headache and red eyes. The symptoms were worse the longer the people used the devices or if they used more than one digital device.

The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends following the 20-20-20 rule to improve eye comfort when using digital devices. After using a digital device for 20 minutes, ask your kids to look at an object 20 feet in the distance for 20 seconds.
 

Wear Safety Goggles

Safety goggles prevent eye injuries due to a blow from an elbow or hand or exposure to dirt and debris during a practice or athletic event. Goggles should be tight enough to prevent fingers or airborne debris from reaching your child's eyes but not so tight that the eyewear is uncomfortable. Since you never know when an eye injury will happen, it's important to wear goggles during every practice and game.
 

Keep Sunglasses Handy

Sun exposure increases your child's risk of developing eye diseases that could cause vision loss when you son or daughter gets older. Exposure to ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet (UVB) light increases the risk of age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, eye cancer and growths on the eye.

Failing to wear sunglasses on the beach or when skiing can cause photokeratitis, or sunburn of the cornea, the clear round covering over your iris and pupil. Sand, snow, water and ice reflect UV light on the eyes, causing the condition. Although photokeratitis only lasts a few hours and days, it's extremely painful.

Check the tag before you buy sunglasses for your child. For maximum protection, choose glasses that offer protection from both UVA and UVB rays. Wraparound sunglasses are the best choice, as they offer complete protection for the eyes.
 

Schedule Yearly Eye Examinations

Yearly visits to the optometrist help you ensure that your son or daughter's vision is as crisp and clear as possible. Although school vision tests are very helpful, they don't always catch all types of vision problems. In fact, up to 75% of vision issues aren't identified during school exams, according to the AOA.

According to AOA recommendations, children should receive a baseline exam between 6 and 12 months, one comprehensive exam between 3 and 5, and annual visits starting before first grade.

Eye exams at the optometrist's office offer a simple way to protect and enhance your child's vision. Give us a call if your child is due for a visit with the eye doctor.
 

Sources:

Acta Ophthalmology: Time Spent in Outdoor Activities in Relation to Myopia Prevention and Control: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review, 09/2017

Indian Journal of Ophthalmology: Impact on the Use of Digital Devices on the Eyes During the Lockdown Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic, July 2021

American Optometric Association: Computer Vision Syndrome

American Academy of Ophthalmology: The Sun, UV Light and Your Eyes, 06/11/2020

American Optometric Association: Championing Children's Eye Care, 7/24/2019

Hate Wearing Reading Glasses? Presbyopia Eye Drops Could Improve Your Age-Related Vision Problem

Until recently, reading glasses or multi-focal lenses were the only options for vision changes due to presbyopia, an age-related problem that makes near objects look blurry. Fortunately, that's changed with the introduction of new type of prescription eye drops.

How Presbyopia Affects Your Vision

The lens of your eye, a clear, disc-shaped structure behind your iris, constantly changes shape to help you focus on objects far away and close by. As you get older, the lens stiffens and doesn't move as easily as once did.

When this happens, the lens can't focus light rays on your retina properly, which makes close objects look blurry. (The retina is a layer of light-sensing cells at the back of the eye.) The condition, called presbyopia, usually starts at age 45 or later, according to the National Eye Institute.

If the words on a page look blurry, you can't read the small print on a label, or you need more light to see close objects, make an appointment with your optometrist. Although presbyopia is probably the cause of the problem, it's important to rule out other eye conditions or diseases that could affect your vision.

Eye Drops Offer a New Way to Treat Presbyopia

Reading glasses, bifocals and trifocals, and progressive lenses improve your near vision when you have presbyopia. Unfortunately, the improvement in your vision only lasts as long as you're using your lenses. Recently, Allergan introduced a new type of FDA-approved eyedrop that helps you see close objects clearly without eyeglasses or contact lenses.

VUITY (pilocarpine HCI ophthalmic solution 1.25%) is a once-daily prescription eye drop designed to make it easier to see close up. The drops improve near vision by reducing the size of your pupil, the opening in the middle of the colored iris. Narrowing the pupil improves your ability to focus on near objects.

The eye drops enhance near and intermediate vision for up to 6 hours and start working just 15 minutes after you place them in your eye. Although your near vision will be clearer, your far vision won't suffer.

The eye drops are most helpful if you have mild to moderate presbyopia. People who use VUITY experience a 3-line improvement in near vision when reading an eye chart and may only lose 1 line in their distance vision, according to Allergan, the manufacturer of VUITY.

You'll need to put one drop in each eye every day to maintain your results. Since the drops don't keep your vision clear for 24 hours, you may still have to use your glasses or contact lenses sometimes. The drops are most helpful during the day and shouldn't be used at night

The most common side effects of VUITY are redness and headache, according to the VUITY website. Some people also found it little more difficult to shift their focus from a near object to a far one.

Although VUITY is the first eyedrop approved for presbyopia, it won't be the last. All About Vision reports that several other companies are conducting clinical trials to test their own presbyopia eye drops.

Could VUITY improve your vision? Contact our office to find out if you're a good candidate for presbyopia eye drops.

Sources:

VUITY: FAQs

Ophthalmology Times: FDA Approves Eye Drops for Treatment of Presbyopia, 10/30/2021

Good RX: What to Know About Eye Drops for Presbyopia, 11/5/21

National Eye Institute: Presbyopia, 9/8/202

Learning disabilities may include dyslexia, math disorder, writing disorder, auditory processing deficits, or visual processing deficits. Although each child with a learning disability is unique, many also have associated visual problems. Addressing these vision disorders may alleviate some symptoms of learning disability.

How Are Learning Disabilities Diagnosed?

Most often, a teacher recognizes a child falling behind in a particular subject area and recommends that the child receive further assessment. A school psychologist may conduct tests to see if the child has processing difficulties or significant problems learning certain types of information. Although this type of assessment may include a cursory vision screening, it is important to receive a comprehensive vision exam to rule out vision problems that may contribute to learning difficulties.

Learning Disabilities and Vision Problems

Children with vision problems often report having difficulty with reading, writing, or written math problems. All of these require accurate close vision, making them challenging for people with focusing problems. Problems in the following areas may have a negative impact on learning, leading to a learning disability diagnosis:

• Poor binocular vision. The eyes must work together properly to blend information from each eye into one coherent image.

• Accommodative dysfunction. Focusing problems can lead to blurred vision or the perception that words are shimmering on the page.

• Eye tracking dysfunction. Accurate reading requires the eyes to move back and forth skillfully; eye movement problems may impair this ability.

• Visual-motor integration. Integrating visual information with motor output is essential for eye-hand or eye-body coordination. Poor visual-motor integration may result in learning difficulty.

• Visual processing deficits. Poor visual memory, ability to attend to visual information, or ability to identify visual objects may make reading and writing challenging.
   

Vision Therapy for Children with Learning Disabilities

Special corrective lenses may improve some eye problems associated with learning disabilities. In many cases, doctor-supervised vision therapy can correct visual problems. Vision therapy might include viewing information through prisms, wearing a special eye patch, doing puzzles, practicing eye movements, or related exercises.

Over time, vision therapy can retrain the eyes to work more effectively with the brain. After a course of vision therapy, many children with learning disabilities experience less frustration with learning as well as improved academic performance.

Ptosis (TOE-sis) refers to an upper eyelid that droops and can occur in children or adults. The droop may be hardly visible, or it could cover the entire pupil. Depending on the severity of the droop, it could interfere with vision. People with ptosis may try to lift the eyelids or tilt their heads back to see more clearly.
 

Causes of Ptosis

Most commonly, ptosis develops as part of the aging process, as the muscle tendon stretches or becomes separated from the eyelid. The tendon can also be affected by trauma, cataract surgery, or other corrective eye surgery. In some cases, a baby may be born with ptosis (congenital ptosis). A droopy eyelid can also be caused by a neurological disorder, an eye tumor, or a systemic disease such as diabetes.
 

Diagnosis and Treatment

Your eye care professional will examine your eyelids carefully by taking detailed measurements of the height of your eyelids. He or she will also assess the strength of your eyelid muscles.

For childhood ptosis, surgery may be required to improve vision and cosmetic appearance while preventing or reducing future vision problems. The surgical procedure involves tightening the muscle that lifts the affected eyelid. In cases of severe ptosis with a very weak muscle, the doctor can attach or suspend the eyelid from under the eyebrow so that the forehead muscles lift the eyelid.

In adults, ptosis treatment usually needs surgery. In milder cases, creating a small tuck in the lifting muscle and removing excess eyelid skin is sufficient to raise the lid. However, more severe ptosis requires reattaching and strengthening the muscle.