Category: Blog

Your eyes are constantly producing tears, which is vital to keep your eyes healthy, comfortable, and seeing properly. People suffer from dry eyes because of a chronic lack of lubrication and moisture on the eye’s surface. Tears cover the eye’s surface to keep it moist and wash away dust and debris that could damage the cornea and lead to an eye infection. Read more to learn about the causes and symptoms of dry eye or schedule an exam today to find relief!

Symptoms of Dry Eye 

Dry Eyes, also called dry eye syndrome or dry eye disease, affects each person differently. Individuals may experience only one symptom or multiple symptoms outlined below, but the good news is there is no reason to suffer from these symptoms. 

1. Burning Eye Sensation
2. Scratchy or Itchy Eye Sensation
3. Aching and Sore Eye Sensation
4. Dry Eye Sensation 
5. Foreign Body Sensation (Feeling like something is in your eye.)
6. Fatigued or Tired Eyes
7. Red Eyes
8. Light Sensitivity
9. Excessive Tearing 
10. Blurred Vision

Some of these conditions may be present at all times or only at certain times. 

Some people may only notice discomfort when trying to wear contact lenses or when they are in windy conditions that cause air to be blowing directly on their face (like when driving with the vent blowing). Whether you suffer all the time or some of the time, we can determine a treatment plan that helps. 

Causes of Dry Eye

Like with many health conditions, eye-related and otherwise, there isn’t one clear cause, but instead many potential causes. Similar to symptoms, some people may have more than one cause contributing to their dry eye symptoms. 

Lifestyle

• Computer use | When working at a computer or portable digital device, we tend to blink our eyes less frequently, leading to greater tear evaporation.
• Contact lenses | Many people express exaggerated dry eye symptoms when wearing contact lenses. 
• Indoor environment | Air conditioning, ceiling fans, and forced-air heating decrease indoor humidity and increase tear evaporation.
• Outdoor environment | Dry climates, high altitudes, and dry or windy conditions have lower humidity.
• Air travel | The air in airplanes is intended to be extremely dry.
• Smoking | Smoke can become an eye irritant. 

Medical

• Aging | Dry Eye symptoms can become apparent at any age but are more common as people age.
• Menopause | Post-menopausal women are at greater risk than same-aged men.
• Health Conditions | Certain diseases can contribute to dry eye problems. This is why it is important to share your complete medical history with your eye care provider. 
• Medications | Many prescription and nonprescription medicines increase the risk of dry eye symptoms. For this reason, remember to share a full prescription list with your eye care provider. 
• Eyelid Problems | Incomplete closure of the eyelids when blinking or sleeping can cause severe dry eyes. 
• Eye Surgery | LASIK, Cataract Surgery, and other corneal refractive surgery can cause dry eyes. However, in most cases, dry eye discomfort after surgery is temporary. 
• Allergies | Allergies and some allergy medications can cause dry eyes. 

If you believe you may be suffering from dry eye, reach out to your eye doctor to schedule an eye appointment to discuss your symptoms and determine a treatment plan that will work best for you.

Vision involves a complex relationship between the brain, eyes, and the nerves connecting them to keep them working together smoothly. Most people aren’t shocked to learn a child’s eyes are not fully developed upon birth. However, some are surprised to learn that a child’s vision development spans many years and some childhood activities can encourage healthy eye development. 

Vision in Infancy

Vision development begins during pregnancy, but it doesn’t get very far. At birth, babies only see black, white, and shades of gray and cannot stare or focus on objects. During the first month, your infant will begin to blink in response to light, track moving objects, and focus or stare at items up to ten inches away. 

As time passes, your child will become even more engaged in their environment and bodies, mostly their hands. Focusing on objects that are further and further away, improving their tracking abilities, and starting to reach for objects. 

Even if everything is developing normally, it is still a good idea to schedule your child’s first eye exam early! Give our office a call to see what age we recommend your child’s first exam. While your child may be unable to speak to the doctor, read the eye chart, or answer one or two when asked which is better, our team can gather information about general eye health and ensure they are on the proper development track. Early detection of eye health and vision problems can help to ensure setbacks in learning and growth don’t occur. 

Early Childhood Vision Development

As your child continues to grow, so do their visual skills. Your child will begin to focus on categorizing and labeling things, such as colors, shapes, and body parts. If your child has vision problems, you may notice issues with their ability to complete these categorizations. However, even if they are doing well, it is still important to schedule your child another eye exam around three years of age. Schedule a comprehensive eye exam before your child enters school to provide enough time to catch and correct any vision problems.

Visual health also has an impact on your child’s physical development. Early childhood is a critical developmental stage when children develop fine-motor and gross-motor skills, including drawing, jumping, catching, kicking, and throwing a ball. 

When your child begins to enter a classroom setting, undiagnosed vision issues may start to take a toll. Even if they are unable to express in words why they are struggling, keep a close eye on the way your child is learning and interacts with their materials and environment. Here are some things you may notice:

• It takes your child longer than others to complete the same task. 
• It takes your child longer than others to learn something. 
• If your child begins to complain of headaches or tired eyes. 
• Your child begins squinting or frequently rubbing their eyes. 
• Your child starts tilting their head, holding things too close to their face, or closing one eye to see. 
• Or if your child begins avoiding activities that require near or distance vision.

Undetected vision problems can cause developmental and educational delays, so it’s important to schedule eye exams every year once your child turns three unless directed by your eye doctor. Your child needs to have all of the necessary tools required to succeed, and we can help! Give us a call or schedule your child’s first eye exam today with our office.

Health benefits can be tricky to navigate, specifically a Flexible Spending Account or FSA. FSAs can be a tremendous benefit when used correctly. Unfortunately, many people unknowingly forfeit money when their FSA renews, usually on January 1st.

What is a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

A Flexible Spending Account is an excellent way for individuals to set aside additional funds to cover expected or unexpected healthcare costs throughout the year. When working with FSAs, employers typically offer a structure that allows employees to deposit part of their paycheck directly into their FSA before withdrawing taxes. That means you can cover qualified medical expenses with pre-taxed income. 

However, there are some stipulations to FSAs that are important to know before getting started. FSAs have a “use it or lose” rule. This means the money accumulating in your account throughout the year needs to be used by the end of the year, or you lose access to using it on your healthcare expenses. 

Understanding Your Options

Not everyone has an FSA. If you are unsure if your company offers an FSA or if you are enrolled in it, start by reaching out to your company’s benefits coordinator, usually your HR Manager. They will provide you with the necessary information to become informed about your health benefit options. 

If you have an FSA, be sure to understand these key parts of your plan.

• Your total contribution per pay period.
• What your employer contributes (if they do).
• How to submit a claim and receive the reimbursement.
• Any details around the plan’s potential grace period or carryover. 

A grace period, usually two to three months, allows an employee to submit a claim that may go past the end of the calendar year. If you have a standard FSA that expires on January 1st, your grace period might extend to mid-March. While not all plans offer carryover if your’s does you may be allowed to keep up to $550 for the following year’s expenses. 

Making a Plan

Don’t be one of the people who lose a portion of their income by not using their FSA funds! Once you understand your plan’s details, make a plan for how to spend your money. Not all healthcare expenses qualify for an FSA reimbursement. However, the eye exam you have been putting off, that second or backup pair of frames, or even additional contact lenses when you are getting low all qualify. 

Want to learn more about your benefits or how to use your flex spending on necessary eye care needs? Schedule an appointment today or give us a call! 

Your vision is one of your five senses responsible for allowing you to enjoy the world around you and create unforgettable memories. We may be biased, but we think vision is the greatest of the five senses! The only way to guarantee you will see your best year after year is by scheduling a comprehensive eye exam today!

Why are yearly eye exams important? Here are our top three reasons: 

• Eye exams & clear vision help increase success at school, work, and more.
• Exams can catch asymptomatic conditions before vision loss occurs.
• Eye exams can provide insight into other health-related issues. 

A Clear Vision to Success

According to experts, 80% of the information presented in school is visual! Based on this statistic, you can see clear vision is essential to a child’s success in the classroom. Help your children feel prepared during their school year by scheduling a yearly eye exam. 

Vision Screenings Vs. An Exam

Schools commonly provide vision screenings to help detect vision problems in younger children. However, a vision screening is not a replacement for a yearly comprehensive eye exam. Screening tests cannot diagnose the problem. These tests cannot detect any health concerns we may find during a standard eye exam but only flag that a comprehensive eye exam is needed.   

Improving Your Visual Comfort 

Yearly exams aren’t just essential for your child’s success, but your own as well! In addition to the health insights, we will mention below, a yearly eye exam allows you to improve your vision comfort at home and at work! According to recent studies, daily screen time use is set to surpass 8 hours! With almost a third of your day on a digital device, a pair of blue light-blocking lenses may be the perfect addition to your attire. 

Reducing Your Risk of Eye Disease

As you age, you develop a higher risk for many medical eye diseases. Some eye-related conditions can appear with no symptoms, affecting your long-term vision health. Specifically, many people who develop glaucoma often don’t show symptoms at first. Individuals suffering from glaucoma usually develop irreversible vision loss before they have learned that something is wrong. A routine exam can detect signs like high eye pressure and other early signals before any serious damage to your vision occurs.

Detecting Issues During Your Annual Eye Exam

An annual comprehensive eye exam can detect changes in your body that may result in other health-related issues. For example, your eyes can tell us if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or even cancer. During your eye exam, our doctors will evaluate many aspects of your eye health, including the blood vessels in your retina, which are predictors of the health of blood vessels throughout your entire body. 

Reduce your risk for diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and other health conditions by scheduling your exam today. Questions? Contact our office via phone or search our website for more information.