Your Child's Visual Development

A comprehensive eye exam performed by a doctor of optometry can reveal if your child’s eyes are developing and coordinating properly. Eye coordination is one of the many skills that we develop as children, and is something we as parents can help our children with by actively playing games that promote the development of visual skills and by taking our children for routine eye exams.

Tips to ensure healthy eye development:

1. 0 to Six Months - Take your child in for a comprehensive eye exam performed by a doctor of optometry. Optometrists recommend children have their first eye exam at six months of age and then annually until they’re adults. During your child’s first eye exam, a doctor of optometry assesses your child’s visual abilities, ensuring the eyes are properly aligned, free of congenital cataracts and developing normally.

2. One to Two Years - Play games that help your child develop good hand-eye coordination, depth perception and visual skills. Between ages one and two, it’s important for a child to develop good hand-eye coordination and depth perception. Playing with building blocks or balls, sorting shapes and sizes, and fitting or assembling pieces are all activities that can help improve these essential visual skills.

3. Three to Five Years - Play games that encourage fine motor skill development and visual thinking. Between ages three and five, it’s important for a child to begin to develop fine motor and visual thinking skills. Fine motor activities include bead stringing or painting. Visual thinking skills include comparing two images to find slight differences or recognizing patterns.

Children may display characteristics that may indicate poor eye coordination including:
 •  covering one eye

 •  head tilting

 •  skipping lines or losing their place while reading

 •  poor sports performance

 •  avoiding tasks that require close work

 •  tiring easily

Protect your child’s vision. If you notice any of these symptoms, book an eye exam with a Doctor of Optometry.

Please feel free to contact us at 604.553.3900 or www.visionsourcenw.com.

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Excellent Eggs Benedict Recipe

We love eggs! This protein rich food is great for eye health because it contains cysteine and sulphur that act as an antioxidant for the lens of the eye and could protect from cataract formation. So get crakin' to maintain good eye health!

Today's post is dedicated to our love for eggs! Below is a quick, easy and delicious eggs benny recipe!

Servings	Prep Time	Cook Time
2	5 minutes	10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 English muffins
• 4 slices ham each slice 1/8 inch thick
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons butter - unsalted
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 pinch Meyer lemon zest
• 1 sprig fresh marjoram or sage
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
•  salt to taste

Instructions

1. Poach your eggs.
2. Poke the tines of a fork into the sides of the English muffins, working your way all the way around the muffin to split them in half. Toast until lightly browned.
3. Fry the ham until browned, but not tough or chewy
4. Start the Hollandaise sauce as soon as you start poaching the eggs. Setup a double boiler by finding a heatproof bowl that sits on the rim of a pot, then add 1/2" of water to the pot before covering it with the bowl. The bottom of the bowl should not be touching the water.
5. Add the egg yolk and butter into the bowl and turn on the heat to medium. Whisk together until there are no lumps and the mixture is smooth.
6. Add the lemon zest, marjoram and salt and then slowly add the boiling water while whisking constantly (it may be helpful to have someone pour the water for you). Continue whisking until the mixture is thick and creamy (about the consistency of thin gravy) or if you have an instant read thermometer it should read 160 degrees F (71 C). Do not overcook it or it will get lumpy.
7. Use a towel or oven mitt to remove the bowl from the pot, then whisk in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste. The Hollandaise Sauce needs to be used immediately or it will clump. If you need to hold it, you can periodically warm it in the double boiler while whisking to maintain a constant temperature between 150 and 160 degrees F.
8. To assemble your Eggs Benedict, put the toasted English Muffins on plates, top with a slice of ham, top with a poached egg, then finish with a generous blanket of Hollandaise Sauce. Garnish with paprika and serve immediately.

What do Doctors of Optometry do when they perform a comprehensive eye exam?

Q: What do Doctors of Optometry do when they perform a comprehensive eye exam?

A: They review your case history, conduct an external and internal exam of your eyes and measure vision qualities such as eye movements, coordination, sharpness of vision and peripheral vision. Ensure all these eye functions are running smoothly by seeing your Doctor of Optometry regularly.

Doctors of Optometry play an essential and ongoing role in ensuring the health of you and your family.

They diagnose, treat and help prevent diseases and disorders affecting the visual system, the eye and related structures. They also assist in identifying general health conditions that are often first detected through an eye exam, provide referrals to specialists and can help manage post-eye-surgery health. From infants to grade-schoolers through to grandparents, Doctors of Optometry not only ensure quality of vision and eye health, but quality of life.

Doctors of Optometry evaluate many factors that can affect your vision and eye health. They review your case history, conduct an external and internal exam of your eyes, and measure vision qualities, such as eye movements and coordination , sharpness of vision and peripheral vision. They also evaluate your ability to adjust focus, and to see colour and depth normally. If we detect problems, we may recommend glasses, contact lenses, exercises, medication or surgery.

Many serious eye conditions don’t have obvious symptoms. Some eye diseases only show symptoms when the condition is advanced and difficult, or even impossible, to treat. A comprehensive eye exam provides the full assurance of vision and eye health that a store sight test or a school vision screening cannot. A sight test can only determine a lens power by relying on a combination of computerized tests using automated equipment. These automated sight tests are not comprehensive or accurate and do nothing to determine if your eyes are healthy.

Your vision is priceless. Routine eye exams by a Doctor of Optometry not only ensure good vision and eye health, but peace of mind.

For more information or to book an appointment, please call us at 604.553.3900 or visit us online at www.visionsourcenw.com.

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Get to know our Doctors of Optometry!

All Doctors of Optometry have completed a Bachelor of Science degree followed by a four year Optometry degree from an accredited school. They are educated, clinically trained and licensed to deliver comprehensive primary eye care. If you have eye health concerns or are due for an eye exam, they are your first point of contact.

Get to know our Vision Source New Westminster Doctors of Optometry!

Dr. Pavan Avinashi

After completing his Doctor of Optometry from the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, Dr. Avinashi spent time doing clinic electives in a variety of settings around the world. These experiences, as well as his fluency in English, French, Hindi and Punjabi, have allowed him to broaden his scope of practice and touch on a great deal of patient types.

Dr. Avinashi has a special interest in ocular diseases, laser refractive surgery and pediatric eye care. In 1999, he successfully underwent laser surgery himself and is now better able to advise and manage his patients who are considering the procedure for themselves.

Dr. Avinashi takes a strong interest in humanitarian work, both locally and internationally. He has initiated various fundraising campaigns to support a range of third world eye care societies. He also travels to Northern BC routinely to provide eye-care services to under-serviced communities.

Dr. Avinashi has spoken on numerous occasions at schools and educational events, on topics ranging from various eye problems, to the importance of routine eye examinations. He has also been featured on local radio shows to discuss the importance of proper eye care with the public.

In his professional career, Dr. Avinashi has built a reputation for his thorough and compassionate approach to eye care, catered to the individual needs of his patients, regardless of their age. He is happy to bring his experience and dynamic personality to his practices on the North Shore and New Westminster.

Dr. Monisha Lal

Upon completing her Bachelors Degree in Science from the University of British Columbia, Dr. Monisha Lal went on to complete her Optometry Degree from Pacific University in Oregon.

Dr. Lal participated in a specialized internship in dry eye treatment with one the top dry eye specialists on the West Coast. She also works directly with laser refractive surgeons for pre and post operation care. These valuable experiences have provided Dr. Lal with the knowledge and expertise to speak publicly about eye care. 

Dr. Lal lectures at local community centres to educate the public on basic eye health and understanding specific eye diseases. In addition, she lectures at the BC College of Optics to upcoming opticians and expands their understanding of ocular health. By working closely with the BC College of Optics, Dr. Lal keeps the Optometry/Optician community working together for the best holistic eye care from health to glasses.

For more information or to book an appointment please call 604.553.3900 or visit www.visionsourcenw.com.

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