Children’s vision is among the lowest health priorities for B.C. parents

With the prevalence of seasonal flus, the importance of dental care and other medical concerns, children’s vision is among the lowest health priorities in B.C.

As part of Children’s Vision Month this October, BC Doctors of Optometry is encouraging parents to prioritize their child’s eye health, as many are unaware that vision problems can cause learning and developmental delays.

A study conducted on behalf of the Canadian Association of Optometrists found that the majority of parents in B.C. do not realize the impact that vision problems can have on the long-term health of their children.

The study shows that 83 per cent of B.C. parents are unaware that vision problems can lead to developmental delays, and 57 per cent don’t know that vision problems may be the cause of a child’s short attention span.

“As children head back to school, and all throughout the year, we strongly encourage parents throughout B.C. to keep their child’s eye health a top priority,” said Dr. Amanda Farley, president of BC Doctors of Optometry. “We know that 80 per cent of a child’s learning is achieved through what they can see, so identifying a vision problem early is essential for a child to grow into their full potential.”

The study also found that parents in B.C. ranked vision health among one of the lowest priorities for their child’s overall health, with only 22 per cent choosing it as one of their top three concerns.

“As an optometrist and mother, these statistics are particularly concerning, because many common vision problems can imitate symptoms of other childhood development issues including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia and speech impediments,” Farley said.

A comprehensive eye exam with a BC doctor of optometry is the best way to ensure vision health problems do not go undetected or untreated, such as nearsightedness, improper eye alignment, or reduced vision in one eye due to the eye and brain not working together properly, otherwise known as a lazy eye.

BC Doctors of Optometry recommends that children have their first eye exam between six and nine months of age, their second between the ages of two and five and every year after starting school, unless instructed otherwise by their optometrist.

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Eye Health & Exam Frequency – School-age Children

School-age child’s eyes are constantly in use in the classroom and at play. For school-age children, several different visual skills must work together so they can see and understand clearly. If any of these visual skills are lacking or impaired, your child will need to work harder and may develop headaches or fatigue. Often the increased visual demands of schoolwork can make greater demands on a child’s visual skills, pointing out a vision problem that was not apparent before school. The child may not realize they have a vision problem, they may simply assume everyone sees the way they do.

A vision-related problem may cause some or none of these symptoms:

• headaches or irritability
• avoidance of near or distance work
• covering or rubbing of the eyes
• tilting of the head or unusual posture
• using a finger to maintain place while reading
• losing place while reading
• omitting or confusing words when reading
• performing below their potential
• holding objects close to their face
• sitting close to the television
• short attention span for age

Conditions that may emerge during this stage in your child’s life include myopia or nearsightedness(blurred vision when seeing objects at a distance), hyperopia or farsightedness (blurred vision when seeing objects up close) and astigmatism (distorted vision at all distances).

If your child has had a sight or vision screening at school, know that not all eye tests are created equal, and that this should not replace a comprehensive eye exam. Tests or screenings done at school cannot be used to diagnose an eye-health or learning related vision problems. Studies show that vision screening tests have high error rates; with many children with vision problems being able to pass a vision screening test.

Protect your child’s vision by booking a comprehensive eye exam with a doctor of optometry. Your child should have a complete optometric eye exam at six months, before starting kindergarten, and annually throughout the school years to ensure optimal eye health and developmental progress, or if you notice any of the symptoms listed above appearing between appointments.

During a comprehensive eye exam, your child’s optometrist will perform a series of tests that will determine the quality of their vision and overall health of the eye. These tests may include:

• Slit lamp: This is a high-powered microscope that allows the optometrist to look deep inside your child’s eyes, ensuring the cornea, iris, lens and blood vessels in each eye appear normal and healthy.
• Manual refraction using a phoropter: A phoropter is a machine that allows your child to view objects through a variety of lenses to see what combination is the clearest. It helps determine if your child requires a prescription for glasses or not.
• Stereopsis: Various tests are used to see whether your child’s eyes are working together, one of those tests uses 3D glasses.
• Visual acuity: Using eye charts made up of letters, symbols, tumbling E or pictures, your optometrist will ask what your child can see. This helps the doctor determine how clear your child’s vision is.
• Colour-blind test: Using a variety of patterns and colours, your optometrist will ask your child to identify the objects or numbers hidden within. If your child is colour blind, the patterns will appear different than they would for a person with normal colour vision.
• Retinoscopy: Your optometrist will use a target and ask your child to focus on that target while the optometrist shines a light in their eye. The optometrist will flip through a variety of lenses. This test helps determine the lens prescription.
• Binocular Vision Testing: This includes a number of tests including a ‘cover test’ and checking that all of the extra-ocular muscles are functioning properly.

In addition to scheduling your children for regular comprehensive eye exams, your doctor of optometry is available to discuss various topics. Many are available for urgent care appointments (pink eye, eye injuries, etc.), they can help treat allergies, and can discuss eyewear solutions with you.

Contact us today to learn more about coverage and to book your child’s regular comprehensive eye exam today.

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Digital Eye Strain

Research is showing a rise in the detection of visual problems because of the number of hours spent in front of a computer. Uncorrected hyperopia or myopia, astigmatism and wearing multifocals can all make computer use less comfortable and efficient. Depending on your condition, your eyes could be exerting extra focusing effort or be forced to work harder to maintain a clear image when viewing the screen. Even people with perfect vision may experience symptoms such as blurred vision, eyestrain and headaches with improper computer use. To ensure comfortable and efficient computing, visit your doctor of optometry for a thorough eye exam. Your doctor of optometry will need to know:

• How many hours a day you use a computer
• The distance from your eyes to your screen
• The overall set up of your workstation and your main work tasks
• The type and location of lighting in your computer area

A doctor of optometry will advise you if you suffer from digital eye strain, or if your ocular discomfort is the result of a more serious vision or health problem. To help reduce the risk of digital eye strain, consider the following tips:

• Position your screen about an arm’s length from your eyes and 20 degrees below eye level.
• Set colour and contrast tones to suit your eyes and match the brightness of your screen with your surroundings.
• Minimize reflected glare on your screen by using dimmer switches on lights and a protective anti-glare screen cover. Also consider positioning your screen so that it sits perpendicular to windows and other bright light sources. If you are having trouble locating the source of the glare, turn off your monitor to reveal a darkened screen and tilt/swivel your monitor until the reflection disappears.
• Keep your screen free of fingerprints and dust, as both can reduce visual clarity.
• If you alternate between looking at your screen and paperwork, consider obtaining a clipboard that attaches alongside your monitor so that the two are at the same working distance.
• Use the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes take a 20 second break and focus your eyes on something at least 20 feet away (the water cooler, possibly?). This will give your eyes a much-needed break and reduce some of the symptoms mentioned earlier.
• Remember to blink! Did you know that on average we blink 12 times per minute, but when we’re on the computer, we only blink five times per minute? That can add up to dry eyes. Relieve the discomfort by using artificial teardrops or gels and remembering to blink. Consult your optometrist to determine which eye drops are best to relieve your dry eyes.
• Ask for anti-reflective coatings on the lenses of your glasses, which can be applied at the time of manufacturing, which allow for more comfortable viewing of screens, fluorescent and LED lights. Your doctor of optometry will talk to you about eyewear designed specifically for computer use.

Symptoms of headaches, eye strain, blurred vision, eye irritation, double vision, excessive tearing or dry eyes and excessive blinking or squinting are all common effects of digital eye strain. Any time you experience these symptoms, you should visit your doctor of optometry for a comprehensive eye health examination to rule out a more serious vision problem.

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More kids show eye strain from digital devices, optometrist warns parents

A Calgary optometrist says she's seeing more cases of digital eye strain among kids and, as they head back to school, now is the best time to get that problem sorted out.

"We're seeing it more for them than we have in the past," said Andrea Lasby. 

"So where it used to be primarily a millennial — 20-, 30-, 40-year-old problem — we're kind of seeing it intergenerational at this point, including children."

The root cause could be parents who don't understand the effects on children.

Not taking breaks

An online survey commissioned by the Alberta Association of Optometrists (AAO) revealed that 59 per cent of parents in the province "are not aware of or do not encourage their children to take steps during or after using digital devices to reduce the impact on their eyes."

"Digital eye strain is the discomfort experienced after screen use for more than two hours at a time," Dr. Jim Asuchak, practicing optometrist and president of the AAO, said in a news release on the study.  

"Alberta children are, on average, spending at least double that amount of time on digital devices, and we are seeing the results in our exam chairs."

Kavan Shergill, 8, sitting for an exam with Lasby, said his eyes have been dry and itchy lately and that he gets headaches, especially after spending time on his iPad. 

"I'm trying to not go on it, but like, I can't," he said. "It's hard." 

Eye irritation and blurriness can impair learning

According to Lasby, Shergill's symptoms are all early signs of digital eye strain.

She says the long-term impacts are not yet known because it's such a new phenomenon, but the irritation and blurriness can impact learning in the classroom.

"Children oftentimes don't know what they're feeling is inappropriate or that it's not normal, so they don't complain. They just think blurriness, that's normal," said Lasby.

"Or perhaps they say 'I'm reading, it's blurry, I don't feel like doing this anymore,' and now they're hyperactive and they move around a lot, so sometimes that hyperactivity is a misdiagnosis and it can be an eye problem."

How to avoid eye strain

Parents can also encourage children to take preventative measures at home and at school to reduce the risk of digital eye strain, including:

• Take regular breaks.
• Follow the 20-20-20 rule by looking 20 feet away every 20 minutes for 20 seconds.
• Don't hold screens too close, especially for long periods of time.
• Eliminate screen glare by reducing overhead lighting.
• Position computers slightly below eye level and at arm's length.
• Increase text size on digital devices.
• Adjust screen brightness.

Teens spend almost 8 hours daily on digital devices

According to the AAO survey, Alberta parents said elementary school-age children spend more than four hours each day using digital devices at home and at school. For teenagers, that number increases to nearly eight hours each day. 

Lasby says symptoms can be treated with eye drops, special eye glasses and blinking exercises. She said there are also apps that can adjust the colour temperature of screens to reduce the impact.

The AAO's survey was conducted online through the polling firm Angus Reid from July 13 to July 18 among 506 Albertans with children under the age of 18.

For comparison purposes only, a random sample of this size would yield a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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What Does It Mean To Be Nearsighted Or Farsighted?

Time to explore two of the most common refractive errors: myopia and hyperopia!

Normally, Light Is Focused Directly Onto The Retina

Before we delve into what it means to be nearsighted or farsighted, let’s first talk about how a normal eye functions. Vision occurs when light enters the eye and, working together, the cornea and the lens refract light to focus onto a point at the very back of the eye called the retina. The retina converts this light into electrical impulses and sends them to your brain. Your brain then produces an image.

When there are imperfections in the eye that prevent light from being focused perfectly on the retina, a refractive error occurs.

The Way The Eye Is Shaped Can Determine Vision

Myopia

Myopia, commonly known as nearsightedness, affects nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population. It occurs when light is focused in front of the retina, instead of directly on it. This happens when the cornea is too curved or the eyeball is too long.

People who are nearsighted have an easy time reading, working on the computer and doing other close work. They struggle seeing when driving, reading a whiteboard at school, watching a movie or trying to identify faces from far away.

Hyperopia

When an eyeball is too short or the cornea isn’t curved enough, farsightedness–or hyperopia–is the result. This causes light to be focused behind the retina, making a farsighted person able to see far away but not close up. Only around 10 percent of Americans have hyperopia, making it much less widespread than myopia.

Those who are farsighted can easily read an eye chart, but may have trouble reading the text book right in front of them. Consequently, farsightedness is often missed in simple vision screenings performed at school. For your next eye exam, visit one of our Doctors of Optometry and get your eyes checked by an eye care professional. We will not only ascertain your visual acuity but they will also assure that every aspect of your vision health is taken care of.

Everyone Deserves To Have Good Vision

If you have frequent headaches or eyestrain, you may have a problem with your vision. If you already have glasses or contacts and experience similar symptoms, you may just need your prescription updated. So whether you’re going in for some new frames, renewing your prescription, or suspect that something in your vision might be off, our Doctors of Optometry would love to see you. It’s our philosophy that everyone deserves to have good vision!

We love being the eye care professionals you trust!

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The Value Of Back-To-School Eye Exams

With school starting up again soon, now is a great time to start thinking about scheduling an eye appointment for your child.

Classroom Vision Problems Are Varied

Experts estimate that 10 percent of preschoolers have a vision problem significant enough to impact learning, and being nearsighted or farsighted aren’t the only problems you can have with your vision. Colorblindness is also common, as is astigmatism, which causes blurred visionat any distance.

These are all issues with the structure of the cornea and lens or with the retina. Even if none of these issues are present, a person could still have trouble seeing effectively if their eyes don’t work together well. Eye teaming, tracking, and focusing are all crucial visual skills for learning, as are hand-eye coordination and visual perception (the ability to mentally process what the eyes see).

Keep An Eye Out For Common Symptoms 

Children with vision problems are unlikely to tell their teachers and parents because they don’t realize the source of the problem. It’s crucial, therefore, for us adults to watch the children in our care for symptoms such as:

• Poor reading comprehension
• Slow to finish schoolwork
• Short attention span for close work
• Tendency to fidget and look away from work
• Frequent headaches
• Tendency to cover one eye
• Frequent blinking or eye-rubbing

If several of these symptoms sound a lot like the symptoms of ADHD and dyslexia, that’s no accident. Not being able to focus on close objects or use the eyes together as a team can make it unpleasant and frustrating to try to concentrate on their work. This gives the child the appearance of having a disorder like ADHD. In fact, many children are misdiagnosed as having ADHD when they really just have an undiagnosed vision problem.

Undiagnosed Vision Problems Affect Learning

Up to 80 percent of the learning children do is through their eyes, so having an undiagnosed and untreated vision problem can have far-reaching effects on their education, confidence, and ability to socialize. Unlike adults, kids might not know how to explain what’s wrong. They don’t know how other people see, they just know that even though trying to read words or stay focused on people’s faces is physically uncomfortable, they get in trouble for not doing it.

This frustrating situation leads them to act out and disengage from learning and other people, which is a tragedy. Luckily, however, it’s a tragedy that can be averted with comprehensive eye exams and correct treatment.

Comprehensive Eye Exams Go Beyond 20/20

Unlike the simple screening done by a school nurse, a comprehensive eye exam involves checking for color blindness, eye alignment (teaming), ocular motility (tracking), and depth perception in addition to doing the standard E-chart visual acuity test. Your optometrist would also check that the structures of your child’s eye look normal and healthy.

We’re Here For You And Your Children

Whether or not you suspect your child has a vision problem, our Doctors of Optometry would love to see them this summer to make sure their vision is working well or to start planning treatment for a vision problem.

Your family’s vision is our top priority!

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Solar Eclipse Eye Safety: Be Prepared!

Are you ready for the total solar eclipse on August 21?

What Is A Solar Eclipse?

The sun is about 400 times larger than the moon, but it’s also 400 times farther away from the earth, which is why they look the same size in the sky. When they line up with the earth just right, the moon can block out the sun, resulting in a solar eclipse. Anywhere the moon’s shadow falls, we see the eclipse, but it’s only a partial eclipse unless we’re in what’s called the “path of totality.”

What makes this year’s eclipse particularly rare and special is that it is a total eclipse. The moon’s orbit isn’t 100 percent consistent. Sometimes it’s closer to the earth and appears larger, and sometimes it’s farther away and appears smaller. When it lines up with the sun while farther away, the result is an annular eclipse, where you can still see a “ring of fire” around the silhouette of the moon because it isn’t big enough to completely block the sun.

A total eclipse only happens if the moon is closer to the earth when it lines up with the sun, and the only way we can see the diamond ring effect, the sun’s corona, stars during the day, and other amazing effects is during a total eclipse.

To learn a bit more about solar eclipses, check out the video below:

Shield Your Eyes!

It’s never a good idea to look at the sun, and that includes during a solar eclipse. It’s already important to wear UV-blocking sunglasses outside during the brightest hours of the day even when we aren’t looking directly at the sun. The light-sensitive cells that allow us to see are like delicate instruments, and looking at the sun overloads them. You can actually burn your retinas—a condition called solar retinopathy—by looking at the sun, and it doesn’t take long.

So how can we enjoy a solar eclipse if it’s never safe to look at the sun? We just need eclipse glasses! These are special glasses designed to block out all of the harmful UV rays and the excess light so that you can look at the solar eclipse without fear of damage to your eyes.

Eclipse Glasses Differ From Normal Sunglasses

Eclipse glasses are not the same as ordinary sunglasses, and even the very best polarized UV-blocking sunglasses are not sufficient protection for looking at the sun. In order to be approved by NASA, eclipse glasses can’t let more than 0.00032 percent of the sun’s light through them, they can’t have any bubbles or scratches, and they should include safety instructions printed on the earpieces. Do not risk your vision health by wearing eclipse glasses or using a solar viewer that doesn't meet ISO 12312-2 international safety standards.

Please contact us at www.visionsourcenw.com or 604.553.3900 if you have any questions!

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