People at high risk for glaucoma need to receive a dilated eye exam at least every two years.  Individuals at high risk for glaucoma include African Americans over age 40, everyone over age 60, and people with a family history of glaucoma.

1. What is glaucoma? Glaucoma is a disease that causes a gradual degeneration of cells that make up the optic nerve, which carries visual information from the eye to the brain.  As the nerve cells die, vision is slowly lost, usually beginning in the periphery. Often, the loss of vision is unnoticeable until a significant amount of nerve damage has occurred.  Therefore, as many as half of all people with glaucoma may be unaware of their disease.
2. What causes glaucoma? At the front of the eye, there is a small space called the anterior chamber. Clear fluid flows in and out of the chamber to bathe and nourish nearby tissues. In glaucoma, for still unknown reasons, the fluid drains too slowly out of the eye. As the fluid builds up, the pressure inside the eye rises. Unless this pressure is controlled, it may cause damage to the optic nerve and other parts of the eye and loss of vision.
3. Who is most likely to get glaucoma? Nearly 3 million people have glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness in the U.S. Although anyone can get glaucoma, some people are at higher risk, for example, African Americans over age 40, anyone over age 60, or people with a family history of glaucoma. Studies show that glaucoma is: three to four times more likely to occur in African Americans than in Whites; about six times more likely to cause blindness in African Americans than in Whites; and 15 times more likely to cause blindness in African Americans between the ages 45-65 than in whites of the same age group.

• How is glaucoma detected? Many people may know of the “air puff” test or other tests used to measure eye pressure in an eye examination. But, this test alone cannot detect glaucoma. Glaucoma is found most often during a dilated eye examination. This means drops are put into the eyes during the exam to enlarge the pupils.This allows the eye care professional to see more of the inside of the eye to check for signs of glaucoma.
• How can glaucoma be treated? Although open-angle glaucoma cannot be cured, it can usually be controlled. The most common treatments include:
  • Medications- These may be either in the form of eye drops or pills. Some drugs are designed to reduce pressure by slowing the flow of fluid into the eye. Others help to improve fluid drainage. For most people with glaucoma, regular use of medications will control the increased fluid pressure. These drugs may stop working over time or they may cause side effects. If a problem occurs, the eye care professional may select other drugs, change the dose, or suggest other ways to deal with the problem.
  • Laser Surgery- During laser surgery, a strong beam of light is focused on the part of the anterior chamber where the fluid leaves the eye. Small changes result, making it easier for fluid to exit the eye. Over time, the effect of laser surgery may wear off. Patients who have this form of surgery may need to keep taking glaucoma drops.
  • Surgery- Surgery can also help fluid escape from the eye and thereby reduce the pressure. However, surgery is usually reserved for patients whose pressure cannot be controlled with eye drops, pills, or laser surgery.
• What can you do to protect your vision? Studies have shown that early detection and treatment of glaucoma, before it causes major vision loss, is the best way to control the disease. So, if you fall into one of the high-risk groups for the disease, make sure to have dilated eye examinations at least every one to two years by an eye care professional and annually after age 60.

Information provided by National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services

Helena Vision Center is teaming up with the Marine Corps to help provide less fortunate children with a happier holiday season. The mission of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted. Please drop off your donation at our office!

For more information on local events, visit the website: http://helena-mt.toysfortots.org/local-coordinator-sites/lco-sites/local-events.asp

Food Drive for Helena Food Share! Enjoy savings from October 31-November 4th by donating food items.  For each item of food donated, receive 1% off of your eyewear purchase, limit 15%*.

Please help support our community!

(Food Share is low on the following items: peanut butter, frozen meat, canned vegetables, cold cereal, and individual fruit cups)

*No other offers, savings, or vision plans apply.

A good education for your child means good schools, good teachers and good vision. Your child’s eyes are constantly in use in the classroom and at play. So when his or her vision is not functioning properly, learning and participation in recreational activities will suffer.

 The basic vision skills needed for school use are:

• Near vision. The ability to see clearly and comfortably at 10-13 inches.
• Distance vision. The ability to see clearly and comfortably beyond arm’s reach.
• Binocular coordination. The ability to use both eyes together.
• Eye movement skills. The ability to aim the eyes accurately, move them smoothly across a page and shift them quickly and accurately from one object to another.
• Focusing skills. The ability to keep both eyes accurately focused at the proper distance to see clearly and to change focus quickly.
• Peripheral awareness. The ability to be aware of things located to the side while looking straight ahead.
• Eye/hand coordination. The ability to use the eyes and hands together.

If any of these or other vision skills are lacking or not functioning properly, your child will have to work harder. This can lead to headaches, fatigue and other eyestrain problems. As a parent, be alert for symptoms that may indicate your child has a vision or visual processing problem. Be sure to tell your optometrist if your child frequently:

• Loses their place while reading;
• Avoids close work;
• Holds reading material closer than normal;
• Tends to rub his or her eyes;
• Has headaches;
• Turns or tilts head to use one eye only;
• Makes frequent reversals when reading or writing;
• Uses finger to maintain place when reading;
• Omits or confuses small words when reading;
• Consistently performs below potential.

Because vision changes can occur without you or your child noticing them, your child should visit the optometrist at least every two years, or more frequently, if specific problems or risk factors exist. If needed, the doctor can prescribe treatment including eyeglasses, contact lenses or vision therapy.

Remember, a school vision or pediatrician’s screening is not a substitute for a thorough eye examination.

While doctors advise the use of eye protection, the multi-billion dollar sunglass marketplace is anything but easy to navigate.

The American Optometric Association has important information on sunglass function that can make sunglass shopping easier. Keep in mind that sunglass function and fashion are not incompatible.

WHY PEOPLE NEED SUNGLASSES

People need sunglasses for:

• UV Protection. The sun’s UV radiation can cause cataracts; benign growths on the eye’s surface; cancer of the eyelids and skin around the eyes; and photokeratitis, sometimes called snow blindness, which is a temporary but painful sunburn of the eye’s surface. Wide-brimmed hats and caps can block about 50 percent of UV radiation from the eyes, but optometrists say that is not enough protection.
• Blue-Light Protection. Long term exposure to the blue and violet portion of the solar spectrum has been implicated as a risk factor for macular degeneration, especially for individuals that are “sun-sensitive.”
• Comfortable vision. The sun’s brightness and glare interferes with comfortable vision and the ability to see clearly by causing people to squint and the eyes to water.
• Dark adaptation. Spending just two or three hours in bright sunlight can hamper the eyes’ ability to adapt quickly to nighttime or indoor light levels. This can make driving at night after spending a day in the sun more hazardous.

People should wear sunglasses outdoors whether they are working, driving, participating in sports, taking a walk, running errands or doing anything in the sun.

WHAT PEOPLE NEED IN SUNGLASSES

People need sunglass lenses that:

• block 99 to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation;
• screen out 75 to 90 percent of visible light;
• are perfectly matched in color and absorption and are free of distortion and imperfection;
• are gray for proper color recognition.

As part of our commitment to provide the latest in eye care services and technology to our patients, we have added a new instrument to assist in diagnosing, monitoring, and treating retinal conditions such as glaucoma and macular degeneration.  Our OCT enables us to perform a scan of the different retinal layers and evaluate the images to assist in identifying the most subtle pathology.  In addition to scanning posterior ocular anatomy, the OCT also enables us to scan the anterior ocular anatomy as well.  Every scan gives us a dense cube of data which can be viewed in 3-D, rotated for different views, and dissected to see different areas of concern for analysis. With this new technology, the doctors at Helena Vision Center can continue provide our patients with the highest quality of care available.

For more information, click here: http://www.meditec.zeiss.com/C125679E00525939/ContainerTitel/CirrusOCT/$File/dense-data.html

Dr. Henriksen

Dr. Henriksen recently began practicing at Helena Vision Center. She is originally from South Dakota, and graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry in May 2010. Dr. Henriksen enjoys ocular disease management and pediatrics, and is an InfantSEE provider. She joins Drs. Bruce Coen and Diane Gray and is very excited to be in Helena.