Optometrists can help relieve eye allergy symptoms

Spring is officially in the air! And the mold spores, dust, pollen, and a host of other allergens that come with spring are causing eye problems for many Americans.

Itchy, watery eyes are not something that you just have to live with this spring. If you suffer from eye allergies, see your optometrist to discuss options that can help you enjoy this wonderful season.

Spring can be particularly hard on contact lens wearers, but ocular allergies can also make non-contact lens wearers miserable. When allergy symptoms kick in, patients usually visit the local drugstore to pick up a systemic antihistamine for relief. While these medications can clear up systemic symptoms like runny noses, sneezing and coughing, they can make ocular symptoms worse by reducing tear quantity and quality.

For patients who experience dry eye and ocular allergy problems this spring, optometrists have a number of very effective medications.

Treating ocular allergy symptoms does not take a one-size-fits-all approach. There are many factors that go into getting the right treatment for your symptoms. When you visit your optometrist about your eye allergies it is important to accurately describe your symptoms so your optometrist can prescribe a topical medication that safely and efficiently relieves your symptoms.

If you notice your eyes becoming increasingly itchy, red, or watery, be sure to mention this to your optometrist at your next comprehensive eye exam.

Allergy sufferers can help themselves by controlling their ocular environment. Limiting exposure to environmental allergies (keeping the windows closed during the worst seasons, washing your eyes after being outside) can also limit the severity of symptoms.

For contact lens wearers, it is important to be mindful of the “surface environment” that contact lenses create. Extended wearing times, infrequent replacement of lenses, and use of potentially irritating contact lens care products can significantly exacerbate symptoms. Proper lens care is an important part of keeping contact lens wearers safe and comfortable.

Don’t just endure the spring season with eye allergies. Visit your optometrist this spring, and enjoy the season free from eye allergy symptoms!

The Equation is Simple:

Good Vision = Better Learning

HOW IMPORTANT IS GOOD VISION TO LEARNING?

Good vision is an important part of education. Many experts believe 80 percent of learning is done through a child’s eyes. Reading, computer usage and chalkboard work are all visual tasks students perform every day. A child’s eyes are always in use in the classroom. Therefore, when a child’s vision is not working properly learning and class participation will suffer.

WHAT IS GOOD VISION?

Good vision includes visual acuity, eye health, visual integration and visual skills such as eye teaming, eye focusing and eye motility.

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF UNDETECTED/UNTREATED VISION PROBLEMS?

Children with undetected vision problems are sometimes inaccurately diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). When vision is difficult, it requires greater effort than normal leading the child to avoid close work. It may appear the child is daydreaming.

IS YOUR CHILD STRUGGLING IN CLASS?

Many children with undetected vision problems struggle in the classroom. These symptoms include:

• Trouble finishing written assignments

• Losing their place when reading

• A short attention span when doing close work

• Skipping words when reading

• Having greater potential than grades may indicate

Start the school year off right, schedule a comprehensive eye exam for your child.

        Dr. Henriksen and her staff will be doing a vision screening and reminding you to have your child’s eyes checked before they head back to school!

A cataract starts out small and at first has little effect on your vision. You may notice that your vision is blurred a little, like looking through a cloudy piece of glass or viewing an impressionist painting. Hazy or blurred vision may mean you have a cataract.

A cataract may make light from the sun or a lamp seem too bright or glaring. You may notice when you drive at night that the oncoming headlights cause more glare than before. Colors may not appear as bright as they once did. There are several different types of cataracts.

What Causes Cataracts?

Many studies suggest that exposure to ultraviolet light is associated with cataract development, so eye care practitioners recommend wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat to reduce your exposure. Most of this damaging exposure occurs before the age of 18. Other studies suggest people with diabetes are at risk for developing a cataract. The same goes for users of steroids and diuretics. Other risk factors include cigarette smoke, air pollution and heavy alcohol consumption.

How are cataracts treated?

Once a cataract is affecting your vision, your eye doctor will refer you to an ophthalmologist to perform cataract surgery to remove the cloudy lens from your eye and replace it with a clear, synthetic implant lens. Many people with mild cataracts are monitored yearly by their optometrist until they reach a point where the cataract affects their quality of life.

10 Ways that you can prevent an eye injury in your workplace:

1. Assess- Inspect all work areas, access routes, and equipment for hazards to eyes. Study eye accident and injury reports. Identify operations and areas that present eye hazards.

2. Test- Uncorrected vision problems can cause accidents. Provide vision testing during routine employee physical exams.

3. Protect- Select protective eyewear that is designed for the specific duty or hazard. Protective eyewear must meet the standards from OSHA.

4. Participate- Create a 10% mandatory program for eye protection in all operation areas of your plant.

5. Fit- Workers need protective eyewear that fits well and is comfortable. Have eyewear fitted by an eye care professional.

6. Plan for an Emergency- Set up first-aid procedures for eye injuries. Have eyewash stations that are easy to get to, especially where chemicals are used.

7. Educate- Conduct ongoing educational programs to create, keep up, and highlight the need for protective eyewear.

8. Support- Management support is key to having a successful eye safety program.

9. Review- Regularly review and update your accident prevention policies.

10. Put it in writing- Once your safety program is created, put it in writing. Display a copy of the policy in work and employee gathering areas.

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.