Yearly Archives: 2014

Did you know that vision screening should be performed starting in the first few hours of your child’s life and continue to be performed periodically until he/she is about 8 years old? The first vision screening takes place in the nursery when the pediatrician inspects the newborn’s eye, pupil and red reflex. The child’s pediatrician continues to perform age appropriate vision screenings through infancy and childhood in addition to vision screening that is offered at day care, school or church.

Vision screening is designed as an efficient and cost-effective method to identify children with visual impairment or eye conditions that are likely to lead to visual impairment so that a referral can be made to an appropriate eye care professional for further evaluation and treatment. Methods for visual screening in pre-verbal children include pupil testing, red reflex, photoscreening, corneal light reflex testing, and cover testing. Subjective visual acuity testing is the “gold standard” for vision screening but requires a verbal and cooperative child. Successful visual acuity testing is greatest with children 3 years and older. The State of Utah requires vision screening to be performed on each child under the age of 8 who is starting school.

When should a child have a comprehensive eye exam with a dedicated eye doctor? The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus does not recommend comprehensive eye exams for all children. They argue that only about 2 to 4% of children have an eye problem that requires treatment, so it is not practical to perform a comprehensive eye exam on every child. However, the American Optometric Association recommends that every child have their first comprehensive eye exam between the age of 6 to 12 months. In any case, if a child has a known risk factor for eye disease, if there is a family history of pediatric eye disease, or if a child has signs or symptoms suspicious for a vision problem, it is reasonable and appropriate for a child to have a comprehensive eye examination.

Many people in Utah undergo cataract or another form of eye surgery at some point in their lifetime. According to the National Institutes of Health, by the age of 80, more than half of people in the United States will have a cataract or have undergone cataract surgery.

Fortunately according to allaboutvision.com, researchers may be on to something that could limit eye surgeries in the future. They believe that nutrients may be the key to reducing the risk of cataracts, night blindness and macular degeneration in your eyes.

While it doesn’t actually make your eyes see better in the dark, vitamin A may decrease your risk of night blindness. Foods such as beef, chicken, liver, eggs, butter and milk are all good sources of vitamin A.

If you have a history of cataracts in your family try to eat more vitamin C. Researchers believe that vitamin C may reduce the risk of cataracts. If you want to avoid getting cataract surgery some day eat foods such as red or green peppers, kale, strawberries, broccoli, cantaloupe and oranges.

The eyes benefit from vitamin D because it may decrease the chances of macular degeneration. Many people in Utah are Vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is easy to acquire from exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is also found in salmon, sardines, milk, mackerel and orange juice.

Bioflavonoids are found in foods and drinks such as tea, red wine, citrus fruits, blueberries, cherries, legumes, soy products and bilberries. Researches think bioflavonoid may help the eyes fight against cataracts.

Your eye doctor may be an expert when it comes to vision, but he or she also knows that you are not deaf. Do not wait to be referred to a hearing specialist; listen up and give your peepers what the doctor ordered. Below are the top two most common vision instructions that our patients here at Utah Eye Centers overlook and end up regretting.

Leaving Contact Lenses in for Too Long

Ophthalmologists are always reminding their patients not to wear contact lenses for more than 8-12 consecutive hours (depending on the type of lens). People find that order so hard to follow because most of us are awake for more than 8-12 hours a day. However, leaving them in from the crack of dawn until midnight is denying your eyes necessary oxygen, inflicting damage on your eyesight. Excessive contact lens use can even lead to a dry eye condition or worse. Try to get in the habit of changing into glasses when you get home from work or switch out of contacts for a little midday break.  Never, ever sleep in your contacts. Lenses will often dry out overnight and can stick to your eyes, causing tearing or scratching when you try to remove them. Eye doctors will also inform you that sleeping with contact lenses in will also seriously increase your risk of contracting an unpleasant eye infection.

Diet

It may sound odd coming from an ophthalmologist or optometrist, but their nutritional recommendations do serve a purpose because eye health is greatly impacted by diet. The number one cause of blindness in adults is type II diabetes, which can be prevented with healthy eating. Other vision-impairing eye conditions that may be at least slowed by proper nutrition are macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts. Limit sugar, exercise to maintain a healthy weight, and eat these foods for eye health: spinach, legumes, carrots, and fish. The key ingredients in your eye diet are omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, low-fat protein, Vitamins C and E, zeaxanthin, beta carotene, and zinc. Dietary supplements are a great option.

A growing number of people are in need of cataract surgery, both in the U.S. and in the world.  Many people automatically assume that only the elderly are prone to getting cataracts, but younger people are starting to get them, especially youth in Africa.  Did you know that more that 20 million U.S. citizens around 40 years of age have cataracts?  That is a scary statistic, knowing that you are prone to getting a cataract no matter what age you are.

A cataract is a cloudy substance that forms underneath the lens of the eye.  It slowly builds in that area over many years, and if left untreated it can cause vision loss.  Some cases even cause blindness altogether, which makes cataract surgery a matter of urgency for anyone unfortunate enough to get them

Fifty percent of Americans over 80 have cataracts, which is a statistic that the federal government tries to reduce.  Cataract surgery is provided by Medicare, and the government spends over $3.4 billion annually on procedures in the nation.

Cataract surgery, even in Utah, can sometimes get costly.  The national average price per procedure is upwards of $3,000, and that’s only for one eye.  You can now see why the federal government spends so much, for nearly 3,000,000 people every year have cataract surgery.

Fortunately, cataract surgery has a very high success rate.  Statistics show that 98% of all procedures are successful, and less than 1% of patients experience complications after the surgery.  Utah in particular has excellent surgery centers with top-notch surgeons.  Utah Eye Centers in particular has many years of experience and expertise.