Time for Kids School Eye Exams

Now is the time to get children ready for heading back to school. An important item on the back to school “readiness” checklist should include an eye exam. While most parents can easily observe that children today operate in a very intense and demanding visual environment as they read, write, play sports, use computers and tablets-but the eye doctors at The Eye Care & Surgery Center want to be sure to remind parents that children use their eyes and vision as critical tools in the learning process.  

The most frequent eye problems we find in school age kids are the common vision problems of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Sometimes, not having clear vision in the classroom can lead to the undeserved perception of a behavioral problem or attention problem. What we know is that kids are often unable to verbalize that they have a vision problem as they just don’t recognize it. The earlier a vision problem is detected and treated, the more likely treatment will be successful.

If you or someone you know needs a Back to School eye exam for children, please come in and see us at The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Awareness of Cataract Symptoms Important

The Eye Care & Surgery Center believes people-especially seniors-should be aware of the symptoms of cataracts and how a cataract can impact vision, quality of life and general mobility and safety.

What is a Cataract?

A cataract is a clouding of the crystalline lens of the eye preventing light rays from passing through it easily. Cataracts are not a growth or a film over the eye.

Who Gets Cataracts?

More than 20 million Americans age 40 and older have cataracts and more than half of all Americans over 65 have some degree of cataract development. In fact cataracts are a leading cause of vision loss among seniors.

What Are the Symptoms of Cataracts?

Cataracts cause a clouding and blurring of vision. For many patients a cataract can start out slowly and have little effect on vision at first. But, as the cataract becomes denser, so does the impact on vision. The most common symptoms that bother patients with cataracts can include blurring of vision, sensitivity to light and glare, double vision in one eye, poor night vision, fading or yellowing of colors and frequent changes in glasses or contact lens prescriptions.

How Do Cataracts & Vision Loss Affect Daily Life?

Poor vision in seniors is often associated with premature or accelerated mental decline. Reduced vision also challenges the safety and mobility of patients resulting in putting patients at increased risk for orthopedic injury-especially hip fracture. So, helping seniors restore vision with cataract surgery has an important place in securing senior health, well being, mobility, safety and mental state.

When cataracts begin to interfere with daily activities or with patient comfort, mobility and safety, they can be treated surgically. Cataract surgery is one of the safest and most frequently performed surgeries in the United States. Today, we have a full range of lens implants available that allow us to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and even near vision problems after cataract surgery, as well as distance vision, without requiring bifocals or reading glasses for the vast majority of patients.

If you or someone you know has questions about symptoms of cataracts, cataract surgery or lens implants please feel free to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

iPad Nook Kindle May Help Glaucoma Patients Read

Patients with glaucoma often read slower when reading silently for long periods of time and are more likely to have their reading speed decrease over time, possibly as a result of the reading fatigue caused by contrast loss and visual field defects. Fortunately, recent studies suggest that technological solutions such as e-readers like the iPad, Nook and Kindle along with the apps that are developed for them may very well help glaucoma patients read more comfortably.

Investigators reporting in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science shared information about improved reading comfort and performance for glaucoma patients using these devices possible as a result of the ability to enhance contrast, font size and other features of the display screens.

If you or someone you know has questions about help with reading for glaucoma patients by using e-readers such as the iPad, Nook or Kindle should call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Use Caution to Avoid Fireworks Eye Injury on July 4th

The Eye Care & Surgery Center cautions our community to use due caution and take some modest precautions to avoid eye injury from fireworks around the July 4^th holiday. People should fireworks eye safety an important consideration as historically eye injuries from fireworks are the second most frequent injury we see from the emergency room each July 4^th weekend. Some common sense precautions we can take begin with restricting kid’s access to fireworks. The best defense against kids suffering severe eye injuries and burns is to not let kids play with any fireworks. Do not purchase, use or store fireworks of any type and attend only authorized public fireworks displays conducted by licensed operators, but be aware that even professional displays can be dangerous. However, if an eye accident does occur, there are a few things you should know:

·         Do not rub the eye.

·         Do not attempt to rinse out the eye. This can be even more damaging than rubbing.

·         Do not apply pressure to the eye itself-but protecting the eye from further contact with any item, including the person’s hand.

·         Do not stop for medicine! Over-the-counter pain relievers will not do much to relieve pain. Aspirin (should never be given to children) and ibuprofen can thin the blood, increasing bleeding. Take the person to the emergency room at once.

·         Do not apply ointments or drops. They may not be sterile and may make the area around the eye slippery and harder for the doctor to examine.

Once you are seen in the emergency room please feel free to have them call The Eye Care & SurgeryCenter at 908-789-8999 as we always have an eye doctor “on call” to provide consultation and continued care for you.

If you or someone you know has questions about fireworks eye safety and eye injuries please feel free to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.