Eyewear for Athletes of All Ages

Protective sport eyewear is highly recommended for children and adults participating in sporting activities. Eye injuries happen to be the leading cause of blindness in children according to the NEHEP & The National Eye Institute. In the United States, emergency rooms treat a sports-related eye injury, on average, every 13 minutes, one third of which involve children.

Sport eyewear not only protects the eye but may assist athletes in achieving maximum performance levels. Almost every prescription can be placed in this specialty eyewear and lenses that adjust for sun exposure may also be used. There are many sizes and designs available to meet the needs of all athletes big and small, professional and recreational.

Sporting glasses have been successfully used for some physically challenged patients that may have difficulty keeping their eyewear in place.

Thank you to our Guest Blogger Amy Shabat, Licensed Optician in our Westfield office.

Eye Injury Prevention Month at Eye Care & Surgery Center

The Eye Care & Surgery Center wishes to announce that October has been designated Eye Injury Prevention Month by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. When most people go out to mow the lawn, jump-start the car or get ready to do some spring cleaning, the last thing they think about is protecting their eyes, but it should be first on their mind. It is a good idea to think about protecting your eyes from the extraordinary damage often caused by the most ordinary of activities.

Many household chemicals, such as cleaning fluids, detergents and ammonia, are extremely hazardous and can burn the eye's delicate tissues. When using chemicals, always read instructions and labels carefully, work in a well-ventilated area and make sure spray nozzles point away from you and others before spraying. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after use.

Before using a lawnmower, power trimmer or edger, check for debris. Stones, twigs and other items can become dangerous projectiles shooting from the blades of a lawnmower, potentially injuring your eyes or those of innocent bystanders. Prevention is the first and most important step in avoiding serious eye injuries, so be sure to protect your eyes with appropriate protective eyewear.

Please feel free to contact us with your questions or to schedule an examination by calling The Eye Care & Surgery Center Toll Free at 800-504-1083.

Children’s Eye Exam: When Should My Child Have an Eye Exam?

Eye examinations begin in the hospital nursery when a baby’s eyes are examined for a clear strong red reflex indicating a clear pathway for light to enter the eye. Though uncommon, blockage of the visual axis in infancy, such as with a cataract, must be addressed in the first weeks of life to avoid permanent loss of vision.

This type of assessment is repeated on follow up visits to the pediatrician for well baby care at which times testing for strabismus or eye alignment is also performed. More formal vision testing with an eye chart of picture symbols or letters is typically attempted in the three to four year old range. The recommendation is for this to occur as well in the pediatrician’s office during well child appointments. Each eye is tested individually, as poor vision in one eye may not be evident in the normal course of the child’s lifestyle. Some newer photoscreening devices can provide objective measurements of vision in preverbal children. If results are normal during this testing, examination by an eye doctor is not necessary. If any testing is abnormal or inconclusive or parents notice any vision or eye abnormalities, a referral to a Pediatric Ophthalmologist may be indicated.


Louis Furlan, M.D.
Thank you to our guest blogger: Louis Furlan, M.D., Pediatric Ophthalmologist at The Eye Care & Surgery Center

LOW VISION AIDS: Using Technology to Help You Read

Many of our patients suffer with Macular Degeneration or other diseases of the eye that restrict their ability to read comfortably. With the advancements in technology, there are now options for patients with low vision that may make daily activities, such as reading the newspaper or their favorite book, possible.

Ivan Jacobs, M.D., often recommends his patients begin using a tablet computer for reading. The images are brighter, bigger and sharper. The size of the font and graphics is at the control of the user by simply dragging their fingers across the screen.

Dr. Jacobs has seen patients who had given up trying to read as a result of degeneration of their vision, now reading and researching with ease and clarity with the help of technology based instruments. As always, speak with your own ophthalmologist regarding your specific limitations and expectations.

Types of Contact Lenses: Which One is Right for Me?

Contact lenses have advanced tremendously in the last decade. As a result, there are several options available to consumers. When choosing an appropriate contact lens, several factors are taken into consideration. These factors include lifestyle, expense and the type of vision correction needed. Contact lenses can be worn by people of varying ages.

There are two main types of contact lenses; rigid gas permeable contact lenses and soft contact lenses. There are subsets of each type of lens to correct refractive errors such as Toric contact lenses for the correction of Astigmatism, Bifocal lenses, and Multifocal contact lenses.

Rigid gas permeable contact lenses are made of a more rigid material and are subsequently more durable than soft contact lenses. Rigid gas permeable contact lenses are often used for people with corneal irregularities.

Soft contact lenses are the most popular type of contact lens. The majority of soft contact lenses are disposable meaning they can be thrown away after a short period time. Disposable contact lenses can be replaced daily, bi-weekly, monthly or every three months. The main advantage of disposable contact lenses is that they decrease the risk of infection because there is less likelihood of protein build up.

Toric (Astigmatic) contact lenses are designed to correct astigmatism. Astigmatism occurs when the cornea has a curvature that resembles a football rather than a basketball. Toric contact lenses are available in soft and rigid gas permeable materials.

Bifocal contact lenses are designed to correct presbyopia. Presbyopia is the change in the natural lens of the eye that generally affects people in their early 40s. Bifocal contact lenses correct distance and near prescriptions simultaneously.

Multifocal contact lenses have multiple focal points that may assist in enlarging the range of vision to include some mid-range vision as well.

In conclusion, regardless of the type of contact lenses a patient wears, proper hygiene is essential in the maintenance of contact lenses to prevent infections and to obtain optimal vision. Individuals interested in contact lenses should consult an eye care professional.

Thank you to our Guest Blogger Hanifah Haamid, lead contact lens technician and A-Scan Specialist. Hanifah also has a YouTube Video on the Top 5 Contact Lens Questions.

Your LASIK Evaluation-What to Expect?

The only way to confidently know whether LASIK or any type of Laser Eye Surgery for vision correction is going to safely, effectively and predictably help you achieve your personal vision correction goals is to have a thorough evaluation and consultation. The LASIK evaluation should be thorough enough to gather sufficient clinical and personal information so as to enable your LASIK Surgeon to make proper recommendations about to proceed. Your LASIK consultation should consist of a number of clinical tests including:

• Measurement of your uncorrected visual acuity


• Measurement of your visual acuity with your current eyeglasses or contact lenses


• Optical measurement of the current prescription that you are wearing in your eyeglasses and/or a review of your current contact lens prescription


• A thorough review of your medical and eye history including all prescription and non-prescription medication that you have been or are currently taking


• A refraction-automated or manual-to determine your current prescription


• A topography measurement to digitally map the shape of your cornea


• A pachymetry measurement of the thickness of your cornea


• A measurement of pupil size


• A microscopic evaluation of the health of your cornea and tear film including testing for dry eyes

From this testing it can be determined whether you should proceed to the final level of testing whereby the actual preoperative measurements are taken for your treatment and a thorough examination of the Retina and Optic Nerve can be performed.

In addition to the actual clinical testing your LASIK evaluation will include a full discussion of LASIK risks, benefits and complications and a thorough analysis of the personal goals and objectives that you feel are important to your success. The best way for you or someone you know to find out if they are a good candidate for LASIK is to have an evaluation, examination, and consultation with Dr. Confino who is a Corneal Surgeon and LASIK specialist. Please feel free to contact us schedule an appointment by calling The Eye Care & Surgery Center Toll Free at 800-504-1083.

A New Solution for Presbyopia

Vision Correction Surgery, both in the form of corneal laser surgery and refractive lens implant surgery, has made great advances in the treatment of near-sightedness (myopia), far-sightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism. The “Holy Grail” of vision correction continues to be the search for a safe and effective correction of Presbyopia, or the age-related loss of reading ability. An ideal treatment would allow for enhanced reading ability without detracting from distance visual acuity, as current strategies, such as monovision, do.

A new and promising approach is the Kamra inlay. It is a synthetic disc, 3.8mm in diameter with a central 1.6mm aperture, composed of a bio-compatible material that can be safely and permanently implanted into the cornea of the “non-dominant” eye. This can be done under a corneal flap previously created during a LASIK procedure or under a newly-created laser flap. It works on the principle of “Small Aperture Optics”, or “the pinhole effect”, essentially what cameras use to get depth of focus. The central opening allows for light to be focused at near without detracting from distance visual acuity. If desired, the implant is reversible and potentially removable at any time.

Although currently classified as an “investigational device” enrolled in studies in the USA, it is approved and freely used in Europe and Asia, where it has been shown to deliver high-quality visual results. We are looking forward to it receiving official approval for use in the USA and bringing it into our office laser refractive suite to offer to our many interested patients. Our Ziemer femtosecond laser has been specially equipped with the ability to create the corneal flap for the Kamra inlay, and can be used in conjunction with LASIK procedures or as a stand-alone treatment for presbyopia.

Thank you Dr. Joel Confino, today’s guest blogger.