Two recent studies funded by the National Institute of Health found that vision problems among preschoolers may be more common than previously thought. Their recent findings show that in preschool age children, one in four may have a vision problem that needs attention. Even mild problems left untreated in childhood may lead to permanent vision loss.

Dr. Sandi Farnham suggests that parents should monitor and restrict the usage of these devices with their children.  Some guidelines to follow include:

• Limiting preschoolers’ play on an iPhone or small screen video game to no more than 15 minutes a day.
• Older children should be limited to 30-60 minutes of play time and take breaks every 15 minutes.
• Children and adults should try and balance gaming and computer usage with outdoor activities – especially those with a ball which encourage visual development.
• When using a small screen device, a child should not hold the screen too close to their eyes. The distance from the elbow to the middle knuckle is a  good rule of thumb.

Does this mean your child will develop vision problems or computer eye strain if they use a small screen device? Absolutely not – but if good viewing habits are not practiced, children could experience issues such as headaches, eye strain, or possibly even develop nearsightedness. And if they already have a vision problem, this could worsen the condition.

All those small screens are a lot fun, so let your preschooler enjoy them – but not so much that they create lifetime vision problems.

A few months ago, Christine Boyter had just finished a boat ride in a local lake. As she was walking up the dock, she passed two men disembarking from another boat. Continuing up the dock, she turned around and noticed there was only one man following her. She asked him where his friend was and he realized that he did not know where he had gone. Fearing he had fallen in the lake, they began to look into the water for him, but they could see nothing.

At that point, Christine remembered she had her polarized sunglasses. She put them on and as she peered into the water, she saw the man’s legs about 15 feet below. Fortunately, they were able to rescue him from the water and Christine, a former nurse, administered CPR. At that point things looked grim – he had no pulse and no one had cell phone service. They were able to find someone to go down the road and call 911.  Emergency help arrived and the man was airlifted to a local hospital.  Miraculously he walked out of the hospital two days later with no brain damage.

As Chrstine says, “If I hadn’t had my polarized sunglasses, that gentleman would not be here!” Unfortunately, during all the excitement, her sunglasses fell into the lake.  Dr. Wruble felt that her good deed should be rewarded and Summit Eye provided her with a free pair of sunglasses to replace the ones she lost.

As eye care providers, we know how important sunglasses can be to protect vision, but in this case they proved to be truly life saving!

But the serious answer is threefold: It is best to have your contact lens prescription  approved for an annual supply of contact lenses to:

- Save time
- Preserve eye health
- Optimize $aving$

So – how busy is your everyday life? Work, school, church, family . . . when is there time to re-order your contact lenses? Have you ever run out of contacts?

Don’t put your eye health at risk. Not having contact lenses leads to over-wearing which can lead to deposits, bacteria, and other serious complications.

The best solution to this problem is to order an annual supply when you have your eye health exam. In addition to never again having to worry about running out of contact lenses, there are many other benefits to ordering a yearly supply, especially through Summit Eye Associates:

• SAVINGS! Shipping is free with an annual supply and there are often rebates available.

• Eye health! Patients who have an annual supply are more compliant with their wearing schedule.

• Torn contact lens? We will replace at no charge in most cases.

• Prescription change? We will exchange unopened, unmarked, unexpired boxes.

At Summit Eye Associates, we care not only about your eyes, but also your pocketbook. When you order a yearly supply you protect your eyes and save money – what a great deal!

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, CONVERGENCE INSUFFICIENCY may be the culprit.

It’s all too easy to think that 20/20 is where vision stops and starts; and it is easy to forget about caring for our vision “up close”.  In a world full of computers, smart phones and other digital media, being concerned about near vision is more important than ever!

People may assume that near vision problems can be corrected easily with glasses and frequently that is true. But if glasses don’t seem to work, the lack of teamwork when the eyes work together may be causing the problem.

Convergence insufficiency is the inability of the eyes to focus inward when doing close work, such as reading and affects approximately 13% of US children and adults. Because the eyes drift outward when reading, extra effort is needed to make them turn back in. This effort can lead to a number of frustrating symptoms that interfere with the ability to read and work comfortably.

Symptoms of convergence insufficiency when doing near work include:

• Headaches
• Eyestrain
• Blurred vision
• Double vision
• Inability to concentrate
• Short attention span
• Frequent loss of place
• Squinting, rubbing, closing or covering an eye
• Sleepiness during the activity
• Trouble remembering what was read
• Words appear to move, jump, swim, or float
• Problems with motion sickness and/or vertigo

Convergence insufficiency interferes with a person’s ability to see, read, learn, and work. You can even have 20/20 eyesight and still have convergence insufficiency!

Fortunately Vision Therapy coordinated by a specially trained eye care professional can greatly improve eye coordination. Once a comprehensive eye exam has been completed, a two-part vision therapy evaluation will be completed to determine the individualized vision therapy plan. Depending on the complexity of the situation, home, computerized, or in-office vision therapy may be prescribed, along with the possibility of referral to other health care professionals such as occupational, speech, or physical therapists. Ongoing visits monitor progress until goals have been met.

Dr. Sandi Farnham is the Director of the Center of Excellence for Visual Fitness at Summit Eye Associates. Please call our office at 704-865-3937 if you feel a consultation for you or your child may be helpful.

You have just completed your eye exam and you are sitting with the optician in the optical area and this discussion takes place as you are ordering your glasses…..

Optician:  Would you like the lenses with or without the glare?

Patient:  Why, the lenses without glare of course!

Patient (thinking to themselves):  Why would anyone want lenses with glare?

Optician:  Would you like the Crizal brand of non-glare lenses that provides the most sharp night vision, protects eyes from computer fatigue, has Scotchguard brand scratch resistance and the longest warranty available?

Patient:  Why of course!

And you are sitting there thinking…..all of this from Crizal?  How come I don’t know about this Crizal?  Well, we are about to tell you because “It’s Time to Live Life in the Clear”.

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Essilor of America, the nation’s leading manufacturer of optical lenses, makes the Crizal brand of non-glare lenses.  You may not know the name Essilor, but you probably recognize their other brands, Varilux and Transitions.  Essilor invented thin-film  anti-reflective technology and they continue to improve the product benefits on a regular basis.

The newest member of the Crizal family of No-Glare lenses,  is Crizal Sapphire with Scotchgard Protector. The Crizal Anti-Reflective (AR) Technology protects your eyes from glare and reflections that contribute to blurry vision and eye strain, especially computer fatigue. This technology virtually removes reflections from the lens surface, allowing more light to pass through. The NEW Crizal Sapphire with Scotchgard Protector is the most advance No-Glare lens ever created. It’s nearly invisible on the wearer and has 50% less reflection at night than any other No-Glare lens on the market.

Anti-reflective lens treatments have a number of other great features:

• Built-in scratch resistance treatment that lengthens the life of the lenses
• Hydrophobic treatment keeps rain, snow and fog at bay
• “Oleophobic” surface layer that repels skin oils and makes it easier to remove smudges from the lenses
• Extendeded warranty

The Crizal Sun Shield No-Glare treatment is also beneficial when applied to the back surface of lenses in sunglasses, because it eliminates reflections of sunlight into the eyes from the lenses as well as blocking UV Reflection. Since the purpose of sunglasses is to reduce how much light enters your eyes, and because you aren’t concerned about making eye contact with others when wearing shades, there is no real benefit to having No-Glare coating applied to the front surface of sunglass lenses.

One final reminder, when cleaning AR-coated lenses, use only products that your optician recommends. Lens cleaners with harsh chemicals may damage the anti-reflective treatment.  And please don’t use household cleaners (i.e. window cleaner, dishwashing soap) on your lenses!

All Crizal products are available at Summit Eye Associates, be sure to speak to our optical staff about this amazing technology at your next visit or email us at optical@summiteye.net.

Here’s to living life in the clear!

But one of the most fun and surprising foods that may be beneficial is chocolate. We aren’t talking about those Hershey’s milk chocolate bars that you grew up eating. We’re talking about the rich and delicious dark chocolate that contains high levels of polyphenols, an antioxidant that is found in many plant sources, such as red wine and green tea.

Polyphenols have been researched and found to improve cholesterol levels and lower the risk of atherosclerosis. The darker the chocolate, the higher the levels of polyphenols, and in fact, white chocolate has no polyphenols at all. This current study compared the effects of consuming 45 g. of dark chocolate to placebo, in 12 individuals with Type-2 diabetes for eight weeks. Although a person with diabetes would normally be discouraged from consuming chocolate, this study revealed that it not only did not affect their blood sugar levels (dark chocolate is lower in sugar), but it improved HDL levels (good cholesterol). A healthy HDL level is an important indicator to prevent atherosclerosis and decrease cardiovascular disease risk.

And in case you are wondering how much 45 grams of chocolate is, it’s equal to about nine Hershey’s kisses. Just make sure you get the special dark ones.

Research Update Provided by Natural Dispensary

References:
Diabet. Med. 27, 1318–1321 (2010)

1.  When should you have your first eye exam?

1. A. 6 months old
2. B. 5 years old
3. C. 16 years old
4. D. 40 years old

The answer is A. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), children generally should have their first eye exam at six months of age, another exam at age three and again at the start of school.

Children with risk factors for vision problems may need their first eye exam earlier than six months of age and may need more frequent eye exams throughout childhood. Examples of risk factors include:

• History of premature birth or low birth weight
• Developmental delays
• Turned or crossed eyes
• Family history of eye disease
• Other physical illness or disease

*Summit Eye Associates participates in the InfantSee Program, which offers FREE eye exams to all children between the ages of 6 to 12 months.

2.  True or False: A vision screening at school or the pediatrician’s office counts as an eye exam.

False – A vision screening can indicate that you need to get your eyes checked, but it does not serve as a substitute for a comprehensive eye exam.

Vision screenings are limited eye tests that help identify people who are at risk for vision problems. These are the brief vision tests performed by the school nurse, a pediatrician, other health care providers or volunteers. The eye test that you take when you get your driver’s license renewed is an example of a vision screening.

A comprehensive eye examination is performed by an eye doctor and includes careful testing of all aspects of your vision and eye health. Based on the results of your exam, your eye doctor will then recommend a treatment plan for your individual needs.

Vision is closely linked to the learning process. Children who have trouble seeing or interpreting what they see will often have trouble with their schoolwork. Many times, children will not complain of vision problems simply because they don’t know what “normal” vision looks like.

If your child performs poorly at school or exhibits a reading or learning disability, be sure to have his eyes examined by an eye doctor to rule out an underlying visual cause.

How often should you have an eye exam at Summit Eye Associates?

1. A. When my vision is blurry
2. B. When my glasses are broken
3. C. Every year
4. D. Every 3 years

The answer is C. To maintain a lifetime of healthy vision, it is recommended by Summit Eye you have a comprehensive eye exam every year.

The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends a comprehensive eye exam every two years for adults ages 5 to 60, and annual exams for seniors age 61 and older.

Routine eye exams are important regardless of your age or your physical health. During a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor does much more than just determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses. The doctor will also check your eyes for common eye diseases, assess how your eyes work together as a team and evaluate your eyes as an indicator of your overall health.

“At risk” adults may have more frequent exams. Risk factors for adults include:

• A family history of eye disease (glaucoma, macular degeneration, etc.)
• Diabetes or high blood pressure
• A visually demanding occupation or one that may pose hazards to the eyes
• Taking prescription or non-prescription drugs that may have visual or eye-related side effects
• Previous eye injuries or eye surgery

Adults who wear contact lenses should also have annual eye exams, according to the American Optometric Association.

If you have any doubt how often you (or your children or parents) should have your eyes examined, ask your optometrist for guidance.

What is a Focus Group?

We gather a group of patients who represent the full spectrum of our patients and we spend about an hour finding out what our patients think!  Our discussion usually includes:

• Past experiences with us and other healthcare providers
• What ideas patients have to make their experience at Summit Eye the best it can be

What my surprise you, is that participants can comment freely because all the information is kept completely confidential and anonymous when shared with the doctors and staff. A summary of the group discussion is completed and presented to the doctors and staff, but they never know who contributed any of the comments.

The information we gather is used when our yearly marketing plan is developed. Many of the past comments and suggestions from our focus groups have been used to make significant changes in the practice and have improved our patients’ experiences with us.

We really appreciate the time and effort our focus group participants share with us and we hope they come away from the meeting feeling good about their contribution to SEA.

Would you like to participate in an upcoming Focus Group on Thursday, September 30 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM? We provide dinner and a token of our thanks to all members of the group in appreciation of their time.

If you would like to participate you can email Darylene, the focus group moderator, at dardarfi@yahoo.com or call the office at 704-865-3937 and indicate you would like to participate. When emailing, please put FOCUS GROUP in the subject line. If you meet the criteria for participation (remember we need a varied group of ages, glasses wearers, contact lens wearers, medical eye conditions,  etc.) we will contact you no later than Monday, September 20.

Dr. Rachael Wruble

On behalf of Summit Eye Associates, I take great pride in introducing our new associate, Dr. Rachael Ann Wruble (nee Peterson).  We have searched far and wide to find an optometric physician with Dr. Wruble’s clinical skills, work ethic, compassion and dedication to excellent patient care.

Allow me to share a few thoughts from Dr. Wruble about her philosophy on eye care, “I see the eye as a piece of the puzzle – interconnected to the rest of the body. So a problem with the eye can be a result of a problem with the body. I want to be a part of a practice where exams are not just about the eye, but a part of the comprehensive care of the entire patient. Establishing a personal relationship with her patients is also important to me, so becoming a part of Summit Eye Associates was a perfect fit.”

Dr. Wruble is a native of Michigan and comes to us having recently completed her residency in ocular disease at the Salisbury NC Veterans Administration Medical Center.  Her other areas of special interest include specialty contact lenses fitting, including keratoconus, post-trauma and advanced prescriptions.

Dr. Wruble looks forward to becoming an active member of our community so please join the Summit Eye staff and family of patients in welcoming Dr. Wruble to Gaston County!

Professional Affiliations

• American Optometric Association, Member
• American Optometric Association, Sports Vision Section, Member
• North Carolina State Society, Member
• Piedmont Optometric Society, Member
• Women of Vision, Member

Education/Professional Experience

• Undergraduate: B.S. in Chemistry, Ferris State University (Cum Laude)
• Doctorate: Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State University
• Residency: Salisbury V.A. Medical Center
• Paragon Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT) Certification

Honors & Awards

• Michigan College of Optometry– Senior Research Award in Clinical Optometric Science
• ASCO Student Award in Clinical Ethics
• Michigan College of Optometry and National Dean’s List

Personal

S.V.O.S.H. Grenada Mission Trip, 1,100 patients examined – March, 2008

Husband (as of August 28, 2010): Bradley Wruble (also an optometrist)

The shepherd always tries to persuade the sheep that their interests and his own are the same. - Stendhal, 19th century French writer

Yes, it’s true, I had the privilege of meeting and having breakfast with  “America’s Doctor”, Dr. Mehmet Oz on July 7^th.  Dr. Oz delivered a marvelously authentic and inspiring message on prevention-centered health care to the audience that gathered on the lawn of Gaston Memorial Hospital that Wednesday morning.

Meeting Dr. Oz was indeed a unique opportunity, one that could either fall on “deaf ears” or one that would provide inertia to change the path I’ve taken in recent years when it comes to my own health.  I left that event faced with a choice, was I going to walk the walk or simply talk the talk??

Despite years of following Dr. Oz on the Oprah show, purchasing (and occasionally reading) his books, and becoming the first health care practitioner in Gaston County to complete a fellowship focused on prevention medicine,  I still had not committed, I mean really committed, to my own wellness. I love and adore caring for others, but I am incredibly poor at caring for myself.  Anybody else out there relate to his???

Then it dawned on me.

I am aware, that as a health care provider I have a great responsibility to lead not only my family, but our patients and our employees in the right direction.  But I also have a responsibility to lead myself, be self-disciplined or maybe better said, be a “disciple of self”.

As such, I have enlisted the Summit Eye team, and very soon, the Summit Eye patients on this journey.  Next week we will be announcing our team’s approach to wellness-at-work.  Each employee has contributed to the process and as we dedicate our careers to better vision, preventing blindness, and saving the lives of our patients, we will be doing our part to set an example of self-care.

Stay tuned to see where our journey to wellness takes us. And to Dr. Oz……..thanks for the inspiration!