Annual eye exams are critical to your overall health.

Look in the mirror. You’ve got one pair of eyes. They’re pretty special, aren’t they? Your teeth get cleaned. Your car gets an oil change. Your hair gets a trim. Maybe you even indulge in pedicures or other spa-like pampering. But how often do you think of your eyes unless something goes wrong? If you’re like most Americans, not often enough.

Make no mistake: a simple thing that’s good for your eyes – a complete exam, each and every year – is about a lot more than getting glasses or contacts. Many eye and vision problems have no obvious signs or symptoms. As a result, individuals are often unaware that problems exist. Annual eye exams not only help correct vision problems; comprehensive eye exams can also reveal the warning signs of more serious undiagnosed health problems such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Even if you don’t need vision correction, you need that yearly exam.
Good vision is important for every member of your family.

Most people consider vision their most important sense, yet less than 50% of Americans get eye exams more frequently than every two years. One in five people are at risk for vision loss, and preventive care could address many of the problems. No matter what their age, eye exams are vital to productivity and health for your entire family, from children to grandparents, and everyone in between.

Babies
Did you know that eye care experts say children should have their first eye exam before they can even walk? That’s right. The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends a six-month exam to make sure the baby’s eyes are developing normally and to stop bigger problems down the road. After that, a yearly trip to the eye doctor will keep tabs on young eyes that can change fast.

Children
About 80% of what we learn is through our eyes, yet one study shows a whopping 85% of America’s pre-schoolers haven’t received a vision exam by age five. And a pre-kindergarten exam is a must (don’t assume school-offered vision screenings are enough). Studies also show that 60% of students identified as problem learners have undetected vision troubles. And according to the National Eye Institute, Amblyopia, or lazy eye, is the most common casue of visual impairment in childhood. The good news is that annual eye exams can protect your child’s vision, their overall health and their education.

Adults
We all know that over time our bodies change—especially our vision. As we age, we’re more susceptible to cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Detecting these conditions early can help keep your eyes and body healthy. Your eye doctor can look for more than vision problems; they can look for signs of serious health conditions like diabetic eye disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. A visit to your eye doctor won’t keep you from aging, but it can definitely help protect your eyes and your overall health.
Eye exams are simple and painless.

Eye exams are about a lot more than updating your eyewear prescription. During a preventive eye exam, your doctor will check all aspects of your vision, including the structure of the eyes and how well they work together. Based on the findings of the exam, your eye doctor will recommend a plan that’s right for you. The good news is that eye exams don’t hurt, and they typically take less than an hour to complete.
Vision coverage can help you save.

Having vision coverage and getting yearly preventative eye exams can help you save. Vision insurance will mean less out of pocket expenses for exams and materials for you and your family. And if your eye doctor detects signs of health conditions before they become serious, you’ll be sure to save on ever-rising medical expenses.

Check with your employer to see if vision coverage is available to you.

Schedule your eye exam today at Contacts & Specs – Chicago

How often do you vow to take better care of yourself? Exercising, eating more fruits and vegetables, wearing sunscreen, brushing and flossing, are all important behaviors to adopt for better overall health. But how often do you think about your eyes? Seven simple habits can greatly benefit the health of your eyes, and your overall well-being.

• Wash Your Hands or Use Hand Sanitizer – Washing hands prevents the spread of viruses such as conjunctivitis (pink eye), a highly-contagious condition. It is not only painful and irritating, it can also be damaging to your vision, even leading to blindness if untreated.
• Blink – When we watch television or stare at a computer screen, we blink less frequently. Not blinking causes eyestrain, and occasionally leads to fatigue, headaches and double vision. (This is your cue to look away from the screen and blink a few times.)
• Wear Sunglasses with 100% UVA and UVB Protection – Ultraviolet light can damage the inner structures of the eye which can expedite the onset of eye conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration.
• Don’t Smoke – Smoking damages the blood supply which puts you at greater risk for developing macular degeneration and cataracts.
• Eat Fish – According to Dr. Johanna Seddon, of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, there is a high concentration of fatty acids in the retina and consuming oily fish such as salmon and tuna which contain these omega 3 fatty acids, you strengthen the eyes and help lower the risk of macular degeneration.
• Visit Your Eye Doctor on a Regular Basis – Regular vision checkups help detect the onset of various eye conditions such as cataracts or diseases like glaucoma that are best caught in their early stages. Eye doctors can even diagnose conditions that aren’t exclusively related to the eye via a standard eye exam, such as diabetes and hypertension, where early detection can be life saving.This is especially important if you notice “floaters” or flashes of light which are common symptoms of a detached or torn retina. If caught early, the tear can be repaired via surgery and vision is restored. If left untreated it almost always causes blindness.

Our eyes age with the rest of our body, and as they do they lose some of their youthful attributes. Aging alone brings many changes, but aging also brings the potential for systemic diseases that affect vision as well. Aging eyes need more than just an occasional refractive exam. At Contacts & Specs Dr. Loyfman only works with the best ophthalmologists in Chicago and she has solutions for aging eyes, she can provide specialized expertise to recommend surgical treatment options to prevent vision loss after she has completed your eye exam.

The two most prevalent conditions aging eyes presents are presbyopia and cataracts. Presbyopia begins when we are in our mid-40s, and though cataracts may not start until after age 60, given enough time, we are all at risk of developing them.

What is Presbyopia?

Presbyopia is a natural and common age-related eye disease, ARED, involving our eyes’ crystalline lens. Over time, the lens becomes less flexible and responsive to the need for rapid refocusing, also called accommodation. Also, some doctors believe that the muscles that surround and control the lens lose their tone as we age, thus losing strength needed to bend and flex the lens.

Surgical Presbyopia Treatment Options:

Laser surgery treats the loss of refractive error by reshaping the cornea to compensate for a less flexible lens. Lens replacement is another common treatment.

Multifocal lenses are intraocular lenses that are surgically implanted in the crystalline lens, replacing the natural lens surface, which is removed. Multifocal lenses are designed with a series of concentric lens strengths that allow you to see at near, mid-range and distances simultaneously. These can eliminate the need for corrective lenses in many patients.

Accommodative lenses also can be implanted to replace the natural lens. These lenses have tabs that allow the eye’s muscles to flex them resulting in more natural accommodative focusing at different distances.

Monovision employs corneal refractive correction. One eye is corrected for near vision, the other for distance. Adjusting takes a couple weeks. Most patients wear monovision contact lenses for a while before surgery to see if they can adjust. If they don’t like it, they haven’t made any permanent changes. Monovision can be achieved, also, by using contact lenses, conductive keratoplasty (CK), or LASIK. The downside to monovision is the loss of binocular vision or depth perception. The upside may eliminate the need for corrective lenses.

What is Cataracts?

Cataracts are cloudy areas in the lenses caused by clumping of the lens tissue. They are visible to the ophthalmologist as cloudy areas in the early stages, and visible to the naked eye when they become larger.

As the cataract becomes denser and larger we experience vision described as cloudy, fuzzy, foggy or filmy. Colors lose their clarity. Bright lights or glare affect night vision. Glare from the sun can affect day vision, and double vision can occur as well.

Cataracts generally begin developing after age 60, but various health conditions, such as diabetes, or medications such as steroids, can cause them to start earlier in life.

Cataract Treatment:

Cataracts are treated by surgically removing the lens tissue leaving only the lens capsule that housed the tissue. The artificial lens is inserted into the capsule replacing the natural lens. The multifocal and accommodating lenses described for presbyopia are also used in cataract surgery.