• Good eye health and vision are vital for developmental and academic success during children’s early learning years. However, statistics show that 25% school age children have underlying vision problems that can affect performance.
• It is recommended that all children have a comprehensive eye examination annually starting at the age of 12 months, to ensure any visual development or ocular health problems are detected as early as possible.
• Most ocular and visual conditions such as crossed-eyes (strabismus), refractive issues, lazy eye (amblyopia) and binocular vision problems can be detected early, treated and managed for better visual outcome.
• At 20/20 Eye Care, our highly trained staff will dedicate their time for a detailed evaluation and a stress free experience during a comprehensive Pediatric eye exam.

At 20/20 Eye Care, your eye health is our primary focus.

The staff is well trained and equipped to manage any eye related emergencies.

If you notice any of the following symptoms, please call our office immediately at 905-766-3721

1. Sudden loss of vision
2. Double vision
3. Red/pink eye
4. Pain in/around the eye
5. Itchy Eyes
6. Discharge from the eye
7. Eye trauma or foreign body in the eye
8. Noticing floaters or flashes of light in your vision

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases which cause damage to the optic nerve and can result in vision loss and blindness. Glaucoma is often referred to as silent blinding disease as vision loss may not be detected early due to lack of symptoms.

Risk Factors: high eye pressure, blood pressure, positive family history, trauma etc.

Symptoms: In the beginning, there may not be any symptoms, and therefore it is important to get annual comprehensive eye exams. In cases of high eye pressure; pain, blurred vision and haloes around lights may be noted.

Treatment: If diagnosed at an early stage serious vision loss can be prevented by treatment. The treatment for glaucoma includes prescription eye drops, laser treatment or even surgery.

At 20/20 Eye Care, we diagnose, treat and manage various forms of glaucoma with gold standard andmost technologically advanced instrumentation.

Computer vision syndrome (CVS) aka. Digital Eye Strain describes a group of eye related issues that result from prolonged use of computers and hand held devices (tablets, cell phone, e-reader).

Risk Factors: Viewing digital screens for extended periods, poor lightning , Glare on the digital screen Improper viewing distances, poor seating posture, uncorrected vision problems. Symptoms are directly related to the amount of time spent looking at a digital screen.

Research:

• CVS affects about 90% of the people who spend three hours or more a day at computer.
• CVS affects 90% college students b/w ages 18 and 25.

Symptoms:

• Headache
• Blurred vision
• Asthenopia aka. Eyestrain
• Neck and shoulder pain
• Red, teary eye
• Difficulty refocusing the eyes.
• Dry eye

Treatment:

Eyestrain is responsible for majority of the symptoms of CVS. A Comprehensive eye exam with emphasis on eye focusing, eye movement, visual requirement and refraction is required.

• In some cases, individuals who do not generally wear eye glasses for their daily routine may benefit from eye glasses prescribed for computer use.
• Patients with eye focusing, movement or coordination issue causing CVS, may benefit from Vision Therapy.
• Treating ocular surface dryness with taking frequent Breaks (20-20-20 Rule) and Blinking often.
• Using Anti-Glare Screen on computers.
• Using Anti-Reflective coating on your lenses.
• Using Blue-Block coating on your lenses. Blue-violet light has been shown to cause maximum retinal cell death. Over time, our eyes are exposed to various sources that emit this blue violet light including sunlight, tablets, TV’s computers and smart phones etc. It is essential to have blue block coating put onto your lenses.
• Using anti- UV coating: UV light causes damage to the eye, particularly the cornea and the lens. It can augment the growth of cataracts, pinguecula and ptrygium etc. Anti UV coating is essential to screen out the harmful effects of UV rays.
• Lightning: proper lightning is required when doing near work to avoid glare. Replace the light bulbs in the desk lamp s with bulbs of lower wattage.

References:

1. Becoming a Squinter Nation, Wall St. Journal, August 17, 2010
2. The Lowdown on blue Light: Good vs. Bad, and its connection to AMD. Review of Optometry. Feb 2014.
3. Reddy, Chandrasekhara; Low (2013). "Computer vision syndrome: a study and practices in university students". Neoalese Journal of Ophthalmology 5 (2).

Consistent lubrication is necessary for maintaining the health of ocular surface and for providing clear vision. Dry Eye syndrome (DES) is a condition in which there is insufficient lubrication either due to inadequate tear supply or poor quality of tears. Dry Eye syndrome is a chronic inflammatory condition and must be treated aggressively.

Risk Factors:

• Computer/hand held device use.
• Old age: Tear production decreases as you get older
• Being a woman: condition is more common in woman (2:1), especially when they experience hormonal changes due to menopause, pregnancy and the use of contraceptives.
• Diet low in Vit-A
• Extended/improper use of contact lenses.

Symptoms:

• Irritated, red eye
• Gritty feeling or feeling of something in the eyes
• Excess watering
• Scratchy/itchy eyes
• Burning eyes
• Advance Dry Eye can damage the front surface of the eye and impair vision.

Treatment: Depending on the severity of the condition, treatment could vary from conservative management with warm compresses and ocular surface lubricants to prescription eye drops and ointments to decrease inflammation.

Call 905-766-3721 to schedule a Dry Eye Consult!

What does 20/20 Eye Care do Different??

• At 20/20 Eye Care, we employ state of the art instrumentation to quantify and monitor any improvement overtime in the symptoms.
• At 20/20 Eye Care, we listen closely to our patients visual concerns, analyze their daily living activities to assess the demand on their visual system. We understand that not all dry eyes are the same and hence they cannot be treated the same way.
• At 20/20 Eye Care, our Comprehensive eye exam includes in depth analysis of the quality and quantity of tears produced by the eyes with special dyes and state of the art instrumentation.
• Assessment of eyelid gland, cornea and conjunctiva(white part of the eye) for
• Assessment of eyelid structure and blink dynamics.
• Analysis of the results, patient education and discussion of treatment and/or lifestyle changes.

Clouding (yellowing) of the normally clear lens of the eye is called a cataract. Most Cataract are due to age related changes in the lens. Other factors that contribute to cataract development include:

• Ultraviolet radiation
• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Nutrition deficiency
• Diabetes
• Drugs

Risk Factors:

• Increasing age
• UV exposure and exposure to other ionizing raditations (x-rays and cancer radiation therapy)
• Smoking
• Medical conditions like Diabetes, Obesity and high blood pressure
• Use of Certain drugs (Corticosteroids, chlorpromazine and other phenothiazine related meds)

Symptoms: Depending on the stage, symptoms may vary:

• Blurry or dim vision (most symptomatic at night)
• Sensitivity to glare and lights
• Seeing halos around light
• Fading or yellowing of colors
• Quality of the vision decrease
• Double vision in a single eye

Treatment:

• Cataract surgery is the only effective treatment.
• Cataract surgery is only considered depending on the stage of cataract development and/or when the cataract begins to affect the quality of life and interfere with the ability to perform normal daily activities.

What does 20/20 Eye Care do Different??

At 20/20 Eye Care, when the patient is diagnosed with Cataracts, we try to understand their daily activities and if Cataracts are affecting these activities (such as reading, driving at night etc).

• We closely monitor these patients and offer priority same day/walk in Eye Care consultations if they feel any changes in their vision.
• Our Professional ties with several Ophthalmological practices allow our patients an easy transition from our clinic to surgery; which facilitates stress free co-management.

Degenerative changes occurring in the macular area of the retina causing central visual distortions. Depending on the severity, overtime, the vision may worsen which affects the ability to do things such as read, drive and recognize faces (i.e. affects central vision) etc. Early detection is crucial for management of ARMD.

Risk Factors:

• Age: most common in people over 65 y/o.
• Race: more common in Caucasian population.
• Smoking.
• Family history and genetics.
• Medical conditions like High blood pressure and obesity.
• Prolonged sun exposure.

Symptoms:

• Visual distortions: Straight lines look wavy or crooked.
• Dark or empty area in the center of the vision.
• Decrease in color vision

Treatment:

• There is NO cure for this condition, and any loss of vision cannot be restored. Treatment can slow the progression, hence early detection is key in managing this condition.
• Low fat content diet and green leafy vegetables have shown to slow the progression in Dry AMD (most common form of AMD)
• Wet AMD (less common form of AMD) is most often treated with intraocular injections and laser photocoagulation treatments.
• Sun wear protection with UV400 is recommended.