Eye Exams

Every child deserves the best start to create the brightest future. As a parent or caregiver, watching your children excel in school is beyond gratifying.

Visual problems during the early stages of childhood has a major impact in brain function development. Poor vision, early in life, can provoke permanent deficits in higher levels of the brain; areas responsible for things such as attention.

Healthy eyes and clear vision are essential during childhood development. Children with visual disorders can have difficulty learning in different environments. They tend to fall behind at school and lose confidence in their academic abilities. Children usually become frustrated trying to articulate the problem– in fact, they may not even be able to explain it. Early detection and treatment provide the upmost opportunity to correct vision problems so your child can learn to see clearly.

Do not wait for school. If you have any questions regarding your child’s vision, do not hesitate to schedule an eye exam.

Children Eye Exams
Based on the developmental changes children experience as they grow, children can be divided into three categories and the eye exam would differ based on their capabilities and needs.

• Infant and Toddlers: Birth to 2 years, 11 months.
• Preschool Children: 3 years to five years, 11 months.
• School Children: 6 to 18 years

https://www.allaboutvision.com/eye-exam/children.htm

What can you expect during your child’s eye exam?

• It will begin with a preliminary conversation with the Doctor. The doctor wants to obtain an extensive understanding of their developmental history, family eye, and medical history.
• Perform tests for visual acuity, pupillary test, refraction, eye movements test, color testing, visual field, and overall eye health.
• Indicate the best option for corrective vision and treatment, if necessary.
• Educate parents and children on visual habits, eye health, and eye safety.
• Determine if a referral is indicative

The eyes are the window to the body. Therefore, the eyes are the window to systemic diseases. Many body’s illnesses, eye, and visual disorders are silent or have no obvious symptoms; for that reason, many individuals are often unaware that body and eye problems exist. The eyes can reflect illnesses that begin in another organ of the body. Being able to recognize ocular findings of common systemic conditions can lead to rapid diagnosis and treatment for patients who otherwise may be unaware of potentially life-threatening medical problems.

Routine Vision Exam / Eye Exam for Glasses
Dr. Dussan will determine your prescription by performing a refraction.

• A refraction is the test that is performed to determine your eyeglass prescription. Along with your refraction, Dr. Dussan will screen your eyes and make sure there are no medical issues arising, and that your eyes are generally healthy.
• Routine eye exams begin with a review of your medical and visual history, so we can understand the risk factors that may contribute to changes in your vision. Certain systemic diseases and medications to treat them have the potential to impact your vision. This is critical information we should gather before your routine eye exam.
• We also try to identify what your visual needs are by understanding the nature of your work and office environment. Once all that information is collected, the Dr. Dussan can proceed with your routine eye exam.

What should you bring for the examination? 
*Current personal eyeglasses
* Insurance card
* Identification in the form of a driver’s license, passport, birth certificate or other documents

Comprehensive Eye Exam
A comprehensive medical eye exam consists of various tests performed to evaluate your eyes’ health. Our Doctor will not only determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses, however, she will also examine your eyes for common eye diseases, evaluate your eye alignment to be sure they are working together, and assess your eyes as an indicator of your overall health.

A comprehensive adult eye examination may include:

• Patient Background and History
• Visual acuity and refractive evaluation
• Binocular vision assessment
• Color vision evaluation
• Neurological assessment of the visual system
• Assessment of both external and internal parts of the eyes
• Intraocular pressure testing
• Dilated eye exam when indicated

After all the examinations are performed, The Doctor will assess the results to determine a diagnosis and explain available treatment options. In some cases, referral to another Optometrist, Ophthalmologist or other health providers may be recommended.

It is important for you to receive a complete eye exam every one to two years, depending on your age, risk factors, and medical history. Comprehensive eye exams are highly recommended in maintaining healthy vision for the future years to come. There are some eye diseases that develop without any warning signs. Dilated eye exams can uncover many eye diseases. If caught early, dilated eye exams can prevent further damage to your eyes.

Contact Lenses Exam and Fitting

Contact lenses are medical devices. In other words, they can cause a moderate risk to eye health when used without appropriate physician examination. Contact lens evaluation is necessary for anyone who wishes to wear contacts or continue wearing contact lenses.

Contact lens examination, or contact lens fitting, begins with a thorough eye exam. This will ensure an up-to-date prescription and rule out any pre-existing conditions that may prevent contact lens wear.

Our doctor will require to follow up on the initial fitting to see how well your eyes are adjusting to the lenses or make any necessary changes in fitting or materials to provide you with the utmost possible fit. We educate our patients about proper contact lens care and also possible consequences if proper care is not taken. Looking ahead, we continue with long-term follow-up to monitor the condition of the lenses and to ensure that proper hygiene is being practiced.

During the contact lens exam, if you are a contact wearer, it will begin by wearing the patient’s current contact lenses. This allows the Doctor to analyze how the eyes are functioning with the current contact fit and prescription being used.

We offer a wide selection of contact lenses such as; daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly disposables, or specialty contact lenses to fit each patients’ needs.

Following the initial adjustment period, many contact lens wearers find their contacts to be extremely comfortable for day-to-day wear, so much, that they do not realize they are wearing them throughout the day!

Different contact lens options

Soft Lenses

Soft contact lenses are the most common type of contact lenses. They are made of soft, flexible plastic that allows oxygen to transport the eyes. Conventional soft lenses are used until they fail to provide satisfactory vision, comfort, fit or tissue response, which generally occurs after about 12 months of wear. Conventional soft lenses are worn during the day and cleaned and stored at night. Usually once a week the lenses must be cleaned using an enzymatic cleaner, which removes protein deposits.

There are some advantages and disadvantages of wearing soft contact lenses. One of the advantages is that these lenses are very thin and flexible making them extremely comfortable to wear. One of the disadvantages is that soft lenses absorb more of your tears, this will trap more protein deposits from your tears and harbor bacteria. Depending on your prescription, your visual needs, and your preferences, the doctor can determine which is lenses are suitable for your eyes.

Disposable Contact Lenses

Disposable contact lenses are soft lenses that can be thrown away every day, weekly, bi-weekly or every four weeks. They are some advantages and disadvantages of disposable contact lenses. Some of the advantages of disposable lenses are that replacing lenses during shorter intervals prevents protein and other deposits to build upon the lens surfaces. This reduces the chance of eye health problems. Disposable contacts also reduce the chance of wearing damaged lenses. They are very easy to clean and disinfect and they are available in most prescriptions. Some of the disadvantages of disposable lenses are that most of these lenses are thin, therefore their handling may be difficult. Additionally, they do not correct all vision problems and vision may not be as sharp as with another type of contact lenses (eg. RGP lenses).

For successful wearing of disposable contact lenses, it is recommended to adhere to the lens-wearing schedules. Carefully follow the schedule for discarding your used lenses and make appointments for follow-up care.

Extended Wear Contact Lenses

Extended wear contact lenses can be soft or gas permeable lenses. Most commonly, worn for overnight or continues wear ranging from one to six nights or up to 30 days straight. There are some advantages and disadvantages of extended wear contact lenses. One of the advantages is that they are extremely convenient since contact lens wearers do not have to insert, remove and care for lenses on a daily wear basis. One of the disadvantages is that the use of extended wear lenses definitely increases the risk for sight-threatening complications when lenses are worn overnight. Extended wear contact lenses require closer monitoring and professional care. Frequent and thorough follow-up care every 3 months is critical in the proper care of an extended wear contact lens wearer.

Tinted or Color Contact Lenses

Tinted contact lenses allow patients to temporarily enhance or transform the appearance of their eyes. Color contact lenses are an appealing option. They provide an appealing way to change up the patients’ appearance. They come in a variety of colors for both light and dark eyes. Tinted contact lenses are available with or without prescription but unfortunately, not all prescriptions are available. These soft lenses are available in conventional, disposable, or frequent replacement types.

Gas-Permeable (GP) Contact Lenses

Gas permeable (GP) contact lenses, also known as rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses, are hard contact lenses made of silicone-containing compounds that allow oxygen to transport through the lens to reach the cornea. GP lenses offer a number of advantages over soft lenses.

Some of the advantages of the GP (compare with soft lenses )are that they provide a better oxygen supply than most soft lenses. Since they are custom-made to shape on the eye, they hold their shape and move on the eye with each blink. This movement pumps oxygen-containing tears under the lens.

GP lenses last longer. Since they are made of firm plastic, they do not scratch, rip or tear. They are also easier to keep clean and do not need to be discarded frequently, such as soft lenses. GP contacts have superior optics. Since they are firm, they retain their shape better when you blink, therefore your eyes don’t have to refocus as much. And they are good for astigmatism or bifocal needs. In addition to their other advantages, new research suggests that GP lenses may slow the progression of myopia (nearsightedness) in some children. GP lenses are also used for orthokeratology, where GP specially designed contacts are worn during sleep to reshape the cornea and improve vision.

Some of the disadvantages of GP lenses (compared to soft lenses) are that they need an adaptation period (short) to fully adapt. Unlike wearing soft lenses that are comfortable right from the start, GP lenses required some time to feel comfortable in the eyes. GP lenses are smaller, then during blinking eyelids will experience initial “lens awareness” but this is temporary, in a few days the lids will gradually adapt so that feeling would go away with each blink. Additionally, because they are smaller than soft lenses, gas permeable lenses can etiolate from the eyes during contact sports or if eyes are rubbed aggressively. GP lenses can have higher lens replacement costs. Since GP lenses are custom-made, they come in limited sizes, this makes GP lenses more expensive if you lose them.

For successful GP contact Lens wear, it is recommended to take proper care of your GP contact lenses by following the steps to care about each wearing period. This will increase the comfort, last longer, reduce the risk of eye health problems and keep your lens-wearing experience enjoyable.

Toric Contact lenses

Toric lenses are used to correct astigmatism. Toric contact lenses have an elongate shape than standard contacts, and they are available in both gas permeable (GP) and soft types. However, soft toric contacts are much more popular and they provide clear and comfortable vision. Fitting toric lenses is a more complex process than fitting normal contacts. They usually require some trial and error until the Doctor identifies a proper fit. Toric lenses are also available in various wearing schedules, ranging from daily disposable to extended wear.

Bifocal Contact Lenses

Bifocal contact lenses work similarly to bifocal eyeglasses. These lenses are designed with two distinct segments for different vision powers. One segment for distance vision and the other segment for near vision. This allows bifocal contact lens wearers to see clearly by switching focus from near to far as needed but not completely clear in between. Bifocal contact lenses come in both soft materials and rigid gas permeable (GP) varieties. Some can be worn on a disposable basis. Meaning, contact lenses can be discarded at specified intervals (even daily, in some cases) and replacing them with fresh, new lenses. There are various designs and fitting strategies to suit each candidate who wishes to wear bifocal contact lenses.

Multifocal Contact Lenses

Multifocal lenses have multiple powers including bifocals, trifocals or progressive lenses all in one contact lens. Multifocal contact lenses have a range of powers that enable multifocal wearers to adjust their focus and see clearly not only at a distance and near, but also in between. Multifocal contact lenses come in both soft materials and rigid gas permeable (GP) varieties. They are generally designed in one of two ways, as either simultaneous vision lenses or alternating vision lenses. Both designs, aim to provide a clear vision. There are certain factors that our doctor will consider when determining which is the appropriate lens for the patient.

Specialty Contact Lenses for the “Hard-to-Fit” Patient
There are many types of specialty contact lenses for astigmatism, myopia, hyperopia and different corneal conditions.

• Soft lenses
• Gas-permeable lenses
• Scleral contact lenses

Scleral lenses are larger diameter GP lenses made with the same materials as rigid lenses.
These lenses rest on the white part of the eye, called the sclera and create a tear-filled reservoir over the cornea.

• Hybrid lenses

These lenses consist of a GP lenses surrounded by a soft lens skirt that’s lands of the white part of the eye.  They provide the clarity of vision of a gas permeable lens with the comfort of a soft lens.