What’s the difference between an infant and an adult eye exam?

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When I give community education seminars to mom and tot groups,
parents are often surprised that children as young as 6 months old can
get their eyes examined.  Parents are so used to having to answer
“which is better, one or two?” and since their babies can’t speak,
they assume they’re too young for an eye exam.  Optometrists use
different techniques for infant eye exams that don’t require speech.
For example, we use a retinoscope to estimate a baby’s prescription.
Your baby will need to focus on an object (we use videos at Avenue
Eyecare) and with the use of handheld lenses and the retinoscope, we
look at the reflex of light from your baby’s retina to ensure their
prescription is in the normal range for their age.  Another important
thing to check for is eye alignment.  This is simply done by observing
how their eyes work together while following and object (usually  toy)
and measuring how evenly light reflexes line up on the cornea.  We
also screen your child’s eyes for congenital diseases such as
congenital cataracts and retinoblastoma.

We’ll be at the “bellies to babies” convention this Sunday from
11am-4pm at the Croatian cultural centre.  If you’re interested in
learning more or looking at some of the equipment we use, come visit
us at our booth.  We will have some great prizes and giveaways.

Here’s the link to the event:http://belliestobabiescelebration.com/

Dr. Jessica Chang, OD drchang@avenueeyecare.com

Should I switch to LED lightbulbs?

As most of you know, at Avenue Eyecare, we try to do our part to be environmentally friendly.  Our first post on May 12, 2011 highlights our environmentally conscious decisions during our construction/design phases.  Many of our patients have noticed that we’ve switched recently over to LED bulbs at our clinic and since we get so many questions about them, I thought I’d enlighten everyone with the bit of information I have.  Did you know that there is a Federal mandate to ban incandescent lighting by January 1, 2012? And since January 2011, there have been no incandescent bulbs available over 75W?  So what’s left?  LED or CFL bulbs…

LED bulbs have a computer chip at the neck of the bulb and use “solid state technology” (ie. no gases) which allows us to get perfect lighting without waiting for the bulb to “warm up”.  They also contain no mercury and use 80% less power than incandescent bulbs.  A bonus benefit I’ve noticed is that our clinic doesn’t get nearly as hot as before, so we’re saving money on both lighting and air-conditioning.  BC Hydro is trying to decrease the energy demands of businesses so there are some rebates available for those who are eligible.  So the answer to your question, YES, make the switch!

Check out this report by CBC regarding the dangers of CFL bulbs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXtf_MqXCmk

Dr. Jessica Chang OD drchang@avenueeyecare.com

Eyelid Twitching

It’s fall, and everybody is back into work/school mode and this may cause quite a bit of stress.  Recently, I had a few patients that came into our clinic complaining about their eyelids twitching uncontrollably for a few days.  I tell them they shouldn’t worry because majority of the time it’s caused by stress.

Myokemia is the term for involuntary quivering of the eyelid muscle.  The nerve signals are overactive causing the eyelid muscles to twitch uncontrollably.  When the eyelid is twitching, it is barely noticeable to the observer.  This condition may resolve spontaneously, but it may last a few weeks and can be very annoying.

Some common factors may include excess caffeine, anxiety, fatigue, stress, lack of sleep or nutritional imbalances.

The main treatment is to decrease the amount of stress in your life.  Other simple treatments may include cold compresses over the eyes, rest, oral antihistamines, potassium supplements (bananas).  Also, some reports have showed that tonic water with quinine may also calm the overactive nerve signals.  One glass a day for a week is often helpful but should be avoided in pregnant women.

If it lasts longer than two months, a mild relaxant or an injection of Botox may be used.  If the twitching spreads to your face or forehead, further investigation is required.  A neurological condition or brain tumor may be the cause of it.

If you have any questions or concern, feel free to contact me.

Dr. Sherman Tung OD, FAAO  drtung@avenueeyecare.com

Who wants longer and fuller lashes?

There has been some hype about a product called Latisse since it was approved for use in Canada last year (it was approved in the US early 2009) and I have definitely seen some of their ads appear in various magazines.  Latisse is a prescription eyelash product that lengthens and adds volume to your eyelashes over 8-16 weeks.  The active ingredient, bimatoprost ophthalmic solution 0.03%, has been and still is being used to treat glaucoma.  Back in optometry school, I remembered learning that one of the side effects of bimatoprost (Lumigan) was the lengthening of eyelashes.  I did one of my first internships at the Portland Veterans Affairs Hospital in my last year and I can still clearly picture a large burly man who came in to see me for his eye exam as well as an “eyelash trim” because he was using these eye drops for his glaucoma.  So yes, it DOES work!  But you do need to continue to use it…

The cost of this product is approximately $200.  Feel free to contact us at Avenue Eyecare if you want to learn more about Latisse.

Dr. Jessica Chang OD drchang@avenueeyecare.com

Back to School

It’s September and that means kids are heading back to school.  While parents are preparing their kids for a new school year by purchasing school supplies and meeting new teachers, it might be easy to overlook their child’s vision.  Over 80% of a child’s learning is based on their vision.  Did you know that 1 in 5 children has a vision disorder and about 86% of children start school without ever having a comprehensive eye exam?  Most children would not know their vision is poor and may just accept poor vision and other eye problems as normal. If left unnoticed, serious long-term effects may result.

At Avenue Eyecare, we recommend eye examination for children as early as the age of 6 months and annually thereafter.  Eye examinations for children (Under the age of 19) are fully covered by their BC Medical Carecard.  School screenings are not designed to replace a full comprehensive eye examination.  At Avenue Eyecare, we further test how well the eyes work together as a team at tasks such as reading and computer work, as well as assess the health of the eyes.

If your children show of these warning signs, it would be a good idea for an eye examination:

1. Loses place while reading or uses finger to maintain place when reading
2. Avoids close work or struggles to complete homework
3. Tends to rub eyes or excessive blinking
4. Has headaches
5. Turns or tilts head
6. Makes frequent reversals when reading or writing
7. Omits or confuses small words when reading
8. Consistently performs below potential
9. Squints while reading or watching television
10. Holds reading material closer than normal

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s vision, please call our office to schedule an appointment.

Dr. Sherman Tung OD, FAAO drtung@avenueeyecare.com

Quick Update:  Winners for the $50 Futureshop Cards are: Natalie Shum, Derek Jang, Jeffrey Ho, Cornelia Chiu and Gail Tse.  Congratulations!