Children's Vision

A Free 3 year old Vision Assessment

Some parents wonder when it is necessary to start getting their children's vision tested. Our recommendation is, unless if you notice something or are referred by their pediatrician you should start when they are three years old. According to the Eye Care Council, warning signs might be rubbing their eyes, avoiding close-up work, or squinting. You can check out the link to the Eye Care Council's web-site at the end of the page for more information. If your child is under three years old and you do notice some of these warning signs we recommend you look for an optometrist or opthalmologist who specializes in children's vision. If your child is three years old or older - read on!

If your child is 3-years-old, what do you do?

You can bring them to our office for a See to Learn vision assessment. The vision assessment is free of charge. In this assessment the doctor will see if your child might have a vision problem. If the doctor does decide that your child does need a full vision exam we would be more than happy to schedule that for you and your child and assit you in picking out appropriate glasses if necessary. Generally this exam requires dilation to determine an acurate prescription. We generally do not do the puff of air test of 3-year-olds, but we do show them what it does so they are more comfortable with it in the future. The full exam and the glasses could be billed to your insurance or you could use the Essilor Jr lenses which give children the strong lenses they need at an affordable price.

If your child is older than 3-years-old, what do you do?

You can still bring them in for a full exam. We will do all the same tests we would with an adult, so this would include the puff of air test. We could bill your exam to any applicable insurance or give you a 20% discount if you do not have insurance. Also, any child 18 or under is eligible for the more budget friendly Essilor Jr lenses if you do not have vision insurance.

What do we do after their first exam?

We recommend that every person, especially children come in yearly for an eye exam. Often time a prescription will change as a child grows, therfore theirs will change more frequently than most adults.

What about glasses?

Once they have their glasses you may stop in any time for an adjustment and children usually need them frequently because they are constantly moving and touching their faces. We put all children into polycarbonate lenses. These lenses are lightweight, thinner, and most importantly they are the most impact resistant, giving the best protection to your little one's eyes. These polycarbonate lenses have a one time replacement in a year if they are scratched or broken.

What does my child need on their glasses?

Scratch Protection

We always recommend scratch protection for children. From our experience children scratch their lenses very frequently and the scratches prevent them from having crisp, clear vision. This scratch protection goes on both the front and back side of the lenses for double protection and it warranties the lenses to be replaced as many times as necessary in a year.

AntiReflective

We also recommend antireflective coating which reduces glare when your child is reading from a white page, or off of a white board. It makes vision crisp, clear, and reduces eye strain which makes vision more comfortable. The antireflective coating includes scratch protection and it warranties the lenses for two years for unlimited replacement. It is also discounted in a lens package with Essilor Jr lenses.

Transitions

Finally, we always recommend sun protection for everybody. Usually a pair of glasses and sunglasses are a lot for a child to keep track of so we recommend Transitions lenses which are also disounted in the Essilor Jr lens package. These lenses turn dark and provide 100% UV protection when exposed to sunlight and they lighten when not exposed to sunlight.

***Bring your child in anytime before the end of August to color an Essilor Jr coloring sheet and enter to win an Essilor Jr back pack with a some games and school supplies. No purchase necessary to enter.***

For more information about the Eye Care Council or See to Learn:
http://www.seetolearn.com/

For more information about Essilor JR:
http://www.essilorjunior.com/

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Learn more about us on our web-site:
http://www.visionsource-clarityeyecare.com/

Avaira Contacts: Back on the Market

Last year the Avaira contacts were recalled "due to the level of a residue on certain Avaira lenses." This residue caused "hazy" vision and eye pain. Although it did not affect all Avaira lenses the recall was still for all Avairas and they were not selling them for months. This caused some confusion for quite some time for both us and our patients.

Fortunately, after waiting patiently they have been released onto the market again. This is great news for our patients who loved the fit, feel, vision with the Avaira lenses and who preferred a two-week disposable lens to a monthly disposable lens.

What does this mean for our previous Avaira wearers?

When you come in for your next annual exam we will be able to put you back in the lenses you love, the Avaira brand lenses.

For more information about Avaira lenses:
http://coopervision.com/node/172

For more information about the Avaira recall:
http://coopervision.com/node/551

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https://www.facebook.com/ClarityEyeCareOmaha

Learn more about us on our web-site:
http://visionsource-clarityeyecare.com/

Protect your Eyes this Summer

Jimmy Crystal Sunglasses

            Summer is when people start thinking about sunglasses and rightfully so. The sun seems to be blazing through our windshields with twice the power it normally seems to. The question becomes, are you doing everything you need to to protect your eyes from the harmful rays of the sun? The dangers of tanning are hot in the news now, but it is always a popular topic in the eyecare world. Just like slathering your kids with sunscreen before they go in the sun, everybody's eyes also need protection from the sun.

Think about sunglasses as sunscreen for your eyes because they are not immune to the sun's harmful rays.

What can happen if eyes go unprotected?

            According to the American Optometric Association, if your eyes go unprotected and are exposed to the suns rays it can lead to macular degeneration, cataracts, or even skin disease on the sensitive skin around the eyes. Other less serious conditions could be growths on the eyes or even sunburn. These could cause redness, irritation, tearing, decreased vision, or in extreme cases even blindness.


Oakley's Fuel Cell made from Recycled Materials

What can you do to protect your eyes?

1. It is recommended that everytime you are exposed to the sun you wear some form of sunprotection such as sunglasses, clip-on sunglasses, or Transitions lenses. This is recommended whether the sun is at full strength or even if it is a cloudy day.

2. When choosing sunglasses make sure to choose a pair that provides 100% UV protection. If you choose sunglasses that do not provide adequate protection it could be worse than not wearing anything at all. This is because the tint on the lenses cause your eyes to dilate and let more into your eyes, but the lenses are not blocking any UV.

3. Sun protection is not just for adults also consider getting sunglasses, sports glasses, or transitions for children. Just like with skin damage, most sun damage to the eyes happens before the age of 18.

4. Wear sunglasses all year round. If you pick up a pair of polarized sunglasses which greatly reduce glare it will make driving in snow much more comfortable.

5. Choose sunglasses with grey lenses. They make color vision more natural than amber or brown lenses.

Information provided by:

http://www.aoa.org/x15026.xml

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Welcome to our Blog!

Welcome to Clarity Eye Care's Blog! What makes this different from our web-site or our Facebook page? The blog will contain in depth optical information and office information where as our Facebook contains quick captions, anecdotes, funny videos, and pictures. It is updated daily during the week. Our web-site has office information and is not updated frequently. Each site offers valuable information to it's patrons as will our blog. We look forward to interacting with our patients in this new way!

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