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Comprehensive Eye Examinations
When I do an eye exam, I refuse to cut corners. We always schedule ample time
so you will never feel rushed. We provide complete eye care for both adults and children.
Our comprehensive eye examinations check your eyes inside and out for glaucoma, cataracts
and all other eye diseases as well as high blood pressure, diabetes and other systemic
diseases. |
Your visual skills and
abilities are carefully evaluated and I pride myself on the accuracy of my eyeglass
prescriptions. In spite of our track record for highly accurate prescriptions, there are
eyes that can be unstable for reasons ranging from medications to illness. In these rare
cases, we will gladly re-examine the patient and remake the glasses.
Technology is rapidly changing the eye care industry. We utilize
the latest in diagnostic equipment and are committed to keeping up with whatever advances
will come next. |
Contact Lenses
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| I have been fitting specialty contact lenses since the
mid-seventies and I have seen some incredible changes in that time. By far the most
exciting changes have occurred in the last few years. Although rigid contact lenses are a
shrinking segment of the industry, we still have a large number of patients who wear them.
The gas-permeable lens materials available today far surpass those available just a few
years ago in terms of eye health and comfort. |
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| The most exciting changes
have been in soft lens materials. Until 1998, all soft lenses were made out of essentially
the same material. That material was developed in 1953 by a Czechosolvakian chemist.
The
new generation of materials promises to provide an option to laser surgery (LASIK) by
dramatically increasing the safety of overnight (extended-wear) soft lenses. New lenses
from Bausch & Lomb and Ciba allow at least 1000% more oxygen to permeate the lens to
maintain corneal health than their predecessors. The new lenses also stay much wetter and
cleaner and reduce the risk of infection compared to older soft lenses.
Other new soft lens materials are geared more toward solving
problems such as dry eyes than extended wear. A significant number of women have dry eyes
due to hormonal changes. Typically they can wear contacts effortlessly until some point in
their twenties or thirties when discomfort and dryness force them to curtail or
discontinue contact lens wear. Refitting their contact lenses has been futile until now
because all the lens materials were essentially the same. Two of our new lenses, Proclear
and Ciba Dailies are made from brand new materials, which have significantly improved the
comfort of patients with dry eyes.
Allergies can be particularly annoying to contact lens
wearers. In the past many people had to quit wearing their lenses for a month or two
during the allergy season. New lens materials and allergy medications have made it
possible for these people to eliminate itchy eyes. These medications such as Patanol and
Alocryl are amazingly effective and safe even in children as young as three. |
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LASIK Surgery Co-Management
I have been involved with LASIK co-management since 1996. I believe that
as an Optometric Physician I am uniquely qualified to help patients who are considering
LASIK. |
| Since I am not a surgeon, my
only goals are to help my patients make an informed decision, get their eyes ready for
surgery, find them an excellent surgeon and follow the healing process. I have worked with
more than a dozen LASIK surgeons over the last five years and have narrowed the list I
would recommend, down to just a few. In my experience, LASIK can be a very effective
procedure in the hands of a good surgeon as long as there has been good pre-operative
care. The worst results I have seen have been from "cut-rate" Canadian clinics
and surgeons who provide all of the pre and post-operative care in-house.
When we co-manage LASIK surgery, the pre-operative period often
lasts several months. During this time we need to rehabilitate and stabilize the cornea,
especially for rigid contact lens wearers. We will map the corneal topography with a
sophisticated computerized instrument that measures the elevation of 8,000 points on the
corneal surface. Once these maps are consistent for one month, we know the cornea has
stabilized sufficiently for LASIK. We may need to try several contact lens power
combinations during the pre-op period in order to simulate different post-LASIK results.
This is particularly important when patients are over the age of forty due to the
inevitable age-related loss of focusing power known as presbyopia. |
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