Congratulations to Julie for recently earning her Canadian Optometric Assistant certification. She joins Lisa, Cheryl and Jody who are Certified Canadian Optometric Assistants. Pictured from left to right are Jody, Cheryl, Lisa, Tracy, Julie, Morgan and Kaytiee.
Morgan is the most recent member of our optometric team. She is a recent graduate from the Georgian College Opticianry program and will be writing her national examinations later this year.
It is obvious that Morgan enjoys her work and she brings with her a high level of enthusiasm and expertise. You will likely meet her during specialized testing or helping you in the frame gallery.
New technology has brought about several remarkable transformations in the way we provide eye care since we began our practice in 1979. Equipment has been introduced over time which has allowed us to diagnose eye conditions with greater accuracy and at much earlier stages than ever before. Utilizing these new technologies allows you to receive more complex and comprehensive care with the aim of maintaining good eye health and vision. In keeping with our mission to provide the best care possible for our community, you will be introduced to an exciting new diagnostic instrument during your next visit to our office.
Ultrawide field imaging is a new technology designed to better assess the health of the entire retina in patients of all ages. Macular disorders, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal holes or tears, peripheral retinal degeneration, retinal detachments, retinal tumours, vascular disorders, glaucoma, and hypertensive retinopathy are some of the conditions that can affect the eye, often without pain or visual symptoms. Children are not exempt from having retinal disease and require a thorough examination too.
Previously, the examination of the retina was best performed by direct examination with ophthalmoscopes and retinal photographs, often through dilated pupils. These techniques allowed a detailed view of a small part of the retina at a time, akin to examining a dark room with a flashlight. These techniques will not be abandoned and are still required for assessment in many situations.
The company Optos, has developed an instrument, Daytona Optomap, that uses scanning lasers of 2 different wavelengths to rapidly generate a detailed view of 80+% of the entire retina, far more area than any previous instrument. The procedure is painless and easy for the patient and may lessen the frequency of pupil dilating drops. The doctors are able to immediately view the various images generated during the examination.
Eyemaginations has produced a short video describing ultrawidefield imaging and the Optomap instrument that you can view here.
As doctors and optometric personnel charged with the responsibility of providing you the best in eye care, we are excited to offer you this new service and to answer any questions you may have about it.
The warm March sun on the snow covered ground, although welcome, can seem a little too bright! With the changing season I find myself reaching for my prescription sunglasses on many occasions and for a variety of activities.
We choose tinted lenses for at least five reasons: comfort, vision enhancement, fashion, concealment and protection. It can be uncomfortable driving into the rising sun on our way to work in the morning. The golf ball can get completely lost against the sky. Sunglasses can equal “cool” or “hot”. Some tired eyes do better with shades. And the sun’s ultraviolet radiation (UV) and short wavelength blue light (SWBL) can damage eye structures with prolonged exposure.
So how do I choose which tinted lenses are best for me? And what if I wear prescription glasses?
Generally sunglasses tend to be bigger than prescription glasses, providing more coverage of the eye area. This allows a wide field of vision and lets in less peripheral light that can cause glare. Most good sunglasses provide UV protection but not all offer SWBL protection. Other important considerations are impact resistance, scratch resistance, back surface anti-reflection coating to reduce glare and lens optical designs to reduce distortion from the curvature of the lens.
And then there is the myriad of colours! Consider yellow, amber, rose or brown lenses if you want to improve contrast. They work well in activities such as golf, cycling, skiing, running, hunting and driving in “flat” light conditions but do distort colours. Green also helps to improve contrast in tennis, baseball and golf while reducing some blue light. Gray is the best tint for reducing overall light while allowing colours to remain true. And a dark tint is great on a very bright day but not so good when the light levels drop. It is very helpful to see and test the tints of which our office has many samples.
Should sunglasses be polarized? Polarization selectively reduces light reflecting of flat smooth surfaces such as water, asphalt, vehicles surfaces, etc. Polarized lenses can be great for boating, fishing, cycling and driving.
Photochromic lenses lighten and darken in response to light level, particularly UV levels. Convenience is their main benefit. Photochromic lenses darken quickly when exposed to bright light, they are a little slower to clear and they only darken a little behind a windshield or glass. They have good UV protection like other sunglasses. Available colours are gray, brown and green.
Prescription sunglasses are great for those who require corrective lenses. Clip-on sunglasses or fit-over sunglasses can be a less expensive option.
So how best to decide? Of the five reasons highlighted in the second paragraph, which reasons are most important to you? Be prepared to discuss this when you speak to our knowledgeable staff and they will help you find your perfect shades.