Complete EyeCare Center

The New York Times Health page featured an article about 9-year-old Raea Gragg a few years ago. Unfortunately her story is not uncommon. A child has a vision problem that goes undetected for years. In the meantime that child is labeled and treated for a learning disability or behavioral disorder.

Many well-intentioned professionals are unaware that some visual disorders share several common symptoms with ADHD and ADD, and that can lead to a misdiagnosis, perhaps even unnecessary medication.  Journalist Laura Novak writes, ”Doctors and teachers often attribute the behavior to attention disorders or seek other medical explanations. Mrs. Gragg said her pediatrician had never heard of convergence insufficiency.” Read the full article here: Not Autistic or Hyperactive. Just Seeing Double at Times

Complete EyeCare Center’s Optometrist, Dr. Olson, has the education and commitment to evaluate the visual system beyond the simple abilityto read an eye chart.  A child like Raea may be able to read the chart’s 20/20 line and still have a vision problem. Perhaps her struggles could have been avoided if a trained InfantSee optometrist had seen Raea before age 1 and had performed a visual assessment at age 3, as recommended by the American Optometric Association.  It is possible her convergence insufficiency could have been detected and treated before she began to experience symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, irritability, low self-esteem, inability to concentrate, aversion to reading, and difficulties in school.

Before you turn to medication, before you send your child to school, please ensure that your child doesn’t have a vision problem. We want to make it easy for parents to give their children a good start in life and follow the AOA guidelines for vision evaluation.  Dr. Olson participates in the InfantSee program providing free assessments for 6-12 month olds.  He has also developed his own free assessment program for children age 3, available exclusively at Complete EyeCare Center, called “See at 3!™”  If there is a child in your life age 6-12 months or age 3 we encourage you to give them every chance to succeed–including the assurance from Dr. Olson that they are seeing well, with both eyes working together properly.

Complete EyeCare Center will donate $5 to Optometry Giving Sight for each facebook  check-in during October (our goal is $500.)  This is one way we’re participating in the World Sight Day Challenge.

Clear vision can be life-changing for those with limited access to eyecare.

$5 can provide an exam & pair of glasses to someone in a developing country, and that can transform the life of a child or adult living without access to basic eye care.  Optometry Giving Sight has numerous stories of how eyecare can change a life–from an adult who was able to work for the first time, to a boy from the school for the blind who is now succeeding in regular school–all because they had correctable but previously untreated vision conditions.

Just stop in our office and use your mobile phone’s facebook app to “check in” and claim the deal!  There’s no cost to you.  If fact, we’ll have a small gift for you when you do.

You can also donate $5 to Optometry Giving Sight yourself by clicking here!

(Our facebook page is facebook.com/completeeye)

Are you compromising your active lifestyle because of your current contact lenses?  Have you been told you couldn’t wear contacts?  It’s time to take another look!

Regular soft contact lenses are not designed to correct astigmatism.  If you have astigmatism and wear them you’ve been  experiencing blurry, inconsistent vision–definitely a source of frustration and compromised performance during daily activities.

What about soft toric lenses?  They are designed to correct astigmatism but can rotate on your eye, causing blurry vision that goes in-and-out of focus; especially at night.   Here’s another issue.  They are meant to stay aligned when your head is in a vertical position–like standing. But if you lie down, recline, or tilt your head, your vision can blur.  Think of all the activities you do where this is the case.  How would that work on the putting green?  Watching TV?  Even looking down to read something on your desk?

Some active people have given up altogether on the possibility that they can successfully wear contacts and are resigned to wearing glasses fulltime.  They can be cumbersome during sports and many physical activities. 

Dr. Olson wants to provide you with dependable, crisp, high-definition vision and all-day comfort no matter what life demands. He has the expertise and access to prescribe a cutting edge hybrid lens that eliminates many problems people have had with previous contact lenses!   

*If it’s been more than a year since your last eye exam, you’ll need one prior to your contact lens fitting.

Dr. Olson has used new Duette hybrid lenses to successfully fit people who thought they could never wear contacts!

According to World Health Organization estimates:

• 80% of all visual impairment can be prevented, treated or cured
• Top causes of visual impairment: refractive errors, cataracts and glaucoma
• Top causes of blindness: cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration
• About 285 million people are visually impaired worldwide: 39 million are blind and 246 million have low vision

When was your last eye exam?  Your child’s?

Learn more Vision 2020 Global Facts the World Health Organization has identified.

3D is making a comeback.  You’ve seen it in movies and heard about it for television.  This March, Nintendo will even introduce a 3D handheld gaming device.  Nintendo will be recommending that children under 6 should not use the device in 3D mode. Why?

If you have trouble perceiving 3D images tell your eye doctor.

Allaboutvision.com thinks the company is likely being cautious because of a lack of research on the effects of long-term 3D viewing on young children’s vision development.  This may be a wise precautionary choice for parents, however the American Optometric Association (AOA) recently released a statement saying it is safe if the child’s visual system is developing normally.  The AOA went on to suggest 3D viewing of movies, TV and the Nintendo 3DS may actually help diagnose subtle vision disorders, like convergence insufficiency, that should be corrected. 

Some people have difficulty aligning their eyes to focus properly, or converging.  It is a vision disorder that often goes undetected.  Interestingly, this insufficiency can be especially noticeable during a 3D viewing experience.  If you or your child has difficulty perceiving the 3D effect, experiences discomfort, or gets dizzy, you should tell Dr. Olson.  An AOA survey suggests that as much as 25% of the population may have difficulty with 3D content, experiencing what is now being called “3D Vision Syndrome.”  Treatment is available, so don’t hesitate to call and schedule an eye health & vision exam.

Having visited our practice you know that we care about our patients and about protecting your vision.  We are also concerned about people around the world who lack access to vision care. Because of this, Complete EyeCare Center is participating in the World Sight Day Challenge.

The World Sight Day Challenge is a campaign coordinated by Optometry Giving Sight to raise funds for projects that provide vision care, local training and infrastructure support for people who are blind or vision impaired due to uncorrected refractive error – simply the need for an eye exam and a pair of glasses.

Our practice will raise funds for the World Sight Day Challenge by matching the first $500 donated to this cause throughout the month of October.

Please join us in helping to give sight to people in need by making a donation of any amount.  It’s easy to do.  Just stop in our office, or donate online by clicking here.  Sponsor Us

Together we can help transform lives. Here’s just one example:

Nlando was helped by Optometry Giving Sight

9 year old Nlando lives in a township in South Africa where the average family income is just $7 per day. Nlando struggled to see clearly until she received an eye exam and pair of glasses thanks to the support of  Optometry Giving Sight. Having new glasses will enable her to learn at school.  Because education can lead to freeedom from poverty, her future is likely to be much brighter.

Find out more about Optometry Giving Sight’s World Sight Day Challenge at www.givingsight.org.  (You can see a video of a young man who had spent years in a school for the blind, and is now studying engineering in a regular school because his vision problem was corrected by a pair of glasses!)

A 3-story eyeball sculpture is coming to Chicago's Loop in July 2010!

For a CNN story on this unusual piece of public art click here.  Need we say more?

Has your child had a comprehensive eye exam?

Does your child…

…have a short attention span?

…find it hard to concentrate on reading?

…get headaches or blurred vision when using the computer?

…avoid homework?

…tire easily when reading?

…suffer eyestrain?

…get car sick?

…get labeled as an “underachiever”?

The answers to these questions may indicate the need not only for vision correction in the form of eyeglasses or contacts, but the need for improved  visual skills such as eye teaming, convergence, fixation, accommodation, or tracking.  So much of learning is done visually, so a vision impairment can directly affect a child’s behavior and academic success.

Dr. Olson evaluates vision, eye health, and visual skills during a comprehensive eye exam.  If he finds visual skill deficiency, vision therapy may help the patient with vision-related problems affecting learning.

Our office offers an in-home vision therapy program from HTS.  After receiving instruction on how to use the program, parents have their child use their home computer to do therapy “games” approximately 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week.  After 2-3 months they return for the doctor to review the results.  This is often a sufficient amount of time to retrain the eye muscles to work properly.

We have heard success stories from many of our vision therapy patients.  For more information, learn why 20/20 vision isn’t enough at the HTS website or call Complete EyeCare Center at 319.395.9534 for an appointment with Dr. Olson.

It’s a question we’ll be glad to help you answer.  Dr. Olson can evaluate whether you are a good candidate for LASIK* vision correcting surgery, and will make a referral to an experienced, trusted surgeon.  We provide the pre-operative and post-operative LASIK care right in our office.  So this is a great place to start if you have been thinking about surgical vision correction and are wondering where to turn for reliable information.

Dr. Olson will begin your evaluation with a comprehensive eye examination, including dilation.  Accurate measurements of your visual needs will be obtained.  We will perform corneal topography to map the corneal surface of your eye.  This allows Dr. Olson to determine if there are any corneal defects that could affect the success of LASIK, and provides information for the surgeon.  He’ll also measure the thickness of your corneas and pupil sizes.  You will be examined for cataracts, glaucoma, retinal disease, as well as corneal and macular health.

A decision of this importance should be made in consultation with your eye doctor, not by price shopping, because your vision is precious!  By providing post-operative care for many years, Dr. Olson has seen the results of numerous surgeries first-hand and has talked with patients about their experiences with various clinics and doctors.  This gives him insight for future referrals and a perspective from which his patients can benefit.  Surgical vision correction has become a precise and reliable alternative, when it is done by an experienced doctor with the best technology available.  That’s why we work closely with eye clinics such as Wolfe Eye Clinic and TLC Laser Eye Centers to increase the likelihood that you will have a positive surgical outcome.

So if you’ve wondered, “Should I consider LASIK?” call for a consultation today and please mention that you are interested in a LASIK evaluation.  We can be reached at 319-385-9534.

* LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis

Many eye problems can develop without you knowing.  You may not even notice any change in your eyesight.  But, diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, retinal tears or detachments, and other health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure can be seen with a thorough exam of the retina.  Until the optomap®, the only way to evaluate the retina for these abnormalities was to dilate the eyes–which can be time consuming and uncomfortable.  Now a wide retinal image can be captured quickly and painlessly.  Convenient for patients, while providing critical eye health information–that’s why we were the first in Iowa to introduce the technology! That’s also why optomap® technology was featured on an episode of the popular TV show “The Doctors.” (You can see the TV clip by clicking here.)

An optomap® Retinal Exam provides:

• A scan to show a healthy eye or detect disease.
• A view of the retina, giving Dr. Olson a more detailed view than he can get by other means.
• The opportunity for you to view and discuss the optomap® image of your eye with Dr. Olson at the time of your exam.
• A permanent record for your file, which allows the doctor to view your images each year to look for changes.

The optomap® Retinal Exam is fast, easy, and comfortable for all ages.  To have the exam, you simply look into the device one eye at a time and you will see a comfortable flash of light to let you know the image of your retina has been taken.  Your optomap® is immediately captured so Dr. Olson can evaluate and review it with you on a computer screen during your exam.  Click here to see a video demonstration of the optomap experience.

Please schedule your annual optomap® Retinal Exam today by calling our office at  319.385.9534 .

You’ve broken out the new calendar, or at least turned the page to a new year.  Are you wondering where 2008 went?  None of us seems immune to this syndrome, perhaps a sign of the busyness of our culture.  So, it should come as no surprise that you’ve probably underestimated how long it’s been since your last eye exam.

Not all people need a comprehensive eye health exam every year.  Every two years can be adequate for people who are not considered “at risk”.  Having said that, children and students may need more frequent care since their eyes are growing and changing quite rapidly.  That’s why it’s important for parents and teachers be educated to recognize signs of vision problems in children.

So who needs to been seen at least annually?  Those over age 60, contact lens wearers, anyone who has had eye surgery, people who take prescription or non-prescription drugs that can have ocular side effects, diabetics, anyone with high blood pressure, those who have a family history of ocular disease (such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, etc.), those who work in occupations that are visually demanding or with eye hazards, children with a high refractive error, an eye turn, or eyes with unequal refractive power,  children born prematurely, with low weight, or through difficult or assisted labor, children who received oxygen as newborns, children with family history of certain diseases, and people with other health concerns or conditions.  (Keep in mind this is not an exhaustive list, and some conditions require more frequent monitoring.)

After examining and talking with you, Dr. Olson will make a recommendation about how long it should be until you have your next eye health exam.  Our first concern is your health, so we help you keep on track with convenient scheduling and reminders tailor-made to your situation.  But we won’t be surprised if your response is, “Has it really been a year?”

The colored part of your eye, called the iris, is what controls the amount of light that is allowed to enter the eye.  When your eyes dilate, the iris retracts and the central opening, or pupil, enlarges, letting more light in.  This automatically occurs when you are in darkness, and to a limited degree, when you are relaxed and happy.  Eye doctors can also provoke this response with dilation drops to get a wider view of the eye’s interior features.

Eye color is primarily determined by melanin within the iris stroma.  Interestingly, just as the ultraviolet component of sunlight triggers melanin production in the skin, it can affect the iris’s melanin content and cause subtle eye color changes.  Melanin is absent in the iris of a person with albinism so the iris may appear pink as blood vessels in the back of the eye are reflected through it.

Some clinical studies have examined the relationship between iris color, race, and age-related macular degeneration.  There seems to be a higher prevalence of the disease in people with light-colored eyes and skin.   Sunglasses with UV protection are highly recommended for everyone, but especially for those who fall into this potential risk group.

If you have  green eyes, you are a rare breed.  Statistically, green eyes are found in only 1 to 2 percent of all people. Brown eyes are by far the most common eye color.  More than 50% of the population shares that trait.  Brown is followed by hazel–a blend of brown and green or amber.  Blue eyes are significantly less common than either brown or hazel, yet it is predominant in certain geographic areas.

Your eye color may have been different when you were born.  Some Caucasian newborns have blue eyes that change as melanin production increases during the first year of life.  Eye color often stabilizes by the time an infant is 6 months old.  By the age of 3, the eyes produce and store enough melanin for the color to be fully established.

If you are not completely satisfied with the color of your eyes, there are now contact lens products that can enhance or even change them.  Most enhancement tints have transparency so they work best on light-colored eyes.  Opaque lenses allow even those with dark eyes to have a new look.  A wide variety of both types are available in our office.  (Call 319.385.9534 to schedule contact lens exam.)

Theatrical contact lenses are typically opaque and create special iris effects such as the appearance of a cat-eye shaped iris, or a white iris.  These are often popular with people wanting a dramatic costume effect for Halloween.  Watch for an upcoming post with more information about these lenses.

Video magnifiers utilizing closed circuit television are a wonderful aid to people with low vision, but because of their large size they aren’t portable.  One unique product, the “Jordy”, can be worn like glasses for portable use, and can also be placed in a stand at home or work and used with any monitor.  This flexibility means you can read, write, or see no matter where you are.

“Jordy Glasses” Video Demonstration

Jordy contains a small, high-resolution camera that magnifies up to 30 times.  Jordy’s auto-focus feature allows you to follow an object in motion–near, far or in-between.  In the optional stand, it can provide 50x magnification.

“Jordy Glasses” product brochure

“Jordy Glasses” are available for purchase at Complete EyeCare Center, along with other Enhanced Vision products including Merlin, Max, Nemo and Amigo.  You can try them for yourself in our Mt. Pleasant, Iowa office.  Dr. Olson is pleased to offer patients this advanced low vision technology.  To learn more about Jordy and other low vision products, call our office today at 319.385.9534.

Ever wished you didn’t have to wear glasses or contacts, but find the idea of refractive surgery a bit drastic or expensive?  People who would like all the advantages of not wearing glasses or contacts during the day, but are reluctant to have refractive surgery (such as Lasik) are finding a solution with CRT at Complete EyeCare Center.

CRT stands for Corneal Refractive Therapy.  With CRT the cornea, or outer surface of the eye, is reshaped each night using a specially designed rigid contact lens while you sleep.  The lenses are removed in the morning and your vision is corrected!  This means you don’t have to wear glasses or contact lenses during the day. 

Among people who benefit from wearing CRT lenses while they sleep, are those who have dry eyes, because they do not have to wear traditional contact lenses that can contribute to dryness during waking hours.  Those who work in dusty conditions or with fumes don’t have to worry about problems with contact lens irritation.  Anyone who enjoys swimming or exercising and would love to work out without their glasses, yet still see clearly, would benefit as well.  Emergency workers and others who face situations where they would be handicapped if their glasses were knocked off or contacts were dislodged, also appreciate freedom from typical corrective lenses. 

Another benefit to consider is that CRT is reversible, so when near vision begins to change in your 40s, the correction can be adjusted.  For Lasik patients these vision changes can mean that reading glasses are now necessary, but it’s possible that they could be avoided by a CRT patient using monovision. 

Anyone who finds the idea of freedom from traditional vision correction appealing, or has thought about Lasik, should consider the benefits of CRT.  Dr. Olson is only eye doctor in the Mt. Pleasant area to offer CRT.  Call his office, Complete EyeCare Center at 319.385.9534, for an eye health exam and he will help you determine if CRT is a good option for you.

Amidst the sighs of children, the back-to-school messages have begun.  When you begin thinking about school supplies and sports physicals, don’t forget to make sure your children’s eyes are healthy.  During a child’s first 12 years, approximately 80 percent of all learning comes through vision!

Dr. Olson wants your children to have a positive experience at school, just as you do. One of the best things a parent can do is to schedule an eye exam that includes an optomap® Retinal Exam before schools starts to ensure your child is ready for the school year.

Complete EyeCare Center offers the optomap® Retinal Exam as part of a comprehensive eye exam to patients of all ages because it is important that everyone to have their retina checked regularly.  The majority of eye health problems arise without you knowing.  Even patients that report that they can see just fine and have no complaints can not be assured they are healthy.  Dr. Olson has found undetected conditions including retinal holes, early macular degeneration, even brain tumors, in such symptom-free patients.  The optomap® allows Dr. Olson to get an ultra-widefield view of the retina in a fast, painless, and comfortable way–appealing to children and adults alike.

Undetected or untreated vision problems can hinder a child’s ability to reach their full potential.  Numerous studies have found a direct link between vision and children’s learning, behavior, and school performance. At least 10 to 15 percent – or 8 to 12 million – children have undetected vision impairments. Yet most of these conditions can be easily treated by Dr. Olson.

Help ensure that an undetected vision problem won’t rob your child of the opportunity to succeed in school.  Call Complete EyeCare Center (319.385.9534) to schedule your child’s eye exam today.  While you’re at it, schedule your own exam too!

Dr. Olson Leads Iowa in Offering Patients iZon Customized Lenses

Until now, there was nothing your eye doctor could do to identify or address tiny imperfections unique to your eyes.  As the first practitioner in Iowa with a Z-View Aberrometer, Dr. Olson is able to detect microscopic abnormalities in the eye and map your unique iPrint.  This means you’ll receive a much more comprehensive prescription–one that can result in vision with enhanced depth perception, contrast, crispness, color perception, and night vision.

To learn more about your unique iPrint, and the benefits of iZon lenses watch this brief video from the iZon website.  Then call Complete EyeCare Center for an appointment with Dr. Olson and see if your a candidate!