Vision Therapy

We provide special eye exercises for increasing eye stamina and visual comfort while reading. This increases reading speed and comprehension. This helps prevent increases in nearsightedness and thicker lenses. These exercises can also help patients who have been in accidents or have suffered a stroke.

On-line computer vision therapy:
Did you know you that we participate in the Gemstone project? Spearheaded by the University of California to help children with learning disorders, this project helps solve developmental vision problems. Research indicates that when children with reading and learning problems have used this program in conjunction with specific vision therapy programmed for your child, they gain an average of four grade levels after 4 months of therapy and regular schooling. Vision therapy enhances your child’s visual stamina for paying attention, and for better and more efficient tracking so that your child doesn’t have to re-read over and over. Result? Your child has clearer vision so reading becomes fun!

Computer Vision Syndrome

Using spreadsheets, Facebook, Twitter and emails may be making our lives easier, but what other impact is sitting in front of a computer screen having on our sight?

Between the office and home it’s almost impossible to avoid sitting in front of a computer these days, and with all the benefits that computers bring us, there are a few drawbacks when it comes to our health.

Aside from encouraging poor posture, staring into a screen can cause Computer Vision Syndrome, or CVS.
CVS is common and occurs as our eyes struggle to focus accurately on computer-generated characters. On screen these characters appear brightest in the center and diminish in luminance at the edges. As our eyes try to maintain focus the continuous flexing of the focusing muscles of the eyes creates fatigue and burning.
CVS can be combated by wearing spectacles that are specifically designed for computer use, and those that differ slightly from your regular glasses. Just in the way that you wouldn’t wear stilettos to go jogging, your eyes require a separate pair of glasses specifically for reading off a computer screen. Simply think of the computer spectacles as running shoes for your eyes to keep them in good shape.
The Eye Practice is ready to answer any questions you may have on CVS and can accurately prescribe the right pair of computer spectacles for your needs.

Low Vision Services

Low vision describes a number of conditions whose results range from legal blindness to a level of visual impairment that cannot be satisfactorily corrected with conventional prescription lenses. Those who suffer from eye diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy know how frustrating it can be to perform daily tasks such as looking over their bills, reading the newspaper or seeing their food on a plate. Our doctors are trained to provide low vision evaluations to patients who suffer from vision loss.

Many local optometrists, ophthalmologists and retinal specialists refer and entrust their patients to us for low vision care. Because these patients have many special needs, we set aside two full exam slots to evaluate them. Thus, we have ample time to perform a thorough evaluation of their vision and visual needs without making the patient feel rushed. And because every patient has visual needs and vision loss that is specific to them, we do not have a technician demonstrate the optical aids. Instead, after a thorough evaluation, our low vision doctor will determine the precise magnification and device that will benefit that particular patient. Our office carries many low vision aids ranging from hand-held magnifiers to closed-circuit televisions. Our patients have benefited greatly from being fitted with low vision aids. Many of them find that they are able to look over their own bills, read letters, or recognize faces from across a room.

Digital Retinal Screening

The health of your eyes is the most important component of your eye exam at Vision Care Specialists.  We are proud to offer Digital Retinal Screening in which a high-resolution digital photograph is taken of the back interior portion of your eye called the retina.  In most cases, the color photograph can be taken without dilating your pupils.  The image produced shows the optic nerve, blood vessels, nerve fibre layer and the macula which is the most sensitive part of the retina and is responsible for the most clear and detailed vision you have.  The screening can show abnormalities that may threaten normal vision.  It also provides invaluable baseline information to assist your doctor in determining if any changes in the health of your eye have ocurred from one exam to the next. 

The digital photographs become part of your permanent record so that your doctor can closely monitor even the slightest progression of any abnormalities.  You will be given the opportunity to see the images and get a thorough explanation of the photographs at the time of your screening.  You may even request a full color print at the time of your visit.

Comprehensive Eye Examinations

Eye doctors use a wide variety of tests and procedures to examine your eyes. These tests range from simple ones, like having you read an eye chart, to complex tests, such as using a high-powered lens to visualize the tiny structures inside of your eyes. Regardless, when you have an eye exam, it will usually take anywhere from half an hour to an hour or more, depending on the doctor, his or her caseload and the number and complexity of tests required for your eyes.
Here are the basic tests that you are likely to encounter during a routine eye exam
(your doctor also has dozens of less routine ones at his or her disposal):

• Retinoscopy

• Refraction

• Autorefractors and aberrometers

• Cover test

• Slit-lamp examination

• Glaucoma test (tonometer)

• Visual field testing