MyBayCity Readers Have Questions
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In this installment, I will address a few of the questions I've received over the past several weeks.
My child doesn't like to wear his glasses. Are there other options?
First, review with your child the importance of following through with the doctor's recommendations - healthy eyes, efficient visual system, clear vision. Also mention some of the potential pitfalls of not wearing the glasses, such as unclear vision and the potential for lazy eye to be engrained. Point out that glasses make him special, look good on him, and you know all his friends wished they could have glasses as well.
If these measures don't help, discuss the problem with your child's eye doctor and determine whether contact lenses can be pursued. Contact lenses can usually be fitted to patients of all ages and with all visual conditions, but a high initial level of both motivation and responsibility is important.
If all else fails, just be persistent. Typically this is just a stage that will pass.
My daughter's pediatrician said we should take her to a pediatric ophthalmologist for eye examinations. Is this really necessary?
Usually, no. Unless your daughter's regular eye doctor has recommended a referral or consultation, it is probably not necessary.
This type of triage can be compared to seeing a cardiologist for care of routine hypertension, or seeing an endocrinologist if you have a family history of diabetes.
There are exceptions, though, and I want to avoid making unnecessary generalizations. Depending on the condition, a pediatric ophthalmologist may indeed be the best eyecare professional for your daughter. For conditions such as eye complications related to premature birth, for eye turns that require surgical correction, and for a few other obscure conditions, this would indeed be the most appropriate care.
But remember that most eye turns actually do not need surgical correction (discussed in a previous column). If in doubt, start with your normal family eye doctor.
I wear one contact lens to see close and another to see far. I'm getting frequent headaches working on the computer, which I do approximately 6-8 hours a day. Do you have any suggestions?
For patients in the age range requiring near vision correction, it can be a challenge to adequately correct vision at all distances. Historically, eyecare practitioners would start with contact lenses fit in a monovision setup as described above.
As you can imagine, monovision forces the brain to deal with dissimilar images from the two eyes. The brain responds by ignoring the current "out of focus" image and only attending to the "in-focus" image - from only one eye. Consequently, depth perception is poor.
I am reminded of the lyrics from the song Sunflower Cat (Bruce Hornsby), which are:
- One eye is open, the other eye is shut
- Don't throw anything to me
- I'm in no place, no place to receive
- And I just can't move a thing
The other problem with monovision, besides reduced depth perception, is depth of focus. This means that the near eye is going to undergo some compromise because near vision is not all at one range. Reading is typically done at about 40 cm, and the computer is typically 60-70 cm away. The clearest vision or lens for one range isn't optimal at other ranges.
Fortunately, we now have a good selection of bifocal contact lenses to choose from. Historically, bifocal contact lenses involved a lot of visual compromise and many patients did not adapt. Now, we have lenses whereby patients can have acceptable near vision without compromising their distance vision significantly. We can also provide good vision at multiple ranges, such as computer use and reading.
Bifocal contact lenses result in much improved binocularity and depth perception compared to monovision. Your brain will not be fighting two dissimilar images, and the most likely source of your headaches will be eliminated.
An added bonus is that in the last couple of years, improved technology has allowed bifocal contact lenses to be manufactured in the newest lens materials, including the more wettable and breathable contact lenses. They even can be used in situations in which the patient does not require distance vision correction.
My personal contact lens philosophy places monovision as a last resort. There is no excuse not to start with bifocals these days, and they are available in soft as well as oxygen permeable materials. They are not a panacea for every visual anomaly and do have some limitations, but other modalities do as well. Don't wait to ask your eye doctor about bifocal contact lenses!
As always, please email me with any questions or concerns at drnewton@newtoneyecarecenter.com. I look forward to your comments!
I invite your questions and feedback
Or Contact Dr. Lee Newton at:
3720 E. Wilder Road, Bay City, MI
(989) 667-9393
3720 E. Wilder Road, Bay City, MI
(989) 667-9393
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Dr. Lee Newton, Eye Care |
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