We love to take part in local activities, especially when it benefits a good cause.

The Spring Fling is coming April 5th! The benefit is being hosted by the Westchase YMCA, but many West Park Village merchants will be participating. From 10 am to 6 pm, Village stores will be hosting special events and promotions. From 3 to 9 pm, Reeves Import Motorcars will showcase luxury cars near the fountain past West Park Village. And from 7 to 9 pm, the YMCA will host the dinner and silent auction at Bellisimo Ristorante. Featuring live music and a wine tasting, the Spring Fling promises to be loads of fun.

Bright Eyes will be donating a pair of Tiffany & Co. sunglasses for the silent auction. All proceeds from the dinner and auction benefit the YMCA’s 2008 Building Strong Kids Campaign.

If you have questions about the Spring Fling, contact the Westchase YMCA at 792-7838.

Be Well!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care

Many health problems, of both the eyes and body, are related to excess inflammation. Inflammation can be reduced with a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise and proper nutrition.

If you check out 10 Foods to Fight Inflammation, you won’t find anything shocking. Vegetables are good for you and fried foods and hamburgers are not. But it does give a different perspective on what we consume.

Be Well!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care

It may sound like common sense, but a recent study, published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, has shown that glasses can improve the skills of young children.

When I prescribe glasses to adults, my most common goal is to improve clarity of sight. This is true for children as well. But vision is a learned skill and since the majority of this development occurs during the early years, I am also thinking about the overall development of the child when I prescribe glasses.

The recent study examined two groups of low-income pre-schoolers. One group needed glasses to see clearly but didn’t have them. The other group could see clearly without glasses. The groups were essentially the same in every other way.

The study demonstrated two things: First, the children that had been without glasses performed less well on standardized tests of visual-motor integration (eye-hand coordination).  This could be because they couldn’t see well the tests that they were given, or because their development was hampered by poor or uncomfortable vision. (Authors suspect the latter). The study showed that the the level of visual-motor deficit was similar to those who have had nutritional deficits, high lead exposure, and premature birth.

The second (and more exciting finding) of the study was that after wearing the proper glasses for only six weeks, the scores of the poorly performing group improved to match those of the other group. This shows that not only were the glasses improving the clarity of sight for these young children, they were allowing them to catch up to their peers in development.

After I prescribe glasses to young children, parents routinely comment on how much better their child perform. They can often write neater, color within the lines, read faster and demonstrate better comprehension. As a children’s eye doctor, this is always gratifying to hear.

If you have young children, be sure to get their vision evaluated. And although it might seem to be a struggle, if glasses are prescribed for your child, ensure that he or she wears them as directed.

You can read more about the study here. You can also find an abstract of the study here.

Be Well!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care

Macular Degeneration and other types of macular disease are very common, particular in older individuals. Fortunately, it is an exciting time because we are learning more about how these diseases progress and new treatments are being developed.

For people that have macular disease, it is important that they routinely check their vision to see if it has changed or worsened. Most typically, this is done at home with an Amsler Grid.

Dr. Richard Trevino, an Optometrist in Indiana, is currently developing an internet-based technique to monitor macular vision called myvisiontest.com. Not only does the site allow you to test and monitor your macular vision, but there is lots of useful and interesting information.

I recently had an opportunity to discuss My Vision Test with Dr. Trevino:

Dr. B: You have presented professional publications and papers on a variety of subjects during your career. What caused you to become interested in macular function testing?

Dr. Trevino: I have worked at a Veteran’s Administration clinic for the past 11 years, where most of my patients are elderly and macular degeneration is fairly common. Recently, some wonderful new therapies for macular degeneration have become available, making the early detection of choroidal neovascularization more important than ever. I became frustrated at the ineffectiveness of the Amsler grid for home monitoring. I felt there had to be something better. That was my original impetus.

I started researching the topic and encountered a number of technologies that were being investigated experimentally for macular function testing, and which seemed to show promise as an alternative to the Amsler grid for home use.

One technique that I found especially interesting was noise field campimetry. I read research papers that described how people could see their vision defects by staring at television static. I tried this out in our clinic by taking patients with macular degeneration out into the waiting room where we have a television. I would switch to a channel with just static, and ask the patient to tell me what they saw. In many cases they were able to see their defect quite clearly. That lead me to begin adding “monitor vision with television static” to my routine recommendations for patients with AMD.

Although patients could see their vision defects on the television screen, there was no good way for patients to record them for monitoring purposes. That is what lead me to write the computer program. To simulate television static and give people a way to record their defects.

Are you surprised that with the level of personal technology that exists today, the Amsler Grid is still the most common home testing of macular function?

Yes, it was surprising and disappointing to find that there was no good alternative to the Amsler grid. But as I delved more deeply into the topic, I began to recognize the substantial difficulties associated with coming up with a good, affordable home vision test for macular degeneration.

Nonetheless, I strongly believe that it is possible to construct such a test. There are some very smart people working on this problem, and I have been in contact with a few of them. MyVisionTest (MVT) may be the first, but it is definitely not the last word on the subject. Several technologies have been identified as potential candidates for replacing the Amsler grid. Noise field campimetry, the technology that MVT is based upon, is one of them. But more research is sorely needed in this area.

You clearly put a lot of work into MVT . How long have you been developing the site?

It was exactly one year ago, March 2007, that I posted the first version of MVT on the Internet. It has gone through 2 major revisions since that time, and I continue to actively work on it.

In November 2007, I began updating the site daily with news and information about macular degeneration, and information of interest to the low vision community in general. The hope is that this will encourage people to visit the site (and test their vision) more frequently.

One of the biggest problems with any home vision test scheme is getting people to use it regularly. We usually instruct our macular degeneration patients to check their vision daily, and we are lucky if they do it once in a blue moon. I hope that our users, who I believe are Internet-active people, will stop by myvisiontest.com daily as they surf the web to see what’s new, and test their vision while they are there.

Other changes are in the works. I have begun work on a second vision test for macular function testing, one that is not based upon noise field campimetry. Some people have difficulty seeing their vision defects using video static, find the test too complicated, or have problems with the test for other reasons. The new test would be an available as an alternative to the current vision test. I hope to begin beta-testing it within the next few months.

Are you computer savvy enough to do the programming?

Yes. I am a card-carrying computer geek. I have been very actively involved with computers since the mid-1980’s. I began teaching myself computer programming in the early 1990’s, but didn’t really do much with it until 1997, when I started getting involved with computer networking and web site development. Most of my programming experience is related to developing web sites for myself, friends and family, non-profit organizations, and small businesses.

When I decided to develop a vision test for macular degeneration, I consulted some friends that are computer professionals, and asked their advice about the project. But I have done all the programming myself.

Do you have forms of financial support fort or has it primarily been a personal project?

There are Google ads on the site, and I also accept donations to our “Java fund” to help pay the bills. My goal is to have the revenue from ads and donations offset the costs associated with running the site. We got pretty deep in the red last year, and I never expect to make that up. But so far in 2008 we have managed to break even. As long MVT is able to break even financially, then I can continue to offer this service to the public free of charge.

If there was just one thing you’d like all readers to know about macular disease, what would it be?

The single most important thing that I impress upon my patients is that smoking is a major risk factor for the development of macular degeneration. If you or a family member has macular degeneration and you smoke, you are significantly increasing your risk of losing vision to this disease.

Anything else you’d like to add?

This is a very exciting time in the field of macular degeneration research. Almost every day a new research paper is published telling us something new about the disease. There is growing hope that we can understand what causes macular degeneration and discover better treatments or perhaps even a cure for it.

Thanks for your time, Dr. Trevino. Good luck with myvisiontest.com. I’m sure many patients will benefit from the site.

Click here to visit My Vision Test.

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Westchase, Tampa, FL
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Dr. James Jordan is a colleague of mine from Colorado who specializes in corneal reshaping (orthokeratology). He had the opportunity to talk about corneal reshaping on a local television program called Colorado & Company. He brought a patient along to discuss her results.

You can watch the whole video by clicking here. It is short and summarizes many of the benefits of corneal reshaping including the effectiveness and reversibility of the procedure.

If you are interested in finding out more about Precise Corneal Reshaping, or are wondering if you are a candidate, you can read more about it or call our office.

Be Well!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Westchase, Tampa, FL
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Just a reminder.

Whether looking at an eclipse for images of the Virgin Mary, or any other reason, it is dangerous to look directly at the sun. Temporary eye pain and permanent vision loss can result. Even sunglasses are not sufficient, unless they are a very particular type. Ask your eye doctor for more information about this if you need it.

You can read a recent story about the potential effects of looking at the sun here.

Be Well!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care

It is well known, and intuitive, that children and adults with strabismus (crossed or wandering eyes) have greater difficulty with self image and social situations than people with straight eyes. This is partially cosmetic and partially due to self-awareness that something is “wrong” with their vision. To assist people with strabismus, there are many resources including online support groups and a blog.

A related but different condition is amblyopia (lazy eye), that occurs when the vision doesn’t develop normally in one or both eyes and vision is not clear even with the best glasses or contacts. You can’t tell a person has amblyopia by looking at them – an eye doctor has to diagnosis it. There are also online support groups for amblyopia.

Research indicates that people with amblyopia are as likely to have social issues as those with strabismus, even though there is no cosmetic concern. The study found that “a significant number of patients felt that amblyopia interfered with school (52%) and work (48%) to some degree and were generally affected in their lifestyle (50%).” Additionally, sports job choices were affected.

The study concludes with ‘Psychosocial difficulties related to amblyopia affect individuals’ self-image, work, school, and friendships. Amblyopia has a significant effect on psychosocial functioning and warrants aggressive screening, prevention and treatment during the amblyogenic years.”

As I say frequently, it is much easier to prevent amblyopia than to treat it. And fortunately, amblyopia can be prevented. Early eye exams are critical for detecting and treating amblyopia. The first exam is recommended at six months of age. If all is well, the next exams should occur at age three and before school.

Be Well!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care

Note: This is the first post in series about specialized contact lenses that we offer at Bright Eyes.

Very frequently during a comprehensive exam, I will ask patients if they have thought about contact lenses and they will reply something to the effect of: “Oh. I was told that I couldn’t wear contacts.” They’ll say it is because they have astigmatism, or have dry eyes, or need reading glasses, or have had eye surgery in the past, or some other reason.

Well, I’m here to tell you that this is rarely true. Contact lenses are absolutely contraindicated in very few people. This means that almost anyone, if sufficiently motivated, can wear contacts. I have patients that are 5 years old that successfully wear contacts. I have patients that are 70 years old and enjoy contacts as well. And there are lots of people in between of every type and description who use contacts some of the time.

Rather than just saying, “You can’t wear contacts,” I prefer to say, “You probably can wear contacts, but your case is more complex and will require more time and effort for both of us. Because this will require more expertise and specialized contacts lenses, the fee will be higher. But you can be assured that we will proceed with the various options that are open to you until we agree that either (1) you are successful and happy with the vision and comfort of your contacts or (2) we have exhausted all of the options you wish to pursue.”

Dr. Janice Jurkus, one of my Optometry professors who specializes in contact lenses, taught me that the single most important factor in determining success for a given contact lens patient is motivation. If the patient is motivated, contact lenses will likely work, one way or the other. If they aren’t, they likely won’t. It is as true today as when she taught it.

But in addition to motivation, there is another important factor: contact lens technology. Contact lenses have improved so vastly and are now so diverse, that they can meet many needs that we not possible even just a few years ago. From convenient daily disposable lenses, to cosmetic lenses, to high-performance, custom-made lenses, there are contact lenses for every need and lifestyle.

So if you have been told that you can never wear contact lenses, that might be true. Or it might not. If you’d like o find out, schedule an appointment and we can talk about it.

Be Well!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care

The evidence continues to support what optometrists have known for years: it is possible to improve amblyopia (lazy eye) beyond childhood years. It is faster and easier to treat at younger ages, but can be treated at any age.

If you’d like to read about this latest study on adult amblyopia treatment, click here.

If you are an adult with amblyopia and have been told that it is too late to be treated, call us for an appointment and, after evaluation,  we can discuss what type of benefit you might receive from treatment.

Be Well!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care

You may have heard the rumors, and they are true!

We are excited to announce our newest offering of luxurious and exclusive eyewear, Tiffany & Co. These sunglasses and ophthalmic frames are beautiful to view and fun to wear. Most frames are adorned with Swarovski crystals or sterling silver Tiffany & Co. logos, that truly make them stand out. All Tiffany & Co. frames come with a signature little blue box, an authentic Tiffany & Co. case, and a cleaning cloth. As with all of our frames, they come with a two-year unconditional breakage warranty, which includes the crystals.

Many of our patients want eyeglasses that are beautiful and unique – after all, what other necessary “accessory” do you wear every day? This is the first time that Tiffany & Co. has produced eyewear, and we are happy to be among the first to offer these frames to our patients. If you would like to try on something special, please stop by. No appointment is needed.

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Westchase, Tampa, FL
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