Archive for November, 2008

Come one, come all to the December Eyewear show, featuring Gucci and Kate Spade. It will take place during the Holiday Stroll at West Park Village, held on Saturday December 13th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All the West Park Village merchants are participating and there will be lots of fun events.

See you there!

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

Dr. B: I love my contact lenses. Do you think my son is old enough to wear them safely?

The definitive answer is: Probably. Regarding children and contacts, there is one thing that matters most: is the entire family is motivated?

There are some instances where contact lenses are necessary for children (and even babies) for proper visual development. These parents need lots of training, especially if they do not wear contact lenses themselves, but they are very motivated to do what is best for their child.

The most common reason children might benefit from contacts is that they are beginning to play sports or other activity and they find their glasses get in the way. This can be a motivating factor. (Teens often want contacts for cosmetic reasons, but that is less common for pre-teens.)

Because contact lenses require patience and consistency in caring for contacts, everyone in the house needs to be determined to help the child succeed. If either parent, or a sibling, has bad contact lens habits, these will be quickly picked up by children.

It has been thought in the past that children should be 13 years old (i.e. teenagers) before they were allowed to use contact lenses. I feel that if motivation is there, children much younger can safely wear contact lenses.

This has been shown to be true by a scientific study called the Contact Lenses in Pediatrics (CLIP) Study. The study found that children age 8 to 11 can safely wear contact lenses. The study compared 84 children and 85 teens in how long it took to teach them contact lens to use contacts and if there was any difference in safety. The CLIP study concludes, “neither children nor teens experienced problems related to contact lens wear during the study. Eye care practitioners should consider routinely offering contact lenses as a treatment option, even for children 8 years old.”

Be Well!

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

Welcome to the first Bright Eyes News poll! If this works, and is interesting, We’ll have more in the future.

Please take a moment to select your answer! Thanks!

[polldaddy poll=1137003]

The holiday season is upon us! A wonderful time of gathering and sharing. If you have little ones (or not so little ones) at home, you probably are thinking about gifts to give.

While reviewing toys on their wish list, consider this: some gifts that not only are fun and safe, but also excellent at promoting visual development. At Bright Eyes Family Vision Care, we have complied a list of 40 of these toys, both old and new, that children will enjoy and benefit from.

Here is a sample of some items on the list:

1. Lite Brite Set

16. Guitar Hero II

20. American Idol Dance Mat

32. Concentration (MB)

39. Wii

If you would like to see the full list of visual devleopmental toys and games, or would like more information about the critical role vision plays in reading and learning, please stop by or call our office. You can also visit our website: www.brighteyestampa.com.

Happy Holidays!!

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

That’s right! Your favorite Eye and Vision Care establishment in Westchase is now on Facebook. Many of my Optometrist friends have their practices on the web, have blogs, and are now moving onto Facebook. Facebook is free, and open anyone and simple to use. I love the idea.

Check out our new page!

Be Well!

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

This video includes a great explanation of what it is like for children with vision problems.

You can check it out here.

The Vision First Foundation is an organization that was founded by Janet Hughes. I got to know her when I lived in Chicago. She has long been a passionate advocate for pediatric vision, owing her experience to her daughter Amy after she was diagnosed with amblyopia.

Janet and the Vision First Foundation have worked hard in Illinois to ensure that children are able to go to school with the clear vision they need to succeed. The latest effort is a petition to upgrade the form used for pediatric vision exams to include the following:

• Designed for the parent and teacher.
• Provides education on pediatric vision.
• Suitable for recommended and required eye exams.
• Emphasizes a comprehensive eye and vision examination.
• Illustrates eye health, visual acuity, refractive evaluation, and visual efficiency.
• Accompanies pre-written letters for schools.
• Contains a vision screening disclaimer.
• Includes a Reference Page for parents and teachers.
• Represents high standards of eye care.
• Brings meaning and purpose to an eye examination.

I took a moment to view and sign the petition. I encourage you to do the same.

Also, if you’d like to watch a short video on the difference between screenings and eye exams, click here.

Be Well!

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

Come to our next office seminar, Reading Problems: The Visual Connection. This evening event will be held at Bright Eyes and will cover how vision problems can interfere with reading development. The seminar will occur on November 17, 2008.

I hope you all had a safe fun Halloween. Some of you know, or know about my daughter Nora. She dressed up as a Bumble Bee. we did a little Trick or Treating, but really she has more fun taking the candy out of her pumpkin and putting it back in again than anything else….

Although the Halloween has past, I thought this was a good post, in the spirit of the season:
Trick or treat? Dispelling myths in eye care.

Bee Well!

Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.