Although this article by the American Optometric Association was released in 2009, its message is still pertinent and important, especially during this time of the year. While parents are getting their kids prepared for a new school year by purchasing supplies and meeting new teachers, it might be easy to overlook their child’s vision. In fact, a shocking 86% of children start school without ever having an eye examination. This is an alarmingly high figure given the strong correlation between vision and learning.

At Bright Eyes, we advise the eye exam schedule that is recommended by the AOA: first eye exam at 6 months,  3 years, and right before school.  This allows your eye doctor to identify and treat any vision related problems before they start to adversely affect your child’s learning and development.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that the screenings used at school are not designed to replace a full, comprehensive eye exam. These screenings offer very little beyond determining clarity of vision. A full eye examination will further test how well the eyes work together in unison at tasks such as reading and computer work, as well as assess the health of the entire eye, inside and out.

The article also suggests signs for parents to look for in their child’s vision between eye exams. The AOA recommends that parents contact their eye doctor if their child frequently:

1. Loses place while reading
2. Avoids close work
3. Tends to rub eyes
4. Has headaches
5. Turns or tilts head
6. Makes frequent reversals when reading or writing
7. Uses finger to maintain place when reading
8. Omits or confuses small words when reading
9. Consistently performs below potential
10. Struggles to complete homework
11. Squints while reading or watching television
12. Has behavioral problems
13. Holds reading material closer than normal

So as the school year begins, if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s vision, do not hesitate to call our office and schedule an appointment.

All the best,

Justin Schoonover

Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

The American Optometric Association recently held a School Readiness Summit: Focus on Vision in which doctors, nurses, educators and advocates for children’s health gathered to examine learning-related vision issues that are keeping children from achieving in the classroom. This summit was created to address the concerns that our current system is flawed and a policy shift is needed. The problem is that currently, the U.S. educational system and some health care providers rely heavily on vision screenings to discover the kids that need comprehensive exams. These screenings do catch some types of vision problems but they can miss about 75% of those children that have learning-related vision problems. Detecting these vision problems is very important as “studies show that much of what children learn comes though vision, and undetected and untreated eye and vision disorders in children, such as amblyopia and strabismus, can result in vision loss, additional costly treatments, delayed reading and poorer outcomes in school.”

The take-home statement that the summit produced is that comprehensive eye exams must serve as the foundation to determine school readiness in school-aged children. Another important point established at this meeting is the establishment of the link between healthy vision and classroom learning.

This historic summit is an important step in ensuring that children receive the proper detection and treatment of vision problems before they become detrimental to their learning. Here at Bright Eyes Family Vision Care, we are excited to see these changes being made, since it has been our goal from the beginning to not only catch vision problems at an early stage, evidenced by the InfantSEE program that we offer that provides free eye exams to infants between the age of 6 months and 1 year of age, but to also treat certain types of problems through our extensive one-on-one vision therapy program.

If you have any questions regarding the InfantSEE program, vision therapy program, or would like to schedule a comprehensive eye exam for your child before they start school, give our office a call or come in to schedule.

All the best,

Justin Schoonover, CPO

Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Located in the Westchase area of Tampa.

We know that many of our younger patients are talented artists. We see them drawing and coloring in waiting area and see the creations that their parents post online.

So don’t miss this opportunity to have your budding artist featured on the World of Westchase Resident and Business Directory.

From the WOW announcement:

To commemorate Westchase’s 20th anniversary, WOW wants to feature a young Westchase artist’s work on the upcoming directory cover. Westchasers aged 5-18 are invited to submit an artistic work as part of a contest to find a winning cover.

Not only will the winners have their art featured on the cover and in the directory, but some great prizes will be given including an iPod Touch and iTunes giftcards.Very cool.

But all entries must be in by April 11th, so don’t delay! To learn more about this great contest click here.

Have fun!

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

This is a great example of how the tools of social media can have very significant real-world positive effects.

Retinoblastoma is a very serious eye cancer. It only affects children. This is because its kills everyone who has it by five years of age. Because the eyes are connected directly with the brain, the cancer takes over the eye, then the brain and continues to spread until the victim dies.

Surprisingly, most retinobastoma is not found by a pediatrician or eye doctor, but by a friend or family member who sees something wrong with the child’s eyes. Usually this is either a white-look pupil or an eye turn.

Recently the Daily Mail newspaper in England reported this exact scenario: A friend did see a problem with 2 year old Grace’s eyes. It turned out to be retinoblastoma, which was successfully treated.  But here is the twist: the friend, a nurse, saw the problem via a photo on Facebook.

In addition to the fantastic result for Grace, there are two other points here. The first is that social media will continue to help improve education and medical care over time and this is an early example. The second is that thorough, early eye exams are a good idea. The American Optometric Association recommends exams at 6 months of age, three years of age, and before kindergarten. The InfantSEE program supports this by providing no-cost eye exams to patients between the ages of 6 and 12 months.

If you have a young child, be sure to schedule an appointment with your optometrist. You never know what problems might be found.

Millions of children are heading back to their classrooms without the visual skills required to succeed in school.  One of the reasons for this is that most people assume if you can see the letters on the eye chart your vision is fine, yet being able to see the letters on the eye chart is just one of 17 visual skills necessary for academic success.

“The myth that ’20/20′ means you have perfect vision started in the 1800′s when the eye chart was created,” states Dr. Brad Habermehl, President of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.   “This August marks the 15th year we have been observing August as National Children’s Vision and Learning Month.  The purpose of this observance is to educate parents and educators that vision plays a critical role in our children’s education.”

Optometric vision therapy treats vision problems that make reading and learning difficult.  While vision therapy does not treat dyslexia, vision problems can often be misdiagnosed as learning disabilities such as dyslexia or even ADHD.  According to the American Optometric Association, studies indicate that 60 percent of children identified as “problem learners” actually suffer from undetected vision problems, and in some cases have been inaccurately diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

According to Dr. Habermehl, “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that if a child is seeing double, ghosty or unstable texts it will be hard to read. Yet, if you assume vision is fine, the only possible conclusion one can reach is the child has a learning disability such as ADHD or dyslexia.” According to the American Optometric Association, studies indicate that 60 percent of children identified as “problem learners” actually suffer from undetected vision problems.

If you are getting your children ready for school, schedule a comprehensive vision and eye health exam. At Bright Eyes, we specialize in children’s vision. Call 813-792-0637 for an appointment.

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

Join Bright Eyes on Saturday, May 8 for Baby Day!

Featuring:

• No-cost InfantSEE®eye assessment for your baby!
• Baby Tweetup!
• Free Baby Sunglasses
• Awesome Giveaways
• A chance to win a gift basket from Mi Bebe!
• Refreshments

What is Baby Day?

At Bright Eyes Family Vision Care, we love patients of all ages, but the cutest and most cuddly ones are babies. Most parents don’t know that the American Optometric Association recommends the first eye and vision evaluation should be at six months of age. So we have created Baby Day! On this day we will provide no-cost eye exams for babies and educate the public on infant and children’s eye care. See the press release here.

InfantSee Morning (10 a.m to noon)

In the morning, we will be scheduling only InfantSEE® patients. Created by the American Optometric Association, InfantSEE®is a public health initiative to screen babies for potential vision problems. InfantSEE® assessments are offered free of charge to infants between six and twelve months of age.  It’s a comprehensive eye exam that evaluates a baby’s vision, eye tracking skills, & overall eye health. Long-time readers may remember my daughter’s InfantSEE® evaluation. Now that Javier is 6 months old, he’ll be joining us on Baby Day for his very first eye exam!

Call soon to schedule, as appointments are limited for Baby Day! (And if you can’t make it May 8, you can schedule an InfantSEE® exam during regular office hours, too!)

Baby Tweetup (1 p.m. to 3 p.m. RSVP on FB  here)

Our office is fairly social media savvy and we enjoyed hosting the first Westchase Tweetup last year. If you don’t know, a Tweetup is a real-life gathering of users of social media networks like Twitter and Facebook. Typically these events are lots of fun and are excellent networking opportunities. Well, the Baby Tweetup is no different, except that we are specifically inviting little tykes under 24 months and their families. So if your Facebook page is covered with pics and videos of your little bambino, be sure and stop by. And don’t forget to check in on foursquare. 

Open House (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

Stop by anytime during throughout the day to say hello and check out all the other cute babies! The first 25 babies get a tote bag with baby sunglasses and other goodies. Parents can register to win a gift basket from Mi Bebe. We’ll also have some light refreshments (sodas, juice boxes for kids, cookies and more) for you to enjoy!

Sponsors

Bright Eyes,  Mi Bebe, and My Gym are the current sponsors. However, because we want spread the word about infant vision care as far as possible, we are looking for other people or businesses to sponsor Baby Day! You can be a sponsor by donating give-aways or door prizes or by helping us get the word out! If you are interested in joining us or have any questions, please let me know.

I can’t wait to see all the babies at Bright Eyes! So cute!

UPDATES: First, We will be using the hashtag #BABYDAY to track comments on Twitter. Second, this is becoming a national event! We have eye doctors in California, New York, Indiana, and Utah who will be joining us! Ask your eye doctor if they be hosting any special BABY DAY events!

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

Today we have a guest post from a friend of mine,  Dr. Janet Carter. I’ve known her online since I was in optometry school and have always enjoyed her insight and humor. I am glad she took me up on the offer to write a guest post and hope she considers blog herself. – Dr. Nate

OK, it’s happened. Your child came home from school with a note from the nurse saying she had difficulties with the vision screening. Or perhaps she is complaining of trouble seeing the blackboard or headaches reading. Or maybe a previously undiagnosed condition was discovered during her yearly eye examination. Regardless of the scenario, you have to face the fact that your child will soon be wearing glasses. Her success in doing so will greatly depend on your attitude towards this development.

The importance of your attitude in making sure your child has the proper vision correction begins before you even visit the optometrist. Tell your child what to expect during the visit, but don’t dwell on anything unpleasant. She may have her eyes dilated, but this needn’t be a cause for concern. The dilation drops that most optometrists use today are much gentler and not nearly as long-lasting in their effects as ones you may have experienced as a child. Let her know that her vision may be a little blurry afterwards, but it won’t be too bad. Try and schedule the visit on a day when there isn’t an important homework assignment or sporting event.

During the actual examination, relax and let your optometrist do his job. If you are nervous about the examination, your child will be too. Remember that the equipment and configuration of the examination is such that your child may actually see something different than you do from your “sidelines” position. Don’t be upset if your child misses a letter or two (most people do during an eye examination), and please don’t try and help or coach your child. Let your child know that this isn’t a test like you take in school, and there is no right or wrong answer to any of the questions. Most children find an eye examination to be an interesting and fun experience if they are relaxed and rested. (Don’t forget to make sure she IS well-rested and well fed when she goes in for the visit, and encourage her to visit the restroom first as well. A hungry, tired child or one who has to go to the bathroom can’t concentrate properly).

Once the examination is over, it will be time for the fun part: choosing your child’s first pair of glasses! Make sure that she understands that this IS fun! Glasses are a fashion statement these days. Your attitude will make all the difference in how your child enjoys her new eyewear, so keep it positive. Let your child know how proud you are of them, and how glad you are that they soon will be seeing properly.

Setting guidelines and limits ahead of time will make the frame selection easier for both you AND your child. If money is a concern, let the frame stylist know in private before you begin. He or she should be happy to show only options that meet your budget. Let the frame stylist give tips on the proper frames for your child and her prescription; certain frame styles aren’t appropriate for all prescriptions. The stylist should have a good idea of which frames will best work for your child. Let her show examples of these, and let your child choose from among them. She is the one who will wear them; make sure that she likes the style and color. You might consider taking a cell phone picture of the favorite “candidates” and sending it to your friends and family for their input. Above all, keep it fun! Remember to keep praising your child and telling her how great she looks in her new eyewear!

There are several important things to remember when it is time to pick up your child’s new glasses. The first is to be sure to bring your child with you. The glasses need to be adjusted to her face to insure that they are fitting properly. The dispenser should instruct your child on how to take care of the glasses, and when to wear them. Your optometrist may want your child to wear them constantly or perhaps just for specific tasks such as reading. Make sure you understand the instructions and that your child does too. Remember that new eyeglasses DO take some getting used to, and it is possible that your child might feel a little “funny” when they first put them on, and may even report blurred vision. These sensations are totally normal, and should pass quickly if she continues to wear the glasses. Any difficulty seeing or other problems that persist after a week or two should be reported to your optometrist.

You will want to contact your child’s teacher(s) and explain about the new eyeglasses to them as well. Be sure that the teachers understand the wearing schedule. Ask the teacher to say something positive about your child’s new glasses when he first sees her wearing them. This will help your child get over that first day embarrassment, especially if the comment is made in front of her classmates.

Your child must understand that eyeglasses are a valuable accessory and are to be treated accordingly. I have a rule that I tell all children who get eyeglasses from my office: “If it’s not on your face, it’s in the case!” Check the eyeglasses from time to time and make sure that they are clean, well-cared for, and adjusted properly to your child’s face. It’s a good idea to bring your child in for eyeglass “tune-ups” every few months. The optical staff can adjust the glasses, make sure that they continue to fit properly, and check for loose screws and other problems. Eyeglasses are like automobiles; a little preventative maintenance protects your investment!

If you approach your child’s new eyeglasses in a sensible, positive manner, she will too. Soon she will be enjoying the benefits of good vision, and will be wearing the eyeglasses proudly and appropriately. She will come to appreciate the positive difference that seeing properly can make in her life. She will be happier and probably will do better in school. You can make sure that her good vision continues for a lifetime by following your doctors recommended eye care schedule. Just don’t be too surprised when one day she asks “Mom, Dad, when can I get contact lenses?”

(But that’s the subject for another article….)

Janet Carter has practiced optometry in Nevada for over 30 years. She is now a member of the EyeCare Center group in Las Vegas. She enjoys seeing children of all ages in her practice!

-Dr. Nate
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Connect:

While certainly most young children do not need to use contact lenses, a few do. When I tell people this, they usually think it is impossible to put contacts in their kid’s eyes. Well, this video shows how easy it can be!

(Click here if video doesn’t play)

Click here to read more about babies and contacts.

See Well!

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

As our Twitter followers know, Ficklets are here at Bright Eyes! Ficklets are very cute charms that can be worn on glasses. They come in all kinds of designs, ranging from flowers and starts to footballs and soccer balls. And they are very inexpensive – only $6! Perfect for a stocking stuff or simple Hanukkah gift! And when you come by Bright Eyes, take a look at our Ficklet Christmas Tree!

You can find out more by visiting Ficklets.com and following Ficklets on Twitter.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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

As far as I am concerned, the coolest thing a kid can be spotted with is a book. It doesn’t really matter if it is Harry Potter or my daughter’s current favorite, “Llama Llama Red Pajama.”

Now that we have the new kid’s area, we need to fill our kid’s library! What books are popular for kids 12 and under right now? If  two of your children saw a stack of books, which one would they fight over?

Please submit a comment, tweet @brightetestampa, or  email doc@brighteyestampa.com with any suggestions, so we can have the best stocked kids library in Westchase!

Thanks in advance!

Be Well.

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