Dos:

• Follow the directions that come with your lenses. 
  
  
• Wash your hands before using the lenses. 
  
  
• Clean and disinfect reusable lenses each time they are removed. 
  
  
• Clean and disinfect again if storage lasts longer than allowed by the disinfecting solution. 
  
  
• Clean and air-dry the lens case each time you remove the lens. 
  
  
• Get your doctor's permission before taking medicines or using topical eye products. 
  
  
• Remove your lenses and contact your doctor if you have vision changes, redness of H) the eye, eye discomfort or pain and excessive tearing. 
  
  
• Handle contact lenses over a clean towel to keep them clean and undamaged. 
  
  
• Visit your doctor frequently to catch the possible problems early. 
  
  

Don'ts:

• Use tap water, distilled water or saline water for any part of your lens care. 
  
  
• Use saliva to wet your lenses. 
  
  
• Mix different brands of cleaner or solution. 
  
  
• Change your lens-care products without your doctor's advice. 
  
  
• Let cosmetics lotions, sprays or creams touch your lenses. 
  
  
• Wear daily-wear lenses during sleep. 
  
  
• Wear lenses when swimming or when in a hot tub. 
  
  
• Wear your lenses longer than prescribed by your doctor.
  
  

At Shenandoah Eye Clinic, we know these simple do's and dont's of contact lenses can help you in using your contacts properly and also help you in avoiding any adverse effects.

For more information on the proper use of your contacts, or to learn more about how contacts can help you see how good eye care can be, please contact your caring staff at Shenandoah Eye Clinic today.

Finding a Good LASIK Surgeon

Advertisements, academic medical centers and the American College of Surgeons. Many refractive surgery centers are advertising in newspapers, on the radio, and on TV. Some ads are more informative than others; and some tout extremely good pricing. But while they can be a starting point, an ad or a procedure price should not be your only criterion in choosing a doctor.

Don't assume too much from advertising, says Penny Asbell, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Director of the Cornea Service and Refractive Surgery Center in New York. A refractive surgeon herself, Dr. Asbell recommends asking the surgeon if he or she is associated with an academic medical center, such as a teaching hospital or one that is well-known for advanced technology.

"Those who work in, or are at least associated with, academic medical centers are more likely to keep up with current information," she explains. "They are more likely to have more constant exposure to new things and to issues related to new procedures, than if they are related to an (albeit busy) isolated office setting with little contact with the academic world."

"A lot of companies make LASIK sound like it's a flap-and-zap commodity. But the truth is, it's surgery," comments Dr. Steve Updegraff, a LASIK surgeon and medical director of Updegraff Lasik Vision in Tampa Bay, Fla. He recommends choosing a doctor who is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. "The credentialing process there is pretty steep; also, that group is diligent about advancing the field of surgery."

Referrals. Ask for a referral from your regular eyecare practitioner, whether an optometrist or an ophthalmologist. Tell him or her that you want the LASIK surgeon in your area with the best reputation in the profession.

Other resources. Visit the American Academy of Ophthalmology's website at www.aao.org, where you can use the "Find an Eye MD" feature. Be sure to specify "refractive surgery" under "specialty."

Call refractive surgery centers in your area; you'll find them in the Yellow Pages. Most have websites that explain their specialties and doctor credentialing. Some even let you search for particular surgeons on their sites.

What to Ask a Refractive Surgeon

After you find a surgeon, make an appointment for a consultation. This is an important meeting. To take full advantage of it, write down every single question you can think of, and ask every single one during your visit.

The Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance has a list of 50 questions on its website. Here are a few of them:

• How long have you been performing refractive surgery procedures? (Not less than three years.)
  
  
• How many total procedures have you done? (Not less than 500.)
  
  
• How many refractive procedures of the exact type you intend to use for me, with the same equipment, and the same refractive error, have you performed? (Not less than 100.)
  
  
• What percent of your refractive surgery patients receive Snellen uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) of 20/40 or better? (The CRSQA says you should be suspicious of any number that is greater than 90 percent, which is the norm.)
  
  
• What percentage achieved 20/20 or better? (Around 65 percent is the norm; ask for proof if a higher number is stated.)
  
  
• Will you provide me the names and contact information of at least ten previous patients who have had the exact same surgery with similar refractive error?
  
  
• Have you ever had malpractice insurance coverage denied?
  
  
• Have you had your license to perform refractive surgery revoked, suspended or restricted?
  
  
• Have you been convicted of a felony? etc.

As you can see, the CRSQA recommends asking tough questions that some may consider difficult or even rude to ask. But remember that your precious vision depends on your surgeon's competency. You need to be confident that you have chosen the right person. If you are not happy with the answers to your questions, consult another surgeon.

In addition to the above concerns, you also need to consider the surgeon's versatility and competency in a variety of refractive procedures. LASIK isn't the only game in town, and it isn't the best procedure for every person. Choose a surgeon who is comfortable and experienced with several procedures - such as LASIK, PRK, LASEK, CK, and clear lens replacement - and the latest technology. If your doctor knows these procedures inside and out, he or she can confidently choose the one that will be best to correct your particular vision problems. If you're considering a surgeon who doesn't perform a particular procedure you're interested in, he or she should be able to explain why not, beyond "I don't do that."

Getting a Second Opinion

After a consultation, never feel that you are obligated to use that surgeon. You are completely free to talk to other surgeons as well. And don't feel that you are offending anyone. It has long been an accepted practice to seek a second opinion, and most doctors would urge their patients to do so.

The Personal Touch

"As with any relationship you have with someone in the medical profession, it has to be one of trust," says Dr. Asbell. "You have to feel that you trust the person and that they're personally interested in you."

She adds, "If you can't develop that rapport, I would be concerned. If everything goes well, you probably won't have to see that person too often, and that's the end of it. But if for any reason you're not happy with the quality of the result, or there's any issue with healing that's going to require more attention, you want to know that you have someone who is personally connected to you and is working hard to address your concerns - someone who isn't just running a mill where they don't even remember who you are."

At Shenandoah Eye Clinic, we know the importance of selecting a good LASIK surgeon. For more information on the proper selection of your surgeon, or to learn more about LASIK can help you see how good eye care can be, please contact your caring staff at Shenandoah Eye Clinic today.

Reprinted from: VIP Newsletter, September 96, Volume 12, Number 3
Published Quarterly by The Blind Children's Fund
Author: Tanni Anthony, Project Director, Colorado Services for Children with Deaf blindness

1. The frames must fit correctly. Some glasses, especially those for aphakia (eyes without lenses due to cataract surgery) can be heavy for young children. The style of the glasses will be important and you may choose a head strap to help evenly distribute the weight of the lenses. Be sure that the glasses do not pinch the child's nose or ears. Monitor the fit to be sure that there are no red marks which may eventually turn into a skin irritation.
2. The lenses must be the correct prescription. An inaccurate prescription is a common problem, but one that should be assessed, if the child does not tolerate wearing the glasses. To have the prescription checked, take the glasses to the optician or the eye doctor who can determine the optical accuracy of the prescription in the lenses against the perspective needs of the child.

Most children will accept their new glasses once they learn that the world looks better to them with the glasses than without the glasses. The goal is to provide them with enough wearing experience that they have an opportunity to discover this information. Recommendations about new glasses include the following guidelines:

The only hands that put on and remove the glasses should be adult hands.

If the child takes them off, be sure that you put them back on; and when appropriate, you take them off. As soon as the child learns that (s)he has control over the glasses, you may lose the battle. Eventually your child may have the maturity to take over this responsibility, but in the beginning it is better to have adult control so that the glasses do not become a plaything or an attention-getting tool.

Begin with small increments of wearing time and gradually build up the child's wearing tolerance.

Choose a time when the child is rested and in a good mood. Be prepared to "tap dance" a little while to keep the child occupied long enough to distract him/her from removing the glasses. Select a highly motivating activity that the child enjoys when introducing the glasses. When the child removes the glasses, stop the activity. Resume the activity when the glasses are back in place.

Getting a Second Opinion

After a consultation, never feel that you are obligated to use that surgeon. You are completely free to talk to other surgeons as well. And don't feel that you are offending anyone. It has long been an accepted practice to seek a second opinion, and most doctors would urge their patients to do so.

Make the glasses part of the child's daily routine.

Put them on in the morning as you dress your child and take them off before nap time and bedtime. This is a nice area to explore as far as using the small increments of time. For example, begin with putting the glasses on in the morning as part of the dressing routine and keep them on for as long as the child tolerates, then build to a longer period of time the next day.

Why do some people need glasses and others don't? Everyone's eyes are a little different - not just the color, but the way they work and how well they see. Sometimes all the parts of the eye don't work together the way they should. But eyeglasses or contact lenses, also called corrective lenses, can help most people see more clearly.

How Eyes Work

The eyeball includes the cornea (say: kor-nee-uh), clear tissue that helps the eye focus; the iris, the colored part; the pupil, which lets light into the eye; and the retina, at the very back of the eye. When all of the eyes' parts are working properly, a kid doesn't have vision problems. You can see because your eyes capture an image and send that image to your brain, where it can be interpreted. For instance, if there's an elephant in front of you, almost instantly, your brain says, "Hey, that's an elephant."

Your eyes need to bend light rays so the image can be focused sharply on your retina. The better your retina records the image, the more likely that your brain will interpret the image, and the more likely you will see the image clearly.

Refracting is a big word that means bending light rays. If a person has vision trouble, it's often a refractive problem. Glasses or contact lenses work so well because they can correct refractive problems. In other words, they bend the light rays in a way that lets you see more clearly. Laser surgery also can correct some vision problems, but it's not recommended for kids because they're still growing.

Nearsighted and Farsighted - Which Is Which?

Nearsightedness and farsightedness are common refractive problems. It's easy to get the two confused.

Nearsighted means the person can see stuff that's near, like a book, but has trouble seeing stuff that's far away.

Farsighted means the person can see stuff that's far away, but has trouble seeing up close, like reading the print in a book.

In both cases, the image is not properly focused on the retina. With nearsightedness, the image becomes focused in front of the retina. With farsightedness, the image is focused behind the retina. The shape of a person's eyeballs also can cause refractive problems.

Another refractive problem is called astigmatism (say: uh-stig-muh-tih-zum). This means that the cornea is an uneven shape, and it bends the light in different directions. This can distort what a person sees and make things look blurry.

Glasses or contact lenses correct vision because they allow the eye to focus light in the right spot on the retina - the spot that produces the clearest image. Because everyone's eyes are different, a pair of glasses that makes one person see wonderfully may look terribly blurry to another person. You know this if you've ever tried on someone else's glasses!

If you need glasses or contact lenses, your doctor will write down your prescription. In this case, a prescription doesn't mean medicine you'll pick up at the drugstore. A vision prescription is a piece of paper with numbers on it. The people who will make your glasses for you need these numbers to create lenses that will correct the way your eye bends light. Remember, the target is right in the center of the retina.

Eye Exams

If you're having trouble with your vision, your mom or dad can take you for an eye exam. This might happen as part of your regular checkup at the doctor. But you need to see a vision specialist if your parents or your doctor think you might need glasses.

You might see an ophthalmologist, optometrist, or an optician. What's the difference? An ophthalmologist is a doctor trained to treat vision problems who may also do eye surgery.

An optometrist is a licensed professional who specializes in eye exams and in figuring out the right prescriptions for eyeglasses and contact lenses. Opticians make or sell eyeglasses and contact lenses according to an ophthalmologist's or optometrist's prescription.

At your eye exam, you'll probably be asked to read from an eye chart. This is the chart with letters in different sizes. You also might be asked to look at some text up close, like reading from a book. These tests measure how well you see from close and from far away.

If you need glasses or contact lenses, there's a special gizmo that lets you try a few different prescriptions until you find the one that gives you the clearest vision. It's kind of like a big pair of glasses, but a bunch of different lenses can be switched in and out really quickly.

The person doing your eye exam may switch between two different lenses and say, "Like this or like this?" You'll have to say which one looks clearest. If you're not sure, say so. Remember, the idea is that you get the right prescription so your vision will be top-notch!

The Fun Part

If you're going to get glasses, it's time to pick frames. It can be fun to try these on. Choose ones that are comfortable and sturdy. But also make sure you like them - you'll be wearing them a lot! The lenses themselves can be made of different materials, such as safety glass and plastic (polycarbonate).

Glass tends to be heavy and it can shatter. Plastic scratches easily, but it's often the best choice for kids. If you play sports, you may want to ask about eyewear you can wear on the field.

With glasses, you'll also want to find out how to clean them properly. And it helps if you have a glasses case and put them in it when you're not wearing them. The last thing you want is to sit on your new glasses. Crunch!

If you're going to get contact lenses, you'll get some advice from the ophthalmologist or optician about which kind will be best for you. Some are disposable and others need to be cleaned. When you learn which type you're going to get, you can start becoming an expert in how to wear them safely and keeping them clean.

But the really fun part of new glasses or contact lenses is how well you can see. They can make your whole world look better!

The saying goes that eyes are the windows to the soul. Keep your visual environment clean and clear by cleaning your eyeglass lenses carefully and regularly.

Difficulty: Easy

Step One
Wash lenses daily with a mild soap and warm water to remove dirt and oil and avoid massive buildup.

Step Two
Dry lenses with a lens cloth or nonabrasive cotton. Avoid using paper towels or camera
lens paper.

Step Three
Purchase a professional lens-cleaning cloth and lens gel (or spray) to remove fingerprints, dirt buildup and smudges.

Step Four
Hold glasses by the eye frame with your thumb and forefinger of one hand. Use the other hand to gently buff the lenses in a circular motion. Do not press too hard on the lenses.

Step Five
Wash the cleaning cloth weekly with a mild, nonabrasive soap. Avoid using fabric softener when drying the cloth.

Tips & Warnings

• Purchase scratch-resistant lenses to avoid permanent marks that will impede vision.
• Keep glasses in a case when not in use. Be sure that they are kept in a safe place, away from clumsy hands that might knock them to the ground.
• In a pinch, you can clean glass lenses with a drop or two of vinegar with a clean, soft cloth. Don't use vinegar on plastic lenses.
• Do not use the tail of your shirt to clean your lenses, if you can help it. Most clothing fabrics contain abrasive fibers that will scratch or smear the lenses.