Frame Selection and Adjustment

On occasion, a patient will receive their glasses and they will report something isn't right, even if the prescription is the same as the old one. I have seen if the frame is a different size and shape, the patient might have a problem adjusting. This does occur occasionally. Just changing the size of the frame can make a difference to the patient.

The other variable that needs to be looked at is the adjustment of the frame. This is especially true of strong prescriptions. I have learned that how the frame is tilted and wrapped around a patient's head could make a big difference in how a patient sees.

Also if a patient has been wearing contact lenses for a long time and hasn't tried on their glasses for a while, this could cause a problem. This is because glasses magnify or minify what you're seeing more than contact lenses do.

Medications taken could certainly effect one's vision

The general health of a patient as well as medications taken could certainly effect one's vision. There has been several times that patients came in when a sudden change occurred in their vision. In these cases it was undiagnosed diabetes. The vision returned to the patients previous prescription when the condition was treated. Long term diabetes or hypertension could certainly have a dramatic effect on a patient's vision if not treated. Many times the vision worsens and the loss becomes irreversible. Any condition that can affect the body including the heart, liver or kidneys could certainly affect the eyes.

He spends a good part of his day looking with one eye through a telescope

I had a 29 year old patient who came into the office yesterday. His chief complaint was that he noticed an increase in headaches, especially over the left eye. He spends a good part of his day looking with one eye through a telescope. He also mentioned that he had more trouble focusing his left eye from near to distance. There was a very small far sighted prescription found for distance for the left eye and the right eye had no prescription. When I put this prescription in front of him, he found an immediate, significant relief.

What's interesting is that many of my patients wouldn't have noticed the difference with this small a prescription. However, there are a number who do. Even at this young age, the patient even needed more prescription to be able to read comfortably. Thus, we prescribed a bifocal. Helping this type of patient, in part, is what makes optometry such an interesting and rewarding profession.

It Isn't Work

I was just reviewing some of the testimonials listed on my website, http://www.wehelpuc.com. It has been said that when you have a passion for what you do and you're able to help people and affect their lives positively, it isn't work. I just celebrated my 30th anniversary of practicing optometry. I'm more excited about practicing optometry than ever. My skills area in more demand than ever in that there's more near viewing with video devices especially those utilizing 3-D. In addition, our scope of being able to treat certain eye diseases is expanding. Also, I will be moving into my expanded facility around the middle of January, 2012. With this and a great staff, I have a lot to be thankful for.

Reading Efficiency

Although seeing clearly is very important in reading, there are other visual skills that are come into play when reading. Two such skills are being able to focus efficiently, especially when viewing both a monitor and hard copy and also being able to aim the eyes together. These two skills are not a given. When they're not working well together, visual fatigue, headaches, frustration and mistakes can be made. With more of our work and leisure time being spent on monitors or hand-held devices, visual efficiency is very important. For more information, please view the different topics on binocular vision at www.wehelpuc.com.

Powerful Books

There are so many great books out there that I've so enjoyed through the years. Dale Carnegie has two of them: How to Win Friends and Influence People and the second one is How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. Napolean Hill's book which was written about the same time, Think and Grow Rich is a classic and has sold about 15,000,000 copies. Rhonda Byrne's book, The Secret, I've also enjoyed, immensely. I am a subscriber to Success Magazine. In the magazine, there are usually different books cited which are very positive in nature. The books Get Motivated and Zappos.com are just a couple of examples. Many of the books I've come across I've read numerous times. This isn't because I'm a slow learner but I feel so great after reading them. Here's a hint. If you you can read a great book while riding on a stationary bike, you'll get more enjoyment as the endorphins will further kick in.

Desktop or Laptop?

For years, when examining patients, I would be concerned whether they were working on a computer. This always presented unique challenges in prescribing glasses for those older than 40. The reason for this was the computer was usually stationed a lot higher than normal reading material. Also, the viewing distance for the computer was usually at a different distance than normal text. At times we'd have to prescribe a separate pair for the computer depending on the factors of its height as well as distance.

More recently, individuals are working with laptops. The good news is that the laptop is usually at the same height and distance as normal reading or perhaps a bit further. Again, special consideration needs to be given. Then you have the office worker who is working with both laptop and desktop computers simultaneously. The unique working demands of the patient need to be met with unique methods of prescribing.