For Your Eyes Only

CatherineistheownerofLinden RidgeEyeCarewhichsheopened inSeptember,2000.Sheislicensed inbotheyeglassesandcontact lensesandhas27years'experience intheindustry.Catherineinstructed thecontactlenscourseforNAITfor oversevenyears,andiscontinually updatinghereducation.Catherine keepsherframelinescurrent,and carriesalargeselectionofdesigner frames,sunglassesandcontact lenses.Sheregularlyattendsframe showsinLasVegasandNewYork toprovidethelateststylesforher customers. LindenRidgeEyeCare offersonsiteeyeexamsby independentOptometrists. EyeCandy EyeCandy K-1765 Kenaston Blvd. • 204.488.3937 • leyecare.ca Catherine Bolin - Owner After 33 years, Henderson Vision Centre is on the move! Our new expanded office will offer greater convenience and state of the art equipment for a one stop shop to serve all your eye care needs. Wearenowconvenientlylocatedat Unit1B-1439HendersonHighway southoftheChiefPeguisTrailandadjacenttoSafeway. Dr.M.Reiss Dr.S.Mundle Dr.I.Mestito-Dao Dr.M.Chow Dr. Optometrists L.Melo Newlocation! Accepting NewPatients 204-582-2308 www.hendersonvision.ca GrandOpeningCelebration September7,2013•9-3 sion.ca io GIFT WITH PURCHASE FRAME SHOW APictureisWorthaThousandWords–Ourretinalcamera andOCT(opticalcoherencetomographer)aretwonew instrumentstohelpdiagnose,documentandmonitoreye diseases WhereFashionMeetsFunction–Ourexpandedoptical boutiqueoffersover1200framestochoosefromincluding thelatestdesignereyewearandsunglasses,anddigital freeformlenses-thenewestinlenswear.It'slikeseeing theworldinHD! Op era EyeGymCanadaisaWinnipeg basedSportsVisionTraining centrethatworkswithathletes ofalllevelstoimproveyour performance. Visiontraining forsportshelpathletessee andreactfaster,improves hand-eyecoordination,timing andspatialawareness. 1-1200WaverleyStreet Winnipeg,ManitobaR3T0P4 204 487-1901 www.EyeGym.ca info@EyeGym.ca Street s Services offered: •SportsVisionEvaluations •BaselineConcussionTesting •Performance&Safety Eyewear •GoalieReactionTimeTraining •TeamEvaluations •Amblyopia(LazyEye) VideoGameTreatment Seebetter. Seefaster. Improveyourgame. 02 | f o r y o u r e y e s o n l y 2 0 1 3 EYES FOR YOUR ONLY s kids prepare for their first day of school, there is another important ABC to remember — an Annual Basic Checkup for their eyes. Children should come in for an eye exam each year, says Winnipeg optometrist Dr. Luke Small. It's easy to remember to schedule the annual appointment to coincide with the new school year. "There's much more to vision than 20-20. We're looking at how the eyes are working together and also at the health of the eyes," said Small. "I think a lot of parents feel that since their kids see pretty well, there's no need to really worry. However, we can detect a lot of different eye diseases and even fu- ture problems just through a regular eye exam. Especially for kids, the annual exams are really important." The Manitoba Association of Optom- etrists suggests that all children have their first eye exam before the age of three, and ideally as young as six months. Then they should come back for another eye exam before kindergarten, followed by annual exams until adulthood. In Small's experience, you're never too young to get in the habit of good eye health. "I always tell the kids and the parents that we're really trying to focus on three things — how well are you seeing, how do your eyes work together and how healthy are your eyes," he said. "There's a really big misconception that the child has to know how to read to do an eye exam, and that's not the case at all. I use cartoons. We've got charts that have pictures instead of letters. Sometimes they'll know the numbers better than the letters. And there are tests that we can do to determine their prescription without them saying anything at all." Since kids learn so much through their sense of sight, it can be hard to succeed in school if they have vision troubles. How- ever, these problems can be difficult to de- tect without a comprehensive eye exam. "Whether it's reading or seeing the board, a lot of kids can fake it. If they've got one eye that's a little bit weaker and they don't know any different, they might not even realize it until they cover that eye in the eye exam," Small said. "The layman's term for that is lazy eye. We call that am- blyopia. It's a big one. When the two im- ages are going back to the brain, the brain kind of turns off the one that is blurry, so that eye will remain weak for the rest of their lives." This problem can often be corrected if it's caught and treated by age three or four. But in older kids, it can be almost im- possible to treat. "If we get the glasses on early enough, it's amazing what they can do. But by about age 10, their eyes are pretty much set up. So if you've got a blurry eye and you just don't know it, it's really difficult to change by the time you see an eye doc- tor," Small said. "However, if we can have the glasses on while the eye is developing, the images are then balanced. The kid succeeds in their depth perception and their actual acuity. All of those things improve big time." Kids may also need glasses if they have trouble focussing at near distances, since this could affect their ability to read. Sunglasses with UV protection are an- other important tool for childhood eye care. When kids come their first eye exam at Armstrong and Small Eye Care Cen- tre, they get a free pair of sunglasses to take home. "I'm a big proponent of UV protection," Small said. "About 50 per cent of UV comes in before you're 18 because you're outside more as a kid. Once you hit that adult age, you're just not outside as much." He also encourages kids to eat healthy foods to maintain healthy eyes. "You are what you eat, so a little bit of veggies for kids can make a big difference," he said. "One of the best foods for retinal health is spinach." Annual eye exams, along with UV pro- tection and good eating habits, are key to a healthy sense of sight. "Even at that early stage, we need to get kids thinking, 'I've got to make sure that I eat well. I've got to make sure that I protect my eyes. I've got to make sure that I get my eye exams,'" Small said. "It's so important." BY JENNIFER McFEE FOr THE FrEE PrESS A thE OF chILDREN'S EYE cARE A B c S Since kidS learn So much through their SenSe of Sight, it can be hard to Succeed in School if they have viSion troubleS.

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