Children's Vision Month

W e're having to think outside the box and be very creative a lot of the time. We've had many cases of children with one ear or no ears," says Sandra, who co-owns Whitworth Opticians with her husband Peter. "Down syndrome children can be very difficult to fit for glasses because of the position of their ears. We also work with a lot of special needs children." The Whitworths receive prescriptions from both optometrists and ophthalmologists, and it's their job to figure out how to fill them. Many of their patients are babies. It's hard for infants to look at the world with wonder when all they see is a blur. "We see a lot of preemies — premature babies often have eye issues. Sometimes they have exceptionally high prescriptions," Sandra says. "We make sure we have stock to fit children starting at age four months and up." Many people assume babies would never wear glasses, but the Whitworths have found the opposite. "People always assume fitting a baby with glasses is more difficult than fitting a child, but that's not true. They may take them off once or twice, but babies will keep their glasses on because things just look better to them," says Sandra. "You can see the absolute look of awe in their eyes." That look of awe is one of the things Sandra loves most about her job. "I love seeing children put on glasses and be so fascinated with the world around them. Often we forget how fascinating the world is. It refreshes me every time," she says. "I'm into my 60s now and they keep me fit." Glasses for babies have to be made of the lightest and safest materials possible. The glasses also need to be very flexible, so when infants bump into things and fall, the eyewear will not hurt them. "That frame has to be exceedingly comfortable. A baby's nose is very tiny and flat, so nose pads aren't an option," says Sandra. "We're willing and able to problem-solve." Children should have their eyes checked by the time they're three years old — earlier if eye issues run in their families, the Whitworths say. Conditions such as lazy eye (amblyopia) and turned eye (strabismus) may be corrected if they're caught early enough and certainly improved with glasses. "People confuse the two, but a turned eye or strabismus is a visibly turned eye, whereas a lazy eye or amblyopia involves not interpreting images the same with both eyes," Sandra explains. "With strabismus however, amblyopia can also occur if the eye turn is constant. Often these problems are familial." Another issue that can be corrected with glasses in young children is astigmatism, an uneven curvature of the eye. "Where you and I would see a circle, they see a football. This can be extremely frustrating for a child," says Sandra. "If you can catch these vision problems when a child is still young, you can improve the situation." One of the Whitworths' greatest concerns for children's eye health is the blue light emitted by electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets, televisions and computers. "Blue light can damage the eye, causing macular degeneration and interfering with REM (sleep) patterns. A lot of these electronics are used in schools now," Sandra says, adding that they can put a blue-light filter on children's eyewear to help protect them. "I wish the electronics themselves had these filters." As pediatric opticians, the Whitworths believe it's important to form a strong relationship with the parents of their pint-sized patients. "There are very few pediatric opticians in the city, and our business has evolved over time," says Sandra. "There are so many parts of our job that are wonderful." Skill-testing question: What is strabismus? (Answer can be found in the article.) Whitworth Opticians is located at 101-225 Vaughan St. For more information, visit whitworthopticians. com or call 204-942-5332. WHITWORTH OPTICIANS STOCK GLASSES TO FIT CHILDREN FOUR MONTHS OLD AND UP. / JASON HALSTEAD Vision mission BY HOLLI MONCRIEFF No mission is impossible for Peter and Sandra Whitworth. As two of the few pediatric opticians in Winnipeg, the Whitworths have found solutions to the greatest eyewear challenges imaginable. ' The Opticians of Manitoba "OUR focus is YOUR eyesight" The Opticians of Manitoba 215-1080 Portage Ave. Wpg, MB R3G3M3 Email: oom@optm.ca Phone: 204-222-8404, 1-855-346-3715 Website: www.opticiansofmanitoba.ca FREE CONTEST! Your eyesight is too important to trust to just anyone. Seeing a Licensed Optician will ensure you receive high quality service from an accountable professional. Licensed Opticians have to meet standards of practice and training, commit to ongoing education, and are held to these standards by the Opticians of Manitoba (OOM). Contest rules Read our article on this page to find a skill testing question & answer. To qualify, Email your answer to oom@optm.ca by Sunday, October 30 th , 2016. The 100th Email with the correct answer will be the winner. Enter our draw to win "Ted" the Teddy and a pair of men's London Fog sunglasses (retail $129.00), donated by Contact Lens Services, 414 Graham Ave., Winnipeg. PAG E 7 VISION MONTH

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