Category: Eye Health

Eye care experts generally agree: Watching television will not harm your eyes or vision if the TV room is lit properly and if you follow a few viewing tips. In fact, there is usually less strain involved in TV viewing than in doing close work such as sewing or reading. But TV watching for long…

Good vision is vital to reading well. And although vision may not be the only cause of reading difficulties, it is one that is sometimes overlooked.  Reading requires the integration of eight different vision skills. Only one is checked by the typical school eye chart test. Quick eye examinations may cover only one or two.…

Protecting the eyes of the future For most children, summer months mean long hours of play outside in the sunshine.  But a few months in the sun can lead to compromised eye health later on if proper UV protection isn’t part of children’s summer routines. The British Columbia Association of Optometrists urges parents to foster…

Patients will receive care faster and more conveniently for eye conditions Qualified B.C. optometrists can now prescribe medications to treat certain eye conditions such as infections, inflammations, allergies and injuries. “This change will provide direct and first-line treatment to patients,” says Dr. Marnie Spino, vice-president of the B.C. Association of Optometrists. “It is especially good…

ArcticDx Inc., a molecular diagnostic company with expertise in the design, development and commercialization of validated molecular diagnostic tests, has announced the availability of a test specifically designed to determine one's inherited risk for Age-Related Macular Degeneration ("AMD"). AMD is the leading cause of late onset visual impairment and legal blindness in the western world…

For those of you who are regular readers of this column, you are likely aware of the importance of vision, some of the conditions which can affect your vision, and some of the things that an Optometrist can do to improve your vision. As an Audiologist, I want to let you know more about another…

What do a bungee cord, a pan of frying bacon and lawn-care chemicals have in common? They are just a few of the common items around the house that can cause eye injuries.  Most North Americans think that eye injuries are a workplace phenomenon or related to events like fireworks displays. In fact, we are…

A new treatment for keratoconus Keratoconus is a degenerative disorder of the eye in which the biomechanical strength of the cornea’s collagen fibres is reduced, causing it to thin and bulge forward into a more conical shape than its normal gradual curve.  The cornea is the clear tissue that covers the front of the eye…

Preliminary research shows encouraging results with transplantation of retinal cells in patients with blindness caused by retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a report in the August issue of American Journal of Ophthalmology (http://www.AJO.com). In the FDA-monitored study, Dr. Norman D. Radtke of University of Louisville, Ky., and colleagues performed the…