Why that vision screening at the pediatrician's office just ain't enough

According to the American Optometric Association, most children learn through the use of his or her eyes. Visual demands required of students today are different than they used to be, especially with the advent of smart phones and tablets. When in class, students often need to be able to view something far away (i.e. on the chalkboard) and then take notes on a piece of paper at their desk. This type of work requires that the eyes work together properly. If they do not, school can be quite a challenge. The vision screenings that are done at school or at a pediatrician’s office are very general, and do not check the child’s “accommodation” and “convergence,” which both deal with the focusing system of the eyes. Without checking these, it is virtually impossible to know how the child is doing with reading and other daily activities in the classroom.  Additionally, problems in these areas may lead to headaches and eyestrain, especially at the end of the day.

All children can benefit from a comprehensive eye exam, to ensure that they have the best possible vision and ocular health to meet the demands required of them. Besides checking distance vision, a comprehensive exam will include a check of near vision, eye alignment, color vision, depth perception, determination of a glasses prescription if necessary, and an evaluation of ocular health.

I generally recommend bringing your child in every one to two years. Though most children come in for their first eye exam doing fine and not needing any visual correction, it never hurts to check. It is amazing how much a child’s behavior may change and performance in school start to improve once the necessary visual correction is prescribed.

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February Sunglass Sale!

We are offering 20% OFF SUNGLASSES UNTIL THE END OF FEBRUARY as a REWARD for actually glancing at our blog! Treat yourself to the latest styles from Oakley, Rayban, Oliver Peoples, Coach, Kate Spade, and more! We apologize, but cute baby will not be included with your purchase. Cannot be combined with insurance. Please mention that you are redeeming the "20% off sunglass offer" at checkout.

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Dr. Neka on life, love, and her journey as a NICU mama

I'm back in the office! Yes, it’s true! I’m back to examining eyeballs! 2017 was quite a year. After our son’s 2 month NICU stay in Aurora and another 2 month NICU stay in Boston following his birth in August, we are finally back in Longmont. Our son has endured some major operations and still has quite the journey ahead of him, with another upcoming surgery in February. The good news is that, after two incredibly long and complex surgeries, his esophagus is now fully connected. However, it does not function properly, as every bit of milk that is put into his stomach via his g-tube (stomach tube) comes right back up, so we are feeding him via a tube through his intestines right now. Apparently this is common in babies with esophageal atresia. We are hopeful that his next surgery will help with this terrible reflux and move him back to his g tube feeds and hopefully later on to eating by mouth. Learning to eat by mouth will be quite a journey in itself, but we have faith that he will get there. The most important thing is that he is happy. When you look at him, you would have no idea what he has been through. Since Kian’s birth, he has taught me so much about life and love. The most important being that I can either choose to live life as if nothing is a blessing or as if everything is a blessing. And it turns out when the latter is chosen, it paves the way for a much more meaningful and happy life.

I want to take a moment to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for continuing to support my small business during this unexpected lengthy time that I needed to be away. We would not have made it another year in business without you, your continued business, and of course without the wonderful care provided by Julie, Brittany, and Dr. Garcia while I was out. I hope to see you all soon!

Sincerely,

Dr. Neka Amato

Where did Dr. Neka go?!

To my dear patients,

As many of you already know, Mario and I had our first baby this year. He was born 2 months early (in early August). His name is Kian ("Kee-on") Anthony Amato. He is absolutely precious and is the light of our lives. Unfortunately, he was born with a serious and very rare birth defect known as “esophageal atresia,” in which he is missing most of his esophagus. He has been in the NICU in Denver ever since he was born. Because esophageal atresia is so rare, there is quite a bit of controversy regarding the best surgical treatment option. After months of research, discussions with various surgeons, and much prayer, my husband and I have decided to have Kian transported from Colorado Children’s Hospital to Boston Children’s Hospital and will therefore be moving to Boston for a few months with him. You see, Boston Children’s Hospital has the only clinic in the world that performs a relatively new and very complicated procedure that will induce growth of Kian’s esophagus over the course of several weeks, while he is in a medically-induced coma. This procedure, if successful, will give Kian the best chance at having a close-to-normal functioning esophagus. The entire procedure and recovery process will take, at minimum, 2 months to complete. Now, deciding to leave our life and business here in Longmont for a few months was not an easy decision to make. There is certainly a degree of discomfort that comes along with having our medically fragile newborn transported on a private air ambulance across the country, and not knowing where we will be living for the next few months. However, my husband and I feel this is the sacrifice we need to make for the future health and quality of life of our son.

 

Though I will miss you all while I'm away for a few months, know that you will be well taken care of. Julie and Brittany are two of the most reliable, intelligent, and kind-hearted people I have ever met and they will continue to take great care of you and your eyecare needs while I am out of the office. Recently, I was very fortunate to have the pleasure of meeting the warm and bubbly Dr. Adriana Garcia. She is an optometrist who recently moved back here from Illinois (she is a CSU grad), and has been kind enough to offer to take over for me during this stressful time in my life. I have faith that she will take great care of you during my leave of absence.

 

Now, some of you have asked me if there is anything you can do to help me at this time. A few friends have offered to set up a “go-fund-me” account for all the medical and business expenses that we will incur over the next few months. That is not necessary. Honestly, the main thing that helps is the continued support of our small business. Most of you know that we opened Sight Eyecare just 2 years ago. Being a business owner has not always been easy and there are certainly financial burdens that come along with leaving the practice for several months. However, I am still hopeful that we will continue to thrive, thanks to patients like you who continue to support family-owned businesses like ours. So I thank you for your continued support and business, even while I am away. Thank you so much for understanding my reasons for being unavailable for the next few months. I look forward to seeing you all when I return to Longmont, which will hopefully be by the end of the year. Kian looks forward to meeting you all soon as well! :)

Sincerely,

Dr. Neka Amato

Macular Degeneration in a nutshell

Macular degeneration is a disease of the central retina, and is more common over the age of 65. In its early stages, there are no symptoms. If it progresses, it can cause central vision loss. It does have the potential to lead to permanent blindness. Macular degeneration is something that can be diagnosed by your optometrist at your yearly eye exam. In its early stages, certain lifestyle changes are recommended to prevent progression (including diet changes, specific vitamin recommendations, and smoking cessation). In its more severe form, eye surgery is generally recommended to prevent progression. Retinal photos can be taken at our office to monitor progression. 
 

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The reason why you should NOT swim with contact lenses in your eyes

Acanthamoeba keratitis is a relatively rare eye disease that can occur in contact lens wearers, caused by an amoeba that can be found in lake water, pool water, ocean water, soil, and even tap water. It is difficult to treat and therefore often leads to permanent vision loss. How can you prevent this disease from occurring? By following proper contact lens hygiene, of course! This includes replacing your contact lens case at least every 3 months, maintaining proper contact lens cleaning/storage habits, using a doctor-recommended contact lens solution, not reusing contact lens solution, and not swimming or showering with your contact lenses in your eyes.