Should You Be Worried About Seeing Dark Spots or “Floaters” in Your Vision? Dr. Michelle Answers the Question in this Month’s VSP EnVision Newsletter “Ask the Eye Doc” Feature.

What does it mean if you are experiencing dark spots or “floaters” in your vision?

That was the question posed in this month’s “Ask The Eye Doctor” column in the VSP EnVision Newsletter:

Q:  What Are Those Dark Spots I’m Seeing in My Eyes?

While “floaters” are actually quite common, you’ll want to read Dr. Michelle’s entire explanation in the VSP EnVision Newsletter to understand why spots or floaters develop, the current treatments available for them, and when a visual disturbance warrants a trip to the optometrist.

You can view the complete response here.

Tags: Ask The Eye Doc, Ask The Eye Doctor, Dark Spots In Eyes, Dark Spots in Vision, Dr. Michelle Calder Cardwell, Floaters, Optometris, Optometrist, Urban Optiques, Vision, Vision Care, Vision Floaters, Vision Health, Vision Spots, Vitrectomy, VSP, VSP EnVision, VSP EnVision Newsletter

Grab the Kids and Join Urban Optiques Sunday September 26 at the DIA for a day of Education and Fun at the 15th Annual Metro Parent Education Expo. It’s FREE!

Looking for something fun, educational and best of all — FREE — to do with the family and kids on Sunday afternoon?

How about joining Urban Optiques and more than sixty of the area’s top educational leaders at the Detroit Institute of Arts for the 15th Annual Metro Parent “Education Expo?”

The event, which runs from 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday, September 26,  not only provides you with free access to dozens of interactive exhibits,  but also let’s you DISCOVER the best opportunities for your children’s academic success from metro Detroit’s educational leaders! Even better, you can EXPLORE the exciting galleries at the Detroit Institute of Arts all for FREE.

The Urban Optiques Team will be on hand at booth #23 during the Metro Parent Education Expo with a cool, interactive display on optical illusions that is guaranteed to not only amaze, but also educate kids, moms and dads on how optical illusions work, and what they can tell us about our vision.

We’ll also be performing free vision screenings for the whole family, since studies show that vision problems are one of the leading reasons for poor academic performance among children and teens.

Finally, we’ll also be giving away lots of  fun door prizes for attendees who enter our special drawing.

For more information and to pre-register for this always-well-attended event, visit Metro Parent Magazine online.

Hope to see all of you there!

Tags: Children-039s Vision Care, Detroit Institute of Arts, DIA, Educational Events, Family Friendly Events, Metro Parent, Metro Parent Detroit, Metro Parent Education Expo, Metro Parent Events, Metro Parent Magazine, Urban Optiques, Urban Optiques Events, Vision, Vision Care, Vision Problems, Vision Screening

VSP Taps Dr. Michelle to Answer Member and Reader Vision Care Questions in New Monthly National e-Mail Newsletter

This month, VSP, the largest not-for-profit vision benefits and services company in the U.S. with more than 55 million members, debuted its newly redesigned EnVision e-mail newsletter.

Aside from an entirely new look and feel, the newsletter also features a new monthly “Ask the Eye Doc” column written by Urban Optique’s own Dr. Michelle Calder Cardwell.

Dr. Michelle will be a regular, ongoing monthly contributor to EnVision — which goes out to nearly 5 million subscribers nationally — answering questions from members and the general public around vision care.  Not only are we honored and thrilled that VSP chose Dr. Michelle as its resident vision expert, but we also love the new newsletter format and design.

To sign-up for the VSP EnVision e-mail newsletter which features articles on vision care and eyewear fashion and trends, visit the VSP website.  If you want to ask Dr. Michelle a question, you can submit your questions for the “Ask The Eye Doc” monthly feature here.

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Tags: Ask the Eye Doctor, Dr Michelle Calder Cardwell, Urban Optiques, Vision Care, Vision Care Advice, Vision Care Tips, Vision Services Plan, VSP, VSP EnVision, VSP Newsletter

A New Study Says Contact Lenses Account for More Pediatric Injuries Than Any Other Medical Device.  Find Out How To Help Your Kids Benefit from Contact Lenses without the Injury Risks.

In late July, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a report that found over a two year period, emergency rooms treated more than 33,000 injuries due to contact lenses — making the eye the most frequently injured body part among children due to medical device complications.

When we saw the report and the headlines, we weren’t entirely surprised.  Children are one of the fastest growing segments of new contact lens wearers, representing more than 10% of the total population of contact lens wearers.  The growing popularity of contacts among children makes sense: Today’s new breed of soft contact lenses are more comfortable than ever and contacts are often an attractive alternative to glasses, especially for active children, ‘tweens and teens.

On the other hand, as the report from The American Academy of Pediatric’s demonstrates, contact lenses and children can also be a recipe for injury, and possibly permanent eye damage or vision loss, if parents aren’t monitoring and supervising the wear, care and replacement of lenses in their children.

According to the data, the most-frequently reported injury diagnoses due to contact lenses were corneal contusions/abrasions, conjunctivitis and hemorrhage.  The study also showed that most contact lens complications were the result of non-compliance with the  recommended wear and care regimens, as well as replacement schedules.

Misuse of contact lenses in both adults and children can lead to problems such as eye pain, bacterial infections, corneal ulcers, and even permanent vision loss or blindness.

Are Contacts and Kids a Good Mix?

Why so many problems?

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Tags: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics Report on Contact Lenses, Blindness, Caring for Contact Lenses, Contact Lens Abuse, Contact Lens Injuries, Contact Lens Safety, Contact Lens Tips, Contact Lenses, Contact Lenses and Children, Cosmetic Contact Lenses, Eye Care, Kids Contact Lenses, Proper Care of Contact Lenses, Vision, Vision Care

One in Four School-Age Children Have Some Form of Vision Problems: The First Test Your Kids Take This Year Should Be Their Eye Exam.

We’re less than a month away from the beginning of the school year for most children, and while that means shopping for school supplies and back-to-school clothes (as well as maybe fitting in one last family vacation), one area that you’ll want to make sure you don’t neglect is your child’s vision.

Healthy vision and the ability to effectively learn go hand-in-hand.  If fact, when a child is experiencing difficulty in school, exhibits signs of a learning disorder or suddenly (or sometimes gradually) experiences a decline in grades, the first stop should be the eye doctor.

Since 80 percent of a child’s learning is visual, a child’s ability to clearly see the blackboard and the words on a page is critical.  Prevent Blindness America, the nation’s oldest volunteer eye health and safety organization, has declared August as Children’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness month in an effort to encourage parents to learn about ways they can help protect their child’s vision.

One in four school-age children and one in 20 pre-schoolers have some form of a vision problem. Sometimes the signs are immediately apparent, for example squinting, eyes crossing, holding objects near the face or sitting closer to the television than normal.  In other instances, the problems may be less recognizable and require a thorough pediatric eye exam or at least a vision screening to identify.

The Importance of Early Detection of Eye Disorders & Vision Problems

Early detection and prompt treatment of ocular disorders in children is important to avoid lifelong visual impairment. It also can improve performance in school and reduce behavioral and learning problems.

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Tags: Amblyopia, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Optometric Association, Child Vision Care, Childrens Eye Doctor, Childrens Eye Exams, Childrens Vision Care, Eye Exams, Eye Exams for Children, Lazy Eye, Pediatric Eye Doctor, Pediatric Eye Exams, Prevent Blindess America, Star Pupils Program, Strabismus, Vision Care, Vision Health, Vision Problems in Children

A Recent Rash of Lens Remakes on External Prescriptions Underscores the “Art” portion of Vision Correction.  Learn The Steps We Are Taking to Ensure Your Outside Prescription Is Accurate.

Lens remakes are the bane of any optometrist’s existence.

Not only are they costly for both the practice and the labs, but they also create frustration with patients and clients who may have to endure one or more lens remakes before they are actually able to see clearly.

No one wants them and every optician and optometrist works hard up-front to avoid them.

However, they do happen every now and then.

Why?

Well, unfortunately, sometimes a lab will make a mistake and get the script wrong.

Sometimes what a patient thought was “clear vision” during the exam isn’t so “clear” when they actually put the finished glasses on.

Other times, we just need to “tweak” a prescription and lens a few times, especially for new progressive wearers or people with complex vision correction needs like prism.

In very rare instances, a person’s vision may literally change between the refraction and the delivery of the finished frame and lenses.

Our Philosophy: We Work Until We Get Your Lenses Right. Period.

In all of these cases, we continue to work with the patient until we get the finished product right, and often we do this at considerable extra cost to Urban Optiques – both in additional lab rework fees and the staff’s time.  It’s just part of the process of providing good vision care and an accepted cost of business for us (even though we want to minimize it.)

The good news is that when we actually perform the eye exam and refraction at Urban Optiques, we have an extremely low remake rate. There are few specific reasons for this, which I’ll touch on a bit later.

But first, let me tell you about a recent “mystery” at Urban Optiques around remakes.

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Tags: Direct Assessment for Vision, Eye Care, Eye Doctor, Eye Exams, Eyeglass Lenses, Eyeglass Prescriptions, Eyewear, Lens Remakes, Metro Detroit Eye Exams, Optical Shop, Optician, Optometris, Optometrist, Progressive Lenses, Refraction, Trial Eyeglass Lenses, Urban Optiks, Urban Optiques, Vision Care, Vision Prescription, Vision Prescriptions, Zeiss Eye Terminal

Study Suggests Females Have Higher Rates of Eye Disease.  So What Can A Woman Do to Keep Her Vision Healthy?

You work-out and exercise, you eat healthy, your have regular check-ups with your OBGYN and primary physician, but are you also paying special attention to your vision?

Research suggests that you should be.

A 2008 study by Prevent Blindness America and the National Eye Institute consistently shows that more women are diagnosed with major eye diseases than men. Of the more than 3.6 million Americans age 40 or older who suffer from visual impairment, including blindness, 2.3 million are women.

This disturbing research prompted Prevent Blindness America to designate April as “Women’s Eye Care and Safety Month” in an effort to encourage women to make vision health a priority and schedule an eye exam that includes dilation.

Dry Eyes? You’re Not Alone Ladies

The study found that in addition to more diagnosed cases of major eye disease, women are more prone to dry eye syndrome, a condition where not enough natural tears are produced, or the composition of the tear layers is compromised.

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Tags: Blindness, Cataracts, Causes of Dry Eyes, Diseases of the Eye, Dry Eye Cause, Dry Eye Causes, Dry Eye Condition, Dry Eye Conditions, Dry Eye Inflammation, Dry Eye Problems, Dry Eye Syndrome, Dry Eyes, Extreme Dry Eye, Eyecare, Eyes, Eyesight, Macular Degeneration, Menopause Dry Eyes, National Eye Institute, Prevent Blindness America, Vision, Vision and Pregnancy, Vision Care, Vision Care Tips, Vision Disease, Vision Loss, Vision Problems, Wellness, Women Peripheral Vision, Women-039s Health, Women-039s Health Care, Women-039s Health Issues, Womens Vision