The average american spends more than 8 hours a day on digital devices. This constant strain on our visual systems has caused a large portion of the population to have symptoms such as dry eye, migraines, neck and shoulder pain as well as eye strain. Some treatments consist of dry eye management and prescription eyewear. Other patients who still struggle may be candidates for a new technology from Neurolens. This latest technology measures how well your visual system works when focusing on near activities. Many patients would benefit from contoured prism lenses that help reduce the stimulation of the Trigeminal nerve, causing migraines as well as neck and shoulder pain. Technological advancements have allowed us to diagnose this issue and provide lenses that will help treat this misalignment.

North Country Eye Care is the first to bring this advanced technology to New England. During your eye exam, you may have specialized testing to determine how well your eyes work together to provide clear comfortable vision. Good vision includes comfort, clarity and a healthy visual system. Contact our office and see how we can provide the best vision possible for you.

By Scott Thielen ABOC-AC

Many parents rely on school vision screenings to determine if their child has a vision issue, however these screening generally only pick up 25% of children with vision problems. The fact is school nurses only check for visual acuity and not the complete visual system. Worse yet is only 39% of the children who fail these screenings see an optometrist or ophthalmologist. Many children who are diagnosed with learning disorders, really are in need eyeglasses or vision therapy. Being able to see a vision chart is not the same as being able to see without straining the visual system. An analogy I often give to parents is try reading a book while doing push ups and see how much you retain. A child that is exerting lots of energy just to be able to read is not comprehending what is read. Local Lions Clubs are doing a lot to screen local children and bring awareness to vision issues, but still many parents are not taking the results of failed screenings seriously. We know vision accounts for 80% of what we learn, so it is very important for the future of our children.

Symptoms of learning-related vision problems include:

• Headaches or eye strain
• Blurred vision or double vision
• Crossed eyes or eyes that appear to move independently of each other (Read more about strabismus.)
• Dislike or avoidance of reading and close work
• Short attention span during visual tasks
• Turning or tilting the head to use one eye only, or closing or covering one eye
• Placing the head very close to the book or desk when reading or writing
• Excessive blinking or rubbing the eyes
• Losing place while reading, or using a finger as a guide
• Slow reading speed or poor reading comprehension
• Difficulty remembering what was read
• Omitting or repeating words, or confusing similar words
• Persistent reversal of words or letters (after second grade)
• Difficulty remembering, identifying or reproducing shapes
• Poor eye-hand coordination
• Evidence of developmental immaturity

Many patient’s looking to purchase eyeglasses online, expect to have the PD when they receive their prescription. Some offices will put the PD measured by some of the instrumentation during your exam on the prescription and others will have the optician take that measurement for you. The doctor during your exam does not take your PD at anytime during your exam, as that is left to the optician who is going to make your eyewear. Having an inaccurate PD will not harm you, but may make your vision uncomfortable, strained and in the worse case scenario, cause double vision. The most accurate way to measure the optical center of your glasses is with the frame on. For most patients this usually does not cause a problem, but those who are sensitive to prescription changes and/or have stronger prescriptions will have issues. A professional optician, like a carpenter making a cabinet, would never rely on someone else to take those measurements. When it comes to bifocals and progressive lenses, a segment height is needed and would be almost impossible to get accurately without the patient in front of you with the glasses on. Your optician may or may not charge for these measurements, but remember when you are in need of professional services such as adjustments and advice, that your optician would not be there to preform these services if other customers were not purchasing from them. Some online companies have attached a monetary value to these services. Warby Parker for example will refund up to $50 for these services, because they know it is important to the overall satisfaction with your eyewear. Here at North Country Eye Care, we offer a optical service plan that covers your measurements, adjustments, verification and consultation.

Many patients wonder if having a vision plan is necessary. As a provider of vision care, we can give you the prospective of a provider on how these plans work. It is important to realize the difference between an Insurance company and Vision plan. Insurances are set up to reduce the potential risk of a catastrophic injury, disease or financial hardship. The insurance company collects premiums to invest and calculate the risk of paying more in claims than they collect in premiums and or can make in investments. Vision plans on the other hand are selling plans to people with a specific need to get glasses and or contact lenses. How many vision plan are sold to people not in the need for glasses or contacts?

In order to make money these plans must charge more in premiums than they pay out in coverage. Vision plans will negotiate with providers to accept low reimbursements in exchange for increased volume (more patients). For providers to make this work they need to see more patients in a shorter time and find ways to cut costs. This creates an inability of providers to put patient care first, as speed and cost cutting is paramount to business survival. Some providers have started to recognize the problems with this model and have decided patient satisfaction and care is more important to them professionally. This is why your provider may not take the vision plan you are looking for. If you have decided to choose to purchase a vision plan, contact your eye care provider and ask what are the pros and cons of the different plans. Ultimately you will have to determine what you value about your eye care.

When cost is the only determining factor in choosing your eye care, you can not beat a vision plan for value. However if you are interested in quality of care, eye health, choice of products, warranties and consultation from your Doctor and optician on the optimal way to provide the best vision possible for you and your lifestyle, a vision plan does not provide the best value.

The end of the year means its the Holiday season and we all are busy preparing for them. During this busy time, it is easy to forget our medical flex plans and the fact we need to spend the money we have saved there before the end of the year or we lose it. One important thing you can use your FSA money towards are prescription glasses and even prescription sunglasses. So if you find yourself with unused funds in your FSA, stop by our office and we can help you choose a new pair of eyeglasses or sunglasses. If you are planning for next year, I would stop in and have us give you a quote on new glasses and/or sunglasses.