Seeing 20/10 in the year 2010 - Presentation 7/21 at noon

Have you ever wondered if you are a candidate for the newest forms of LASIK or cataract surgery to help you see better than 20/20? Have you wondered what new treatments there are for eye disease, and what new nutritional supplements you can take to help preserve your vision? There are many amazing new advances in the eye care industry that can help!

Come learn more about cool advances in the optometry world by attending the Lunch Break Science presentation at the Science Museum of Virginia on Wednesday, July 21st at noon. Admission is free, and you may bring a bagged lunch! Dr. Paull will be discussing many of latest advances, so have some tricky questions prepared!

We look forward to seeing you!

The Science Museum of Virginia is located at 2500 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA, 23220. Their phone number is: (804) 864-1400. When you arrive, just go to the front desk and tell them you want to see the Lunch Break Science presentation.

See 20/20 in your dreams

I used to see 20/400 in my right eye - very nearsighted. That means if I was not wearing glasses or contacts, I wouldn't be able to read a sign that the normal person could read at 400 feet away, until I was 20 feet close to it. However, I am now 20/20 in that eye, thanks to Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT). I am very pleased with this procedure and we offer it at our office to qualified participants.

CRT is a non-surgical alternative to LASIK. Only people who have prescriptions for mild to moderate nearsightedness can qualify. It involves wearing a special, hard contact lens at night while you are sleeping. The lens is like a retainer for the eyes - it gently 'straightens out' the cornea. Unlike LASIK, which is permanent, CRT is temporary, and the effect lasts 24-48 hours. Therefore, most people must wear their CRT lens every night in order to see clearly witthout any correction for the next day. Even children over age 8 have had excellent success with this procedure!

The lens allows you to see clearly while you are wearing it (pleasant dreams!), and clearly without it on for about 24 hours! No, your dreams may not become any clearer, but your daytime vision certainly will!

For more information, please visit http://www.paragoncrt.com/ or contact our office at (804) 272-0848.

During the month of July, we will be offering free CRT consults and

$50 off the lenses for those who qualify!

Are your glasses dirty or is it just cataract?

It may not seem funny at the time, but many patients unintentionally spend a lot of trying to clean their glasses because they are seeing blurry. However, sometimes certain conditions such as cataract can cause blurriness that isn't correctable by cleaning or changing your glasses!

Dr. Rob Levy is an associate practitioner at our practice who shares this story:

A cataract patient of ours had a big old town car, and he took pride in washing his whitewall tires every day, although he never could seem to get them clean. He had his cataracts removed, and went home and saw that his whitewall tires WERE white - and had been all along! He had been washing clean tires every day, thinking they were yellow because of his cataracts. But as happy as he was to see his tires finally as the shining white color that they were, he then lamented that we had taken away his "hobby", and NOW what was he going to do with all his time?

Moral of the story: cataract removal may help you see things correctly, but you may be surprised at what you see!

How far can the human eye see?

Under completely perfect conditions, the human eye is capable of viewing a candle at 14 miles away. How amazing. There are about 1.5 million nerve fibers that transmit the information from the eye to the brain, allowing us to see. The eyeball is an awesome creation that we often take for granted, so let's be thankful for what we can see - even if it isn't exactly 14 miles away!

The secret to instilling eyedrops in a toddler

Patients tell me quite frequently that they are 'scared' of eyedrops. Perhaps they were traumatized when younger by a huge eyedrop bottle lunging towards their eye. Now they may have that wonderful blink reflex that doesn't allow anything to come near their precious eyes!

I found out the secret to instilling eyedrops when I had to give my own 2-year old daughter eyedrops:

First, always wash your hands whenever you touch anyone's eyes. Then, get a treat (we use chocolate-covered raisins) and a tissue. Lay the child down flat on their back (on either a changing table or a bed). Hold the treat up and let them know they will get the treat if they stay nice and still. Then, calmly pull down on their lower eyelid and quickly place a drop right into the lower eyelid area (the pink area). Try not to touch the dropper tip to the eye, or it may contaminate the bottle. Immediately give them the treat to distract them and reward them. They should not cry, or this will wash out the eyedrop and you must do it again. They may keep their eye closed and you can then blot it with the tissue. Always give positive reinforcement after the eyedrop and praise them for being so good.

My daughter now loves getting eyedrops and she has even started to help by pulling down on her eyelids when I need to put the eyedrop in.

It is very important that children develop positive associations with eyedrops so that they will not be scared of them in the future.

Proven once again: chocolate is the answer to any problem!!

PS - adults can benefit from this treat reward system as well! It is easy to instill eyedrops - just lean your head back, pull down on your lower lid, and place a drop in the lower eyelid. Do not touch the dropper tip to the eye, and if you miss, just try again! You'll love that chocolate reward...

The eye is the window to your body's health

Did you know that many diseases, such as uncontrolled diabetes or high blood pressure can show up by looking into the eye?

The small blood vessels that are all over the body are the same type that line the inside of the eye. Therefore, if a person is being affected by bodily conditions, they may show up by changes in the retina (the tissue lining the inside of the eye).

One of the most common diseases that affects the inside of the eye is diabetes. In fact, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults under the age of 60. If a person has uncontrolled diabetes, it can cause their blood vessels to leak blood inside their eye and cause blurry vision. It is estimated that approximately 650,000 Americans have vision loss due to diabetes. If it is caught early through a comprehensive eye exam, it can be treated. However, if it progresses, retinal scarring and permanent vision loss can develop.

It is important to have a yearly eye exam not only to check on your glasses or contact lens prescription, but also to check your overall eye health. Dr. Amanda Paull and Associates offers special retinal photography to detect early stages of disease. You may schedule appointments online at www.RichmondOptometry.com or call the office at 272-0848. We look forward to helping you check your eyes!

The Eyes Have it on Memorial Day

Do you know when the first Memorial Day was observed? Guess...

It was actually first observed on May 30th, 1868. We often we take for granted the service and lives that were lost for our freedom. Thankfully, ever since the Civil War, we have had this special day to remember those who have served to protect our nation.

Did you know that about 13% of injuries during the Cold war involved the eye? We may take our good vision for granted, but please stop and also remember those who now are blind or severely visually impaired due to their military service.

If you are able to read this blog, please remember what a true blessing it is to have good vision. Thank you to all our military soldiers who selflessly serve, and especially those who lose vision or another aspect of their life due to their service. We appreciate you!!!