Have you ever wondered why you have eyes that are sensitive to bright lights? Well, people with light colored eyes and people who get migraines and people with cataracts are more likely to notice that their eyes are more sensitive to bright lights and glare. Photophobia is a symptom of another underlying problem, such as a corneal abrasion, uveitis, or a central nervous system disorder such as meningitis. Light sensitivity may also be associated with retinal detachment, contact lens irritations, sunburn and refractive surgery.

Photophobia often accompanies albinism, total color deficiency (seeing in shades of gray), botulism, rabies, mercury poisoning, conjunctivitis, keratitis and iritis. Certain rare diseases, such as the genetic disorder keratosis follicularis spinulosa decalvans (KFSD), are reported to cause photophobia. And some medications may cause light sensitivity as a side effect, including belladonna, furosemide, quinine, tetracycline and doxycycline.

Want to get some sort of relief?  The best treatment for light sensitivity is to treat the underlying cause. In many cases, once the triggering factor is treated, photophobia disappears. If you are taking a medication that causes light sensitivity, talk to the prescribing physician about discontinuing it or replacing it with another drug.If you’re sensitive to light, avoid bright sunlight and other bright lights. Wear hats and sunglasses with UV protection.In an extreme case, you may consider wearing contact lenses that are specially colored to look like your own eyes. Prosthetic contact lenses can reduce the amount of light that enters the eye, so your eyes are more comfortable.

We always like to learn new things to be better at our job. Those that do poorly are probably not meant to sell. Take a look at the following Optical Sales myths and maybe there could be someway we could do things a little differently.

Myth #1

New technology lenses and frames decrease the need for multiple sales.

Eyeglasses with high-index materials, AR coatings, photochromic and progressive lenses would probably be considered “fully-loaded” by most practitioners and patients. Yet even these premium lenses have limitations. Heavy computer users and most athletes wouldn’t do well with these options. Those who do a lot of continuous distance or close work might do better with single vision lenses. So, while the technology available in both frames and lenses has increased exponentially in the last few years, we still don’t have a “one pair does it all” eyeglass modality. There are still some comprises with most eyeglasses. Certainly one reason we don’t do more multiple dispensing is because we have become mesmerized by, and complacent about, new technology.

Myth #2
Patients only want what the plan covers.

There’s no question third-party payers have taken their toll on our optical sales. However, many doctors have let this become a psychological barrier and excuse in building their businesses. A managed care patient who says, “I only want what the plan covers,” is the equivalent of a cash patient saying, “I have a fixed amount of money to spend on eye wear and I want to maximize every dollar.” Viewed this way, a managed care patients “allowance” can be positioned as a savings for the patient that now allows him or her to purchase additional eye wear. “Mrs. Jones, I have great news for you. Dr. Bill has written you two prescriptions and your insurance covers one of them. That means you’re only responsible for the second pair.”

Contrast this with the emotion many doctors experience when they discover a patient has insurance and is not a cash patient. Before he or she even greets the patient in the exam room the doctor has decided that the patient only wants what the plan covers! This profit-draining, self-fulfilling prophecy rears its head again when the doctor transfers the patient to his optical staff. “Mary, Mr. Specs needs a pair of glasses and he has XYZ insurance.”

MYTH #3

My patients can’t afford more than one pair of glasses.

That might be right. Or it might be wrong. But multiple dispensing isn’t about forecasting expenses for your patient. It’s about doing what’s best for your patients regardless of their perceived financial status. You are your patients’ eye doctor – not their financial advisor. And, as the eye doctor you should be recommending whatever eye wear is best for your patients visual needs and lifestyle.

MYTH #4

I believe in multiple dispensing, but my staff doesn’t.

Doc, I have news for you. If your staff doesn’t “get it,” it’s your fault. Unquestionably, your staff obtains their sales and dispensing philosophies from you. Your personality and view of multiple dispensing percolates down to your staff through your continuous behavior, no matter how subtle. Pinning poor sales on staff is an excuse that needs to be addressed by you.

Source: Optometric Management, Nov 2005 by Gerber, Gary
Thanks to Dr Gerber for sharing these Myths. They are awesome.
DR. GERBER IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE POWER PRACTICE, A COMPANY SPECIALIZING IN MAKING OPTOMETRISTS MORE PROFITABLE. LEARN MORE AT WWW.POWERPRACTICE.COM OR CALL DR. GERBER AT (800) 867-9303.

Anyways, here are a few comments that I am posting here….Sorry about the delay in replying back.

Question #1:

mine is:
OD -150DS
OS pl -025 x 005

how come it’s not like the format you mentioned?
the optometrist said my left eye is not nearsighted, but why there’s -025 x 005?

Thanks
Camilla

@Camilla

Doctors have different formats on how they write a prescription, but it all means the same thing.
Your doctor is right. You are not nearsighted in your left eye. All it means that you have just a slight bit of astigmatism.

Pl = Plano (no prescription)
-.25 = A quarter of a diopter of astigmatism.
005 = The Axis as to where your astigmatism is located at.

You don’t have to worry. You really only need correction in your right eye. Just get your eyes examined every year or two to make sure your prescription doesn’t change and the health of your eyes are good.

I hope that this helps you out and if you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me.

Question #2

Peggy MacIntyre

My prescription reads:

Sphere Cylinder Axis Add
OD: -3.75 -0.75 030 +2.50
OS: -3.25 -0.50 160 +2.50

I want to get a pair of reading glasses and a pair of single vision lenses for nearsightedness. My question is does all this information apply to reading glasses? Would the same correction need to be made to them as for the nearsighted lenses?

@Peggy
The answer is yes. You can get a pair of glasses for reading and for distance. You have an ADD power of +2.50, so to get your reading prescription, you have to transpose your Add power along with your distance prescription.
Your reading Rx is different than your distance Rx.

This is your distance Rx:
OD -3.75 -0.75 x 030
OS -3.25 -0.50 x 160

This is your Reading Rx:
OD -1.25 -0.75 x 30
OS -0.75 -0.50 x 160

And if you were to get a pair of bifocals/progressives, your distance Rx would be in the top portion of the lenses and the +2.50 Add power in the lower bifocal portion.

I hope this helps you out and please feel free to contact me with any other questions.

Best Regards,

First off…What is prism?

Prism can be used to correct vision for an individual whose eyes are not perfectly aligned as with, for example, a patient with strabismus. When the eyes are not aligned, the right and left eye see different images resulting in blurred or double vision. Sometimes the brain can even “shut off” one eye, in an attempt to remedy the vision, resulting in monocular vision and loss of depth perception. Prism can often be used to align the images seen by both eyes, so the eyes can fuse or see the same image, restoring visual clarity and depth perception.

Prism, like lens power, is also measured in diopters (Δ), but measured differently. One diopter of prism is equal to the prism required to divert a ray of light 1 cm from its original path, measured at a distance of 1 m from the prism.

As important as the amount of prism, is the direction of prism. The prism must displace viewed objects in the proper direction to achieve the desired visual correction. Prism direction can be specified in two ways, either using the prescriber’s method or the 360 method.

The prescriber’s method specifies the direction if the prism in terms of the base, using base-up, base-down, base-in, and base-out (base-in referring to the direction of the nose and base-out referring to the direction of the temple). Often prescriptions will include a combination of directions to achieve the proper resultant prism. For example: 2 Δ base-in and 1 Δ base-up.

Labs however, use a 360° or 180° method of describing base direction. Using the 360° method, when a lens is viewed from the front, a prism with a base direction to the right (base-in for the right eye and base-out for the left) becomes 0°. Likewise, a prism with a base direction to the left (base-out for the right eye and base-in for the left) becomes 180°. Base-up then becomes 90° and base-down 270°. Using this method, prism directions other than base-in, base-out, base-up, and base-down can be specified at a single angle e.g. 2.7 Δ base 64°. The 180° method is similar, however, as the name suggests, only 180° are used, consequently, an up or down direction must also be specicfied.

Prism specified in using the presciber’s method consisting of multiple base direction components can easily be converted to the 360° or 180° methods by using a prism chart or simple trigonometric formulae.

Source: Laramy-K

∆ is the symbol for Prism

BI (BASE IN)

BO (BASE OUT)

BU (BASE UP)

BD (BASE DOWN)

Prism by Decentration

To better understand why there is induced prism, the cross-section of a plus lens can be likened to two prisms base-to-base, as the lens is thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges. Likewise, a minus lens can be likened to two prisms apex-to-apex, thinner in the middle and thicker at the edges.

This induced prism can actually be used to the advantage of the lab when prism is called for in a prescription. If the lens power is sufficient, to induce the prescribed prism, the lens can simply be cut off-center to achieve the required results. This is known as prism by decentration. If the power is insufficient, however, the prism must be cut into the surface of the lens.

A simple equation can be used to calculate the prism induced by decentration. Prentice�s rule states that prism in diopters (Δ) is equal to the decentration distance (c) in centimeters multiplied by the lens power (D).

Prentice�s Rule

Δ = cD

Source: Laramy-K

The only difference that I can see is that one hour labs don’t take enough time to do a complete final inspection and cosmetic inspection before the pair of glasses are dispensed, thus results in a lot of returns and remakes.  Also, you get what you pay for.

A wholesale lab is about volume and accuracy. The main focus is on the client and making sure that their glasses meets and exceeds the customers expectations. No more of this within tolerance crap. The prescription and measurements has to accurate or it gets rejected. Also, the wait is a little longer when getting glasses from a wholesale lab. It ca take up to 2 weeks in some cases.

Do you have experience working in either a wholesale lab and/or one hour lab? Tell me your experience with them and why you prefer one over the other?

As a customer, what if your experience with purchasing glasses at either one of these place? I would really like to know what most people prefer…

Best Regards,

Let’s get started:

An eye exam is one of the best ways to protect your vision because it can detect eye problems at their earliest stage — when they’re most treatable. Regular eye exams give your eye care professional a chance to help you correct or adapt to vision changes. And eye care specialists can give you expert tips on reducing eyestrain and caring for your eyes.

What type of doctor do you need?

What happens during an eye exam?

A complete eye exam involves a series of tests designed to evaluate your vision and check for eye diseases. It doesn’t hurt. Your doctor may use odd-looking instruments, aim bright lights directly at your eyes and request that you look through a seemingly endless array of lenses. Each test evaluates a different aspect of your vision.

The eye exam usually begins with your doctor asking about your medical history and any vision problems you might be experiencing. Next, your eye doctor makes a quick check of your eyes using a light to ensure the exterior parts of your eyes are functioning correctly. Finally, your doctor measures your visual acuity, assesses your need for glasses and examines your eyes for signs of disease. Part of the examination, such as taking your medical history and the initial eye test, may be performed by a technician who assists your doctor.

Tests that are performed

Eye muscle test
This test examines the muscles that control eye movement, looking for weakness or poor control. Your eye doctor looks at your eyes as you move them in six specific directions and as you visually track a moving object, such as a pen.

Visual acuity test
This test measures how clearly you can see from a distance. Your doctor will ask you to identify different letters of the alphabet printed on a chart positioned usually 20 feet away. The lines of type get smaller as you move down the chart. You cover one eye and read aloud, then cover the other eye and read aloud.

Refraction assessment
Refraction refers to how light waves are bent as they pass through your cornea and lens. A refraction assessment helps your doctor determine a corrective lens prescription that will give you the sharpest vision. If you don’t need corrective lenses, you won’t have a refraction assessment.

Your doctor may use a computerized refractor to measure your eyes and estimate the prescription you need to correct a refractive error. Or he or she may use a technique called retinoscopy. In this procedure the doctor shines a light into your eye and measures the refractive error by evaluating the movement of the light reflected by your retina.

Your eye doctor fine-tunes this refraction assessment by asking you to look through a Phoropter, a mask-like device that contains wheels of different lenses, and judge which combination gives you the sharpest vision. By repeating this step several times, your doctor finds the lenses that give you the greatest possible acuity.

Visual field test (perimetry)
Your visual field is the area in front of you that you can see without moving your eyes. The visual field test determines whether you have difficulty seeing in any areas of your peripheral vision — the areas on the side of your visual field. There are a few different types of visual field tests:

Slit-lamp examination
A slit lamp is a microscope that enlarges and illuminates the front of your eye with an intense line of light. Your doctor uses this light to examine the cornea, iris, lens and anterior chamber of your eye.

When examining your cornea, your doctor may use eye drops containing fluorescein (flooh-RES-ene) dye. The orange dye spreads across your eyes to help your eye doctor detect tiny cuts, scrapes, tears, foreign objects or infections on your cornea. Your eyes’ tears will wash the dye away.

Retinal examination (ophthalmoscopy)
A retinal examination — sometimes called ophthalmoscopy or fundoscopy — examines the back of your eye, including your retina, optic disk and the underlying layer of blood vessels that nourish the retina (choroid). Usually before your doctor can see these structures, your pupils must be dilated with special eye drops. The eye drops may sting briefly and might cause a medicinal taste in your mouth as the medication drains from your tear ducts into your throat.

After administering eye drops, your eye doctor may use one or more of these techniques to view the back of your eye:

The retinal examination takes five to 10 minutes, but if you’re given eye drops, their effects won’t wear off for several hours. Your vision will be blurry, and you’ll have trouble focusing your eyes. You may not be able to drive, so make sure you have another way back to work or home. Depending on your job, you might not be able to work until the eye drops wear off.

Glaucoma test (tonometry)
Tonometry measures your intraocular pressure — the pressure inside your eyes. It helps your eye doctor detect glaucoma, a disease that causes pressure to build up inside your eyes and can cause blindness. Glaucoma can be treated if it’s caught early.

Methods your eye doctor may use to test your eyes for glaucoma include:

Hope this helps with any worries that you may have about what happens during an eye exam. If you have questions or comments, please post them and I will be more than happy to answer them to the best of my ability.

This video that you are about to see makes you question the events of 9/11. I was watching a show on the National Geographic channel about the story behind 9/11. When I saw the Twin Towers coming down, I had a lot of thoughts running in my mind. One thought stuck out and my husband told me about this video on Google and it is about an hour and a half long but so WELL WORTH WATCHING!

I am truly sorry if this offends anyone, but since the government is hush-hush about the subject, I want to share. Please comment and share your views. I will post my views later when I can gather my thoughts. The video just blew my mind. Thanks for watching.