Waverley Eye Care Centre

Tulips and Tees EyeWear Trunk Show

When you think of spring, you think of Tulips and Golf and so we are excited to host our

Spring Tulips and Tees EyeWear Trunk Show! 

Thursday April 26th from Noon - 8pm.

 This is a perfect opportunity to update your look with a new frame.

Stop by to see the entire collections of three of our most popular new eyewear lines - lots of great new men's and women's frames.

We have same day instore promotions that could save you 10-40% off your frame or even a free frame.  If you recieved a postcard in the mail, be sure to bring it in.  There are up to 5 different postcards - each one represents a different frame discount and there is even one that gives you a free frame.  If you did not receive a postcard, just stop by and we will give you one.

In addition we are partnering with GolfTown to host FREE golf clinics outside our office.  We are bringing in Golftown's Golf Pro to host 2 - 30 minute pitching lessons.  These free lessons will be offered at 12:30pm and 6:00pm.  YOU MUST REGISTER FOR THE LESSONS AS SPACE IS LIMITED, PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL US FOR MORE DETAILS OR TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT.

We will have other instore give draws and FREE starbucks coffee.

We look forward to seeing you.

Cup to Disc Ratio

The cup-to-disc ratio is a measurement used in to determine the risk or progression of glaucoma.  The optic disc is the anatomical location where the optic nerve and blood vessels enter the retina.  Looking into the eye through the pupil the optic disc appears as a yellowish/pink circle or oval.  In the centre of the optic disc is a whitish area, know a the cup.   

If one could see the optic disc in 3D the cup would look excavated, like someone had scooped out some of it with an icecream scoop.  

 

The cup-to-disc ratio compares the diameter of the "cup" portion of the optic disc with the total diameter of the optic disc. A good analogy to better understand the cup-to-disc ratio is the ratio of a donut hole to a donut. The hole represents the cup and the surrounding area the disc. If the cup fills 1/10 of the disc, the ratio will be 0.1. If it fills 7/10 of the disc, the ratio is 0.7.  A large cup-to-disc ratio may be due to glaucoma or someone could just naturally have a large cup-to-disc ratio. 

In glaucomaan increase in intra-ocular pressure will damage the delicate nerve fibres and produces additional cupping of the optic disc.  As glaucoma advances, the cup enlarges until it occupies most of the disc area. 

The average person has a cup-to-disc ratio of less than 0.5.  If the cup-to-disc ratio increases or is larger than average, further tests should be performed to rule out the risk for glaucoma.

Michael D. Nelson, OD

Cheap Monday

Cheap Monday is a Scandinavian designed  line of unisex frames that reflect the style of the 50's, the shameless 60's and the colourful 70's.  

http://www.cheapmonday.com/eyewear/

 

 

Reminder Card Survey

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Visors in Hockey

Recent close call eye injuries to the Jets' Andrew Ladd and Flyers' Chris Pronger have brought the issue of eye protection in the NHL back into view.  Vancouver Canucks player Manny Malhotra suffered an almost career ending eye injury which he has had continued surgery in the summer of 2011.  NHL reports about 60% of players wear visors.  While the debate rages on as to whether NHL players should wear visors, it should be a no brainer that rec-hockey players should wear one, but I am still amazed by they number that don't. 

NHL eye injury photo gallery

The age old argument that visors hinder one's ability to perform on the ice is becoming harder to defend, considering 9 of the top 10 NHL scorers in 2011 wear a visor:  Sedin, Perry, Stamkos, Iginla, Ovechkin, Selanne, Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Richards all wear them.   So does Crosby, Skinner, Lidstrom and Kesler.  Hard to argue with success, so I vote to put on a visor.

Michael Nelson, OD FAAO 

Children Should Get Eye Exam Before Using 3D Games

PRESS RELEASE

CHILDREN SHOULD GET EYE EXAM BEFORE USING 3D GAMES

WINNIPEG, MB, MARCH 28, 2011: With the release of the Nintendo 3DS yesterday, the issue of eye safety in children under 6 has come into question. 1 in 20 children under the age of 6 suffer from amblyopia (lazyeye) and usually have no symptoms. Amblyopia(Lazyeye) occurs when a child does not develop normal vision in one eye. This impairs the ability to see 3D images or have normal depth perception. Amblyopia can only be treated if detected and diagnosed, therefore and eye exam with an Optometrist is critical for children under 6.

The Nintendo 3DS uses a new innovative design which shows a slightly different image to each eye. The result is the ability to see 3D images without the need for 3D glasses. Nintendo has officially warned that this technology should not be used by children under the age of 6 because it may harm their immature vision. Eye doctors, on the contrary, have said this or other 3D technology may not directly harm a young child’s vision. In children with amblyopia, it could result in eyestrain and headaches.

According to available reports less than 15% of children under 6 years old have had an eye exam. This means preventable vision loss has gone undiagnosed and untreated. Some parents wait for kindergarten vision screenings. These screenings come too late for treating amblyopia. An eye exam with their Optometrist starting at age 3 ensures the normal development of 3D vision in children.


-End-

Plaquenil Toxicity

Print out the 2011 Hydroxycholoroquine (Plaquenil) guideline here:

Download Plaquenil Retinal Toxicity Patient Guideline

Clinic Hours

Waverley Eye Care Hours

Monday      9am to 5pm

Tuesday      9am to 5pm

Wednesday 9am to 5pm

Thursday     Noon to 8pm

Friday         9am to 5pm

Saturday     9am to Noon (Closed on Long Weekends and June & July)

Clinic Telephone: 487-1901

If you have an eye or vision problem, you can try to email us first at staff@WaverleyEyeCare.com, we will respond if we can.  Otherwise, for ocular emergencies visit Urgent Care at the Misericordia Hospital.

Ocular Allergies

The main components in an allergic reaction are:

Allergen:  This is the microscopic thing you are allergic to.  Pollen, dust, cat hair, etc.

Mast Cell: These are cells lining the surface of your eye and inside your eyelids.  Think of this as a glass jar filled with marbles.  When the allergen attaches to the wall of the mast cell it will “break this jar and release the marbles”.

Histamine:  Think of these as the marbles inside the jar.  When histamine is released it will attach to the surface of the eye and cause your symptoms of swelling, redness and itching.

There are number of places in the allergic reaction that you can deal with your symptoms.  And there are different products that will do this for you.  Here is a list of solutions you can try.

1.    Avoid the Allergen.  With seasonal allergies this is probably not possible but it can work for other allergens like pets.

2.    SYSTANE ULTRA:  Dilute and wash away allergens before they attach to the mast cell.  You do this with artificial tears.  You will need to use artificial tears regularly (4-8x/day or more) to do this.   Artificial Tears can be used throughout the day and long-term without any risk of problems, but beware there are many different drops to choose from.  Our recommendation is Systane Ultra.  It is available over-the-counter and we sell it a little less than drug stores for your convenience.

3.    OPTICROM®:  Opticrom blocks the allergen from attaching and breaking the mast cell.  This is an effective way to deal with seasonal allergies.  Opticrom is available over-the-counter and is used 3-4x per day for the allergy season- it can be used for months at a time.  It works reasonably well but it can take up to a week to start to work – just think, if you already have allergy symptoms that means that some mast cells have already been broken.  Opticrom will prevent new mast cells from being broken but you will have to wait out the current symptoms you have.  This is a good solution for seasonal allergy relief. 

4.    Naphcon-A:  Naphcon-A is an antihistamine eye drop (the A in most eye drops stands for this).  It is useful for immediate and short term allergies like pet allergies.  After the histamines have been released it blocks them from attaching to the surface of they eye and reduces your symptoms.  They are intended to be used 3-4x per day for 1-2 days but not long-term – just like you wouldn’t think of taking Reactine/Clariton every day for weeks.   The problem with most antihistamine eye drops, in particular Visine brands, is that they have a vasoconstrictor in them which makes your eyes less red but used over time these can have a rebound effect and actually make your eyes more red.

5.    PATANOL or ZADITOR:  These are prescription eye drops which are available from your family doctor.  They will effectively stabilize the mast cells and block histamines and are safe to use long-term.  These are excellent options for seasonal allergy relief.

 

Michael D. Nelson, OD FAAO

Eye Examinations

New technology has greatly improved our ability to detect eye disease, which is changing what is involved in a standard eye exam, even from just 5 years ago.  At Waverley Eye Care we strive to provide you with access to the best eye care we can provide, please let us introduce you to what we can offer you at Waverley Eye Care.

 

Baseline Eye Exam: 

A baseline eye exam is the minimum assessment of what you should expect from any Optometrist you see.  There are 3 main components to a baseline eye exam: 

Binocular coordination:  Binocular coordination will assess the movement of your eyes and how your eyes work together. Abnormalities could cause eye strain, double vision or could indicate health problems like tumours, multiple sclerosis or blood vessel occlusions.

Refractive status   The refractive status is what most people think of when they need new glasses and is the determination of the power of lenses that will put images in focus.  Although this is the primary reason why most people schedule an eye exam, it is important to assess the binocular vision and ocular health in all individuals because these findings will often help in the determination of your glasses prescription. 

Ocular Health:  The ocular health component screens for eye diseases like glaucoma, cataracts, contact lens eye disease, lid disease, retinal problems, optic nerve disease and much more.  While a baseline eye exam is a great start to healthy eyes, there are advances in eye care that could provide you with even more thorough exams. 

 

Detailed Retinal Exam:

A baseline eye exam will allow your optometrist to do a quick screening of the eye fo disease but it will only allow them to view 20-30 degrees of the retina.   In order to screen for retinal tears, tumours or blood vessel problems you need to look at the entire retina.  There are 2 ways to do this:

Dilated Fundus Exam:  This involves using eye drops to increase the size of the pupil temporarily so that the optometrist can look inside the eye better.

Optomap Retinal Photos:  

 

 

High Tech: Optical Coherence Tomography

New Testing Available at Waverley Eye Care

Optical Coherance Tomography (OCT): OCT testing is the most advanced way to examine the 10 layers of nerves and receptors that make up the retina. An OCT is a very high resolution ultrasound that is used by eye specialists to diagnose and monitor diseases like glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other diseases of the retina. It can detect signs of eye disease years before the tests used in a traditional eye exam.

There are 2 ways we can use the OCT:

1. OCT QuickScan: The quickscan screens for early signs of glaucoma and macular degeneration in individuals without risk or symptoms.   Our fee for this test is $30.

2. Detailed OCT Scan: This detailed exam is repeated every few months to monitor for small changes in individuals who are at risk for eye disease.   Our fee for this test is $85.

Waverley Eye Care is excited to be one of only 2 optometry clinics in Winnipeg to offer this testing.

View a clip on the OCT below.

Dr. Michael Nelson, OD