Drs. Rice & Allred Family Optometry

A few Great 4th Of July Eyecare Tips

Troy Allred, OD — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:54:56 +0000

From bottle rockets to crazy eyeballs to fountains of fun, we all love celebrating the Fourth of July with Flare. Unfortunately, firework follies on the 4^thare just as common as the sleeveless mullet dudes you see sporting American flag t-shirts.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, in the United States alone, there are over 12,000 firework-related injuries annually. Approximately 2,400 of those are eye injuries, some of which result in a complete loss of vision.As much as you and the family may enjoy the thrill of watching the fuse run down on a strand of firecrackers, careless handling of explosives is simply not worth the risk of injury. Here are some simple precautions for you to use in educating your loved ones on fireworks safety:

Always wear protective eyewear when handling fireworks.
Never let a child under 12 years old play with or light fireworks of any type.
Only use fireworks and sparklers outdoors.
Always have a bucket of water or a hose handy.
Obey local laws. If fireworks are not legal where you are, don’t use them. If drought conditions mean a ban on fireworks, follow the law.
Never relight a “dud” firework. Wait 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water.
Only use fireworks as intended. Don’t try to alter them or combine them.
View professional fireworks from a safe distance of at least 500 feet (or approximately a quarter mile) away.
If you find unexploded firework remains, do not touch them. Immediately contact your local fire or police department.
Wow this is so much better for our eyes!

This Independence Day, leave lighting the night sky up to the professionals and focus on protecting your family’s health and safety. Enjoy the holiday!

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New Discoveries On The Human Eye

Troy Allred, OD — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:12:11 +0000

Have you ever wondered how the eye perceives sight and translates it into information your brain can understand? Everyday I am amazed by the simple things that each of us take for granted like sight. Our eyes are incredible sensory tools that gather information of the world around us. That information is then sent to our brain that tells us that what we are seeing is color, if something is three-dimensional and even gives us our sense of depth perception. Without any of these sensory abilities we would be able to drive, make out our favorite tv show or even read. New research has been done by scientist at Rutgers University about how the brain discerns inforamtion. From ScienceDaily (June 2, 2009) — “Researchers at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience (CMBN) at Rutgers University in Newark have identified the need to develop a new framework for understanding “perceptual stability” and how we see the world with their discovery that visual input obtained during eye movements is being processed by the brain but blocked from awareness.” Learn more about this subject by visiting http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090602161936.htm

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Local Family Activities

Troy Allred, OD — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:22:20 +0000

Orange County has so many diverse family activities that are both fun and nearby. Located in La Habra, the Childrens Museum is a magical playground where children’s imaginations can run wild. No, this isn’t Disneyland, especially when considering admission for children is only $ 6. The mesuem is set up in a 1923 railroad station where children are given the opportunity to dress up like grown-ups and participate win many different activities to choose from. Children can look at Dinosour bones in a sandbox exhibit, or they can learn about the human anatomy with a stuffed bear calle Stuffee, which is a big stuffed animal that can be unzipped to demonstrate where the heart, lungs, and other vital organs belong. Other exhibits include the Bee Observatory, a full scale miniature of a shopping center, a nature walk with taxidermied animals, and a Preschool Playpark. The Children’s Museum is sponsored by Target allowing the La Habra Childrens Museum to provide free admission the first Saturday of each month. The Childrens Museum of La Habra is located at 301 S. Euclid St. La habra, CA 90631. For more information visit http://www.lahabracity.com/section.cfm?id=41. Remember Drs. Rice and Allred Family Optometry want you to be safe and have fun with your family. This means if you have not been in latley for your routine check up it’s time to do so. You would hate to miss those sweet family memorys because you were having a hard time seeing.

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Free Family Fun

Troy Allred, OD — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:20:43 +0000

When was the last time your family heard the word free when discussing the next family outing? Well this might be the first. The California Science Center in Los Angeles is a geat place to take your family. The Science center offers loads of educational, hands-on free exhibits and extra-charge attractions including the High Wire Bicycle, Motion-Based Simulator, Cave Climb, and IMAX, adults find almost as much appeal as their kids do. This weekend if your trying to think of something fun and inexpensive to do with the family, go and check out The California Science Center in Los Angeles. Family time shouldn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Plus with the money you save you could come buy and pick out some new stylish frames from our diversified selection. For more information concerning the The California Science Center visit their sit ar http://www.californiasciencecenter.org.

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Factors That Influence Eye Care

Troy Allred, OD — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:20:10 +0000

Typicaly we associate visiting the eye doctor with people who need glasses or contacts. The reality is the leading cause of vision impairment within the United States include diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, cataract and glaucoma.

Diabetic retinopathy affects more than 5.3 million Americans ages 18 and older. Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of blindness and vision impairment among Americans 60 and older. About 45 percent of those reports result in causing a depreciation in vision.

Vision impairment is also caused by age related cataract , that affects nearly 1 and 6 Americans ages 40 and up. Half of all Americans will develop cataract by the age of 80. There are about 1.2 million Americans diagnosed with open angle glaucoma In the United States, half of which don’t even know they have it.

The question is what are the early signs of these diseases and second how can they be treated? The answer is relatively simple. Routine eye check ups with your optometrist can help a person avoid eye complications leading to blindness and vision impairment. Early detection is the best preventitarive tool in fighting eye diseases. The most important question everyoneshould ask is when was the last time you met with your optometrist?

Alexander RL ; Miller NA ; Cotch MF ; Janiszewski R

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Are Sunglasses Important?

Troy Allred, OD — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:17:26 +0000

Most people know spending large amounts of time in the sun can have harmful effects on our skin. What many people fail to understand is that those same UV rays can also cause damage to our eyes as well. Unlike other parts of your body, your eye’s lens do not repair themselves when damaged. Cells and proteins that get damaged will never be replaced, and over time, the damage to your lens may lead to serious eye damage or possibly loss of vision. So what kind of sunglasses should you buy? Not all sunglasses block 100 percent of UV rays. If you’re unsure about the level of UV protection your sunglasses provide, take them to your eye doctor or optician for an evaluation. Many eye care professionals have instruments such as spectrophotometers that can measure the amount of visible light and UV radiation your lenses block. Today when you’re out enjoying the sun remember to take some sunglasses along with your sun block!

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Infant Eye Care

Troy Allred, OD — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:50:40 +0000

Our children depend on us every day to provide for their needs. Those needs extend from every day survival to improving their quality of life. Infants have no way to tell us they might be suffering from an ailment that could easily be avoided by routine checkups. According to InfantSEE; a public health program from American Optometrist Association, “Many eye conditions have no symptoms that can be identified by a parent or in a well baby check-up. Early detection is the best way to ensure your child has healthy eyes and appropriate development of vision- now and in the future.” Rice and Allred Optometry offer a free eye exam for infants between the ages of six months to twelve months. Your infant’s eye health is important to us. Make a free appointment today and let us help you improve your infant’s quality of life with early detection techniques utilized by Rice and Allred Optometry. For more information on infant eye care visit, http://www.infantsee.org/x3423.xml.

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Our Eyes are Amazing

Admin — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:21:26 +0000

Our eyes are amazing. Think about how much our lives are affected or influenced by what we see. Even simple everyday functions such as making breakfast, driving to work, and reading texts are only possible through the miracle of the human eye. One of our goals as eye care providers is to enhance your appreciation of this miracle. So throughout the year, watch for our regular posts illustrating some fascinating facts about the human eye.

Enjoy the first eye facts of 2012.

Did you know… Your eyes are the most complex organs you possess (except for your brain). The eye is only about 1 inch in diameter, or about 2/3 the size of a ping pong ball. But it requires more than 126 million vision cells (rods and cones) and over 30 different parts of the eye working together in order to see. That’s a lot of stuff to pack into a tiny space.

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Vision and Learning

Admin — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:27:53 +0000

“I see 20/20! That means I have perfect vision, right?”

Perhaps… 20/20 vision does mean that you can read the bottom row on the eye chart. However, vision is a complex process that involves much more than just the ability to see small print clearly.

Our eyes must be able to shift focus between far and near (eye focusing).
They must make very precise, coordinated movements in order to follow the words on a page when reading (eye tracking and eye teaming).
And our brain must also perceive or understand all of this visual information, give it meaning, judge its importance, and relate it to the world around us (visual perception).

So even if your child doesn’t need glasses, deficiencies in these other areas, sometimes referred to as “hidden” vision problems, can significantly interfere with the learning process. Experts estimate that approximately 80% of the information a child learns in school is presented visually. It is easy to understand why good vision (not just clear eyesight) is such an important part of learning.

Some symptoms of learning-related vision problems include:

Headaches or eye strain
Blurred vision or double vision
Crossed eyes (strabismus.)
Dislike or avoidance of reading and close work
Short attention span during visual tasks
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)
Poor eye-hand coordination

If your child experiences some of these symptoms and is having learning problems, it’s possible he or she may have a learning-related vision problem.

If you are concerned that your child may have difficulty with vision and learning, please start by calling our office to schedule a comprehensive examination. Dr. Allred has completed specialized residency training in children’s vision. Our office offers specific assessments and therapy for learning-related vision problems. We will be delighted to discuss your questions at any time.

For some more great information about vision and learning, please visit the following websites:
http://www.allaboutvision.com/parents/learning.htm
http://covd.org/AboutVisionLearning/tabid/102/Default.aspx
http://www.visionandlearning.org/visionandlearning08.html

Here’s a cool video demonstrating how some of the “hidden” vision problems may appear:

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Why Are Eye Exams Important?

Admin — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:11:06 +0000

Have you ever heard the saying that the eyes are the windows to the soul? Well, they are definitely the windows to your health. Your eyes are the only part of your body where we can look directly at internal, functioning blood vessels. Examination of the internal eye can give us valuable clues and warnings about overall health risks such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or elevated cholesterol levels.

During your comprehensive eye exam, Dr. Rice and Dr. Allred thoroughly evaluate for any signs of these overall health problems, as well as signs of specific eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts and retinal detachment. Many eye diseases (such as glaucoma) have no obvious symptoms in their early stages. So we check carefully and regularly because early detection and treatment can help minimize your risk for permanent vision loss.

Of course our goal is also to optimize your visual functioning at work or your child’s performance at school. Careful measurement and detailed discussion allow us to determine the solutions that best meet your various visual needs. From contact lenses and Lasik, to specialty computer and high definition spectacle lenses, there is a lot of new technology available to enhance your visual comfort.

As you can clearly “see,” periodic vision and eye health examinations are an important part of your preventive health care plan. Please schedule an appointment today online or by phone for your next comprehensive eye examination.

For more great information about eye care, visit http://www.allaboutvision.com.

Visit AllAboutVision.com to learn about eye diseases, including forms of macular degeneration, causes of glaucoma, and signs of a cataract.

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