A recent development has many people in the ophthalmology industry cheering. One of the most troubling issues in this field is the vast number of children who need vision correction, but are never properly tested or fitted with corrective eyewear. It is, in fact, estimated that approximately one in four school-aged children have difficulties seeing properly. With economics playing against many families and a lack of necessary education on this matter, many of those problems go undiagnosed or are incorrectly attributed to learning disorders.

While vision screenings in schools are becoming increasingly common, they do not resolve the issue, though they can point out children who may need further vision care. Those issues are often overlooked or parents are left with too little funding to get their children the eye care that they need. Even the vision screenings are not mandatory in all schools. Just thirty-three of the fifty states in the country require the testing. Combine this with the fact that many current vision screening processes have serious shortcomings because they are so narrowly focused on visual acuity that many children are never given the necessary referral to an optometrist or ophthalmologist. Figuring that the child performed well in the screening, many parents will opt not to take the extra step and an underlying vision issue will continue to go untreated. Those hidden problems can increase a child’s likelihood of developing very serious eye conditions in the future.

With more than eighty percent of what a child learns coming as a result of visual stimuli, the need for better and more affordable testing is necessary. The good news is that there may be a solution that will properly fill that spot in the American school system. Developed by Pediavision, Spot is a tool that allows for very quick, very effective eye screenings for children of nearly any age.

Due to nervousness, language barriers, and inability to read, the youngest children in the school system were often difficult to test visually. This tool will allow for easier testing, which will be less taxing on the child. It can check for myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness) as traditional chart method did, but it can also evaluate pupil size, eye alignment, and can detect astigmatism.

The handheld tool looks a lot like a camera, which will likely reduce the stress children feel when seeing it for the first time. The digital screen gives immediate readings and the tests take just moments. There will still be a need for full examinations to determine the extent of troubles a child is suffering from, but the ability of Spot to test an entire school’s population in a single day or two will make screenings less taxing on the budget. Furthermore, the ability of Spot to detect vision issues aside from problems with acuity means that a larger percentage of those children who require further care will actually receive the referrals needed.

There is still a need for improvement in this area, as many children will continue to go without the contact lens exams that they need, but Spot may be the tool that this industry needed to get a greater percentage of those kids on the right track to a clearer tomorrow.

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Austin, TX 78753
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Today, many people are considering LASIK surgery to correct eye sight. The hope is to improve vision and reach twenty-twenty eye sight permanently. Though that is not always the result, there are many pros and cons to consider before deciding whether the surgery is right for you. The best person to fill you in on the entire list of determining factors is an opthamologist, as these professionals are the ones that perform the surgeries.

Profound Pros There is no doubt that there are many things about LASIK, which give it a great name in the world of vision correction. For one, it is fast. The procedure can be done by an eye surgeon in less than an hour and the patient can go home that day. Though twenty-twenty vision is not always possible for every patient, it is very typical (in more than eighty percent of cases) that eye sight will be instantly improved to a point that glasses are no longer required. Even in those that do require a bit of help from corrective lenses after surgery, the improvement is remarkable. The procedure it used to treat both myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsigthedness) at a wide range of levels, and it can even address the issue of astigmatism.

Cruel Cons Before you head off for your surgery in Austin, it is wise to also consider the downsides of the surgery. First let us begin by addressing the fact that not every person is the ideal patient. Young people’s eyes have not yet finished changing and, as a result LASIK will not be terribly beneficial, and in most cases will be advised against. Those who have certain overall illnesses or certain eye conditions will either be required to get the condition under control or will be denied entirely, as it could cause for serious complications.

Another downside is that the outcomes are not always the same. Not all can boast the amazing eye sight as the end. Though rare, complications can and do occur. It is important to consider these before going in for the procedure, but also to recall that they are not frequent. Very few suffer from serious complication.

Included on the list of possible side effects are edema, worsened nighttime vision, irregular astigmatism, and Keratectasia. Edema is a swelling of the eye, which can result in extreme eye pressure. The poor nighttime vision can include starbursts, haloing, and sensitivity to street lights. An irregular astigmatism, which cannot be corrected with glasses, but instead requires special contact lenses, is an irregular surface of the eye, caused by the flap created during surgery warping, rippling, or otherwise healing improperly. Finally, the Keratectasia is a bulging of the eye surface. Some of these will correct themselves over time, others can be addressed by an
retinal specialist, and a select few will have to be suffered with.

As you can see, there are many things to consider before undergoing Lasik, but if you find yourself in good health, of appropriate age, and otherwise a good fit for the surgery, then as long as you find a trustworthy surgeon

About the Author: Mark Masters has authored may pieces on the eye care & surgery industry and enjoys keeping his readers up to date in this field