Good vision is essential to learning. 80% of what your child learns is through his/her vision, and 25% of school-aged children have vision problems. What about “Vision Screenings” performed by a school nurse or a pediatrician? Vision screening methods detect only 40% of children with vision problems. A comprehensive eye exam can reveal problems that would go undetected in a screening. According to the American Optometry Association, infants should have their first comprehensive eye exam at 6 months of age. Children then should have additional eye exams at age 3, and just before they enter the first grade – at about age 5 or 6.

An eye exam can vary greatly from one place to the next. There are differences in the types of tests that are included in the exam as well as variations in the technology and equipment used. Differences in exam prices are usually a reflection of these differences. Our Total Eye Care Exam has two parts. The doctor does an Ocular Health Evaluation where she/he will check for signs of any eye disease, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration or vascular disease. Visual field screening and retinal photos (pictures of the inside of your eye) are included in this part of the exam. For the other part of the exam the doctor will complete a Vision Assessment to determine the strength of correction you’ll need, if any. The fee for this Total Eye Care Exam is $---. We do file claims to most insurances on behalf of our clients. This price is reduced for returning patients and those who pay for their services on the day they receive them, since there is less administrative work involved in these circumstances.

20/20 vision is a term used to express normal visual acuity (the clarity or sharpness of vision) measured at a distance of 20 feet. If you have 20/20 vision, you can see clearly at 20 feet what should normally be seen at that distance. If you have 20/100 vision, it means that you must be as close as 20 feet to see what a person with normal vision can see at 100 feet. 20/20 does not necessarily mean perfect vision. 20/20 vision only indicates the sharpness or clarity of vision at a distance. There are other important vision skills, including peripheral awareness or side vision, eye coordination, depth perception, focusing ability and color vision that contribute to your overall visual ability. Some people can see well at a distance, but are unable to bring nearer objects into focus. This condition can be caused by hyperopia (farsightedness) or presbyopia (loss of focusing ability). Others can see items that are close, but cannot see those far away. This condition may be caused by myopia (nearsightedness).

Mild twitching of the eyelid is a common phenomenon. Although these involuntary contractions of muscles may be annoying, they are almost always temporary and completely harmless. They are most often associated with fatigue and/or stress. Gently massaging your eyelids and, most importantly, getting enough rest should cause any twitching to stop.