Every Eye Deserves Extraordinary Care!

Vision Source was in USA Today on March 15, 2013.  Check it out!

Depressed? Anxious? Maybe your eyes are too dry. Dry eye syndrome linked to depression and anxiety.

A study published in the journal Current Eye Research examined anxiety and depression in patients with dry eye syndrome.  The authors of the study concluded that “anxiety and depression are correlated with Dry Eye Disease, demonstrating that [it] is an important public health
problem that merits increased attention and research.”


Vision Source Vancouver optometrists see the effects of dry eye syndrome on patients every day.  Sometimes it is an irritating thing in the background.  However, dry eye syndrome can get so bad that it can wreck your life by taking away the things you love to do and ruin your relationships with your loved ones.


Dry eyes may seem trivial but for chronic sufferers of dry eye syndrome, their dry eyes significantly decrease their quality of life.  Many of these people are not able to drive, work on the computer for very long or even watch TV with family because their eyes will not tolerate the activity for more than a few minutes. Dealing with the discomfort, burning, scratching, and pain of dry eye syndrome can make your life bad enough that you may become clinically depressed.


People who are older and who have had dry eye syndrome for longer are most at risk of depression and anxiety.  This suggests that the earlier you seek treatment the better it is for your mental health. 


For dry eye sufferers, the best advice is to go see your eye doctor as soon as possible because a wide variety of effective treatments are available for dry eye syndrome and one of them can probably improve your dry eye symptoms.  For most dry eye sufferers, it is possible to avoid the spiral of discomfort, pain, burning and eventual depression and anxiety that can come from dry eye syndrome. 


For some more information about dry eye syndrome read these posts:

• Caffeine improves dry eye syndrome
• Women make dry eye worse with makeup
• The basic facts about dry eye syndrome
• Dry eye can come from computer use (because you blink less)

How to choose a children's optometrist - tips from a pediatric optometrist in Vancouver, BC

Children need to see the optometrist every year starting at six months of age.  That's because children are at risk of a number of vision and eye health problems that can cause lasting damage if not caught and treated early.  Vision problems can also negatively impact child development and grow into adult problems (like poor educational and vocational achievement, social problems and increased rates of incarceration).

I have a thriving pediatric optometry practice in Vancouver, BC.  Parents bring their kids in from all over Metro Vancouver and Surrey mostly because of word-of-mouth referrals.  But what about my children's optometry practice gets parents talking and recommending me to other parents?  Here are some of the things that I think an optometry clinic must have to provide excellent eye health care for children.

Optometrists that have a personality that kids love

Nothing beats an eye doctor that loves kids and has children of his or her own.  Not only do I have two very young children, but I love kids and have always devoted a significant part of my life to children.  A kid- friendly personality comes through when you meet an optometrist.  You can do a personality test on a prospective optometrist by having an eye exam before you bring in your  kids to get a sense of what the doctor is like. Are they warm, friendly and energetic?  Kids love that.  Or are they cold, distant, excessively analytical.  Kids are likely to be unimpressed with that.  If a doctor can engage a kid's attention, the visit is bound to be fun, informative and, most importantly, medically useful.

Demonstrated interest in children

As an example of this factor, in optometry school, one of my projects was to develop a children's book tittled Iris Goes to the Optometrist that parents could use to teach and prepare their kids for going to the optometrist.  You can find it on Google Books, just click here.  Optometrists that are the best with children have things like this in their professional or educational experience that show their love, concern for and interest in children.

A member of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development

Ask if the optometrist is a member of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development or visit http://www.covd.org/ to search for their name.  So many children's vision problems are developmental in nature and some optometrists who are focused on an adult population may not test for disorders like binocular dysfunction, convergence insufficiency, amblyopia, visual information processing.  These disorders can make if very difficult for kids to success in school and may affect their self esteem and other aspects of their lives.  An optometrist that is alive to these disorders and has a vision therapy practice (like I do) to treat them can make a huge difference in a child's life. 

Sometimes when these visual disorders go undetected, children may be misdiagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, because the symptoms of the vision disorders are similar to ADHD symptoms.  Children should not be medicated for a condition that they don't have and you can avoid that risk by finding an appropriate children's optometrist.

Does the clinic have a children's play area?

One of the things parents love about our new Vancouver clinic space is that we've devoted a good chunk of space for a children's play area, packed with toys and books.  I know that cranky kids, bored in a waiting room, are a challenge to deal with because I deal with it when I take my kids to the doctor.  I put in my clinic what I wish my dentist and GP would put in their clinic.  Choose an optometrist that has done the same.

Does the clinic have a good selection of frames and eye-wear for children?

If a child needs glasses, its nice to be at a clinic that caters to that need.  At our Vision Source Vancouver optometry clinic, we have a very good selection of kids frames and eye-wear and I'm always surprised by the reaction of parents.  They are not used to having so much to choose from.  Kids are often neglected by optical dispensaries.  Choose an optometrist that has a good selection of kids frames.  Parents are busy enough.  It's very nice if you can reduce your running around and get what you need at one place.

By Dr. M.K. Randhawa

Studies show that half the glasses sold online are junk. What kind of problems might I experience?

A research study from Pacific University has proven what most eye doctors have already been told by their patients, that half the eyeglasses sold online are junk and can cause lots of problems. 

But how might substandard eyeglasses affect you and what problems might you experience if you were the unfortunate owner of a pair of substandard eyeglasses? 

Dr. M.K. Randhawa, of Vision Source Vancouver optometrists, talks about this problem in this video:



Here is a link to the study from Pacific University:   http://optometrists.bc.ca/upload/documents/Speak_Out/Safety_and_compliance_of_prescription_spectacles_ordered_by_the_public_via_the_Internet.pdf

Incidentally, studies have also found that half of ready-made reading glasses are junk. 

April is women's eye health and safety month

Prevent Blindness America (PBA) has designated April as Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month.


Why have a special month just to highlight women's eye health and safety issues?  Because women are more susceptible than men to vision problems and diseases because they live longer, making age-related vision diseases a concern.  Women also have more hormonal factors that can impact vision and eye health. 


More women than men receive diagnoses of eye diseases or conditions such as cataracts, dry eye, Fuchs’ dystrophy, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and Sjögren’s syndrome. A study from Prevent Blindness America and the National Eye Institute titled “Vision Problems in the U.S.” found that of the more than 3.6 million Americans aged at least 40 years who suffer from visual impairment, including blindness, 2.3 million are women - a stunning 64%.


It is important for both men and women  to take the necessary steps today to keep their eyes healthy in the future as they age.  However, women must be more vigilant because they have a greater risk of vision loss than men, and they face different risks than men.


Here are some tips that Prevent Blindness America (which the optometrists at Vision Source Vancouver completely agree with) has published that will women to keep their eyes healthy:


• Get an eye exam. An annual eye exam is an easy routine and can make a big difference in your eye and overall health.


• Know your family history. Genetics plays a key role in eye disease. Recommend that your patients research their families’ health histories and notify you of any eye diseases that run in their families.

• Eat healthy. A diet rich in beta carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids also can help guard against vision loss from eye disease.

• Take supplements. Antioxidants have been shown to reduce the progression of some eye illnesses, including age-related macular degeneration. Vitamin A, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin C, and zinc are good sources to help maintain eye health.

• Quit smoking. Smoking, even second-hand smoke, increases the risk of eye disease.

• Wear ultraviolet (UV) ray eye protection. When venturing outdoors, PBA recommends wearing brimmed hats in conjunction with UV-rated sunglasses.  This is where eyeglass wearers have an edge of those who get LASIK or those who have perfect vision.  Almost all lenses on the market in North America have 100% UV protection.  That means that an eyeglasses wearer is protected all the time, even if they are not wearing sunglasses.

We have done a number of posts on women's eye health issues lately.  You can check them out at the following links:

• In women, future dementia shows up in the eyes first - maybe early enough to do something about it
• Women, already the worst sufferers of dry eye, make it worse with makeup
• The basic facts about dry eye syndrome