Services provided at our office include:
	Eye Examinations		Contact Lenses
	Optical Dispensing		About Laser Vision Correction (LASIK)
	Surgery Co-Management		Emergencies, Eye Infections, Eye Injuries
	Eye Diseases; Cataracts, Glaucoma, Diabetes		Low Vision Services
	Vision Therapy		Corneal Topography
	Infants Vision		Pre-School Vision
	Protective Eyewear		Children & Contact Lenses
	School-Age Vision

We know your vision is important to you – and it’s important to us. When you come for your appointment, we make sure to schedule ample time for your appointment so you will never feel rushed. Our office provides complete eye care for both adults and children. Our comprehensive eye examinations will check your eyes inside and out for any potential eye disorders or diseases. Your visual skills and abilities are carefully evaluated and appropriate treatment is prescribed, whether it’s medication, lenses, or vision therapy. We are prepared to handle whatever your eyecare needs are, and will treat them with the latest in diagnostic equipment and are committed to keeping up with eye care technology.

Our professionals can help fit you into a pair of lenses that is just right for you. We are experts in fitting contact lenses and can handle the most specialized needs. Whether rigid or soft lenses, we are experienced in handling the most difficult of prescriptions.

If you have allergies, then you know allergies can be particularly annoying to contact lens wearers. In the past many people had to quit wearing their lenses during the allergy season. However, new lens materials and allergy medications have made it possible for these people to eliminate the burning itchy eyes associated with allergies. Prescription medications such as Patanol and Alocril are amazingly effective and safe even in children as young as three. Let us know when you come in for your appointment if you have special allergy needs and we will be happy to help you.

Our optical laboratory has the latest in equipment to not only fabricate your glasses, but to maintain and repair them should they become broken or damaged. We are able to tint, coat, harden and edge spectacle lenses. We are able to provide you with any frame or lens design available. Our highly qualified optician and staff are able to adjust and fit your glasses to you for extended comfort and vision.

Most people with vision correction issues are wanting to know more about LASIK and whether it is right for them. Here is a brief description of the procedure;

A flap is surgically cut in the cornea and gently folded back. An Excimer Laser is used to reshape the cornea into a flatter shape (this is much like a contact lens corrects vision by forming a new shape on the cornea). The flap is then put back in place, acting like a natural bandage. The healing process is quick and the discomfort level is quite low.

People will often say that they did not feel anything, and could see well the very first day. Most people have improved vision in 24-48 hours. but it must be noted that each person will heal at a different rate. Vision, although greatly improved immediately after surgery, often continues to improve for some weeks, even months.

LASIK is not for everyone. People's eyes are different so even though you may have had a friend who has had LASIK, it may not be the best course of treatment for you. If you are interested in laser vision correction, we will be happy to guide you in picking the right surgeon, procedure and laser appropriate for you.

After the procedure, our unsurpassed post-op care involves monitoring your eyes and adjust your medication for the best possible results.

Our office provides working arrangements with eye surgeons and more specialized eye care doctors to provide many of the surgical services such as Cataract surgery, Laser surgery, Refractive surgery and Strabismic surgery, retinal detachments, retinal tears and hemorrhages. You can be assured that your eyes will be comprehensively managed by the best eye care professionals.

Our office provides emergency services for eye infections and eye injuries. Please call our office at 907-474-8695 during office hours or our emergency number; 907-451-0888 after hours or on weekends. Our staff will work with you to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. State of the art microscopes allow us to examine the front surface of the eye and facial areas around the eye for infection or injury. After assessing the extent of the injury or infection a treatment plan will be formulated and explained to you. Treatment may include medications and supportive care. Follow-up visits to monitor your recovery will be scheduled as needed.

If you have special eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, or complications from diabetes, you will require special attention to your eye care. We can effectively manage these conditions and prescribe the appropriate medications or, when necessary, arrange for surgery. We co-manage with surgeons and hospitals to assure your best overall care. If you would like information on any of these eye diseases, be sure to visit our EyeCyclopedia™ for detailed information and photographs that may help you to better understand your eye condition.

People who have lost eyesight due to injuries or eye disease need special types of products to help them function as independently as possible. We offer a full range of these products through our office. Our paraoptometric staff is trained to demonstrate the use of some of these devices. They range all the way from a simple hand magnifier to a closed circuit TV system.

In addition, we can direct those who have low vision problems to products that will help them carry on the day-to-day tasks that they need to perform. In some cases we can set up a program for the low vision patient with the National Library of Congress to receive "books on tapes", which is a service for the blind.

Seeing clearly is not enough. For many people, reading and hand-eye coordination tasks can be very difficult. The act of sight not only includes ones eyes, but it also includes the neurological activity that processes the visual information. Throwing a ball or skiing down a hill, is a learned activity; to do either well takes practice. Those who do it best are those who started learning at the earliest age. Sight plays an important role in the learning of these activities. Sight is the steering mechanism; it is the main activity that provides feedback regarding what really is happening. We provide Vision Therapy to help individuals learn how to process visual information and develop better hand-eye coordination skills.

Fast, Simple and Comfortable

The test is fast, simple and comfortable. You'll be asked to sit at the instrument and your head will be positioned in the headrest. The operator will begin the exam by taking a picture of your eye. It's that simple! The entire process usually takes less than 5 minutes. The benefit of this technology is better vision for you. A world of opportunity awaits!

The cornea is the highly curved clear window on the front of the eye. The cornea helps focus light on the retina and therefore plays a significant role in how well you see. As the curvature of this clear structure changes, both the way your contact lens fits and your prescription, can change. Understanding these exact curvatures is necessary to properly fit and prescribe contact lenses or spectacles. This information can also help your doctor determine if refractive surgery is appropriate for you.

The corneal topography system is a major advancement in corneal analysis. In addition to contact lenses and refractive surgery applications, the Humphrey Corneal Topography System can detect slight conditions often invisible to even the most thorough conventional testing. The system can also help your doctor monitor subtle changes on your cornea over time.

Until now, instruments used for measuring the curvature of the cornea were only able to measure a small area near the center of the cornea. Contact lenses and refractive surgery, on the other hand, involve a much larger area of the cornea. The computerized corneal topography system measures a wide area of the cornea utilizing data from almost 8,000 individual points.

The printout uses colors to create a model of the cornea. The map colors indicate how the cornea flattens and steepens over the entire surface area. The computer creates various printout displays to help your doctor select the contact lens style that will fit and feel best. Also, this corneal model helps in the planning and performance of refractive surgery. The advanced technology of the new Humphrey Corneal Topography System helps your doctor provide you with the very best in eye care services.

Children with uncorrected vision conditions or eye health problems face many barriers in life, academically, socially, and athletically. High-quality eye care can break down these barriers and help enable your children to reach their highest potential! As a parent, make sure you are giving your children the eye care they need. Presented are guidelines from the American Optometric Association.

Your baby has a whole lifetime to see and learn. But did you know your baby also has to learn to see? As a parent, there are many things that you can do to help your baby's vision develop.

At about age six months, you should take your baby to your doctor of optometry for his or her first thorough eye examination. Things that the optometrist will test for include excessive or unequal amounts of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism and eye movement ability as well as eye health problems. These problems are not common, but it is important to identify children who have them at this stage. Vision development and eye health problems can be more easily corrected if treatment is begun early.

Unless you notice a need, or your doctor of optometry advises you otherwise, your child's next examination should be around age three, and then again before he or she enters school.

During the first four months of life, your baby should begin to follow moving objects with the eyes and reach for things, first by chance and later more accurately, as hand-eye coordination and depth perception begin to develop.

To help, use a nightlight or other dim lamp in your baby's room; change the crib's position frequently and your child's position in it; keep reach-and-touch toys within your baby's focus, about eight to twelve inches; talk to your baby as you walk around the room; alternate right and left sides with each feeding; and hang a mobile above and outside the crib.

Between four and eight months, your baby should begin to turn from side to side and use his or her arms and legs. Eye movement and eye/body coordination skills should develop further and both eyes should focus equally.

Enable your baby to explore different shapes and textures with his or her fingers; give your baby the freedom to crawl and explore; hang objects across the crib; and play "patty cake" and "peek-a-boo" with your baby.

From eight to twelve months, your baby should be mobile now, crawling and pulling himself or herself up. He or she will begin to use both eyes together and judge distances and grasp and throw objects with greater precision. To support development don't encourage early walking - crawling is important in developing eye-hand-foot-body coordination; give your baby stacking and take-apart toys; and provide objects your baby can touch, hold and see at the same time.

From one to two years, your child's eye-hand coordination and depth perception will continue to develop and he or she will begin to understand abstract terms. Things you can do are encourage walking; provide building blocks, simple puzzles and balls; and provide opportunities to climb and explore indoors and out.

There are many other affectionate and loving ways in which you can aid your baby's vision development. Use your creativity and imagination. Ask your doctor of optometry to suggest other specific activities.

During the infant and toddler years, your child has been developing many vision skills and has been learning how to see. In the preschool years, this process continues, as your child develops visually guided eye-hand-body coordination, fine motor skills and the visual motor skills necessary to learn to read.

As a parent, you should watch for signs that may indicate a vision development problem, including a short attention span for the child's age; difficulty with eye-hand-body coordination in ball play and bike riding; avoidance of coloring and puzzles and other detailed activities.

There are everyday things that you can do at home to help your preschooler's vision develop, as it should.

These activities include reading aloud to your child and letting him or her see what you are reading; providing a chalkboard, finger paints and different shaped blocks and showing your child how to use them in imaginative play; providing safe opportunities to use playground equipment like a jungle gym and balance beam; and allowing time for interacting with other children and for playing independently.

By age three, your child should have a thorough optometric eye examination to make sure your preschooler's vision is developing properly and there is no evidence of eye disease. If needed, your doctor can prescribe treatment including glasses and/or vision therapy to correct a vision development problem.

Here are several tips to make your child's optometric examination a positive experience:

• Make an appointment early in the day. Allow about one hour.


• Talk about the examination in advance and encourage your child's questions.


• Explain the examination in your child's terms, comparing the E chart to puzzle and the instruments to tiny flashlights and a kaleidoscope.

Unless recommended otherwise, your child's next eye examination should be at age five. By comparing test results of the two examinations, your optometrist can tell how well your child's vision is developing for the next major step. . .into the school years.

Please don't overlook the importance of safety eyewear when playing sports. Each year, hundreds of men, women, and children are injured when playing sports. To help prevent sports eye injuries, athletes should use protective athletic eyewear whether or not prescription eyewear is needed. One choice is a sports frame with prescription or non-prescription polycarbonate lenses is another choice. Baseball or softball players who are hit in or near the eye, or suffer a blow to the head, should seek immediate care at a hospital emergency room or from an eye care professional.

The important thing for parents and their children who wear contact lenses to remember is that contacts are prescribed medical devices. Contact lenses are not a cosmetic accessory. While the wearer may be happy about his or her new look, it's extremely important that the lenses be properly cleaned and worn according to the instruction of the optometrist.

A good education for your child means good schools, good teachers and good vision. Your child's eyes are constantly in use in the classroom and at play. So when his or her vision is not functioning properly, learning and participation in recreational activities will suffer.

The basic vision skills needed for school use are:

• Near Vision. The ability to see clearly and comfortably at 10-13 inches.


• Distance Vision. The ability to see clearly and comfortably beyond arm’s reach.


• Binocular coordination. The ability to use both eyes together.


• Eye movement skills. The ability to aim the eyes accurately, move them smoothly across a page and shift them quickly and accurately from one object to another.


• Focusing skills. The ability to keep both eyes accurately focused at the proper distance to see clearly and the change focus quickly.


• Peripheral awareness. The ability to be aware of things located to the side while looking straight ahead.


• Eye/hand coordination. The ability to use the eyes and hands together.
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If any of these or other vision skills is lacking or does not functions properly, your child will have to work harder. This can lead to headaches, fatigue and other eyestrain problems. As a parent, be alert for symptoms that may indicate your child has a vision or visual processing problem. Be sure to tell your Optometric Physician if you child frequently:

• Loses their place while reading


• Avoids close work


• Holds reading material closer than normal


• Tends to rub their eyes


• Has headaches


• Turns or tilts head to use one eye only


• Makes frequent reversals when reading or writing


• Uses finger to maintain place when reading


• Omits or confuses small words when reading


• Consistently performs below potential

Since vision changes can occur without you or your child noticing them, your child should visit the optometrist at least every two years, or more frequently, if specific problems or risk factors exist. If needed, the doctor can prescribe treatment including eyeglasses, contact lenses or vision therapy.

Remember, a school vision or Pediatrician's screening is not a substitute for a thorough eye examination.