Category Archives: children

FDA Study Cites Contact Lenses as Leading Cause of Medical Device Related Emergency Room Visits

Posted on July 31, 2010 | 3 comments

During a 24 month study of 100 hospitals contact lenses accounted for 23% of
medical device related emergency room visits involving children.

In a study published online this week in the journal Pediatrics entitled “Emergency Department Visits for Medical Device-Associated Adverse Events Among Children” it was found that 23% of the medical device related emergency room visits involving  children from birth to 21 years of age were contact lens related, this is in contrast to the next closest category,  injuries due to a puncture by a hypodermic needle, which placed a distant second at 8%.   An additional noteworthy finding was that an another 6% of the ER visits  involved lacerations caused by eyeglasses.

The study did not outline how the children were using their contact lenses.  Were they caring for and cleaning them properly?  Did they discard the lenses according to the replacement interval prescribed by their doctor and what type of contact lenses were involved in the study?  The injuries incurred while wearing eyeglasses did not specify the type of activity the child was participating in when the incident occurred.

Contact lenses are medical devices and as such require a prescription from an eye doctor with professional fitting and followup. In clinical practice we have found that patients that follow the guidelines below rarely experience contact lens related complications.

Injuries due to eyeglass lenses and frames was also a significant source of injuries in the study. We must therefore, not forget to provide our children with protective eyewear when they participate in sports.  Sports eyewear has come a long way since the days when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar captured his trademark look.  Sports eyewear has now become fashionable and safe.

More information on contact lenses.

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Posted in children, contact lens, emergency, optometrist

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Total Eye Care and Bausch + Lomb Announce Back to School Contact Lens Program

Posted on June 30, 2010 | Comments Off on Total Eye Care and Bausch + Lomb Announce Back to School Contact Lens Program

From July through September, Total Eye Care is partnering with Bausch + Lomb to raise awareness about the benefits of daily disposable contact lenses for children.

As parents prepare to send their children back to school, it’s important to make sure that our children are getting proper vision care for optimal performance in and out of the classroom.

“Daily disposable contact lenses are easily the safest and most convenient contact lens option.  Now through our partnership with Bausch + Lomb, we hope that more children and adults will experience the convenience and safety of daily disposable contact lenses” says Dr. Richard Driscoll of Total Eye Care in Colleyville.

Through our partnership we will be able to offer a 90 pack of daily disposable contact lenses for only $35.

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Posted in children, contact lens

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My Child Sees Fine – Why Does She Need an Eye Exam

Posted on March 25, 2010 | 5 comments

As parents we often think that our son or daughter has good vision and therefore does not need an eye exam.  Common misperceptions of why eye exams in children are not important include, my son doesn’t complain of blurry vision, my child’s grades are good, or the parents have good vision therefore the kids probably do too.

School screening don’t qualify as an eye exam.  While an essential part of protecting the visual and physical health of our children, school screenings were never intended to replace a professional eye exam.  School screenings prevent children from “falling between the cracks” and are best used to supplement regular eye care.  Read more about safeguarding our children’s vision.

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Posted in children, examinations, Refractive issues, Vision

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National Public Radio’s Medical Detectives Explore Increased Nearsightedness in the US

Posted on February 4, 2010 | 1 comment

Photo of Child gazing out windowIn December 2009 we covered the results of a recent study Myopia Increasing Rapidly in The US Population. Recently National Public Radio’s Medical Detectives interviewed, Dr Susan Vitale, principle author of the study “1994-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey” and Dr. Don Mutti, an expert in myopia.  It’s a good listen and only a little over 3 minutes.

With myopia increasing at such a rapid rate in our population will it be long before the use of orthokeratology to slow the progression of myopia in our children becomes the standard of care?

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Pink Sherbet Photography,  D Sharon Pruitt

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Posted in children, contact lens, orthokeratology, Refractive issues

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Study Says: Myopia Increasing Rapidly in The US Population

Posted on December 22, 2009 | 6 comments

The rate of nearsightedness in the US  has increased by over 66% in the past 30 years says a study published in the December 2009 issue of Archives of Ophthalmology

Thick GlassesA 66% increase in myopia is a huge change over a 30 year period. The new study tried to simulate the testing methods of the original 1972 study on nearsightedness in the US population.  The 1971-1972 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that 25% of the US population between the ages of 12 and 54 were nearsighted vs the 1994-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey’s finding of 41.6%.  Increased nearsightedness was noted regardless of age, sex, race or education.

The authors concluded that it would be beneficial to identify behavioral risk factors that cause increased myopia.  If risk factors for increasing myopia are identified we may be able to slow the progression.

The big question is “what caused this increased nearsightedness in the US population”?  As eye doctors we are often asked what causes nearsightedness and the usual answer is that that we believe nearsightedness is a combination of genetics and environmental influences.  In the last 30 years our society has become much more near centric.  People spend hours glued to their computer monitors at work and home. Kids spend more time at near now then ever before with computer games, hand held games etc.

Numerous recent studies have shown that orthokeratology contact lenses can greatly slow the progression of nearsightedness

Finding ways to slow or halt the progression of myopia has been a longstanding subject of study in eyecare.  The process of using special contact lenses to reshape the front part of a patient’s eye to prevent the progression of nearsightedness and to allow the patient to see without glasses is called orthokeratology.  There are a number of different names for orthokeratology, orthoK, corneal molding, corneal reshaping and corneal refractive therapy are some of the most common names.

Almost a year ago the study, Controlling Astigmatism & Nearsightedness in Developing Youth (CANDY) showed that orthokeratology contact lenses reduced the progression of nearsightedness in kids between 9 and 16.  The authors of the CANDY study found that the amount myopia in children that did not wear the overnight Corneal Refractive Therapy lenses increased at a rate of .37D per year while those children wearing  the lenses progressed at only .03 diopters per year.

Another study, Corneal Reshaping and Myopia Progression published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, conducted at the Ohio State University College of Optometry found that the eyes of the children wearing overnight orthokeratology lenses increased in length at a markedly slower rate than the studies’ non ortho-K lens wearers.

Lastly, the study Stabilization of Myopia by Accelerated Reshaping Technique (SMART) is in the first  of its five years and this past summer released preliminary results showing that again, orthokeratology lenses appear to markedly slowing the progession of nearsightedness in children.

While the rate of nearsightedness in the US population has increased significantly in the last 30 years it is comforting to know that there are safe and effective methods of slowing the progression of myopia.  Download a PDF of the study Increased Prevalence of Myopia in the United States Between 1971-1972 and 1999-2004

Image courtesy of Flickr member Foxtongue.

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Posted in children, contact lens, orthokeratology, Refractive issues

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Preventing Vision Problems in Children Must Become a Priority in The US

Posted on August 19, 2009 | 2 comments

That is the opinion of The National Commission on Vision & Health, in a new report entitled “Building a Comprehensive Vision Care System“, found that 25% of school age children have undiagnosed vision problems and that correcting this must become a national health care priority.

91837233_f94352da20_mSome of the vision problems cited in the literature review included undiagnosed nearsightedness, farsightedness, amblyopia, retinoblastoma, congenital defects, and strabismus.  The report went on to state that a vision screening was not a substitute for an eye exam and that eye exams from an optometrist or ophthalmologist were a very effective way to detect vision problems in children.

In 2004 The Vision council of America estimated that the rate of undetected vision problems in children to be 25%.  The 2010 National Health Objective 28-4 to reduce blindness and visual impairment in children and adolescents has experienced little progress in it’s goal to reduce childhood blindness.

In 2002 the American Public Health Association (APHA) issued a statement supporting regular eye exams in children to improve the detection rate of vision problems instead of regular screenings.  APHA recommended eye exams at age 6 mos, 2 years and 4 years.  A failure of the current screening program is the lack of follow through for children when problems are detected.  “Most forms of vision loss in children are preventable.  Improving the access to eye care for children should be as important as are our current childhood vaccination programs” said Dr. Richard Driscoll.

Sixteen states do not require any vision assessment prior to a child entering school.  The remaining states require some for of vision assessment prior to a child entering school, however only five states require a follow up examination to the screening.  Screenings are clearly not effective if the results are not acted upon.  Only three states, Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri have legislated mandatory eye exams prior to a child entering school.

Cost was found to be an issue with getting visual assessments for children.  Uninsured children did not receive a well child visit 54% of the time.  Often a well child visit includes a visual assessment.

The recommendations of the study to improve access to eye care for children  included funding national campaigns to educate the public regarding the need to seek care for their child, setting up national standards to be adopted by all states, assure adequate vision coverage by all public and private insurers.

For more articles written on The Eye Doc Blog on vision problems in children see

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Posted in children, Refractive issues, Vision

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What Kind of Eyeglass Lenses are Recommended for Children?

Posted on August 3, 2009 | Comments Off on What Kind of Eyeglass Lenses are Recommended for Children?

Assessing the visual needs of your child with an eye exam is the first step in protecting your child’s vision.  It is equally important to select lenses that will not only make them see well but also protect their eyes.

Polycarbonate or Trivex lenses are the only lens types that have the potential to reduce—not increase—the risk of serious eye injury.   Polycarbonate and Lexan are used in bullet-proof windshields, safety glasses, helicopter canopies and many other hi performance applications.   Other lens types, including glass and regular plastic (CR-39)  will break into pieces upon impact.  Often the impact from an object does less damage to the victim than the broken eyeglass lenses.

Both polycarbonate and Trivex are thin, lightweight and highly impact resistant.   Kids can do crazy things and accidents can happen, therefore polycarbonate and Trivex are not just recommended for sports but should be used to protect their eyes everyday.

Trivex is highly scratch resistant making it the best option for children.  Polycarbonate is much softer and therefore less scratch resistant, however it is slightly less expensive.  Both lens materials naturally block 100% of UV light without any additional coatings.  The optical qualities of Trivex are much better than those of polycarbonate, therefore there is less distortion and reflection from an ophthalmic lens made of Trivex.  Both lens materials are available in Transitions (get darker outside, lighter inside) and accept an antireflective coating, which prevents reflections, making the lenses look transparent.

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Posted in children, Refractive issues

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Encouraging Early Results in Nearsightedness Prevention Study

Posted on July 10, 2009 | 2 comments

The first year of the Stabilization of Myopia by Accelerated Reshaping Technique (SMART) Study has produced some encouraging results in a recent announcement.  According to Dr. Robert L. Davis, co principal investigator of the SMART trial,  “The net effect of this contact lens fitting philosophy is to change the cornea shape for the sole purpose of reducing the amount of myopia as measured by change in refraction” .  “The results of the SMART Study so far are very exciting,” said Dr. Davis. “The outcomes of this study may revolutionize how we manage young nearsighted patients from this point forward”.

The SMART Trial involves 300 patients between the ages of 8 and 14.  The goal of the study is to see if having patients where overnight orthokeratology or corneal molding lenses will stop or slow the progression of nearsightedness.  The SMART Trial is the largest of its kind.  Other studies have also shown that preventing nearsightedness with ortho-K contact lenses is possible, such the CANDY Study.  A study from Ohio State Unversity suggested that wearing Ortho-K lenses overnight actually prevented the eye from becoming longer.  The SMART Trial has just completed the first year of the five year study.  We will continue to keep an eye on this potientially ground breaking study.

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Posted in children, contact lens, orthokeratology, Refractive issues

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How Should We Safeguard Our Children’s Eyesight?

Posted on July 8, 2009 | Comments Off on How Should We Safeguard Our Children’s Eyesight?

Is it too early to think about what we need to do to get our kids ready for school?  One of the most important “school supplies” is your child’s annual eye exam.    Over 80% of what a child learns is through their eyes, therefore it is important for our kids to see their very best.

Kids often don’t complain when they don’t see well and we can not rely on them to tell us when their vision is blurry.  Blurry vision rarely happens quickly, it happens slowly over time and children and adults alike don’t realize what they have lost because it happens so slowly.  On the Total Eye Care website we have more information on the components of a complete eye exam, school screenings and more information on children and vision.  So carve out some time this busy summer and enhance your child’s learning with an eye exam.

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Martha Stewart Discusses the Importance of Regular Eye Care

Posted on June 18, 2009 | 1 comment

This is a good video where Martha Stewart discusses common topics in eye care including lazy eye, bifocal contact lenses, importance of eye exams for adults and for learning in children.

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Posted in children, contact lens, Eye Care, video

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