Comprehensive Eye Examinations
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.
Contact Lenses
Welcome to the contact lens department! Our qualified paraoptometric assistants/technicians are available to assist you with any of your contact lens needs.
We have a variety of name brand contact lenses in our stock that are available for instant purchase. Other lenses are ordered directly from the manufacturer and are normally received within 2-5 working days. Several manufacturers now offer direct shipping of contact lenses to your home or office, at no additional charge! This has made getting new contacts even more convenient for you!
Our doctors are experienced at fitting all types of contact lenses whether they be traditional soft lenses, planned replacement lenses, disposable or rigid gas permeable lenses.
There are contact lenses available for those patients that have special needs as well. These contacts include toric lenses that correct for astigmatism; bifocal lenses that correct for presbyopia and extended wear lenses that may be worn overnight.
We are particularly excited about the new bifocal soft lenses. We are currently fitting several new bifocal designs to reduce, or eliminate, your need for reading glasses.
For those of you who would like a different look, we have a large inventory of contact lenses to change your eye color. We carry some more drastic "Wild Eyes" lenses, if getting noticed is your goal.
Are YOU interested in trying contact lenses? Our experienced doctors conduct thorough examinations and contact lens fittings. Our friendly contact lens staff will teach you to insert and remove your new lenses and instruct you on their handling and care. We are always available for questions or concerns to make sure your contact lenses are providing you with the vision and comfort you need.
Optical Dispensing
Our optical department offers single vision, bifocals, trifocals and progressive lenses from many different manufacturers to meet your specific needs. Light weight polycarbonate, thin- profile high index and the newest variable tint lens technologies are available. You can rely on our expertise to recommend and fit the best lenses for your active lifestyle.
Specialty lenses include polarized lenses and spectrum-specific proprietary lenses. Lens treatments to enhance your vision experience include easy care anti-reflective treatment, with protective super-hard coat, permanently bonded to our lenses. We also offer scratch and UV treatments.
We offer frames that carry a full two year satisfaction warranty from the best American and European frame manufacturers. Fashion frames from the most notable designers are represented in wide selections. Please contact us for more information.
Our sunglass collections and protective eyewear line address the specific needs of enthusiasts of nearly all sports and occupations. We look forward to the opportunity to discuss how these products can help you enjoy your activity more.
PRK/Lasik
Myopes (people with nearsightedness), hyperopes (people with farsightedness) and astigmats (people with astigmatism) now have alternatives to glasses and contact lenses. Laser technology offers several procedures to correct these refractive problems. We have guided hundreds of patients through refractive surgery with comprehensive pre-operative and post-operative care.
What is PRK?
PRK stands for Photorefractive Keratectomy. During this procedure, the surgeon gently removes the top layer of cells on the cornea. The excimer laser is then used to sculpt the cornea by removing microscopic layers of tissue.
What is LASIK?
LASIK stands for Laser Assisted Intrastromal Keratomileusis. During this procedure, the surgeon uses an instrument called a microkeratome to create a thin flap of tissue within the cornea. The flap can also be made without the use of the microkeratome, in all-laser LASIK. The excimer laser is then used to sculpt the cornea by removing microscopic layers of tissue.
Finally, the corneal flap is returned to its original position, adhering without stitches. This procedure is nearly painless and is performed under topical anesthesia.
Who is a candidate?
Candidates should be at least 21 years old with a stable prescription. They must be within the range of the procedure, have no active eye disease and not be pregnant or nursing. There should also be no restrictions mandated by the candidate’s employer.
What are realistic goals?
Realistic goals for these procedures should include less dependence on glasses (e.g. having the ability to see the clock without spectacle correction or being able to swim without contacts). You should be able to enjoy an active lifestyle without being totally dependent on corrective lenses.
What are potential side effects?
Side effects may include minor discomfort and blurred vision for one to five days following PRK. Although very rare, loss of corneal cap or irregular astigmatism from malpositioning of the cap can occur following LASIK. Transient dryness, nighttime halos and/or glare or a decrease in best-corrected visual acuities following either procedure are potential complications.
People who are most satisfied after having refractive surgery clearly understand the potential risks and side effects and have realistic expectations of what their vision will be like after surgery.
Many people will eventually need to rely on reading glasses or bifocal lenses due to a condition called presbyopia. This is a normal aging process in which the muscles that move the lens lose their elasticity. A condition called monovision, in which one eye is corrected for near vision and the other is corrected for distance vision, is one option with refractive procedures.
We’d love to discuss these procedures with you in greater detail and decide which option will be right for you.
Surgery Co-Management
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 strabismus surgery, retinal detachments, retinal tears and hemorrhages. You can be assured that your eyes will be comprehensively managed by the best eye care professionals.
Eye Infections, Eye Injuries, Dry Eyes
Our office provides emergency services for eye infections and eye injuries. Please call our office at 719-522-9393 to schedule an urgent appointment or to access our 24-hour on-call service. 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.
Eye Diseases; Cataracts, Glaucoma, Diabetes
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.
Low Vision Services
Low vision is a condition that exists when ordinary glasses, contact lenses, medical treatment and/or surgery are unable to correct a person’s sight to the normal range. Reduced visual function has a profound influence on an individual’s well being. The goal of low vision services is to maximize the usable sight of a person, enabling them to perform routine tasks.
Our Doctors of Optometry will complete a thorough eye examination and can recommend strategies to improve the quality of life of those with reduced visual function. Optical devices often used to obtain this goal include hand-held or stand magnifiers, high-power reading lenses, telescopes and tinted lenses. Non-optical devices such as talking books, clocks and calculators, large-numeral telephones and large print reading materials are also introduced and considered.
A person with a vision impairment can often benefit from an orientation and mobility specialist. These services can teach the visually impaired person to travel independently. Our doctors will be happy to discuss this option and help arrange for these services.
Vision Therapy
What is vision therapy?
Vision therapy, also known as orthoptics, vision training or eye training, is an organized therapeutic regime utilized to treat a number of neuromuscular, neurophysiological and neurosensory conditions which interfere with visual function.
Vision therapy encompasses a wide variety of procedures to improve a diagnosed visual dysfunction. The treatment may be relatively simple such as patching the eye as part of amblyopia therapy, or it may be complex involving sophisticated instrumentation and computers.
Vision therapy usually involves a series of treatment visits during which carefully planned functional activities are carried out by the patient under close supervision in order to relieve the visual problem. The specific activities and instrumentation are determined by the nature and severity of the condition. The frequency and duration of treatments are dictated by the individual situation, although established guidelines are available suggesting appropriate length of therapy for various diagnoses.
When is vision therapy necessary?
Most vision problems can be very easily corrected with eyeglasses. In fact, about 90% of the people we examine who are complaining of vision problems are treated with glasses or contact lenses and feel better.
However, approximately 10% of the population with symptoms of blurred vision and eyestrain have vision problems which cannot be treated successfully using eyeglasses alone. It is this group of people who need vision therapy. Vision therapy is generally required to treat problems of eye teaming, focusing, tracking, amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eye), and visual perception. Individuals with these problems experience eyestrain when reading or doing other close work, inability to work quickly, sleepiness, inability to attend and concentrate, double vision and loss of vision. Even more significantly, children with amblyopia and strabismus face the possible loss of vision if an appropriate vision therapy program is not initiated in a timely fashion. Children with visual perceptual problems may have difficulty learning.
Our office offers a complete vision therapy program. We also work with several larger vision therapy and learning centers in town.
Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns that you or someone you know is having visual-related difficulties.
Sports Vision
An athlete’s performance is greatly determined by the quality of his/her vision. Athletes must be able to see distant objects from contrasting backgrounds, and estimate distances and speeds. Impaired visual functions can interfere with eye/hand and eye/foot coordination, reaction time, eye tracking and focusing abilities. Being conscious of this fact and how you can both improve and protect sports vision can help enhance performance.
Sports vision therapy is a specialized program that focuses on the evaluation, correction and improvement of the visual performance of athletes. This therapy teaches the patient’s brain to operate his/her eyes to collect information effectively, comprehend the information, and respond appropriately. Sports vision therapy involves a variety of training devices and techniques designed to enhance and improve an athlete’s visual skills. Performance skills will improve as the visual skills improve.
Visual skills that are enhanced include not only visual acuity, but dynamic visual acuity (vision as you move through space), tracking, depth perception, peripheral and spatial awareness, eye/hand coordination and visualization.
Pediatric Optometry
We have several optometrists in our offices that specialize in children’s vision. Testing is done not only to check visual acuities and eye health, but developmental aspects of vision as well. Some of these aspects are listed below.
Accommodation: The eye’s ability to focus to make near objects clear
Convergence/Divergence: The ability of the muscles of the eyes to turn the eyes in and out to focus on an object.
Pursuits/Saccades: The eyes’ ability to work together to look from one object to another or follow an object as it is moving.
Visual Perception: The act of processing visual information. This includes efficiency in such areas as visual discrimination, visual memory, spatial relations, sequential memory, figure ground and visual closure.
Laterality/Directionality: The ability to be able to distinguish where one is in space and where other objects are in relation to one’s self in space.
Should a child have difficulties in any of these areas, difficulties in school may arise. Some symptoms that a child may report include:
Red, sore or itching eyes
Jerky eye movements, one eye turning in or out
Squinting, eye rubbing or excessive blinking
Blurred vision or double vision
Headaches or eye strain after reading
Head tilting, closing or blocking one eye when reading
Things that a parent or teacher may observe include:
Poor handwriting
Difficulty copying from the board
Letter or word reversals
Poor reading comprehension
Frequent loss of place
Omits, inserts or rereads letters/words
Failure to recognize the same word in the next sentence
Avoidance of near work
Yearly vision examinations are recommended to ensure your child’s visual skills are developing properly.
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