There are enough scary events this Halloween month, but being unable to see should not be one of them! Do you know what’s not scary? Getting the help you need! The experts at UAB Callahan Eye Hospital & Clinics (Callahan) are here today to calm our fears about two specific scary topics: our kids being unable to see at school and adults having trouble with night vision.
Not Seeing Well At School Can Be Scary
(Kids’ Eye Health)
Being unable to see well in school is not only a scary thought for us and our kids, but it also has serious academic consequences. According to a recent study published by JAMA Ophthalmology entitled, “Effect of a Randomized Interventional School-Based Vision Program on Academic Performance of Students in Grades Three to Seven,” students who received eye exams and were prescribed corrective lenses scored higher on standardized tests in reading and math.
The study also reported that students who received glasses gained an equivalent of almost four months of extra education. Yes. You read that correctly. This study shows just a couple of the many important reasons to take your children to get eye exams.
Elise Agostinelli, OD, of Callahan had a patient who came in for an eye exam after being referred by her pediatrician for failing a vision screening. She was six years old and just started kindergarten. Her mom expressed concerns that she was falling behind in school and not interested in any of her schoolwork. Dr. Agostinelli discovered in the exam that the patient was extremely nearsighted. She showed her patient what her new glasses prescription would look like, and her face lit up. She gave the biggest smile to her mom and said, “I can see now!” Her mom was ecstatic when they returned six weeks later for her follow-up visit and stated her daughter was excited about going to school now and had found a love for reading!
The First Pediatric Eye Exam
According to Dr. Agostinelli, the most important thing we can tell our children before their first eye exam is that it will not involve shots! We should also tell them that their eye doctor will make the exam as fun as possible, so they should expect to be playing games, playing with different toys, and getting surprises at the end of the exam!
Callahan starts with patient history before taking visual acuity by either matching shapes with the patient or reading the letters on an eye chart. There will also be preliminary tests that include evaluation of color vision, eye muscle movements, depth perception, peripheral vision, and how the pupils respond to light.
The child is then dilated with eye drops that temporarily keep the child’s eyes from changing focus during further testing. After the child is dilated, the eye doctor will use a device called a retinoscope to evaluate the focusing power of the eye to see if your child needs glasses and to check the growth of the eyes. The doctor will also use a variety of microscopes and lenses to assess the health of the eye and all the surrounding tissues.
When Should We Make That First Eye Appointment?
The American Academy of Optometry recommends a child should have his or her first eye exam between six to twelve months of age, and then at least once again between three and five years of age. There are also certain signs and symptoms that increase the risk for a child needing an eye exam.
Some signs that may indicate your child needs an eye exam include:
- complaining of headaches,
- becoming fatigued after reading,
- squinting or closing one eye,
- blinking or rubbing eyes,
- poor school performance,
- holding electronics very closely,
- and losing his place while reading.
There are also some factors that place an infant, toddler, or child at a higher risk for needing an eye exam. Those include:
- a history of prematurity,
- systemic health conditions that have ocular manifestations and a family history of eye disorders,
- refractive error,
- and strabismus (eye turns in or outwards).
But rest assured that the initial pediatric eye exam will not be scary when the professionals at Callahan are involved!
Not Seeing to Drive Well at Night Can Be Scary
(Adults’ Eye Health)
One of the scaries of aging (for me) is my change in night vision over time. According to Jeffrey Tapley, MD, I am not alone. He says most people start noticing changes in night vision around the age of 45 (lucky me for noticing changes long before that age)! The most common complaints he gets regarding nighttime driving are difficulty with oncoming headlights, judging distances or speeds, and seeing lane markings or street signs clearly.
What Causes Night Vision Changes?
This can be a complex subject, so Dr. Tapley broke it down into three concepts.
1. As we age, it takes longer for our eyes to adjust when going from bright to dark conditions. For night driving, this means it is harder to see after being hit with bright headlights.
2. Decreased contrast sensitivity. Contrast sensitivity is our ability to decipher an object from its background. As we age, our contrast sensitivity decreases, and this can make objects in dim lighting more difficult to detect. That street sign that’s harder to see at night? That’s because of decreased contrast sensitivity.
3. Increased higher order aberrations (HOAs). An HOA is an irregularity experienced by a wave of light as it passes through an eye. At nighttime, our pupil gets bigger. And as the pupil gets bigger, HOAs can increase. Those halos, starbursts, or terrible glares you see around bright street lights or headlights? That can be explained by increased HOAs at nighttime.
Tips for Safer Night Driving
Dr. Tapley offers up some easy tips to help with night driving:
1. If you wear glasses or contacts, make sure your prescription is up to date.
2. Make sure your windshield and mirrors are clean and clear. Dirty glass scatters light which can make nighttime driving worse.
3. Use the night setting on your rearview mirror. (Yes, this is actually a thing and is very helpful. Consult your manual if you don’t know how to switch this over to night mode).
4. Avoid the gimmicks. You’ve probably seen commercials for yellow-tinted night glasses to improve glare and contrast while driving at night. There is a lack of evidence that these actually work. In fact, these devices can decrease the amount of light that enters into the eye making it harder, not easier, to see at night.
Treatments for Night Vision
First and foremost, get an eye exam and ensure your vision is corrected as best as possible. Whether it’s glasses or contact lenses, make sure your prescription is up to date.
If you wear prescription glasses, ask about adding an anti-reflective coating which can help cut down glare at night. If you have cataracts (a condition where the natural lens in your eye becomes cloudy), these often affect nighttime driving, and cataract surgery can certainly improve your night vision.
A lot of people ask Dr. Tapley if LASIK can improve night vision. Older forms of LASIK actually made night vision worse. But with today’s technology, newer forms of LASIK can decrease those pesky HOAs mentioned above and can sometimes improve night vision.
A Symptom of Something More Significant?
Could poor night vision be a sign or symptom of something more significant? Absolutely. Dr. Tapley encourages anyone with difficulty driving at night to schedule a comprehensive eye exam with an eye doctor.
Conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, or macular degeneration can all cause difficulty driving at night. The earlier that can be detected and treated, the happier you’ll be with your vision. And . . . the only way to know that is to see your eye doctor! So schedule an appointment with Callahan today and tell them Birmingham Mom Collective sent you!
