Wearing glasses for the first time can be a difficult adjustment for any child.

Being able to see clearly might not always seem worth it to them compared to how strange the glasses feel on their nose and ears or what their peers think, so what can you do as a parent to help them get in the habit and really love their glasses? We’ve come up with five good approaches you can use to make childrens glasses cool.

1. Make Sure Their Glasses Fit

Ill-fitting glasses, no matter how perfectly they correct your child’s vision, are not going to be fun to wear, and they will be taking them off every chance they get. Whether they fall too easily or pinch too hard, we have tools at our practice to correct the fit of glasses. If your childrens glasses don’t fit properly, come see us so we can adjust them.

2. Set Goals For Your Childs Glasses

For a child who isn’t willing to wear their glasses full-time from the start, a gradual ramp-up might be a good idea. You can begin small by expecting them to wear their glasses for just a half-hour, then increase to an hour, then two, and ultimately they’ll be wearing them all day. You could offer small prizes for achieving these milestones to give them more motivation.

3. Find Bespectacled Role Models

A great way to combat your child’s worries that they’ll be made fun of for wearing glasses is to remind them that some pretty awesome people wear glasses too. Show them pictures of some of their favorite actors or inspirational figures wearing glasses, and point out that characters like Harry Potter, Superman, and Supergirl wear glasses (even if the latter two only wear them as their mild-mannered disguises).

4. Let Them Choose Their Glasses

Another essential for helping your child feel confident in their glasses is to let them pick out their own frames! Glasses are like a customizable facial feature, and that makes them a wonderful expression of personal style. So forget about your own ideas of color coordination and fashion, because your child has their own idea of what cool glasses look like.

A similar factor to think about is how the glasses make your child look for their age. A toddler should wear glasses made for toddlers, but older children will feel embarrassed to wear “baby glasses.” They want adults and other kids to respect them for how grown-up they seem, and their glasses are part of that.

5. Stand Firm And Enlist Help

Perhaps the most important thing to do is to remain firm in your expectations. Even with the perfect, well-fitting glasses and good role models to look up to, if you aren’t a stickler about making sure your child meets their glasses goals, it might not matter. And for the times and places when you aren’t around to check that the glasses are on, you might be able to recruit other adults, like their teachers, to help.

We Can Help Too!

Another group of adults who can help your child grow to love wearing glasses is the team at our practice! We’re the biggest fans of childrens glasses you’ll meet, and we’re happy to share our enthusiasm and success stories. We’d love to hear from you, whether these five tips did the trick or if you need a few other ideas to try.

We can’t wait to see your child looking happy and confident in their glasses!

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month, and we want to make sure our patients have all the information they need to protect their eyes at work!

The type of job you have will determine what kinds of risks your eyes may be in for injury or health issues, so we’re going to break them up into two main categories: jobs that mainly involve physical labor and office jobs.

Preventing Workplace Eye Injuries

Jobs such as construction or manufacturing work, mining, carpentry, auto repair, electrical work, plumbing, welding, and maintenance are all high risk jobs when it comes to eye injury. More than two thousand workers in these fields have to seek medical attention for an eye injury every day.

That may sound alarming, but the good news is that 90 percent of these injuries can be prevented or at least reduced in severity through the use of proper safety equipment. If you work in one of these fields, make sure you wear your safety glasses, goggles, face shield, welding helmet, or full-face respirator as needed.

Office Jobs And Eye Safety

If you have an office job, you likely don’t face the same risks of eye injuries, but your work conditions could still be hazardous to your eye health. The most common eye problem for office workers is computer vision syndrome, also known as digital eye strain.

Constantly staring at your computer screen might not cause permanent damage to your eyesight, but it can make your eyes tired and irritated and negatively impact your work, with symptoms including headaches, neck pain, inattentiveness, back strain, and dry eye.

A few ways you can fight back against that eye strain include repositioning your screen, following the 20-20-20 rule, making an effort to blink more often, using artificial tears, drinking plenty of water, using an anti-glare screen or wearing computer glasses, and, finally, scheduling regular eye exams!

If you don’t know what the 20-20-20 rule is, just watch this short video

Bring Us Your Questions About Workplace Eye Safety

If you’ve been experiencing eye strain symptoms or think you might not be doing everything you can to protect your eyes from injury at work, just call us or stop by. We’d love to answer any questions you have, because we want all of our patients to be able to do their best work without having to fear for their eyes’ safety!

Make sure you’re showing your eyes some love!

Nearly everyone over the age of 65 will experience a reduced elasticity of the lenses of their eyes — a condition called presbyopia.

Those of us lucky enough to have perfect vision until that age will only require reading glasses to help with up-close vision. However, for the 42 percent of Americans who are nearsighted to begin with, a more complex solution will be necessary, such as bifocals, trifocals, or progressive lenses.

Bifocals: Pros And Cons

Bifocals are just what they sound like: glasses with one area that corrects nearsightedness and another area that corrects farsightedness. The worse presbyopia gets, it can start to affect middle distances too, and trifocals help by adding a middle strip for things like reading a computer screen.

If you’ve ever worn bifocals or trifocals, you know all about the line between the sections of the lenses. These lines can be distracting and create an odd “image jump” effect, and they can also serve as evidence of advancing age to anyone who sees them. Anyone who feels these drawbacks are too great to overlook might be more interested in progressive lenses.

The Science Of Progressive Lenses

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, progressive lenses do what bifocals and trifocals do but without the distracting lines. The way this works is that the prescription gradually changes along a corridor of power, going from supporting distance vision at the top to close vision at the bottom.

The trade off to make such a complex lens work is that the bottom corners of progressive lenses make things appear blurry. Fortunately, newer technology is helping to minimize this flaw. When we examine patients wishing to buy progressive lenses, we measure pupillary distance so that we can place the corridor of power in the best place.

Getting Used To Progressive Lenses

Any time we change the prescription or frame shape of our glasses, it will take some time to get used to the way things look. This is certainly the case for progressive lenses, especially if it’s your first time wearing them. A few things you can do to adjust more quickly include:

• moving your head instead of your eyes to see different things
• making sure the glasses fit properly so that the corridor of power stays in the right place
• practicing looking at objects at different differences by watching TV and reading a book at the same time
• not giving up! If you switch back and forth between your progressive lenses and your old bifocals, you’ll reset the clock on your eyes getting used to them!

Talk To Us About Your Next Pair Of Glasses

If you have any questions about progressive lenses, don’t hesitate to bring them to us. We want all of our patients at Levin Eye Care Center to have the perfect lenses to help them see clearly. And while we’re at it, we’ll help you find the perfect frames!

Thank you for being part of our practice family!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Human eyesight is an incredibly complex system, and a problem like Glaucoma anywhere along the way can lead to seriously compromised vision.

One such problem is glaucoma, a group of eye conditions that affect millions of people in the US, making it the second most common cause of vision loss and blindness in the country. In most cases, this is the result of damage to the optic nerve from increased pressure in the eye.

Intraocular Pressure: A Delicate Balance

The human eye is filled with fluid — aqueous humor in the front chambers, vitreous humor in the larger rear chamber behind the lens. In a healthy eye, the pressure of this fluid remains within a safe range because the amount of aqueous humor being produced is equal to the amount flowing out through the pupil. In an eye with glaucoma, this drainage system does not work the way it should.

Common Risk Factors & Symptoms 

While everyone has some risk of developing glaucoma, certain factors can make it more likely. Glaucoma is far more common in people over 60, particularly minorities. Also, people of Asian descent are at greater risk of angle-closure glaucoma. Glaucoma sometimes offers no symptoms until it has done damage and that’s why it’s so important to get a yearly comprehensive eye exam. Also, age and hereditary can increase risk along with high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, or sickle cell anemia.

A major risk factor for glaucoma is heredity. Someone with a sibling who has glaucoma is ten times more likely to develop it than someone who doesn’t. Other risk factors include eye injury and steroid use.

Why An Early Glaucoma Diagnosis Matters

Vision loss from glaucoma is irreversible and there is currently no cure for the disease, but medication and/or surgery can halt its progress as long as we diagnosed it in time. The key to early diagnosis is regular eye exams, especially for those with a high risk of developing the condition. Make sure you’re familiar with your family’s eye health history, and don’t forget to keep us in the loop!

Contact Us Today and make healthy vision a top priority!

Nights are long in the winter, and that means fewer hours of daylight for our morning and evening commutes.

Many of us feel safer driving during the day, particularly if our eyesight isn’t perfect. The dangers of night driving are very real, and we should all be taking them seriously, because our lives and the lives of others absolutely depend on it.

The Challenges Of Driving At Night

The road looks very different at night than it does in the day. Not only is it harder to see because of the darkened surroundings, but the glare of oncoming headlights can momentarily blind us to the curves of the road and obstacles in our way. And even if you feel confident in your ability to adjust to these conditions, other drivers around you may not be as confident in their own driving.

Aging Introduces New Difficulties

As we grow older, our night vision worsens. We have fewer rods (light-sensitive cells in our eyes that distinguish between light and dark) to detect objects in low light and our eyes’ lenses become stiffer and cloudier. Other conditions such as astigmatism can also make it difficult to see at night, affecting peripheral vision and depth perception and worsening glare.

Changes In Your Eyesight

If you’ve noticed any changes in your eyesight, such as halo effects, blurred, dim, or cloudy vision, or increased glare, they could be early symptoms of eye problems that will make it harder for you to drive safely at night. Another one to watch out for is eye fatigue. Even if you can see perfectly well, that won’t do much good if you struggle to focus while on the road. No matter what changes or difficulties you’re experiencing with your vision, schedule an eye appointment so that we can address the problem.

Aids To Night Driving

For those with mild to moderate difficulties with night driving, there are solutions to make it easier. The simplest is to keep the windshield and windows as clean as possible and make sure your headlights aren’t fogged over. Getting plenty of sleep and eating eye-healthy foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach will promote good eye health and reduce eye fatigue. You might also consider getting prescription night driving glasses, which reduce glare and light sensitivity.

For those who are doing all of these things and still struggling to see at night, it might be time to stay off the road after dark. It can be a struggle to adjust to a schedule of day driving only, but it’s worth it to stay safe.

To learn more about nyctalopia, or night blindness here and check out this short video:

What We Can Do For You

Sometimes all we need to improve our sight for night driving is a simple adjustment to our glasses prescriptions, so if it’s been a while since your last eye exam, schedule one today. Make sure you bring any questions or concerns you have about driving at night with you when you come!

Drive safely, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Vision Therapy helped me become more coordinated and focused! I love reading and learning in school now. 

Victoria’s mother talks about the changes she has seen in her daughter since entering in our vision therapy program at Levin Eye Care Center. Before vision therapy, Victoria found it very difficult to focus on her schoolwork. Learning and reading was very difficult and she could never seem to finish an entire chapter at her reading level. A math assignment would take her an hour and a half to complete. I have Victoria enrolled in Mexican folkloric dance and she would always get frustrated that she couldn’t grasp the steps or coordinate the dance with the rest of the group. At home she would fall or trip often and hurt herself.

The biggest change I have seen is that Victoria is able to finish reading books in their entirety. She has completed various books and loves to tell me about them. Before completing the vision therapy program she took more than an hour to complete a math lesson, now she averages about 40 minutes. She also amazes her dance teacher with her improved coordination.

My daughter is now confident at school and in dance class. She doesn’t doubt herself or make excuses since attending vision therapy. I have seen her love for learning and reading blossom as opposed to before vision therapy she just wanted to get her schoolwork out of the way or find an excuse not to do it. I always knew she had the potential and intelligence to perform well and am very thankful that Dr. Levin offers vision therapy!

Victoria states: “Thank you Levin Eye Care Center for helping fix my eye problems!”

How Vision Therapy has helped me get rid of my chronic migraines and changed my life.

Kristen came to Levin Eye Care Center suffering from almost constant, daily chronic migraines. Her neurologist prescribed her various medications over eight years for her symptoms, but they could only make the daily migraines less powerful, never less frequent and they still occurred daily!  Kristen’s neurologist suggested that she get a comprehensive eye exam to see if there might be a visual issue at the root of her problem.

During her comprehensive eye exam, Dr. Levin found Kristen’s problem—her eyes were not working together.  This meant that Vision Therapy would help her with her migraines.  After, a few weeks of Vision Therapy Kristen noticed her chronic migraines were becoming less intense—with no changes to her medications!

Upon completion of her Vision Therapy at Levin Eye Care Center, Kristen is enjoying a 90% reduction in her migraines, reducing both in intensity and frequency!  The vision therapy sessions she undertook and the home exercises she performed have “strengthened her eyes” by making new connections in her brain—more healthy connections that help her avoid the migraines.

Kristen stated:

I’m ecstatic with the results of Vision Therapy!  The staff was amazing and always friendly.  This experience has been great, and Vision Therapy is so much fun!

Congratulations Kristen!

The American Migraine Foundation explains how chronic migraines affects sensory processing and visual perception. If you know anyone who struggles with these issues, please call us so we can help!

Vision Therapy helped me become more confident and focused!

Before vision therapy John struggled with reading, spelling, handwriting and staying focused. He was also having challenges with emotional outbursts and became frustrated with many areas of daily life and not being focused in school. Dr. Levin prescribed vision therapy, which is a series of designed eye and vision-based exercises to improve John’s fine motor skills in focusing, eye coordination, perception and eye teaming.

Since completing vision therapy, John is more relaxed, calm, and focused. He no longer struggles with schoolwork and has a positive outlook when faced with challenges. John now enjoys reading, writing and completing his homework on time. Also, he is more confident with school activates, sports and friends. School and daily activities are no longer overwhelming and he has exhibited an increase in classroom performance.

Congratulations John!  We are very proud of you and look forward to your future accomplishments!

If you know someone who is having trouble focusing in school or work and its becoming a daily challenge then they could need vision therapy. We can help diagnose the issue and get to the root of the problem. Call us at 219-659-3050 for more info and to setup a vision evaluation.

Vision Therapy Training helped me become a Pilot!

As a boy Marc always dreamed of becoming a pilot. When he was at Purdue University, he decided it was time to pursue his dream and join flight school but didn’t meet the vision requirements. Through a series of designed eye and vision based exercises know as vision therapy training, he could improve his focusing and eye coordination.

After millions of miles flown and many years of being a professional commercial pilot for a major airline, his eyes needed a tune up. Marc’s wife noticed that his eye would wander and get tired toward the end of the day. Marc researched the best vision therapy facility in the Chicagoland area and found Levin Eye Care Center had changed the lives of adults and children for decades.

Marc Improved:

Focus

Eye Coordination

Eye Strength and Stamina

Improved ability to see 3D images

Dr. Levin and his staff identified the weakness in his left eye, which would drift after hours of working. The vision therapy training sessions at Levin Eye Care Center provided him with the comfortable vision for long flights and days at the airport. Also, he has gained the ability to focus on 3D images after completing vision therapy.

Marc stated:
I’m thrilled with the vision therapy program at Levin Eye Care Center and recommend it to anybody needing to improve their vision, focusing and eye coordination.

Congratulations Marc! The sky’s the limit!!

Karen is a Graduate of the Levin Eye Care Center Vision Therapy Program. Her mother Laurie, is also a graduate of the program and lets us knows the impact it has had on her daughter and her. Learn how Vision Therapy helps this mother and daughter reach new heights and how it can change your child’s life!

Dr. Levin,

I learned the value of vision therapy at a young age. Teachers believed I was learning disabled but the psychological testing proved this to be false and vision issues were explored. Vision therapy was very helpful to me as a child and as an adult I found the need to reconnect with a doctor who understood my unique eye problems. Dr. Levin helped me, and my daughter, Karen with vision therapy.

Karen had a lot of difficulties with learning as a child and into early college. Dr. Levin first saw her as a young adult and recommended vision therapy. Karen has always loved learning but visual problems hindered her reading abilities. Today she is a student at Eastern Virginia Medical School studying to be a Physician Assistant. Students are required to read and retain large volumes of information in a short period of time. She loves the material and has the endurance to study long hours. At the end of her first year she is excelling in this very competitive program.

I am very proud of her hard work and accomplishments and am happy that she has found her passion. She will serve others by providing excellent compassionate care as a Physician Assistant. Vision therapy gave her a foundation that helped make this possible. Thank you Dr. Levin and staff for the excellent eye care you have provided for me, and my family over many years.

Laurie Stengler