Services provided at our office include:
	Vision & Eye Health Examinations		Eye Disease Treatment / Emergency Care
	Contact Lenses		Computer Vision Syndrome Evaluations
	Refractive Surgery (LASIK) Consultations		Optical (see Vision Products Tab)
	Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT)

Vision & Eye Health Examinations

"Personalized Eye Care" is our office motto and it starts with the examination.

First, our doctor gathers information about the visual demands of your occupation and leisure time activities. Next, information about each patient's general health and family eye history is gathered to help the doctor evaluate the potential for eye diseases.

Now the doctor can tailor the examination to meet your unique needs. The refraction is performed to determine your spectacle prescription by both objective and subjective methods. Tests of focusing and two-eye coordination will determine if your visual skills are sufficient to allow you to see comfortably and clearly in your daily activities. Your eye health is thoroughly checked and if you have an increased risk of eye disease, or are new to our office, an examination will include dilating your eyes.

What is a dilated eye exam?  This procedure temporarily enlarges the pupil (the black center of the eye) with eye drops to allow the eye doctor to assess the health of the eye's lens, retina and optic nerve. If you are new to our office, or have diabetes, glaucoma, cataracts or other ocular conditions, your eyes will be dilated.

Will I be able to drive after dilation? Most patients don't have problems driving afterwards, but near work can be difficult for a few hours after the dilation. Please remember to bring your sunglasses and a driver if you are worried about the effects of dilation on your vision.

At the conclusion of the examination, the doctor will sum up the findings and make recommendations regarding your eye health, contact lenses, spectacles, visual fitness activities, or other recommendations as appropriate. Our job as your eye care provider is to give you the information you need to take good care of your eyes. We take that responsibility seriously by providing not only a thorough eye examination, but by helping you make good decisions about your eyewear and eye health care.

Contact Lenses

Advances in contact lens design and materials have made contact lens wear a clear, comfortable option for many people requiring vision correction. Our contact lens services stress maintaining eye health for many years of comfortable and healthy contact lens wear.

Our doctors have extensive training and experience in prescribing most types of contact lenses, including:

If you wear disposable lenses, you'll enjoy our streamlined annual contact lens check and competitive prices on an annual supply of contact lenses. Our patients who have an insurance vision benefit only every two years consider this service a great value.

For new fits, we help you decide which would be better for you - gas-permeable or soft contacts - and instruct you on lens care and handling techniques. Our doctors are trained to fit contacts for those with astigmatism, those over age 40 who need reading glasses (multifocal contacts), and those with irregular corneas (keratoconus, pellucid degeneration, post-surgical corneas, and other corneal pathologies).

Solving contact lens problems requires time and expertise. We use special exam techniques to find subtle contact lens-induced problems before they prevent you from wearing your contacts. We take the time to discuss wearing schedules, solutions, and other factors that may be affecting your comfort or clarity.

So, you are thinking about refractive surgery. Refractive surgery is a big decision. Many factors should be considered prior to surgery, especially the long-term health of your eyes and how your vision affects your lifestyle.

Every surgery involves some risk, so careful consideration is prudent before undergoing this elective surgery. Today's laser procedures are better and safer than ever before, but results of the surgery are permanent and irreversible. Although less than 1% of patients have uncorrectable vision loss, some patients may experience a loss of crisp contrast even with 20/20 vision.

Laser treatment for refractive errors has been used since 1988.  LASIK is now the procedure of choice due to its safety, predictability, patient comfort and convenience.

Call our office and schedule a consultation to learn more about refractive surgery and the following questions you might have: 
-  Am I a good candidate?
-  How do I choose a surgeon?
-  What services does your office provide?
-  What kind of refractive surgery is the best choice for me?
-  Will I need glasses after refractive surgery?

Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT)

• No more glasses or daytime contacts!
• Freedom from contact lens-induced dryness and allergies!
• Wear lenses while you sleep
• Myopia reduction in children

Are you looking for great vision and freedom from glasses and daytime contact lenses? If you are nearsighted, you may be a candidate for an exciting, non-surgical way to correct your vision: Paragon CRT (Corneal Refractive Therapy)!

No more glasses. No more daytime contacts. Just clear vision without surgery.

CRT is a method of reshaping the cornea of your eye by wearing contact lenses while you sleep without permanently altering its physiology. When you wake up, you remove the contact lenses and enjoy clear vision all day long. It's that simple!

If you are a soft contact lens wearer that is experiencing contact lens discomfort because of dryness or allergies, this is an exciting option for you. Having no lenses on your eyes during waking hours allows a healthy, unobstructed access to oxygen and freedom from lens discomfort.

Children need the freedom to be just that - children. During school and daytime activities, contact lenses and glasses can get in a child's way of learning and playing. With CRT, mom and dad have the comfort knowing their kids are seeing well at school. No more worries about whether their child is wearing or breaking their glasses, or losing contact lenses. Parents also have the ability to help manage the care and handling of CRT lenses at home, just before bedtime and upon awakening.

If you are interested in the benefits of refractive surgery, but are afraid of the surgery, have fear of poor outcome and/or irreversibility, are too young for refractive surgery or if cost is an issue, CRT therapy offers a cheaper alternative that is irreversible.

A new exciting area of CRT therapy is the control of nearsightedness, or myopia. The results of several recent research studies are promising that wearing CRT lenses can effectively decrease the risk of myopia progression if the treatment is initiated early enough in childhood.

Call our office and schedule a consultation to learn more about this non-surgical way of correcting your, or your child's vision. Comprehensive examination is required in most cases to find out if you are a candidate.

Eye Disease Treatment & Emergency (After Hours) Care

Optometrists are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage most eye conditions. At Uptown EyeCare & Optical, we dilate during routine exams to detect "silent" diseases, and also use the latest equipment to provide care for many eye conditions including:

• "Red Eye" Treatment
• Dry eye syndrome / Ocular surface disease (including punctual plugs)
• Foreign Body Removal
• Cataracts: Pre- & Post-Surgical care
• Glaucoma
• Degenerative conditions, such as macular degeneration
• Eye problems from systemic eye diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and rheumatoid arthritis
• Emergency Eye Care: After Hours On Call Doctors

Computer Vision Syndrome Evaluations
Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is caused by the eye constantly focusing and re-focusing on the characters on a computer screen. As a result, you may experience a variety of uncomfortable symptoms such as:

Headaches
Loss of Focus, Blurred Vision
Shoulder and Back Aches, Wrist Pain
Eyestrain, Burning and Tired Eyes
Blurred Vision
Dry Eyes

Sitting at a computer generally causes a person to look straight ahead for long stretches, work in a dry office or home environment, and to blink less often. These factors can lead to vision problems. Additionally, computer use requires specific vision skills, which add further demands to the visual system and contribute to eye and vision discomfort.

If you think you may be suffering from CVS, call our office and make an appointment today! With a comprehensive eye examination and a few questions about your computer work habits, we can accurately determine if you are suffering from computer vision syndrome. Find out why your reading glasses don't work and how to minimize headaches, eyestrain and blurry vision with specialized computer eyeglasses.