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Name: Olive Branch Optometry
Address: 2843 Jones Franklin Road, Raleigh, NC, 27606, US
Telephone: 919-851-9966
Price range: $000 - $300

Why Are Dilated Eye Exams So Important?

Having your eyes dilated during an eye exam may seem like a nuisance. But when you consider the benefits of a dilated eye exam, the temporary blurred vision and sensitivity to light that typically follow are definitely worth it.

What Are Dilated Eye Exams?

At some point during a comprehensive eye exam, your optometrist will shine a bright light into your eyes to examine the back of your eye, called the retina. The problem is that bright light causes the size of the pupil’s opening to shrink, which makes it hard for the optometrist to see a large portion of the retina.

That’s why eye doctors apply special eye drops in each eye to keep the pupils open. A dilated pupil allows for a much more accurate assessment of your eye’s structures, including the focusing lens, blood vessels and tissues at the back of the eye called the retina, as well as the optic nerve and macula.

Dilating the eyes makes it easier for your optometrist to detect the following conditions and diseases:

Cataracts
Glaucoma
Diabetic retinopathy
Macular degeneration
Retinal tumor
Retinal detachment or retinal tears
Eye floaters

It’s important to note that many of these conditions can develop without noticeable symptoms, until they cause vision loss at which point treatment may be more challenging, making dilated eye exams all the more crucial.

The Dilation Process

First, your eye doctor will apply eye drops to each eye to trigger dilation of the pupil. Your eyes should be fully dilated about 10-20 minutes later.

Your eyes will remain dilated for 4-6 hours, and during this time you may be sensitive to light. That’s because the larger pupil allows more light than usual to enter the eye. Many patients find it more comfortable to wear sunglasses until their eyes return to normal.

Reading and using a computer may be difficult with dilated eyes, and your vision may be blurred. Some patients report feeling a tightening sensation in their eyelids, or headaches.

Dilated eye exams are a crucial part of keeping your eyes healthy. To schedule your comprehensive eye exam, call Olive Branch Optometry in Raleigh today!

Q&A

#1: At what age should one have a dilated eye exam?

You should have your dilated eye exam no matter your age. Most eye doctors will dilate a new patient at their first exam regardless of age to get a baseline of their retinal health.

#2: Will I be able to return to work after a dilated eye exam?

Everyone reacts differently, so it’s hard to tell. If your job requires you to focus on small print or detail, it may be challenging. Typing and writing may also be difficult with dilated pupils. To be on the safe side, book your appointment at the end of your work day, clear your schedule after your eye exam and only plan to do activities which aren’t visually demanding.

Multifocal Contact Lenses For People Over 40

If your 40th birthday has come and gone, you may have started to notice some changes in your vision. You might find yourself holding written material further away from your face in order to clearly read the fine print, or have a harder time adjusting your focus from distant objects to near ones.

The inability to see things clearly at various distances can be frustrating.

Fortunately, this problem can be solved by wearing multifocal contact lenses. Below, we’ll explain the cause and symptoms of presbyopia, along with the many benefits of wearing multifocal contact lenses.

What Is Presbyopia?

Presbyopia is the natural and gradual loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on near objects.

The crystalline lens in your eye focuses light onto the retina, and it adapts its shape depending on what you focus on. From infancy until your late 30s or early 40s, the lens is usually clear, thin and very flexible, allowing fast adjustments for sharp vision at all distances.

From age 40-50 the lens becomes considerably thicker and much less flexible. This makes it harder for the lens to change shape and to accurately refract light when focusing on near objects.

This farsightedness can be easily corrected with reading glasses, bifocal or multifocal glasses, monovision contact lenses, as well as multifocal contact lenses.

Multifocal Contact Lenses for Presbyopia

Multifocal contact lenses contain multiple lens powers to provide vision correction for different visual zones so you can clearly see objects that are in the distance, nearby and everything in between.

Certain multifocal contact lenses have 2 lens powers (bifocals), for near and distance vision, and others have a more gradual power change, similar to progressive lenses. These contact lenses can be made using soft materials or rigid gas-permeable materials, and are available as daytime or extended night-wear lenses.

Note that multifocal contact lenses are not perfect for all situations and some patients may need to try several brands or designs before finding one that works well for them. To spare you the confusion, your optometrist will guide you towards the ones best suited to your eyes and lifestyle needs.

To discover options beyond reading glasses, call Olive Branch Optometry in Raleigh to schedule your contact lens consultation today!

Q&A:

#1: Are there any “cons” related to wearing multifocal contact lenses?

Many multifocal contact lenses use a “simultaneous vision” design that allows seeing far and near simultaneously through concentric zones. Some people have problems adapting to this, noticing hazy vision and less contrast than single vision lenses. You can ask your optometrist to be fit with multifocal lenses and get a test run” or trial period.

#2: When does presbyopia stabilize?

Most people will start to develop age-related vision changes starting in their early to mid-40s. At around 60 years of age, your eyesight will begin to stabilize and you’ll notice less of a need to update your lens prescription. Nonetheless, yearly comprehensive eye exams at this age are more important than ever, as they enable your eye doctor to detect potential eye conditions and diseases early on.

May is Healthy Vision Month

What does that mean for you? It means that now is the time to schedule a comprehensive eye exam.

While these are one of the exams we may often let fall by the wayside, they are extremely important to maintain our eye health. Comprehensive eye exams serve several purposes. During these exams, pupils, the circular black area in the center of the eye where light enters, are widened with eye drops or viewed without dilation through a special camera. This allows your Eye Doctor to check for vision problems and eye diseases, verify what stage of diseases your eyes may be in, and helps determine if you need glasses, contacts or other treatments.

Comprehensive eye exams are crucial for all ages, here’s why:

Pediatric exams test for visual acuity, lazy eye, color vision, ocular health, and more. These are extremely important to test for the school years ahead.

For older children and teenagers, myopia (nearsightedness) is one of the biggest concerns that comprehensive eye exams detect. Myopia affects the eye’s ability to see distant images clearly. It is important to identify and treat early with glasses or contacts as children and teens begin to learn in larger spaces, play sports, and drive.

Adult exams are recommended at least every two years, or as recommended by your eye care specialist. Exams for adults are necessary to catch eye conditions that can cause vision loss and even lead to blindness. Some of these conditions are cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration.

There are several other conditions that comprehensive eye exams can expose that may not be found without a visit to your optometrist.

Outside of eye exams, here are 5 ways you can help protect your vision:

Healthy eating. You know this! Healthy eating helps every part of your body. For your eyes, make sure to add dark, leafy greens and seafood that is high in omega-3 fatty acids to your plate. A great excuse to treat yourself to sushi! We’re adding a spicy sake maki roll to our cart… for delivery.
Protective eyewear. Whether you’re chopping wood for the bonfire pit, mowing the lawn, painting your bedroom walls, or riding your motorcycle around town, protective eyewear is key. Blue-light protection glasses should also be considered to protect your eyes from all the time spent in front of computer screens.
Sunglasses. Much like protective eyewear, sunglasses help protect your eyes from ultraviolet radiation delivered by sun. Not all sunglasses provide the same level of protection. Let us help you pick the best pair!
Clean hands. Wash your hands before putting your contacts in and before taking your contacts out, simply to avoid infection.
Stop smoking. Smoking is known to cause several diseases, but it can also lead to vision loss. It can increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and more. Mark your calendar for your comprehensive eye exam and mark it as the day to stop smoking.

Happy healthy vision month! Get your appointment in the books with us today.

Why Does Bono Always Wear His Signature Shades?

Ever wonder why Bono always wears shades, even indoors? U2’s frontman doesn’t sport sunglasses simply as part of his image. Bono has had glaucoma—a build-up of pressure in the eyeball, which can damage the optic nerve and potentially lead to blindness if untreated—for over two decades now.

The real reason he wears his trademark shades is due to this progressive, sight-robbing eye disease, to protect his sensitive eyes from light and glare.

How Do Sunglasses Help People With Glaucoma?

People with glaucoma experience sensitivity to light (or photophobia) and glare, among other symptoms. When the sun is strong, those with this condition will be more affected by glare emanating from a variety of surfaces, like water, snow, sand or pavement, than the average person. Furthermore, certain glaucoma medications constrict the pupils, which can further contribute to acute sensitivity to glare and light, as well as redness and irritation.

That’s why people with glaucoma — and lots of people without glaucoma — feel best wearing sunglasses when outdoors on a sunny day, in a bright indoor space, or while driving in the early evening.

Here’s How You Can Protect Your Eyes

By wearing sunglasses that offer 100% UV protection, you can reduce your risk of developing sight robbing diseases, like cataracts and macular degeneration, and reduce glaucoma symptoms. Polarized lenses, in particular, can help with glare. With yearly comprehensive eye exams, early diagnosis and consistent treatment, you can prevent vision deterioration from glaucoma or similar sight-threatening eye diseases. Contact Olive Branch Optometry in Raleigh to book your eye doctor’s appointment today.

Q&A

Can glaucoma be cured?

While there is currently no cure for glaucoma, there are many effective treatment options available. Treatments that can help stop or slow the progression of glaucoma include eye drops, oral medications, as well as laser and surgical procedures.

How can glaucoma vision loss be prevented?

The best way to avoid glaucoma-related eyesight deterioration is to undergo regular eye exams, as glaucoma can be detected and treated even in its early stages, which can prevent significant vision loss or blindness. That’s why routine eye exams that include glaucoma testing are so important.

What You Should Know About Eye Herpes

So, What Is Eye Herpes?

Eye herpes, or HSV keratitis, is a common eye infection typically caused by type 1 herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), the same virus that causes cold sores around the mouth and lips. However, eye herpes can also be caused by the HSV-2 and herpes zoster viruses. Eye herpes affects approximately 1.5 million people around the world each year, and is one of the most common causes of infectious blindness in the USA and Canada.

People typically contract eye herpes by touching a cold sore and then touching the eyes with their contaminated fingers. Once contracted, the virus stays in the body for life.

Ocular herpes tends to infect the cornea, causing inflammation, eye redness, tearing, and — in rare cases — vision loss. Many people with eye herpes may not even know they have it, as it can remain dormant within the nervous system without causing any flare-ups. It’s not uncommon for HSV to reactivate months or even years after initially contracting the virus. Flare-ups usually resolve on their own within 1−2 weeks, and many of them will recur within 10 years.

Herpetic eye infections can be confused with other types of “pink eye”, such as bacterial or other viral infections. Instead of self-treating an eye infection with antibiotics you have at home, get it examined by an eye doctor or physician, who can prescribe the right medication. Eye herpes won’t improve with antibiotics unless an antiviral is also used.

How Does Eye Herpes Affect the Eyes?

Eye herpes can affect many parts of the eye, such as:

Eyelids
Cornea (the clear layer on the front of your eye)
Retina (the light-sensing sheet of cells in the back of your eye)
Conjunctiva (the thin sheet of tissue covering the white part of your eye and the inside of your eyelids)
Iris (the colored part of your eye)
Sclera (the white part of your eye)

What are the Symptoms of Eye Herpes?

Various signs and symptoms are associated with eye herpes, such as:

Tearing
Swollen lymph nodes at the front of the ear
Irritation
Redness
Eye sores
Watery eye discharge
Sensitivity to light
Headache and lethargy
Feeling of something stuck in the eye
Blisters or rash on the eyelids
Reduced or blurred vision

While eye herpes usually affects only one eye, it’s not uncommon for both eyes to be infected.

Left untreated, eye herpes can cause corneal ulcers and scarring, which may lead to permanent vision loss and even blindness. If you suspect you have eye herpes, please contact Olive Branch Optometry in Raleigh as soon as possible to prevent further complications.

What Causes Eye Herpes Flare-Ups?

Major stressors can often lead to a bout of eye herpes. These include:

Emotional distress
Excessive sunlight exposure (UV rays)
Fever
Major surgical or dental procedures
Refractive surgery (LASIK, etc.)
Trauma

A weakened immune system can also put you at increased risk of an eye herpes reactivation, and potentially lead to an outbreak.

Can Eye Herpes Be Prevented?

While there is no foolproof way to prevent an eye herpes infection — or any other type of eye infection, for that matter — there are steps you can take to reduce your risk.

The most important thing to remember is to keep your eyes and hands clean (which is all the more important if you have cold sores). Furthermore, it’s critical that you avoid touching your eyes if you or someone around you has an outbreak.

If you wear contact lenses, be sure to follow your eye doctor’s instructions on contact lens care. Do not wear them longer than recommended and do not wear them while swimming, as chemicals and germs in the water can damage the lens, irritate your eyes, and cause an infection in contact lens wearers.

Have Eye Herpes? Here’s How We Can Help.

While there’s no cure for eye herpes, certain treatments can prevent vision loss and help control future outbreaks.

Early diagnosis and treatment — ideally within a 72 hour window — can help mitigate severe eye damage and significantly improve your symptoms.

Treatment typically includes antiviral medication, which can be eye drops, ointment, or oral medication. Your eye doctor will instruct you on how to manage your symptoms and prevent reinfection.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of eye herpes, call Olive Branch Optometry in Raleigh to promptly schedule your eye exam with Dr. Alan Byrd.

Q&A

#1: How long do eye herpes symptoms last?

Most bouts of eye herpes last about 1-2 weeks, but can sometimes last longer. Treatment is usually for 2 weeks and you should see improvement within 5 days of treatment. Contact your doctor at the first sign of an outbreak to start treatment as soon as possible and minimize the risk of eye damage.

#2: How often do flare-ups recur?

20% of people who’ve had eye herpes will have another outbreak within a year of the initial infection. While several factors contribute to recurrence, if you experience multiple flare-ups, your doctor may recommend taking a daily antiviral medication for prevention.

Are You Susceptible To Vision Loss?

Vision loss is more common than you may think! In fact, it’s among the most prevalent disabilities in adults and children. Knowing what puts you at risk of developing vision loss is important and can help you to be proactive about caring for your eyes.

Below, we’ll explore the most common causes of vision loss and the risk factors associated with each.

Spreading awareness and education about visual health is just one way that our eye doctors near you can help. To schedule your comprehensive eye exam, call us today.

Common Causes of Vision Loss

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases caused by a buildup of pressure within the eye. Too much inner-eye pressure can damage the optic nerve and lead to vision loss.

Since symptoms don’t usually manifest in the early stages of glaucoma, getting regular eye exams is all the more crucial. Advanced or rapidly progressing glaucoma can show a variety of symptoms, such as blurred vision, headache, severe eye pain and redness, seeing halos around lights, and nausea.

Risk factors for developing glaucoma include:

Being 60 years or older
Family history of glaucoma
African, Asian, or Hispanic descent
High myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness)
Previous eye injury or certain eye surgeries
Certain medications, like corticosteroids
Thin corneas
Certain medical conditions, like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and sickle-cell anemia

Cataracts

Cataracts occur when the eye’s lens becomes cloudy. A healthy lens is clear and allows light to pass through it undisturbed.

Common cataract symptoms include cloudy or blurred vision, difficulty seeing at night, light sensitivity, double vision in the affected eye, and seeing colors as faded or yellowish.

Risk factors for developing cataracts include:

Aging
Diabetes
Hypertension
Smoking
Previous eye surgery, injury, or inflammation
Alcoholism
Extended use of corticosteroids

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

AMD is the leading cause of severe vision loss in adults over the age of 60. It occurs when the macula (the small central portion of the retina, which is responsible for sharp, colorful, central vision) begins to wear down.

Early stages of AMD usually go unnoticed, but later stages of the disease can produce symptoms like blurred vision, dark or blurry areas in your central vision, and problems with color perception.

There’s not yet a cure for AMD, but certain treatments can help prevent vision loss.

Risk factors for developing AMD include:

Smoking
Obesity
Aging
Long-term sun exposure
Hypertension
Heart disease
Family history of AMD
Light-colored eyes
Farsightedness

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR)

Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes that affects the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye called the retina.

Initially, diabetic retinopathy shows no symptoms but can eventually lead to blindness. As it develops, it can cause increased floaters, impaired color vision, dark spots in your visual field, and blurred vision.

Risk factors for developing diabetic retinopathy include:

Length of time from diabetes diagnosis — the longer you’ve had it, the higher your chances of developing visual complications
Uncontrolled blood sugar
Obesity
High cholesterol or blood pressure
Pregnancy
Smoking
African American, Hispanic, and Native American ethnicities
Family history of DR

So, what’s the bottom line ?

Multiple factors contribute to eye disease and vision loss, and some may even be relevant to you. If you think you may be at risk for vision loss or experience any of the symptoms listed above, speak with your eye doctor in Raleigh as soon as possible. We also recommend you have your eyes thoroughly examined every 1-2 years, or as often as your eye doctor recommends. To schedule your comprehensive eye exam, call Olive Branch Optometry today.

Frequently Asked Questions With Our Raleigh Eye Doctors

Can blindness be prevented?

When caught early, many eye diseases can be treated to halt or slow the progression of the disease and potentially prevent vision loss. The best things you can do to preserve your vision for the long term is to lead a healthy lifestyle and make sure you undergo a comprehensive eye exam every 1-2 years.

Which eye diseases are genetically inherited?

More than 350 ocular diseases have some sort of genetic component. Certain diseases, like retinitis pigmentosa and albinism, are directly inherited through chromosomal information. In other cases, a predisposition to the disease is inherited, rather than the disease itself.

How Sleep Apnea Affects The Eyes

Did you know that some eye conditions are associated with sleep apnea? According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 18 million Americans have sleep apnea, and Health Canada reports similar prevalence. It’s a sleep disorder where people stop breathing — often multiple times per night — while sleeping.

If you have sleep apnea: it tends to take longer for your tears to be replenished, you’re more likely to have ocular irritation, you have a higher chance of developing floppy eyelids, and you’re at increased risk for glaucoma.

What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

There are different types of sleep apnea. The most common one is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). During OSA, your airway becomes partially blocked due to relaxed muscles in your nose and throat. This causes apnea (the absence of breathing) or hypopnea (abnormally shallow, slow breathing). It’s twice as common in men, and is more likely to affect people with obesity, hypertension, diabetes or heart disease.

What are the common symptoms of sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of your throat relax too much to allow normal breathing. These temporary breathing lapses cause lower-quality sleep and affect the body’s oxygen supply, which can lead to potentially serious health consequences.

While snoring is a common symptom, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. Interrupted sleep can cause excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, irritability or depression, headaches in the morning, difficulty concentrating and thinking, and a sore throat.

Which Eye Conditions Are Associated With Sleep Apnea?

Glaucoma

Glaucoma occurs when increased pressure within the eye damages the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, leading to vision loss and sometimes blindness. In some cases, it might be due to a drop in blood oxygen levels, which happens when you stop breathing. However, CPAP machines, one of the most common treatments for sleep apnea, can also cause glaucoma.

So, people with sleep apnea — even if it’s being treated — need to get their eyes checked on a regular basis for glaucoma.

Floppy Eyelid Syndrome

Floppy Eyelid Syndrome (FES) is an eye condition where a person has an unusually large and floppy upper eyelid. It can cause eye redness, irritation, discharge, or blurry vision — and over 90% of people with FES also have sleep apnea.

Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is an eye condition that occurs when there is a loss of blood flow to the optic nerve. Patients typically complain of significant vision loss in one eye without any major pain. Approximately 70-80% of patients with NAION have been found to have OSA.

Retinal Vein Occlusion

Also referred to as an ‘eye stroke,’ retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is a blockage of the small veins that carry blood away from the retina. A recent study of 114 RVO patients found that sleep apnea was suspected in 74% of the patients that had previously been diagnosed with RVO.

Other Eye Health Issues Associated With Sleep Apnea

Some other ocular conditions that are more common in patients with sleep apnea include: papilledema, keratoconus, and central serous chorioretinopathy. Furthermore, in addition to glaucoma mentioned above, CPAP machines are associated with dry eye syndrome and bacterial conjunctivitis.

Talk To Your Doc

Get eye exams regularly to rule out eye disorders and prevent potential vision loss, especially if you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. At Olive Branch Optometry in Raleigh we encourage you to share your medical history with us so we can better diagnose and treat any eye conditions or ocular diseases you may have, and help you keep your eyes nice and healthy.

3 Benefits of Anti-Glare Coating

Glare refers to the excessive brightness caused by direct or reflected light. It can cause eye strain, digital eye strain (when using a computer, for example), halos, and headaches. Glare can also reduce visibility, making it unsafe to drive.

Anti-glare coating, also known as anti-reflective (AR) coating, is a thin layer applied to the surface of your eyeglass lenses that allows more light to pass through your lenses. By reducing the amount of glare that reflects off of your lenses, you can see more clearly and experience more comfortable vision. You can request anti-glare coating for lenses when you buy eyeglasses.

AR Coating Offers 3 Major Advantages

Better Appearance

Without an anti-glare coating on your glasses, camera flashes and bright lights can reflect off your lenses. This can hinder your appearance when speaking to people or in meetings, cause flash reflections when picture-taking, and make it difficult to find the right angle for video calls. Anti-reflective coating eliminates the harsh reflections and allows others to clearly see your eyes and face.

Reduced Digital Eye Strain

You know that tired, irritated feeling you get after staring at a digital screen for several hours? That’s digital eye strain. Anti-glare coating helps reduce digital eye strain by lowering exposure to excessive glare from digital devices and lighting.

Safe Driving at Night

The bright headlights from cars driving in the opposite direction can pose a serious danger when driving at night. These sudden glares can lead you to momentarily lose focus of the view ahead. AR coating on your prescription eyewear effectively reduces reflections from headlights at night, allowing you to enjoy a better view of the road and safer driving at night.

Let your eyes look and feel better every day with anti-glare coated lenses. Contact us to book your appointment today!

What You Should Know About Night Blindness

If you don’t see well while driving at night, there’s a chance you have night blindness. Night blindness, or nyctalopia, is the inability to see well at night or in dim lighting. It’s not considered an eye disease, but rather a symptom of an underlying problem.

Our eye doctor can help diagnose, manage and treat your night blindness so that you can enjoy being out at night again.

Here are 4 things you should know about night blindness:

Causes of Night Blindness

The inability to see well at night can be the result of a condition such as:

Vitamin A Deficiency — Vitamin A helps keep your cornea, the layer at the front of your eye, clear; it’s also an important component of rhodopsin, a protein that enables you to see in low light conditions. Although uncommon in North America, deficiency of this vitamin can induce night blindness.

Cataracts — A buildup of protein clouds the eye’s lens, leading to impaired vision, especially at night and in poor lighting conditions.

Diabetic Retinopathy — Damage to the eyes’ blood vessels and nerves can result in vision loss, including difficulty seeing at night.

Glaucoma — This group of eye diseases is associated with pressure build-up in the eye that damages the optic nerve. Both glaucoma and the medications used to treat it can cause night blindness.

Myopia — Also called nearsightedness, myopia makes distant objects appear blurry, and patients with it describe a starburst effect around lights at night.

Keratoconus — An irregularly shaped cornea causes blurred vision and may involve sensitivity to light and glare which tend to be worse at night.

Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) — A progressive genetic eye disease which can be associated with other diseases, RP leads to night blindness and peripheral vision loss.

Usher Syndrome — This genetic condition causes both hearing loss and vision loss, including night blindness and RP, mentioned above.

Symptoms of Nyctalopia

Since night blindness is a symptom of some serious vision problems, it’s important to get your eyes checked regularly to ensure that everything is in good working order. Contact your eye doctor as soon as possible if you notice that you don’t see as well in dim light as you used to, such as when driving at night or when adjusting from being outdoors in the sunshine to being indoors.

Symptoms of Night Blindness Include:

Reduced contrast sensitivity
Difficulty seeing people outdoors at night
Difficulty seeing in places with dim lighting, like a movie theater
Trouble adapting to the dark while driving
Excessive squinting at night
Trouble adjusting from bright areas to darker ones

Treatments for Night Blindness

Your eye doctor will want to diagnose the cause of your night blindness in order to treat it. For example, in the rare case of vitamin A deficiency, it can be treated with vitamin supplements and vitamin-A rich foods; myopia can be corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses. Other conditions may require medications or surgery.

If night blindness is caused by a birth defect, Usher syndrome, or retinitis pigmentosa, low vision aids and devices can help you make the most of your remaining vision.

Prevention

While there is no proven way to prevent night blindness resulting from genetic conditions or birth defects, consuming healthy, nourishing foods and taking certain vitamin supplements may prevent or slow the onset of some eye conditions that cause night blindness.

If you experience poor vision at night or in dim lighting, we can help. Contact Olive Branch Optometry in Raleigh to schedule your appointment today.

How Can My Child’s Myopia Be Corrected?

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is one of the most common eye conditions affecting millions of people around the world.

Myopia is a refractive error in which the eyes are unable to focus clearly on images or objects. This results in blurry vision when looking at something at a distance, such as people walking down a street, a school board, or even the TV. However, images that are closer can be seen more clearly. Children with uncorrected myopia tend to experience eye strain, eye fatigue, or headaches in an effort to see images in the distance clearly.

Fortunately, eyeglasses or contact lenses work wonders to correct vision. In this text, we’ll discuss both glasses and contacts as options for myopia correction.

Methods of Myopia Correction

Contact Lenses

Contacts can be a great choice, especially for physically active children or teens who don’t want to worry about breaking or misplacing their eyeglasses.

Corrective contact lenses are usually placed in the eyes upon waking and removed at night before bedtime. We offer a range of brands of soft contact lenses, such as daily disposables and extended-wear disposables. Speak with Dr. Alan Byrd to determine whether your child is ready for contact lenses.

Prescription Glasses

Glasses are a popular choice among our younger patients. Choosing from an array of styles makes the process not just fun and exciting, but allows the child to be an active participant in selecting eyewear, which, in turn, increases the likelihood that they’ll actually wear them. We offer strong, flexible and resilient frames which both look great and are feel comfortable.

The optician can customize the lenses with additions, like impact-resistant or shatter-proof materials, scratch-resistant and anti-reflective coatings, UV filters, and transition lenses that darken in the sun.

We Can Help Correct Your Child’s Myopia

If you’re located near Raleigh, North Carolina, visit us for an eye exam to determine your child’s exact prescription and ask us any questions you may have about your child’s eye health and vision.

At Olive Branch Optometry, our friendly and knowledgeable staff will be happy to recommend the most suitable method of correcting your child’s myopia to meet his or her individual needs. Thanks to the wide range options available, your child will walk away with eyewear that will both look and feel great.

Let us help your child see the world in a whole new light. To schedule your child’s annual eye exam or to learn more, contact Olive Branch Optometry at 919-851-9966 today.