| Dr. Rosemary A. Gonzalez is an Optometrist and has answered some common questions that Bizymoms visitors have about Low Vision.
Q. What is low vision?
A. A person is considered to have low vision if they have vision loss that is not correctable with glasses, contact lenses, or surgical intervention. During a low vision evaluation, we try different magnifiers, telescopes, and electronic equipment that can help with reading and writing watching TV, as well as other activities of daily living.
Q. What causes low vision?
A. Many things can cause low vision. Congenital problems such as albinism, or glaucoma are common causes of low vision. Other hereditary diseases such as Retinitis Pigmentosa and Staargardt’s disease can significantly affect vision. Because people are living longer, we are seeing more age-related causes of vision loss such as Diabetic Retinopathy, Glaucoma, and Macular Degeneration.
Q. How do I know if I need bifocals?
A. Usually after 40, people lose the ability to focus up close. Typically bifocals can be prescribed at this point to help not only the distance vision, but reading as well. Some children need bifocals as well because of their difficulty focusing at near.
Q. How can I stop glare at night or while driving?
A. Using glasses with an anti-reflective coating greatly reduces the amount of glare from car, street lights and computer screens. For driving, it is also recommended to use yellow colored lenses, to reduce the glare and enhance the contrast particularly at night.
Q. How often should I get a new pair of glasses?
A. Your eyes should be examined every one to two years. If you are very near sighted or have systemic diseases that can affect your vision, you should have a full eye exam with dilated fundus yearly. There are many eye problems that cause no symptoms at all until it is too late- and we want to make sure we catch these as early on as possible. You may not need to change your glasses every time, because prescriptions sometimes do not change.
Q. Do sunglasses really help to keep my eyes healthy?
A. Sunglasses help decrease the UV rays which have been found to be harmful to skin. The skin on the lids and around the eyes is very thin so you want to keep this protected. Given the effect the UV rays have on other parts of the body, it is thought that they may cause cataracts to form at a faster rate.
Q. What are the warning signs that a child might need glasses?
A. There are many signs that a child may need glasses. Parents should watch for any sign of an eye turn (look at pictures- they are usually easy to see there). They should take note if a child covers one eye to read or watch TV. If your child does not react "normally" to 3D movies, complains of headaches, or has difficulty seeing the board at school they should have their eyes examined. Also if your child is not doing well in classes that require a lot of reading, this may indicate they are having difficutly focusing. Children should have their first eye exam before starting kindergarten uneless the parent notices any of these problems before then.
Q. How can we contact Dr. Gonzalez if we have further questions?
A. You can contact me via e-mail at lowvisiondoc@hotmail.com, or visit our website: http://drsuarezeyecare.com/. Our telephone number is 305-265-7676.
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