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Clara wrote:
Is it safe to apply eyeliner to the water line? If not why? I was told it wasn’t safe by an cosmetician but i have been doing it for years and never had a problem.

ANSWER

Clara,
I’m not sure what you mean by the “water line”, but I will assume you mean inside the lashes next to the eyeball and the tears.  That part of your lid contains many glands that produce components of your tears, especially the oil layer.  Since most eyeliner pencils are wax, you will block these glands to some extent.  A blocked oil gland can easily become infected -a stye; or impacted - a chalazion.  Neither of these conditions is pleasant.  The oil layer is important as it keeps your tears from evaporating.

Dr. Joan Hansen, Optometrist for CAO

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Michelle wrote:
My daughter is 8 years old and just had an eye exam.  I was told that she is farsighted and requires glasses.  Her prescription is +1.25 in one eye and +1.75 in the other.

Does she really need them?  He told us that right now the reason she is able to see clearly is because she is young and the muscles around her eyes are very strong and therefore can compensate but as she ages they won’t be able to compensate as well.  His said that her eye muscles are very tight right now from over straining all the time.  I just don’t want to start with glasses unless we absolutely have to and will she always need them?

ANSWER

Michelle,
The glasses will make reading much more comfortable for your daughter, allowing her to comprehend better and do better in school.  She will grow in the next few years and as she gets taller, her eyes likely will get larger/longer, which should make her less far sighted.  If this happens, she will not need the glasses so much.

Dr. Joan Hansen, Optometrist for CAO

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Dan wrote:
In the USA, some clinics offer “high definition” glasses. The material used for the glasses apparently provides better vision. The process however starts with an eye examination using a wavefront aberrometer that more accurately maps the irregularities of the eye.

In Canada, optical stores provide these glasses with regular prescriptions. Where in Canada can a person obtain a prescription using a wavefront aberrometer and is the improvement (if any) worth it?

ANSWER

Dan,

I am not aware of any clinic using one, but that does mean there are not any out there.  Frankly I have not heard that the instrumentation is available to a clinic.  If you are aware of the company who distributes the instrumentation, it may be easiest to contact that company and ask where to find one in Canada.

As to the effectiveness of such prescriptions and glasses made from them, in my opinion, the jury is still out.

Dr. Joan Hansen, Optometrist for CAO

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Brian wrote:

I AM AGE 76 AND RECENTLY PURCHASED NEW PROGRESSIVE GLASSES ONLINE.

IT APPEARS THAT THEY TOOK MY PD READING AS 60 INSTEAD OF 64.

COULD YOU PLEASE DESCRIBE ANY DETRAMENTAL EFFECTS THIS COULD HAVE?

KIND REGARDS,

BRIAN

ANSWER

Dear Brian

You describe very well the main problem of internet purchase of glasses: the lack of professional advice before and after the purchase of the glasses and/or contact lenses. Optical devices are not soap bars and should be seen as medical devices that are to be prescribed and customized to the needs of a particular patient. It is important to take the measurements appropriately and to center the progressive lenses at the right place. If not, you won’t see well, you can fell dizziness and ocular fatigue. These glasses can trigger headaches and other asthenopic problems. You can complain and they may refund you. My best advice is to consult your optometrist to get his professional recommendations.

Optometrists and opticians are professionals that will help you to determine which type of progressive lens is the most suitable to address your specific needs (there are numerous designs of progressive lenses and they are not all equal), which material to use (plastic or polycarbonate), the essential coatings (anti-scratch, UV shield and anti-glare) and a frame that fits you optimally. A too large or too small frame is not appropriate especially if you have moderate to high myopia. Thickness of the glasses is directly related with the selection of the appropriate frame. Finally the professional will ensure that all measurements are done appropriately. Not only the PD but more important the height of the progression should be determined on a specific frame. Internet companies never ask for this measure and they center their lenses in the middle of the frame. They ask the consumer to align the lens with their pupil by juggling with the nose pads. This is silly considering that a frame should be fitted first and the glasses should be customized after. Discomfort from the wear of the frame, bad vision, or asthenopia are most of the time encountered when a frame and/or a pair of glasses are not well measured and designed.

Please, do not play with your eyes. They worth more than the couple of bucks you imagine to save through internet. For less than a Starbuck coffee a day your optometrist can make you happy with the optimal pair of progressive glasses that fits you the best consult your optometrist who knows better than anyone your eyes and can give you professional advices. More than that, he will be always there to answer any of your questions or concerns. This is of value, in itself.

Dr. Langis Michaud, OD, MSc, FAAO (Dipl)
Professeur Agrégé
Université de Montréal

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zara wrote:

hi, I was wondering is it safe to put honey in your eyes? I have heard that it makes the eye colour lighter and clears the eyes.

ANSWER

Dear Zara

Considering putting honey in your eyes is really quite a surprising idea for the purpose of making them whiter or giving them a lighter tint. Ocular redness is habitually a sign of ocular pathology: dryness induced by environment, lid diseases or tear film rupture, and/or associated with contact lens wear. This could be also an early sign of infections or inflammation. Over the counter products that claim to “clear the eye” are in fact alcohol-based solutions that constrict the blood vessels. You cannot alter the natural blood flow on a chronic basis without causing side effects or dysfunction in the system. Also, most of these products trigger a rebound effect: that means that as soon as you cease to use them the redness is back twice as bad as it was before. It is a kind of vicious circle that can compromise ocular health on a long term basis.

For the natural color of the eye, this is linked to your genetics. You can’t do anything about it except to be fitted with cosmetic contact lenses. For this purpose, remember that contact lenses are foreign bodies that can alter the ocular surface if they are not fitted appropriately and maintained with regular good hygiene habits.

For both situations, you have to consult your optometrist or an ophthalmologist to get a proper diagnosis of your ocular redness. If you want to change the color of your eyes, consult also your optometrist to be fitted with state-of-the art products.

You have only 2 eyes and it is not wise to deal with their health by putting anything in them …. like honey. I have also read on internet sites that some people recommend instilling urine to clear the eyes. On top of the fact that this is purely disgusting, anything that is not sterile - any drop that is not approved by health Canada and has a DIN number SHOULD NOT BE USED or instilled in the eyes. Don’t play foolish games; please and consult a professional that knows what is best for your eyes: your family optometrist.

Dr. Langis Michaud, OD, MSc, FAAO (Dipl)
Professeur Agrégé
Université de Montréal

Jason wrote:
My son is 6months old / 3 months corrected and has a clear portion in the white part of his eye just to the right of pupil.  Should we be taking him to a hospital / is this a cyst that may go away on its own?

ANSWER

Jason,
I would definitely recommend taking your son to see an optometrist for an assessment.  If it is on the white part of the eye (the conjunctiva) there is a good chance that it is a cyst, but you need to have him examined to know for sure.  From your question it looks like your son was premature, so if that is the case I am guessing that he may already have had an eye exam.  If not it is recommended that children have their first eye exam at six months of age.  Either way you should have him checked since you are noticing something new.
Dr. Doman

Stephanie wrote:
A week ago I woke up and I was seeing spots. It’s like a camera flash went off in my face, but the spots haven’t faded. Mainly the spots don’t bother me but one is in the direct center of my eye and makes focusing on things in the distance or in bright lights very difficult. My optometrist checked me out and my eye pressure is fine, he found nothing at all wrong with my eyes, but it’s persisted for a week. I thought it might be an ocular migraine or due to sinus pressure from allergies, but for a whole week?

What could it be?

ANSWER

Stephanie,
The most common reason that you would see spots in your vision is what we call floaters.  Floaters occur when pieces of the vitreous (gel) inside our eyes changes shape.  This can result in condensed areas of the gel, which form shadows on our retina and we see them as spots.  These are usually gray in colour and can be different shapes and sizes. Certain medications can have ocular side effects that can cause spots to appear in your vision.  If you have started any new medications you would want to mention your symptoms to your family doctor.  The good news is that you have already had your eyes examined.  If the spots change or increase in number you should return to your optometrist for another exam.
Dr. Doman

Krista wrote:
Hi there,

I am hoping for some advice regarding my 3 1/2 year old son and his new script.  First of all, I took him into the optometrist only because I read in his school registration that routine check ups were good from age 3.  I have never suspected any visual problems - in fact, I expected that his sight was great.  He can read letters, big and small, is agile, and has never shown any signs of sight problems.

He has been prescribed a +8 in both eyes (from a ped optometrist on a second opinion) and previously a +5 from our first visit to a different dr.

We decided to fill the +8 script and when we received his glasses we were pretty shocked at how substantial the lenses are.  I am finding it really hard to understand how he possibly needs these without us noticing an issue.

He has only had the glasses for a week, but is not really fond of wearing them.  He says they help close up but make things blurry far away (like the TV about 6 feet from him).  He also says everything looks really big with the glasses on.  He is a smart kid and has started saying he can see better without them so now I’m confused on whether or not to make him wear them… he might very well be saying that because he is having trouble adjusting to the new addition to his face.

Overall, I’m confused on what to do.  I can’t imagine 2 optometrists are wrong, but I still feel uneasy.  Any advise would be appreciated.

Many thanks!

ANSWER

Krista,
A lot of Moms have the same feelings that you are having.  Hopefully I can offer some advice to clarify things for you.  I am not surprised that you did not notice any signs that your son was having a vision problem.  This is the case the vast majority of the time.  Your son is far-sighted (hyperopic).  This means that even to focus on something 20 feet away he has to exert a large effort to keep objects at this distance clear. The amount of effort he has to exert to focus on something like a book is even higher.  Children have an extremely good focusing ability so are able to focus in if required to make things clear, however this entails exerting an extreme amount of effort.  Sustaining this amount of effort is difficult to say the least and can lead to eyestrain and headaches among other problems. As you can imagine determining a glasses prescription on a three year old can be challenging.  Due to the fact that children have such a good focusing ability, eye drops are usually instilled to dilate the pupils and block the child’s focusing ability.  With the use of the eye drops an accurate glasses prescription can be determined.  That being said it can still be a challenge and this could lead to different prescriptions being found.  Also, it is possible that if not enough of the drops got in the first time, his focusing may not have been completely blocked, which could account for the discrepancy.  I would recommend that you keep the +8.00 glasses and get him to wear them full time.  Of course it will take a little bit of time to get used to the prescription, as it is fairly strong.  However if he wears them all the time after a few weeks I am certain that he will be automatically putting them on as soon as he wakes up in the morning.  In my experience kids always make out well with this type of prescription as they really do need it and will want to wear the glasses.  A lot of parents are worried about how they will make their child wear the glasses, but almost without fail when they return to see me they report no problems. By wearing the glasses all the time he will adjust faster.   Good luck and if you have any more concerns I would recommend returning for a follow up appointment with your optometrist.
Dr. Doman

Lynn wrote:
I see a small black spot at times from my right eye when I am reading, especially when the background is white. It is not in my direct line of vision. Should I be worried?

ANSWER

Lynn,
What you are describing sounds like what we call a floater.  Floaters are caused when the vitreous (gel) inside our eye changes.  Little pieces of the gel can condense together and this causes a shadow on the retina, which we see as a black spot in our vision.  Floaters are very common, but if they are a new phenomenon for you I would absolutely recommend an eye exam to rule out any retinal problem.  Retinal problems such as retinal holes and tears can also cause you to see spots in your vision.  The spot is likely benign in nature, but better safe than sorry.
Dr. Doman

Farhad wrote:
I placed an order for a pair of prescription sunglasses. So I had my eyes examined and then selected the frame of my choice. On the day that I picked up this pair, I noticed that the lenses installed on the frame were somewhat very thick, thicker than what I always used to have.  My sunglasses are using lenses of very high quality and worth good amount of money. Once I started using my sunglasses, I realized that they start hurting my nose after 20 minutes of usage; they weight a lot and a continuous usage hurts my nose to a point that I need to remove them. Don’t you believe that the sales person should have advised me if I selected a suitable type of frame for this intention? Don’t you believe he should have had that knowledge that the selected frame may require a lot of lenses surface and thus would make the final product very uncomfortable once sitting on one’s nose? Please advise. Thank you.

ANSWER

Hi Farhad,
It is always true that after placing prescription lenses in a frame the weight will increase.  Depending on your prescription the amount of weight will vary.  Did you get high-index (thinner) lenses in your sunglasses? If not you may be able to upgrade to high-index lenses, which would help with the thickness and the weight of the lenses. There’s a good chance that you also might need to have the frame adjusted on your face.  Sometimes by tightening the frame behind your ears this will alleviate the pressure the frame is exerting on your nose.  My advice would be to return to where you purchased the sunglasses and see what they can do to since you are not happy with your new glasses.
Dr. Doman