Since Kindergarten our son Jett has had a difficult time with school. It really escalated in 2nd grade, math & spelling were triggers for him. We had know idea why it was so hard for him. We didn’t see the same behavior at home.

Since Jett has started Vision Therapy, school has become so much better. His attitude is better, homework is easier. He is able to keep up with schoolwork easier. Jett used to have negative feelings about himself, he thought that he was not as smart as the other students. Now he feels much better about himself. His reading has improved greatly. He is reading at his grade level above. Comprehension has improved also. Testing at school with no errors. In September school testing showed 44 words per min 6 errors, average 3rd grader 77 wpm, December testing 109 wpm no errors. Math has also improved.

We are so grateful for Dr. Ashley, Miss Nikki, Miss Christine and Miss Sarah, and everything they have done for Jett

Written by: Danielle (mom)

Vision Therapy has really helped me. Spelling is easier. Reading is a lot easier. Everything is easier. I like school more.  Thank you!

Written by: Jett

Staff Spotlight

Name: Cassandra Baird, 6 years @ Family EyeCare Center Leavenworth, Kansas

Month: February

• How did you get into the optometry business?
  • I was sent to an optometric practice while working for a temp service. I didn’t like it at the time, but after coming to Family EyeCare Center, I realized that the environment makes a huge difference.

• What is your favorite thing at the office?
  • I love the diversity of our patient friends. The Leavenworth area is such a melting pot of people from all over the world and I really enjoy talking to and learning from people of different cultures.

• What is your role/responsibility in the office?
  • I am an optician, but I also enjoy helping in other areas of the office. I do all that I can to fix things that need repairing throughout the office.

• What are your hobbies/ favorite things to do?
  • I enjoy singing and scrapbooking, however, there is nothing I love more than spending the day thrift store shopping with my husband. It’s very exciting to find a good bargain.

• Family Info:
  • My husband Matthew and I married on August 26^th, 2006. Our beautiful girls Eimile, 11, and Dessie, 1, remind us every day that happiness is what life is all about.

Low Vision –

There are many diseases that can affect the back of the eye, the retina, and cause permanent vision loss that cannot be fixed with glasses.  Conditions such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy (from diabetes) can devastate a person’s vision leaving them unable to read, write, watch TV, pay bills, drive, and many other activities that sighted individuals do every day without thinking about how their lives would be different if they could not see.

Why won’t glasses work?  The example I give my low vision patients is an analogy of the old cameras that used real film.  “The job of glasses is to focus light onto the retina, the same way the lens of a camera focuses light onto the film.  If a disease has damaged the retina, then there are no glasses that will help, just like if there is damage to the film there is no camera lens that will focus to make a good picture.”

 If there are no glasses, medications, or surgeries to fix the back of the eye then what choices are there?  Some optometrists offer low vision services which uses different devices to help low vision individuals use their REMAINING eyesight more efficiently.  We are NOT restoring vision, merely training what is left to work better.  There are three issues that must be addressed:

1.)    Contrast.  This is the difference between an object and the background around it.  The eye chart at the doctor’s office is HIGH contrast, black letters on a white background.  Human faces are considered LOW contrast.  The nose, ears, cheeks, chin are all fleshy colored and tend to blend together making faces appear to be blobs instead of well-defined individual structures.  To address the loss of contrast, we must have GOOD lighting (strong light directly on the reading material) and use filters to block certain wavelengths of light and enhancing others. 

2.)    Magnification.  When areas of the retina are damaged from disease, the images must be made larger to hit the “healthy parts” of the retina.  The amount of magnification differs depending on how bad the vision is.  We work exclusively with PRESCRIPTION MAGNIFIERS which are high quality devices that reduce the distortion and enhance images.  There are literally thousands of devices that can be used to enlarge images and it takes someone who has studied in low vision to help you choose the right device and the right power.

3.)    Learning to do things differently.  Many patient’s that suffer from low vision are elderly and have been doing things the same way their whole lives.  When explaining their condition and the possible options it is important that they understand that in order to see they may need change how they read, use different devices based on the situation, or where in the house they read. 

When different diseases damage the retina and a loss of vision follows, doctors specializing in low vision must look at contrast, magnification, and new ways to use vision in order to help the patient return to a more normal life.  Lighting, devices (filters and prescription magnifiers), and training can truly help a person with vision loss get back to performing their activities of daily living and give back the independence that has been lost.

 Ingredients:

• 1½ cups water
• 1½ cups of Minute Rice
• 1 can Cream of Celery soup
• 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
• Pork Chops or Boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 package of dry Lipton Onion soup mix

Directions:

Mix water, rice and soup together. Pour into a sprayed 9×13 inch pan. Lay meat on the rice and soup mixture. Sprinkle the dry lipton onion soup mixture on top of meat. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 325° for 2 hours, but don’t “peek” while baking. Enjoy!

The frames contain the world’s smallest accelerometers (the component your smart phone has to enable the quick changing screens), that can be turned on and off with just a swipe of the frame’s temple.  Several frame styles for men and women will be on display in our dispensary very soon.  To read more on the launch of this amazing technology, please go to the website, www.lifeactivated.com , and read more about emPower! electronic eyewear, COMING SOON!!!

How to identify children whose vision restricts learning
How the way children “see” the world affect their behavior
How to build school performance by enhancing vision
How to perform assessments and tests of vision skills
How and why vision development therapy works

If you would like to attend call to reserve your seat at 913-682-3937! Limited seating available.

Staff Spotlight

Name: Amanda Coffman, 9 years @ Family EyeCare Center Leavenworth, Kansas

Month: January

• How did you get into the optometry business?
  • I came in for an eye exam with Dr. Kelly in July of 2003 and a couple of weeks later I came back for an interview and have been here ever since.

• What is your favorite thing at the office?
  • The people and staff… I love the doctors, our officer manager Kelly, all of my co-workers and most of all, the patients. I see everyone on a day to day basis so it makes it nice that we have all built friendships.

• What is your role/responsibility in the office?
  • Schedule engineer, otherwise known as front desk/ receptionist. I get to schedule appointments, greet patients, check on insurance and a lot of other odds and ends throughout the office.

• What are your hobbies/ favorite things to do?
  • I love spending time with my family. We all enjoy going to drag races and car shows every year. I like watching my oldest son play baseball and my youngest son build things.

• Family info:
  • My husband John and I have 2 sons. Blaine is 13 years old and is in 8^th grade and Gage is 5 years old and is in pre-school.

JANUARY IS NATIONAL GLAUCOMA AWARENESS MONTH

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the U.S.  It most often occurs in people over the age of 40, although there are rare congenital forms.  People with a family history of glaucoma, African Americans over the age of 40, and Hispanics over the age of 60 are at an increased risk of developing glaucoma.

 There are many types of glaucoma, and many theories about the causes of glaucoma.  The fact remains that the exact cause is unknown.

 The most common form of glaucoma, primary open angle glaucoma, develops slowly and usually without any symptoms in the early stages.  Many people are not aware they have glaucoma until significant vision loss has occurred.  It typically starts out affecting peripheral or side vision, but can advance to central vision loss.  If left untreated glaucoma will most likely lead to significant vision loss and may even lead to blindness.

 There is currently no cure for glaucoma, but if diagnosed and treated early it can usually be controlled.  Eye drops and/or surgery can slow or even prevent of further vision loss.  However, vision already lost as a result of glaucoma cannot be restored.  That is why the American Optometric Association recommends an annual dilated comprehensive eye health evaluation for anyone at risk for glaucoma as a preventive eye care measure.  Depending on your specific risk factors your eye doctor may recommend more frequent evaluations.

 The take home message is simple.  Comply with your eye doctor’s recommendations regarding follow up as it relates to your risk for glaucoma and, just as importantly, your follow up if you are currently being treated for glaucoma.  Early diagnosis is the key and is crucial to maintaining a lifetime of good vision.