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Infant Vision – How Your Baby Should Learn To See

Your baby has a whole lifetime to see and learn. But, did you know your baby also has to learn to see?

As a parent, there are many things that you can do to help your baby’s vision develop.  First, proper prenatal care and nutrition can help your baby’s eyes develop even before birth.

At birth, your baby’s eyes should be examined for signs of congenital eye conditions. These are rare, but early diagnosis and treatment are important to your child’s development.

At about age six months, you should take your baby to your optometrist for his or her first thorough eye examination. Things that the optometrist will test for include excessive or unequal amounts of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism and eye movement ability as well as eye health problems. These problems are not common, but it is important to identify children who have it at this stage. Visual development and eye health problems can be more easily corrected if treatment starts early.

Unless you notice a need, or your optometrist advises you otherwise, your child’s next examination should be around age three, and then again before he or she starts school at about six years.

Between birth and age three, when many of your baby’s visual skills will develop, there are ways that you can help:

  • During the first four months of life, your baby should begin to follow moving objects with the eyes and reach for things.  First by chance and later more accurately.  As hand-eye coordination and depth perception begin to develop, this will improve.
  • To help with this development, use a nightlight or other dim lamp in your baby’s room; change the crib’s position frequently as well as your child’s position in it. 
  • Keep reach-and-touch toys within your baby’s focus, about eight to twelve inches.  
  • Talk to your baby as you walk around the room. 
  • Alternate right and left sides with each feeding, and hang a mobile above and outside the crib.
  • Between four and eight months:  Your baby should begin to turn from side to side and use his or her arms and legs. Eye movement and eye-body coordination skills should develop further and both eyes should focus equally.
  • You should enable your baby to explore different shapes and textures with his or her fingers. 
  • Give your baby the freedom to crawl and explore. 
  • Hang objects across the crib and play  “peek-a-boo” with your baby.
  • From eight to twelve months:  Your baby should be mobile now, crawling and pulling himself or herself up. He or she will begin to use both eyes together and judge distances and grasp and throw objects with greater precision.
  • To support development don’t encourage early walking – crawling is important in developing eye-hand-foot-body coordination.
  • Give your baby stacking and take-apart toys and provide objects your baby can touch, hold and see at the same time.

From one to two years, your child’s eye-hand coordination and depth perception will continue to develop and he or she will begin to understand abstract terms. Things you can do are:

●       Encourage walking;

●       Provide building blocks

●       Assemble simple puzzles

●       Play with balls

●       Provide opportunities to climb and explore in and outdoors.

There are many other affectionate and loving ways in which you can aid your baby’s visual development. Use your creativity and imagination. Ask your optometrist to suggest other specific activities.

Source: visioncorner.co.za

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Happy Birthday, Louise Braille!

We celebrate the life of Louis Braille every January with National Braille Literacy month! Read more about his life and the creation of the braille code.

Six dots — six bumps in different patterns spreading out over the page. What are they? Numbers, letters, words that make up stories, music, math, science — nearly anything that can be written! Who created this incredible code that allows people who are blind to both read and write? None other than Louis Braille (1809-1852), a French teenager who was blind and wanted very much to learn.

Louis was from a small town called Coupvray, near Paris—he was born on January 4 in 1809. Louis became blind by accident, when he was 3 years old. Deep in his father’s harness workshop, Louis tried to be like his dad, but it went very wrong. He grabbed an awl, a sharp tool for making holes in leather and the tool slipped hurting his eye. The wound got infected, and the infection spread. Soon, Louis was blind in both eyes.

Suddenly, Louis needed a new way to learn. He stayed at his old school for two more years, but he couldn’t learn everything just by listening. Things were looking up when Louis received a scholarship to the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris when he was 10. But even there, most of the teachers just talked at the students. The library had only 14 huge books with raised letters that were very hard to read—and there was no way for Louis to write. 

In 1821, a former soldier named Charles Barbier visited the school. Barbier shared his invention called “night writing,” a code of 12 raised dots that let soldiers share top-secret information on the battlefield in the dark. The code was hard for the soldiers to learn, but not for 12-year-old Louis!

Louis reduced the number of dots in each character from Barbier’s 12 dots to 6 dots. This allowed all of the dots that made a single character to be touched at once with the fingertip.

Louis continued to improve the system, which was mostly completed by the time he was 15. Louis published the first-ever braille book in 1829, which described his method of reading and writing.

But did he stop there? No way! In 1837, he added symbols for math and music. The students loved Louis’ new code, but it took the teachers and directors at the Royal Institution many years to accept it. Louis himself taught at the Royal Institution, but braille wasn’t taught there until after his death. Braille began to spread worldwide in 1868, when a group of British men, now known as the Royal National Institute for the Blind, took up the cause.

Now practically every country in the world uses braille. Braille books have double-sided pages, which saves a lot of space. Braille signs help people who are blind get around in public spaces. Computerized devices with changing refresh-able braille displays can connect to smartphones or computers. And most importantly, blind people can communicate independently.

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Diabetic Eye Disease

November is Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month: What you should know

Many people know that diabetes can seriously impact a person’s blood pressure, heart health, and stroke risk, but not everyone realizes that the disease is just as dangerous for the eyes.

If you have diabetes, you are more likely to develop glaucoma, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy.

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

The inside surface of your eye is lined with a thin, light-sensitive tissue called the retina. Nerve cells in the retina convert light to electrical impulses that are sent to the brain via the optic nerve. It is then translated into images. The nerve cells and tissues in the retina rely on nourishment from tiny blood vessels. In diabetic people, too-high blood sugar levels cause those blood vessels to leak, swell or cease functioning altogether. This condition is known as diabetic retinopathy.  

The late stage of diabetic retinopathy causes new blood vessels to grow and leak into the eye’s vitreous fluid. These new vessels may form scar tissue. This leads to a detached retina and ultimately causes partial or complete blindness. That abnormal blood vessel growth is called proliferative diabetic retinopathy and affects about 1 in 20 people living with the condition. 

What is Diabetic Macular Edema?

The macula is part of your retina located at the back of your eye and is responsible for your central vision. Macular edema occurs when those swelling blood vessels leak into the macula, causing it to thicken, swell and distort your vision. That may not always lead to blindness or severe vision loss, but it can significantly impact your central vision or ability to see details. Diabetic macular edema is a common problem as diabetic retinopathy progresses. 

Are you at risk for Diabetic Eye Disease?

People living with uncontrolled diabetes are at high risk for diabetic eye disease. Other factors that may increase your likelihood of retina damage and vision loss include: 

  • Long-term diabetes
  • Poor management of blood glucose 
  • Smoking 
  • High blood pressure and cholesterol
  • Pregnancy
  • Kidney disease 

The only way to diagnose diabetic retinopathy early is through regular eye examinations that search for disease indications in diabetic patients. 

Why Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month is important

  1. Diabetic Eye Disease is Scary – Think about all the ways you use your eyes, and now think about how you would feel if you were to gradually lose your eyesight. Diabetic eye disease, also known as diabetic retinopathy, is a group of eye conditions affecting people with diabetes. These conditions include cataracts (clouding of the eye’s lens), glaucoma (elevated pressure inside the eye), and macular swelling (optic nerve damage). If you have blurry or frequently changing vision, experience dark areas or vision loss, or if you see “floaters” or flashes of light, consult your optometrist immediately.
  2. All types of diabetes can trigger eye disease – It’s just a fact that if you suffer from diabetes, you have a greater chance of having an eye disease than someone who doesn’t. Every type of diabetes makes you vulnerable, which is why early detection with regular eye exams is key. People with types 1 and 2 diabetes need annual exams. Pregnant women with both types 1 and 2 need exams prior to pregnancy or at least during the first trimester. 
  3. Prevention means dilating your eyes – If you have diabetes, you need a more in-depth exam where the eye doctor dilates your eyes. This means you will receive drops in your eyes to make the pupils larger. This allows the optometrist to fully see the back of each eye including the retina, blood vessels, and optic nerve. After your eyes are dilated, don’t panic if your vision is slightly blurry for a couple of hours — but make sure to arrange for transportation.

CONTACT US NOW TO BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT!

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World Sight Day 2022

Thursday, 13 October 2022, is International World Sight Day and this year’s theme is #LoveYourEyes. Here is all you should know about this exciting day!

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) annually hosts an Internation World Sight Day on the second Thursday of October. IAPB is the overarching alliance for the global eye health sector, with more than 150 organizations in over 100 countries working together for a world where everyone has universal access to eye care.

Staying true to the #LoveYourEyes theme, here are a few to tips to help out.

10 Tips to help you #LoveYourEyes

  • Follow the 20/20/20 rule to give your eyes screen breaks – When using a screen, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes, to avoid eye strain and headaches.
  • Spend time outside – Children should spend at least two hours a day outside. This also helps their eye development in a healthy way and helps them avoid developing nearsightedness.
  • Wear sunglasses outside – Make sure your sunglasses offer UVA and UVB protection to prevent radiation from the sun damaging your eyes. See our informative blog to help with sunglass purchases here.
  • Wear prescription glasses, if you need them – You should wear your prescription glasses to see clearly and prevent your eyes from having to work harder, which can lead to eye strain and headaches.
  • Check your cosmetics to avoid eye infections – Check the expiry date on eye makeup and replace your brushes regularly to prevent the buildup of bacteria that could cause eye infections.
  • Exercise regularly – Doing regular exercise can reduce the risk of developing conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure which can affect your sight.
  • Eat a healthy diet – Eating a balanced diet ensures you have the vitamins and minerals that are essential for maintaining healthy eyes.
  • Don’t smoke – Smoking increases your risk of developing serious eye conditions and permanent sight loss.
  • Book an eye test to detect problems before they arise – An eye test can detect an eye condition even before it’s affected your eye sight, so even if you don’t think there’s anything wrong with your eyes, you should book a test.
  • Prioritise your eyes, you need them to last all your life – Put reminder in your calender to have regular eye checks. You should have your eyes checked every 1-2 years.

There are a few ways YOU can help raise awareness on this World Sight Day.

By sharing the importance of having regular eye checkups with your family, friends and colleagues.

The IAPB have a World Sight Day Photo Competition for amateur and professional photographers! It’s an opportunity for photographers to demonstrate their skills and share with the world what they see and what it means to #LoveYourEyes. You can enter the competition here.

Get involved in World Sight Day by making a commitment to #LoveYourEyes. Pledge to have a sight test or care for your eyes and share on social media to encourage others do the same.

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Cutting-edge technology added to our practice

Hannes Zwarts Eye Care is taking ocular disease diagnostics to the next level. The practice recently purchased world-class ophthalmic equipment to better serve their patients. The Optopol Revo OCT was acquired earlier this year and offers a range of benefits for patients with ocular conditions.

Optical coherence tomography, OCT for short, is a modern non-invasive imaging technique that generates images of the microvasculature of the retina and the choroid. The technique shows eye care professionals structures in the eye that can change due to eye disease. In an OCT exam a light beam scans the eye through the pupil and the refracted light is translated into a detailed image of the structures of the retina. With 60 000 scans per second, an exam is often so sensitive it shows eye care professionals signs of disease before a patient notices a change in their vision. This is a tremendous advantage for patients because studies have proven that early treatment is the best way to save vision.

This equipment offers modules anterior as well as posterior imaging and analysis.
One of the advantages for patient diagnosis which is boasted from this technology is that it allows the practitioner to more accurately observe a patient’s optic nerve to detect conditions such as Glaucoma.

The Optopol Revo Glaucoma Module assess the optic nerve head, the retinal nerve fiber layer and the ganglion cell layer. The module has an AutoRescan function which allows for progress to be observed and tracked as it monitors precise changes over time.

As a contact lens speciality practice the anterior OCT enables a more accurate assessment of the lens and cornea relationship, not only allowing a more accurate fit faster, but also showing areas which could create complications in advance.

Through the use of his clinical expertise as well as leading technology, Hannes Zwarts is aiming to help preserve sight through early diagnosis of ocular diseases.