20/20 Is Not Enough!

Many children are labeled as having behavioral or attention deficit problems. Sometimes this is a misdiagnosis and what is actually causing their inability to concentrate on schoolwork is a vision related learning issue.

I was surprised to learn that less than 15% of kiddos get their eyes examined before starting school, especially since 80% of what they learn is visual – it’s through their eyes! One out of four kids struggle academically because of undiagnosed vision problems. The majority of these problems are very treatable and can allow these kids to perform at their full potential.

Just because your child passed the vision screener at school or at the pediatrician’s office and was told they have perfect 20/20 vision, doesn’t mean they still can’t be struggling with visual problems. Even with 20/20 vision, it may not be enough to sustain concentration and process information. There are 17 visual skills (see below) that are required to succeed in school and in sports. It is important that every child have a visual health examination by an Optometrist to look for these skills as a simple vision screening may fail to pick up.

Dr. Lyons and myself are proud providers of the InfantSEE program, where kiddos between 6-12 months are given a FREE comprehensive eye examination to ensure everything is developing properly. Check out http://www.infantsee.org/ for more information!

According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), infants should have their first comprehensive eye exam around 6-12 months of age. Children then should have additional eye exams at age 3, and again at age 5.

Call our office if you have questions. Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Dr. Brewer

Here is the list of those 17 skills! (Courtesy of COVD.org)

1	Eye Movement Control	The ability to move both eyes together to point at an intended target or follow along a path, like a line of text
2	Simultaneous Focus at Far	Forming a clear image of something in the distance
3	Sustaining Focus at Far	Keeping an image of something in the distance clear
4	Simultaneous Focus at Near	Forming a clear image of something close to the eyes
5	Sustaining Focus at Near	Keeping a clear image of something close to the eyes
6	Simultaneous Alignment at Far	Lining up both eyes at the same point the distance
7	Sustaining Alignment at Far	Holding both eyes lined up at the same point in the distance
8	Simultaneous Alignment at Near	Lining up both eyes at the same point up close
9	Sustaining Alignment at Near	Holding both eyes lined up at the same point up close
10	Central Vision (Visual Acuity)	This is where "20/20" vision comes in!
11	Peripheral Vision	Being able to see what's on either side of you while your eyes are pointed forward
12	Depth Awareness	Being able to tell that things are further away or closer up than each other (also know as depth perception)
13	Color Perception	Being able to tell different colors apart (if you are not color-blind)
14	Gross Visual-Motor	Moving yourself through space without bumping into things by using information from your vision
15	Fine Visual-Motor	Writing, sewing, texting, and doing other small and close-up activities with accuracy by using information from  your vision
16	Visual Perception	Being aware of your environment and what is going on around you in your visual field (the area you can see)
17	Visual Integration	Bringing together your vision and your other senses to accomplish complex tasks, like reading while walking a balance beam

SPECtacular Trunk Show!

It is that time of year again!  Update your look at our 8th annual trunk show.  For eight years we have been filling our optical with thousands of frames for this three-hour fashion party.  Join in the frenzy to save 40% on every frame in our office or just come and enjoy wine and appetizers and say hello!  Either way, you do not want to miss out on this event held on April 27 fro 4-7 PM at our office at 1644 Hwy 395, Unit B-1 in Minden.  Click here for more details!

Fabulous Fall Event

Are there times you'd rather not wear your glasses?  Have you ever wondered what you would look like with blue eyes?  Do you prefer glasses that feel like they aren't there?  Do you like saving money?  Do you like wine, chocolate and cute gifts?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should come to our Fabulous Fall Event coming up November 3 at our office from 4-6 PM.

We are providing a contact lens experience for those interested in trying them out before committing to a customized contact lens medical service.  We also realize that not everyone enjoys contact lenses, so we are excited to launch a new frame line in our office called Line Art.  These beautiful frames showcase the minimalist look with a little pizzaz.

Call today to reserve your spot and invite your friends!  775-783-1111

What the heck is a Trunk Show????

A trunk show is a special event within the fashion world where designers put on a special presentation of their products for exclusive buyers. The name comes from the fact that these representatives will literally show up with trunks of merchandise to display and sell.

Valley Eyecare & Eyewear Gallery’s trunk show allows you to personally view entire collections from the attending designers - this means every style and every color! Trunk shows allow us to multiply your frame options by adding the styles and colors that we do not regularly stock in the office.

Come check out the newest designer eyewear styles from Vera Wang, Zac Posen, Etnia Barcelona and more while you sip complementary wine and nibble on hors d’oeuvres. Additionally, you will save 40% on every every frame purchased during the show.  Don't miss this SPECtacular event happening at our office from 4-7 PM Thursday, April 28!

EYECARE ABOUT READING

Valley Eyecare & Eyewear Gallery places a high value on learning.  This year we would like to help provide local first graders with new books to take home when school lets out for the summer.  Want to join us?  Simply drop off a new book appropriate for a first grade student at our office, and we'll take care of the rest!

Big Frame Sale!!!

For the month of November, Valley Eyecare & Eyewear Gallery invites you to save 50% on designer frames such as Haggar, Michael Kors, Harley Davidson, Gucci, Jones New York, Converse, Michael Stars, Not of This World, Coach, Laura Ashley, Rough Justice & more.  And don’t forget, all of our glasses are backed by our 2-year Frame and Lens Warranty, our Prescription Accuracy Guarantee and our Happiness Pledge.  Happy shopping!

World Sight Day is October 8

Yes!  It is that time of year again!  Valley Eyecare & Eyewear Gallery looks forward to supporting  Optometry Giving Sight on October 8.  We will donate the exam fees we collect that day to this great organization that provides glasses to underserved areas of the world.

We are also inviting the community to participate this year.  Come to our office on World Sight Day!  We will have refreshments and will be open from 8AM to 7PM.  If you make a donation of $25 to Optometry Giving Sight in our office, we will give you a $50 gift card to be used toward a glasses purchase in our office.   Isn't that great?