Ganly Vision Care News

2012-03-01T11:30:00.001-08:00

Ever wonder how other animals see the world? Here is a photo of a shrimp created with a specialized camera that shows how a shrimp and other reef dwelling animals such as octopus, crabs and some fish, view the world through polarization vision. Humans are essentially blind to polarized light. http://ping.fm/QX9AQ

2012-02-28T09:30:00.001-08:00

Eyewear News: For the first time in 20 years, the US military has updated their standard-issue eyeglasses. Until now, military personnel requiring vision correction were given eyeglasses that were so unflattering they acquired the acronym BCG’s or Birth Control Glasses. Now the thick, large brown BCG frames have been replaced with a sleeker and modern black plastic frame and it seems the recruits are quite happy with the upgrade. Listen to more about this story on NPR: http://ping.fm/YG91q

2012-02-22T09:30:00.001-08:00

February is AMD (Age related macular degeneration) and Low Vision Awareness Month. AMD is a leading cause of vision loss in Americans aged 60 and older. Risk factors include smoking, obesity and hypertension, race (Caucasians are most at risk), family history and gender (women are at greater risk). Early detection is key to slowing the disease progression and preventing blindness so learn more and schedule a yearly eye exam!

2012-02-16T09:30:00.001-08:00

Eye Trivia answer:
A) An elephant can only see about 10-20 yards or meters away. To offset their poor eyesight, however, they possess excellent senses for hearing and smell.

2012-02-15T11:50:00.001-08:00

Eye Trivia: How far can an elephant see?
A) 10 -20 yards/meters
B) 100 -150 yards/meters
C) 1000 -1500 yards/meters
Stay tuned for the answer...

2012-02-12T12:30:00.001-08:00

Eye Love You! Valentines Day is coming. Make sure you have the proper prescription to see your loved ones clearly!

2012-02-02T09:30:00.001-08:00

Itchy, burning, dry or watery eyes? You might be suffering from winter dry eyes or seasonal allergies. Try wearing sunglasses when you go out and drinking lots of water and come see us to find a treatment for your symptoms.

2012-01-19T09:30:00.001-08:00

Myth or Fact Answer: Squinting frequently can damage your vision.

Answer: Myth

While squinting is a sign that you might need glasses (or a change in prescription), it doesn’t worsen your eyesight. Squinting is a natural reaction to blurred vision in order to attempt to make the pupil smaller – to let in less light and enhance your focus.

While it can’t permanently damage your vision, there may be some side effects to squinting including headaches caused by constant contraction of your facial muscles.

2012-01-18T09:30:00.001-08:00

Myth or Fact? Squinting frequently can damage your vision.
Stay tuned for the answer in our next post…..

2012-01-12T09:30:00.001-08:00

Trivia Answer: How many eyes does a worm have?

And the answer is: A) Zero: Earthworms do not have any eyes, but they do possess light and touch sensitive organs called receptor cells that enable them to distinguish differences in light intensity and to feel vibrations in the ground to help them get around.

2012-01-11T09:30:00.001-08:00

This week’s eye trivia question (no cheating!):

How many eyes does a worm have?
A) Zero
B) Two
C) Eight

2012-01-06T04:01:00.001-08:00

January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month. Because vision loss often occurs gradually and may be only recognized after the disease is quite advanced and irreparable damage is done, glaucoma has been nicknamed, “the silent thief of sight.” It is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide after cataracts. If detected early, disease progression can be stopped or slowed so routine eye exams are essential for preventing the devastating effects of this disease. Call us today to book an appointment!

Some helpful hints regarding sun protection

2011-05-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

With warmer days and summer almost here, we are seeing a surge in patients asking questions about sunglasses so I thought I would give everyone a little information.

Sunglasses can be a combination of fashion and function. Patients are more aware than ever of the need to protect their eyes from the harmful rays of the sun and this even includes children. To accommodate this trend, the companies that manufacture sunglasses are providing an outstanding selection of countless styles, shapes and colors and this is where the fashion fun begins! We suggest going with a frame that is large enough to offer the best protection. Keep in mind that protection can also be achieved by using a dress frame and inserting polarized sun lenses.

As for the lenses themselves, a common misconception is that the darker the lens, the more protection that is provided. This is not true. Choosing a lighter or darker lens is simply a matter of personal choice and eye comfort. The same goes for lens color. Gray lenses mute all colors evenly and therefore help maintain the natural color balance, whereas brown or amber lenses may be best to improve contrast. However, these lenses will give everything an amber tone which may or may not be preferable. The real issue is protection from the UV (ultra-violet) rays (which are invisible) so always choose sunglasses that offer 100% UV protection.

Polarized lenses are also a great feature. They are the only lenses that reduce glare as all others simply darken the glare. Polarized lenses are fantastic for water sports, skiing or driving. One place where polarized lenses may not be useful though is for golf as they can make it harder to read the greens.

Finally, many hi-quality lenses have a back-side anti-reflection coating to reduce glare off the back of the lenses. For a more detailed explaination of these products, or to see them demonstrated in person, please feel free to visit our office. Once you have worn glasses with all of these features, you will never want to go back!

As always, I welcome your comments and I look forward to hearing from you.

Dr Ganly

The importance of regular eye exams

2011-02-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

OK, with the rush of the Holiday's, I hade let the Blog take a back seat for a few weeks so I apologize to any of you that actually liked what I had written.

As luck would have it though, we are getting ready to go to Salt Lake City for some skiing and I have very little time for a long entry.

That being said, with January having been National Glaucoma Awareness Month, I just wanted to touch base on the importance of routine eye exams. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world with over 70 million people being affected. In fact, over 4 million Americans have the disease.

Many patients do not realize that although there are many causes of glaucoma, most do not affect your sight very quickly and it can take years for the damage to occur. Even worse is that you can loose up to 40% of your sight before you can detect the vision loss yourself.

For this reason, even if you feel that you see well without glasses it is still important to get checked on a yearly basis. Think about it. Out of all of our senses, which one would you not want to loose the most? Yet the average patient sees the dentist 3 times more frequently then their eye doctor!

Put "Get an eye exam" on your "To-Do" list and keep your vision healthy!

As always, I welcome your comments and I look forward to hearing from you.

Dr Ganly

Should Kids Get Contact Lenses?

2010-12-14T06:09:00.000-08:00

1. I truly believe that everyone that needs to have visual correction should own a pair of glasses. Glasses not only provide eye protection, but they could be used in place of contacts when a person is sick or not feeling well. With today’s multitude of fashions and price ranges, there is no reason that a person can’t find a pair to suit these needs. However, the fact still remains that many of us simply don’t like the way we look in glasses. Contact lenses provide a simple, inexpensive alternative and in doing so can greatly improve our sense of self esteem, which is so very important to a young adult.

2. Since contact lenses rest directly on the eye, the optical correction is closer to the retina as compared to glasses. Optically, this produces many visual advantages. For many, especially those patients with high corrections, the vision is simply clearer when they wear contacts versus glasses. Peripheral vision is also much improved, which is paramount when playing sports.

3. Speaking of sports, when was the last time you saw a professional athlete on TV wearing glasses? Exactly. Contact lenses stay put when you perspire and do not slide down your nose. There are no constant adjustments to keep them on your face and they don’t fog up like glasses do. All of these reasons should make contact lenses the first choice for those patients who are involved in sports.

4. Today’s contacts are not your daddy’s contacts! Yes, technology has improved to the point where we can correct for virtually any prescription, including those for astigmatism (or even bifocals for you “maturing” parents out there). In the past, a patient would only be given one lens to last the entire year, where now it is common-place to use lenses on a single use basis! What could be healthier and more convenient? Wear them once and toss ‘em. Done.

5. It used to be that we didn’t fit kids in contacts until they were well in to their teenage years. There is no medical reason for this and we now are routinely improving the lives of our patients that are as young as 8 years old.

6. For these reasons, contact lens should not just be thought of as a potential option, they should be considered as a necessity!

Have a good week and let me know what you think.......

Dr Ganly

Top 5 Ways to Get the Best Vision With Your New Glasses-By Dr Ken Ganly

2010-11-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

1. Choose the best lens material. Today, patients have many more options when it comes to choosing a material to make their spectacle lenses. In the old days, using glass was a common practice. However, because of its increased weight and lack of impact resistance, plastics are now used almost exclusively. Within the plastic category, there are still many options. Lenses are traditionally categorized by their refractive index. The higher the number, the more refractive or “bending power” of the light and the thinner the lenses can be for a given Rx. “Regular plastic” or CR-39 has a refractive index of around 1.49 and there are materials that go as high as 1.74. Although you might be tempted to go with the highest number, that is not always going to give you the best product for your money. For instance, some lenses inherently block UV light whereas others do not and would therefore need to be treated to have the same protection. Also, the optical clarity and scratch resistance of a lens can vary greatly between products and using one brand of product may not be as good as using another’s. Having an experienced optician to help you sort it out can give you the best product for your needs at the best cost.

2. Choose the best lens design. With the aid of computer technology, manufactures are now able to generate lenses using digital surfacing designs. Although it comes with a higher price tag, this new technology most certainly gives better optics and yields fewer distortions within the lens. This is especially important for those patients with higher prescriptions or those needing progressive multifocals. In fact, many patients who have had prior difficulty trying to adapt to their prescription are finding that they are seeing clearer and more comfortably than ever before!

3. Choose anti-reflective coatings. Antireflective treatments serve several purposes. First, they simply allow more light to transmit through a lens. More light going through a lens results in a brighter, crisper image. Second, they reduce reflections, which can greatly reduce annoying glare. This can make a tremendous difference for such tasks as working on a computer, reducing eyestrain under fluorescent lights or driving at night. Third, as an added benefit, they dramatically enhance the cosmetic appearance of your eyewear, allowing others to see your eyes more clearly. Like anything else, these coatings are available in different levels of quality. For the best results, go with products that have hydrophobic coatings. This means the coatings will repel the dirt and dust and keep them looking their best for the longest time. They are also easier to clean than standard AR coatings.

4. Choose the best frame. Selecting eyewear can be a fun process and yet many find it to be challenging at the same time. A frame can help you define that special look that you are trying to achieve and it can even enhance a person’s personality. Both are very important. It is often helpful to have an experienced optician to guide you in the selection process, as many lens designs and individual prescriptions are better suited for certain sized frames. Having this knowledge will greatly contribute to your overall visual success. For instance, nearsighted lenses are always thinnest at the optical center and increase in thickness as you go further in to the periphery. If you have a very high Rx, going with smaller frames will dramatically reduce the edge thickness and weight of your lenses. Newer materials such as titanium are also becoming more popular, as they will not discolor your skin and are lighter than traditional metals.

5. Choose the business that will give you the knowledge and attention that you deserve. Everyone has different wants, needs and desires and there is no single product that will work for everyone in all situations. Certainly, there are products that can act like “cross-training” running shoes, but for the best vision, comfort and protection most experts would recommend that we should have multiple pairs that are used for specific tasks. Starting with your primary pair of glasses- all the way to your sunglasses, computer/ reading glasses or safety lenses, make sure that the store you purchase your eyewear from has the knowledge and experience to help you in all of these categories. In these difficult economical times, it is more important than ever to establish a relationship with a provider that is willing to take the time to uncover all of your needs to recommend the best products for you. Having worked for over 16 yrs at one of the big box chain stores, I can attest to the products that are used in that environment. Here at Ganly Vision Care, since we recommend premium products and lens designs, we routinely get comments from patients who have worn glasses for years and yet have never seen so well.

We would love to be your provider….feel free to stop in to check us out!

Dr Ganly