How would you describe the way you see the world without your glasses or contact lenses? While we would hope a child in school would be brave enough to say they can’t see the board at the front of the room, that can be difficult to admit for a young student. Also, they may not even be able to identify that their vision is poor.

One in four children have a vision problem that can interfere with learning. A child needs many abilities to succeed in their studies and good vision is a key component. Reading, writing, chalkboard work and using computers are just a few of the visual tasks students perform daily. A child's eyes are constantly put to use in the classroom. When his or her vision is not functioning properly, education and participation can suffer.

60% of students identified as problem learners have undetected vision problems. All parents, we want to see our children do well in school and do all we can to provide them with the best educational opportunities.  A child may not tell you that he or she has a vision problem because they may think that the way they see is the way that everyone sees.

Signs that may indicate a child has difficulty seeing include:

• Frequent eye rubbing or blinking
• Avoidance of reading and other close activities
• Recurring headaches
• Covering one eye
• Tilting the head to one side
• Holding reading materials close to the face
• An eye turning in or out
• Double vision
• Losing place when reading
• Difficulty remembering what he or she read
• Short attention span

80% of everything children learn comes from what they see. Most students are visual learners and in order to allow them to excel in their studies, accurate vision is crucial.  We invite you to watch and share this video so that parents, guardians and teachers in order to encourage the awareness of children's vision issues. Ensure your child is seeing the blackboard clearly by making an appointment with Dr. Biondo today.

Our main specialty at Kirkwood Eye Associates is the treatment and management of Keratoconus. We offer the latest in visual correction through our scleral lens prosthetic devices that offer patients with this condition the ability to see clearly with all day comfort and consistency.

Until now, keratoconus management revolved around offering the best possible vision combined with careful monitoring of the progression. What was lacking was the ability to treat the condition itself, as keratoconus is a progressive disease that can result in the need for full corneal transplantation. Recently, the FDA approved a procedure known as corneal collagen cross-linking (C3R or CXL). This procedure, performed for over a decade in other developed countries around the world, is a safe and non-invasive treatment that aims to stop the progression of the disease in its tracks.

CXL involves applying riboflavin (vitamin B2) to the cornea and exposing it to ultra violet light A (UVA), resulting in a reaction that strengthens the corneal tissue thereby stoping the
progression of thinning and protrusion seen in keratoconus and post-LASIK ectasia. The procedure lasts 30-60 minutes and has a relatively fast recovery time. While it does not correct the corneal shape, it does stop it from getting worse and therefore preserves best-corrected visual acuity and greatly reduces the risk of corneal transplantation.

The procedure is very safe and well tolerated and it is recommended for most any keratoconus patient under the age of 45, and a patient at any age who has post-LASIK ectasia. Because the cornea naturally cross-links with age, patients over 45 who show stable topography may not need CXL. The UVA light is absorbed by the cornea and the riboflavin. This is important because it can be harmful to the posterior cell layer of the cornea (the endothelium) if it is able to penetrate that far. For this reason, patients with corneas that have become excessively thin may not be good candidates for the procedure, although drops can be added prior to treatment to temporarily swell the cornea to a safe thickness.

CXL does not cure keratoconus and those who are dependent on visual correction devices such as gas permeable lenses, hybrid lenses or scleral lenses will most likely continue to need these after the procedure is completed. Still, the stabilization will help to ensure that functional vision will always be possible and that the risk of corneal transplant is greatly diminished. To see if you would benefit from this new and exciting treatment option, contact Dr. Andrew Biondo and the team at Kirkwood Eye Associates for evaluation today. Combined with the revolutionary scleral lens systems for visual rehabilitation, normal visual function is more obtainable than ever before for patients with keratoconus and post-LASIK ectasia.