Purchasing new frames can be overwhelming. But with a little guidance, the experience can be fun and exciting. Eyewear is a declaration of your personality and has the ability to introduce you to strangers without speaking a word. Eyewear has even become a signature staple for many celebrities. Think, Steve Jobs, John Lennon, Elvis. So where to begin when choosing new frames? Here are some suggestions to help you find your signature pair.

Consider Your Script
Starting off, we recommend you take your prescription strength into consideration. Not every script will look good in every frame. Our professional Opticians can immediately direct you away from any frames that aren't ideal for the lenses your prescription will require. For example if you're nearsighted with a strong, negative script, your lenses will be thicker.  Thick lenses will look better in a smaller frame because the lenses get thicker as they spread out from the center. So a small frame will eliminate the thickest part of the lens. A large one would allow that bottle cap effect.

Compliment Your Coloring.
Skin tone plays an important part in finding the best frames to compliment your appearance. There are hundreds of skin tones but to simplify it; You have either a warm (yellow-based) or a cool (blue-based) skin tone. Here's a helpful trick: check out your veins. If they're more blue than green, you have a cool skin tone and should consider frames that are black, reddish brown, slate blue, or dark tortoise. Do your veins appear more green? That means you have a warm skin tone and will be best off in camel, khaki, or copper. For the outgoing warm, try a bold fire engine red.

Contrast the Your Face Shape
Pick frames that contrast your face shape, not ones that imitate it. An oval, symmetrical face shape is generally ideal but the percentage of people that possess that face shape is rare. Choosing frames that help us achieve this "oval effect" tend to compliment ones face shape the best.

If a weak chin is problematic for you, a frame that's slightly wider at the bottom edge will give the lower portion of your face what your chin is lacking.  If you have a circular round-face, try frames with sharp angles: rectangles, trapezoids, and the super trendy hexagonal frames will look awesome. Round glasses would accentuate fuller cheeks.  If your cheeks and jowl expand further than your forehead, choose a frame with a dramatic top edge to avert eyes up. Check up the helpful chart below to identify frames suitable for your specific face shape.

Be Yourself
Above all else, you do you! All of these suggestions are merely that... suggestions! Go with your gut. If you find a frame outside these guidelines that makes you feel good about yourself, break the "rules". There are hundreds of styles, shapes, color and brands when it comes to eyewear. This article aims to ease the process for you. But it won't work for every person, every time. Glasses are one of the first things people notice about us. What impression do you want to give off? It's your vibe. Own it with a pair that makes you feel fab, confident and mostly YOURSELF.

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.

It is estimated that 41% of the population in the United States is myopic, or near-sighted. This is a 66% increase from just 30 years ago, and the incidence continues to rise. This is problematic for both financial and health reasons. The cost of vision correction, especially in those more highly myopic is becoming increasingly expensive. More importantly, individuals who are more myopic have a higher risk of glaucoma, early cataract, retinal detachment and some forms of macular degeneration, regardless of whether or not they correct their myopia with LASIK or some other vision correction surgery.

There are many theories as to why we are becoming increasingly near-sighted. Most parents point to the increased use of electronic devices and overall increase in near-work. But there is no evidence to support that. The most recognized theories have proposed that we are becoming more near-sighted because we are spending more time indoors and not getting outside enough. Our eyes, as they develop, aren't exposed to long distances and therefore continue to elongate making us more near-sighted. The receptors in the eye responsible for this growth regulation are located in the periphery of the eye. Based on this theory, a child would be fine to sit and read a book all day, as long as they sat outside to do it.

We typically develop near-sightedness during our school ages and this is the time that we can do something to slow or stop the progression. There are three options currently available that have shown an impressive ability to halt the worsening of myopia in children.

ORTHOKERATOLOGY (Ortho-K)

The first and arguably most effective is orthokeratology, or ortho k. This is a system that utilizes an overnight contact lens device to gently shape the cornea to remove near-sightedness and allow the child to see all day without the need for contacts or glasses. It is safe and easily reversible (simply discontinue the overnight use of the device). Some studies have shown a 100% decrease in the progression of myopia and this treatment is FDA approved for children of all ages. This is the best option because it eliminates the need for daytime glasses or contacts and has the best data to show that it stabilizes myopia

MULTIFOCAL SOFT CONTACT LENSES

The second tool in slowing the progression of myopia is the use of multifocal contact lenses. It is believed that the signal to grow the eye longer, and therefore make it more near-sighted, is triggered by your peripheral vision. As we spend more time indoors, our peripheral vision is exposed to more closed rooms and short distances as opposed to the infinite sight lines of being outside. Wearing certain types of multifocal soft contacts can trick your peripheral vision into thinking its outside while allowing the central vision to function normally.

DROP THERAPY WITH ATROPINE

Atropine drops have proven very effective in slowing or even stopping the progression of
myopia in children and teenagers. This sounds like a perfect solution if not for the side effects seen with atropine use. This medication causes strong dilation of the pupil, making the child light sensitive and subject to glare at night. Atropine also inhibits the eyes ability to focus, making reading and near-work almost impossible. There are studies underway that are examining lower concentrations of atropine that those readily available to see if the side effects can be reduced or eliminated without losing the myopia control effects.

What is myopia? Click the video below for more information.

LASIK has offered a safe and reliable method for correcting near-sightedness, far-sightedness and astigmatism. But what about those individuals over 45 years old that need help reading when they've been corrected for distance? Until now, there were three choices for patients who wanted corrective surgery over 45 years old. One was mono-vision LASIK, where one eye was corrected for distance vision and the other eye was corrected for near. This allowed for focusing up close and far away but it sacrificed binocularity (the two eyes working together) which often lead to compromised night vision and depth perception. The second option was reading glasses. This was hardly ideal considering the financial investment in a LASIK procedure that was supposed to eliminate the need for glasses. The final option was clear lens exchange (CLE) with a multifocal implant. This was essentially cataract surgery before a cataract was present. The implant could be equipped with multifocal optics to allow a range of vision and worked reasonably well, but it is expensive and invasive.

We now have a new alternative for people wanting a minimally invasive vision correction
surgery that allows for great distance and near vision without sacrificing binocularity. Corneal inlays have gained recent FDA approval and offer a safe and effective solution with a quick recovery time. Many patients who have surgery can return to work within two days.

There are two types of corneal inlays available currently, the Raindrop inlay and the Karma
inlay. These can be placed in just one eye and offer clear and comfortable intermediate
(computer) and near vision, while allowing both eyes to continue to work together to optimize distance vision. The inlays can be placed under a LASIK flap if distance vision correction is required. If the patients distance vision is already optimal, the inlay can simply be placed in a grove in the front of the cornea. in addition, the inlay can be removed at any point.

Corneal inlays have given patients over 45 years old a new and effective option in vision
correction that LASIK had been previously unable to offer. If you have any questions about
these new procedures or would like to see if you're a candidate, contact our office today and set up an evaluation.

LED screens are ingrained in our society.  My nieces learned to use an iPhone and iPad before they could walk.  Smartphones, tablets, computer monitors, touch-screens;  They are everywhere and used by almost everyone.  While there's no denying their importance and benefits, the question that we’re still trying to answer is what are they doing to our eyes?

Recent research shows higher than normal percentages of blue-violet wavelengths being emitted from these devices.  The blue-violet spectrum is in the visible light spectrum adjacent to the UV light portion of the spectrum (see figure below).

​