Eye Care Information

Putting on a new pair of prescription glasses can feel strange at first. Even if your prescription has not changed, your glasses may feel different due to a different frame or lens design. But have no fear as your eyes and brain will quickly learn if you keep wearing your new glasses and do not keep switching back to your old glasses.

The location of the focal distances in progressive lens determines where to move your head or gaze to look through the correct part of the lens:

If you’re still not seeing clearly with your glasses after a few days, call your Optical Center.

A new pair may need adjustment to ensure good fit and vision. Just like a car or bicycle, your glasses may also need an occasional tune-up. Here are some tell-tale signs that you should come into your Optical Center for an adjustment at no charge:

• Glasses slide down your face when you tilt your head forward
• Glasses slip off your face when you turn your head quickly
• Bridge or nose-pads are causing pain on your nose
• Temple arms hurt the back of your ears
• Glasses leave marks on your cheeks
• You cannot see clearly or comfortably
• You need to hold your head in an unnatural position to see clearly

Here are some tips for keeping your glasses in great shape:

• Slide your glasses straight onto your face with both hands. Using one hand may bend the frame.
• When you’re not wearing your glasses, rest them on the frame and never on the lenses. Better yet, store them in a hard case.
• Clean your glasses with a mild, lotion-free soap. Gently apply the soap with your fingertips and rinse with warm water. You can also use lens cleaner for the lenses. Avoid harmful cleaners like rubbing alcohol or window glass cleaner.
• Dry your glasses with a clean cotton towel or micro-fiber lens cloth. Avoid drying with clothing or paper products, such as paper towels, which can scratch your lenses.
• Never leave your glasses in extreme cold or heat such as the dashboard of a car. Extreme temperatures can cause some lens coatings and frame materials to fail.

Protective cases, lens cleaner, and micro-fiber clothes are available for purchase at your Optical Center.

Moisture from your breath can fog your glasses when you wear a mask. The best way to keep your glasses from fogging is to limit the flow of air from your mask to your lenses:

• Adjust your face mask snugly around your nose and cheeks.
• Wear your glasses over the top of your mask where the mask hits your cheeks.

You can also try anti-fog sprays and wipes on your lenses. If your lenses have anti-reflective (AR) coating, make sure to find a product that is compatible. You can also try this easy trick using household ingredients:

• Mix some mild, lotion-free dish soap with warm water
• Dip your lenses in the soapy mixture
• Shake off any excess liquid
• Gently dab off any remaining liquid with a soft cloth but do not rub off the soapy film

The thin, soapy film will keep your lenses from fogging.

Contact lenses can be a good option for vision correction, particularly for people who are active.

We offer contact lenses that correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and challenging prescriptions. We also offer multifocal contacts that improve both near and distant vision.

Our team of eyecare providers will check whether contact lenses are right for your eyes. See these three steps to get started.

Soft Lenses are a great choice for people who are active. They are available for daily, bi-monthly, and monthly wear.

• Daily disposable lenses are discarded every day making them convenient and easy to care for.
• Soft multifocal contacts can work like bifocal eyeglasses for both distance and near vision.
• Silicone hydrogels and like materials will allow more oxygen to the eye, making the lenses more comfortable to wear.

Gas-Permeable (GP) Lenses are made of a lightly flexible plastic and are more durable than soft lenses. Multifocal GP lenses are also available for most prescriptions, including astigmatism correction.

Specialty Lenses are used to correct vision in certain medical conditions and prescriptions.

Your eyecare provider will help you decide which option is best for you.

Try to arrive 15 to 20 minutes early to your eye exam to allow time to check in and update your information.

Let your Optometrist know if you are interested in contact lenses. Fitting contact lenses may involve coming back for a special fitting appointment at another time. If you already wear contact lenses, wear your contacts to your appointment. Bring your eyeglasses and any information about your current contact lenses that you have, such as boxes, vials and your last prescription.

Your Optometrist will perform a series of tests and examinations to see if your eyes are healthy. Conditions that can be detected during your eye exam include:

• Cataracts, a clouding of part or all of the lens inside the eye, resulting in blurred or distorted vision.
• Glaucoma, a disease in which the internal pressure in the eye builds up because of problems with the outflow or drainage of fluid within the eye, damaging the optic nerve and causing partial or total loss of sight.
• Macular degeneration, the loss of central vision as a result of changes, often related to aging, in the macula - that portion of the retina responsible for sharp, clear central vision.

The optometrist will then use the familiar eye chart to check if you need any vision correction. After your prescription has been determined, you will receive a written prescription for your lenses. You will then be directed to our Optical Center to work with an experienced Optician to choose the right frame and lenses for you.

Dilated eyes allow the optometrist to look at the inside of the eye.

Not every patient needs to have a dilated examination. When dilation is necessary this is what you can expect.

Drops will be placed in each eye to enlarge the pupil (the black portion in the center of the eye). This allows the optometrist to look at the inside of the eye. You will be asked to wait for your eyes to respond to the drops and the pupils to fully dilate. Then your eyes will be examined for signs of any health problems such as

• Cataracts, a clouding of part or all of the lens inside the eye, resulting in blurred or distorted vision.
• Glaucoma, a disease in which the internal pressure in the eye builds up because of problems with the out-flow or drainage of fluid within the eye, damaging the optic nerve and causing partial or total loss of sight.
• Macular degeneration, the loss of central vision as a result of changes, often related to aging, in the macula - that portion of the retina responsible for sharp, clear central vision.

Children are screened from birth for eye disease and vision problems by their pediatricians during their regular visits. Parents are an important part of this process and need to let the pediatrician know if they notice anything unusual about their child's eyes or vision. The most common eye problems of childhood are strabismus and amblyopia.

• Strabismus refers to a crossed or turned eye. This condition tends to run in families, but can also occur spontaneously. Strabismus may require eyeglasses, or much less commonly, surgery.
• Pseudostrabismus refers to the very common situation where a child appears to have eyes that turn in due to a wide band of skin at the immature bridge of the nose. As the nose grows out, the appearance corrects itself.
• Amblyopia or "lazy eye" refers to an eye that doesn't develop vision equal to the other eye. This may be due to the eye being turned in or out, a droopy lid blocking light from entering the eye, or from a very different eyeglass lens prescription compared to the other eye. Treatment of amblyopia may require "patching," eyedrops, or eyeglasses

Children, even infants, may require eyeglasses to correct vision problems. Fitting children for eyeglasses is challenging and requires a wide array of suitable frames and an experienced staff. Our highly-trained Kaiser Permanente Optical staff loves to assist these special patients.

Sunglasses may be a hot fashion accessory but their most important function is to protect your eyes from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays – even on cloudy days. Plus, harsh glare on water, snow, and even buildings can impact your vision. A good pair of sunglasses can shield your eyes and help keep them healthy. And with a wide variety of styles available you can choose a pair that matches your personal look!

Sun Dangers

• Ultraviolet (UV) light can be damaging to your eyes. UV light is considered a major cause of cataracts, eyelid cancers, and certain other skin cancers. It is believed to play a part in macular degeneration, one of the major causes of vision loss in the U.S. for people over age 60.
• Reflected glare is intensified light bouncing off natural surfaces like snow, water, cars and roads. This harsh glare can obstruct your vision and lead to eye fatigue and headaches.

Sun Solutions

• POLARIZED LENSES are the most comfortable sunglass lenses for eliminating glare and easing eye fatigue in the sun.
• PHOTOCHROMIC LENSES are specialty lenses that remain clear indoors and darken when outdoors in the presence of UV light.
• TINTED LENSES come in a rainbow of color options from light to very dark. Tints can be solid through the whole lens or gradient.