As Marion residents, we know the power of community and relationship. At Royal Oak Eye Care we work to bring those same values into our practice. Simply put, we care about your eyes. We care about the concerns and vision needs. We care about the challenges you face with your eye health and we work to create practical and effective ways to help you live your life with the highest quality possible.

We know that you don’t want to be treated as a number or another transaction. You want a doctor who knows you and can help you when you need it. So, if you are looking for a better eye doctor experience, we say give us a chance. We hope that you’ll see that we care.

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

image credit: noir imp on flickr

If we could tell the residents of Marion one thing, it would be importance of routine eye exams. Many people across this country go years and years without eye exams because they see little or no change to their vision, but routine eye exams are so much more important that just correcting vision.

Routine eye exams can help us diagnose any vision correction needs, but we can also detect future eye diseases as well as other health conditions. The importance of the eye exams being routine is that we can track these vitals year over year which can help us protect your eye health and overall well being.

Our team will take the necessary time and discuss your vision needs and concerns. Feel free to elaborate on any special visual needs with respect to your occupation, recreational activities, and hobbies. We’re here to help and we hope to see you soon!

CLICK HERE TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

image credit: George Weir on flickr

We are square in the digital age. Almost everything we do is on a screen of some sort and while we, as adults, can look up and take a break, our children might need some help. One of the major concerns about children’s eye health is combating digital eye strain. Our children are spending too much time in front of electronic devices and it can be problematic.

The encouragement is to limit your child’s time in front of electronic devices and much as possible. If you can balance electronic time with play time outside, it will help their eyes. If they must be in front of a device, making them take required breaks ever 15-20 minutes will help too.

If you have questions about digital eye strain and your child, don’t hesitate to contact Royal Oak Eye Care. We’re here to help!

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

image credit: Judit Klein on flickr

August is “Children’s Eye Health & Safety Awareness” month and we thought it might be good, before we go back to school, to promote the foods that are beneficial to your child’s eye health.

Here are five foods to include in your child’s diet:

  • Berries – Blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries are packed with Vitamin C and that is great for eye health.
  • Nuts and seeds – Healthy snack options should include nuts and seeds. Especially ones rich in omega-3 fatty acids like raw almonds, English walnuts, flax seed and sunflower seeds.
  • Eggs – lutein, B 12, and Vitamin D are all found in eggs. Some brands have more than other, but it’s all good for your eyes.
  • Dark green vegetables – Kale, the superfood, and spinach and broccoli are all stuffed with lutein and zeaxanthin, which help your eyes.
  • Citrus fruit – Great snacks options for children and they’re full of Vitamin C.

As always, you should consult your child’s primary care physician before wholesale changing their diet. Moderation is key with everything and mixing in these foods will help make sure your children’s eyes get the nutrients they need.

For more questions about your child’s eye health, contact Marion’s eye doctor, Royal Oak Eye Care. We’re here to help!

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

image credit: Natalie Maynor on flickr

When our children are young, it can often be difficult to determine when to take them to the eye doctor. But it is important to make sure they are see by an eye doctor to make sure that any potential issues can be addressed. For this, we’ve compiled a list of tips so you’ll know when it’s time to take your child to the eye doctor.

When To Take Your Child To The Eye Doctor
  • When your child’s eyes don’t line up, eyes appear crossed, or one looks out
  • Eyelids are red-rimmed, crusted or swollen
  • Eyes are water or inflammed
  • When your child rubs their eyes a lot, closes or covers one eye, tilts or thrusts head forward
  • If your child squints or complains of things being blurry
  • If your child says their eyes itch or after doing close-up work they complain of dizziness or nausea

Children don’t always understand what’s going on with their bodies, so it’s important that we help them where we can. If you have questions about your child’s eyesight, contact Marion’s Royal Oak Eye Care team, we’d love to speak with you.

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

image credit: Donnie Ray Jones on flickr

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports that every day about 2,000 U.S. workers sustain job-related eye injuries that require medical treatment. We at Royal Oak Eye Care want to make sure we educate the Marion community about the importance of wearing protective eye equipment at work.

These injuries happen because of two major reasons:

  1. They weren’t wearing any eye protection.
  2. They were wearing the wrong eye protection for the job.

If you work around projectiles, chemicals, radiation, or bloodborne pathogens, you need to make sure you are wearing the proper eye protection. You also need to make sure you know the eye safety dangers at your job, while eliminating hazards before starting work.

If you have questions about the proper protection for your eyes, contact the Royal Oak Eye Care team, we’re happy to help you stay safer.

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

We find many Marion residents that like to stretch the limits when it comes to wearing their contact lenses. We often counsel them that contact lens hygiene is critical and so is making sure you’re not overwearing them.

Contact lens overwear syndrome comes from over-extending their contact lens wearing time or by wearing their lenses while they sleep. If you’re one of the many who do this, you need to make sure your lenses are approved for sleeping and that your hygiene is consistent. You should always look to control the time your have your contact lenses in as it is important for your eyes to have rest from them.

If you have questions about contact lens overwear syndrome, contact Marion’s eye doctor, Royal Oak Eye Care. We’re here to help!

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

image credit: n4i on flickr

We all go swimming in pools and most of us think nothing of it. We know that chlorine is present and it really becomes more of an irritant to our skin afterwards than anything else. But we wanted to take the opportunity to let you know that chlorine can impact your eyes and it may not be in a way you think.

Chlorine is used in swimming pools as a great way to control bacteria and to prevent pathogens and disease from spreading. However, when your eyes are submerged in a chlorinated pool, the film of tear across your eyes to protect it is washed away. This means that your eyes are no longer protected from dirt of bacteria. This is important because chlorine cannot entirely eliminate all bacteria or dirt from a pool.

The result, if you’re a pool swimmer, you could possibly be exposed to eye infections like pink eye. Chlorine can also dry your eyes out and leave them red and itchy. Using eye drops can help to restore the tear film needed to protect them. If you wear contacts, make sure to remove them before you swim, but if you do not, make sure to take them out and rinse them immediately following your swim. Goggles are also a great way to protect your eyes if you’re going to be in the pool for some time.

If you have more questions about eye health and chlorine, contact the Royal Oak Eye Care team. We’re here to help protect your eyes!

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

We know that eating the right foods and having routine eye exams are steps to maintain eye health, but one of the lesser thought of tactics is protective eye wear. We want to make sure that you know what to look for when purchasing sunglasses and protective eye wear, so we’ve offered some tips below:

  1. Wear protective eye wear any time that your eyes are exposed to UV light. This can include cloudy days and winter months.
  2. Look for quality sunglasses that offer 99 to 100 percent of UVA and UVB radiation and screen out 75-90 percent of visible light.
  3. Make sure your sunglass lenses are perfectly matched in color and free of distortions and imperfections.
  4. Gray colored lenses are best. They reduce light intensity without altering the color of objects.
  5. Children and teens need sunglasses too. They typically spend more time in the sun than adults do.

For more tips on protecting your eyes in the sun, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to help.

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

image credit: Ramesh Ram on flickr

If you’re one of the many whose eyes are affected by allergies, you know the challenge in attempting to keep them from flaring up. Carrying around eye drops, avoiding going outside all together, and allergy medicines are just a few of the ways that you can care for your itchy eyes, but there’s more to it than just those. So, we want to take an opportunity to help, if we can, by giving you some practical advice for your eyes.

  • Allergens – If at all possible avoid allergens. Pollen, mold, dust and the like can flare up your eyes in an instant. Staying indoors is one way to combat allergens, but dust is inside and so are pets. Using your home’s HVAC system, instead of opening the windows, is another way to help your eyes. The air filters can remove many of the allergens that are in your home and can make their way in your home. Another tip is to make sure you wash your hands often, especially after touching a pet, to make sure you’re not contacting your eyes.
  • Eye Drops & Medicine – Artificial tears can help temporarily by washing the allergens from your eyes, but there’s a lot of options when it comes to medicine. Decongestant eye drops, with or without antihistamines,  oral antihistamines, antihistamines with mast-cell stabilizers, corticosteroids, and immunotherapy shots are just some of the options for medical treatment of itchy eyes. All have advantages and disadvantages. For example, overusing decongestant eye drops, past a couple of days, can actually make your eyes symptoms worse.

It is best to consult your eye doctor as to which medicine will work best for you. Not everyone responds the same and working with your eye doctor, they can help you determine the right formula to control your itchy eyes.

If you have questions about your eyes, don’t hesitate to contact Royal Oak Eye Care, we’re here to help!

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT

image credit: Roadsidepictures on flickr