The Alberta Government provides coverage for annual eye examinations for people under 19 and over 65 years old. As well as coverage of medically necessary exams to assess and manage red eyes, foreign body removal, sudden vision changes, glaucoma, post operative care for cataracts and retinal disease for all age groups.
For more details click on this link or call us to discuss your particular situation.
Did You Know?
"Eye See... Eye Learn®" is a project that was designed to ensure eye health and/or vision problems weren’t a factor in preventing children from reaching their full learning potential. Parents of ECS (Kindergarten) students are encouraged to obtain comprehensive eye health and vision examinations for their children through local optometrists or ophthalmologists. Children in this age group have a 14% chance of having vision problems that can affect the learning process and often present with few if any symptoms or complaints. If glasses are prescribed, one free pair is made available by the generous support of our industry sponsors.
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When do I have to be worried about UV protection for my eyes?
All year round is the short answer, and here is why. We often reach for our sunglasses only on sunny days in the spring and summer, but even on cloudy and cool days our eyes need protection from UV rays. Activities around water and snow, which reflect UV, can add to your exposure. Regular unprotected exposure to UV can increase your risk for eye diseases like cataracts, macular degeneration, pterygiums and skin cancers on the eyelids. Regular use of sunglasses, which block UV will reduce these risks. We offers a wide variety of UV blocking sunglasses to protect your eyes and our team can talk to you about how to reduce your risk of UV related eye diseases.
What is Glaucoma and why should I be concerned about it?
Glaucoma is a disease of the eye that can first damage our peripheral vision and then can proceed to reducing our central vision and lead to blindness if not treated. There are several types of glaucoma but in the most common, primary open angle, there are no signs or changes a person would notice until late in the disease process. With this type of nerve damage, once we lose our nerve tissue it does not regenerate, so early detection important in preventing functional loss of vision./p>
If glaucoma is suspected, close monitoring maybe recommended or if detected, drops can be used to lower the pressure of the eye to stop progression. Risk factors for glaucoma include: relative with glaucoma, age, diabetes, hypertension, high nearsightedness, prolonged use of steroids, previous eye injury or surgery, migraine headaches and vasospastic symptoms (cold hands and/or feet).
Got Itchy Eyes?
Spring is here, the grass is green, leaves are on the trees, and flowers are ready to bloom. Seasonal allergies can affect your eyes with symptoms like itching, redness, burning, puffy swollen lids, discharge and reduced contact lens comfort. Our Optometrists can diagnose your condition and discuss treatment options that will provide relief and get you back to enjoying the spring.
What should I do when noticing flashes and floaters in my vision?
New onset flashes and floaters may be associated with a retinal tear or detachment, which is a serious condition that can permanently reduce your vision. The timeline between diagnosis and treatment is important to increase your chance for vision recovery. At first sign of these symptoms, it is recommended you come in for examination of your eyes that will include drops to dilate or open your pupils so that the peripheral retinal can be viewed. If no tears are detected, close follow up maybe required to monitor for early changes in the retina. Certainly if you have any concerns or questions about changes in your vision, we can help.
When should my child have their eyes checked?
Children can’t always tell you when they are having problems with their eyes. If you start to notice that your child is struggling in school or are having a difficult time concerning, a vision problem could be the root of the problem. So much of learning is visual and if the eyes are not performing optimally, then the learning process can be also delayed.
Children’s first eye examination should take place at 6 months, second at age 3 and then annually as their eyes continue to mature. This way, visual problems can be detected early and addressed so that development is not impeded during this critical period.
As you get your child ready to return to school, don’t forget to make sure their eyes won’t hold them back. Alberta Health Care covers eye examination for children up to age 19.