15230 NE 24th St. Ste. Q Redmond, WA 98052 425-562-2015 Home About Us Eyewear Services Insurance Contact COVID-19 Comprehensive Eye Exams Having your eyes examined annually is one of the most responsible things you can do for your health! At Overlake Eye Designs, we do much more than accurately determining your prescription for glasses and contact lenses. We also thoroughly examine your eyes for many eye conditions including macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and many other diseases. Often, these conditions may not present with any obvious symptoms. Our aim is to identify problems early and treat them at a time when the prognosis is better and treatment options are greater. Our optometrists are also trained to identify evidence of systemic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol by looking at your eyes. These are just a few reasons why it is important to have your eyes examined regularly by an optometrist. While other eye care providers may only be interested in volume and getting the next patient in the chair, we put quality above all else. We want to make sure your vision is clear and your eyes are healthy and that is why we reserve plenty of time for your eye exam. Expect your exam to take about 45 minutes as we allow is plenty of time to review our findings with you and for any questions or concerns you may have about your eye exam. We provide comprehensive eye care services in a comfortable, caring, and professional manner. Our staff has been carefully trained to be responsive to your needs. Please call us at 425-562-2015 to schedule your eye examination today! Contact Lens Evaluation and Fitting Whether you have been wearing contact lenses for most of your life or would like to get started wearing contacts for the first time, this is truly an exciting time in contact lenses. Technological advancements in contact lens design have improved significantly even just in the last few years. Whereas in the not too distance past, many would not be able to wear contacts due to discomfort, dryness, astigmatism, or the need for bifocals, there are now many new options that may provide better outcomes. We recommend a yearly contact lens evaluation in order to keep your eyes fit with the best materials, to ensure the accuracy of your prescription, and to identify any potential problems from the use of contact lenses. It is important to remember that contact lenses are prescription medical devices. Various brands are designed and manufactured differently. What works for one individual may not work for another. The selection of a particular contact lens needs to be based on your vision problems, prescription, eye health, comfort requirements, lifestyle, age, and physiological factors like tear flow. We will discuss the different lens types and brands with you and advise you about the lens choices that are best for you. If you are interested in wearing contacts for the first time, we will schedule time to teach you how to properly insert, remove, and clean your new contact lenses to maximize vision and minimize potential risks. It is important to us that you start this journey on the right foot and we encourage you to ask as many questions as you may have. Contact lenses are considered cosmetic by most insurance companies and therefore the evaluation and fitting portion of your contact lens exam may not be fully covered by your insurance. This additional fee is the responsibility of the patient. If you have any questions about contact lenses, the procedures, or whether you are a candidate, please do not hesitate to call. Computer Vision Testing Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) affects three out four computer users. It is a series of symptoms related to extended periods of computer, tablet, or mobile phone usage. Headache, eye strain, neck and back aches, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, double vision, and dry or irritated eyes are all possible symptoms related to CVS. Measures can be taken to relieve symptoms of CVS. Our focus during your eye exam on your computer related eye issues will determine if there is a need for a computer prescription. The glasses that result from this exam can dramatically increase your visual comfort and productivity when using a computer. Individuals who experience neck and shoulder pain may see a significant reduction in those problems as well. To aid in the determination of an appropriate solution to your computer vision symptoms, a measurement of your computer working distance is important. While you sit in a comfortable upright posture at your work station, have someone else measure the distance between the bridge of your nose and the center of your computer screen. If you use more than one computer screen, please measure each one of them. Be sure to bring in this measurement to your appointment so we can provide the most accurate solution for your needs. Emergency Medical Visits At Overlake Eye Designs, we are always willing to help, should you ever experience an eye emergency. Our office provides emergency services for eye infections, eye injuries and other eye emergencies. State of the art equipment allows us to examine the front surface of the eye and also use a scanning laser to help diagnose inside the eye for irregularities or damage. We accommodate many eye emergencies such as: Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes Flashes of light in the vision Floaters Eye infections Foreign materials stuck in the eyes Eye trauma Scratched eyes Lost or broken contact lenses in the eyes Red or painful eyes Allergies Sports eye injuries Dislodged contact lenses in the eyes Uncomfortable or irritated eyes Studies have shown that an overwhelming number of emergency room visits could have been treated by an optometrist. These ranged from foreign bodies to severe eye allergies to eye infections as the most common reasons for emergency room visits. It is not always necessary to go to an emergency room for eye emergencies. Our optometrists are equipped to treat the majority of eye emergencies. We understand the importance of prompt eye care when you encounter symptoms such as those listed above. Please call us to set up an appointment with us if you are experiencing an eye emergency of any kind. In most cases, we can accommodate you on the very same day. Dry Eye Analysis and Treatment Dry eyes often occur due to a breakdown in the quantity or quality of tears to moisten, cleanse and protect the eyes. This is significant because with each blink, tears protect the surface of the eye, washing away dust and microorganisms. When this protective coating dries up, the eyes may feel “gritty” or burn and can become more red and irritated. Its consequences range from minor irritation to the inability to wear contact lenses and an increased risk of corneal inflammation and eye infections. Some people with dry eyes also experience a “foreign body sensation” – the feeling that something is in the eye. Although it may sound counter-intuitive, sometimes dry eye syndrome can cause watery eyes, because the excessive dryness works to overstimulate production of the watery component of your eye’s tears. There are many potential factors that can contribute to increasing dry eyes. They include: Wearing contact lenses Living in a dry, dusty or windy climate with low humidity Being older than 50. Tear production tends to diminish as you get older Taking certain systemic medications including antihistamines, decongestants, hormone replacement therapy, antidepressants, and drugs for high blood pressure, acne or birth control Blinking less often, which tends to occur when you're concentrating, for example, while reading, driving or working at a computer Eyelid problems, such as out-turning of the lids (ectropion), in-turning of the lids (entropion), or incomplete eyelid closure (lagophthalmos) Having certain medical conditions, including diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, thyroid disorders and vitamin A deficiency Being Female. A lack of tears is more common in women, especially if they experience hormonal changes due to pregnancy, using birth control pills or menopause. Consuming caffeine products Smoking If you suspect that you have dry eye, please schedule an appointment with our doctors. Proper care will not only increase your comfort, it will protect your eyes. Our doctors can perform a series of tests to determine if you have dry eyes and offer remedies specific to your condition. Children's Eye Exams As a parent, you may wonder whether your child has a vision problem or when your child should be scheduled for and eye examination. Eye examination are extremely important for all children. Experts say 5 to 10% of pre-school children and 25% of school-aged children have vision problems. Early identification of a child's vision problem is crucial because, if left untreated, some childhood vision problems can cause permanent vision loss or impact their learning in school. Besides looking for nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism (refractive errors), our eye doctors will be examining your child's eyes for signs of these eye and vision problems commonly found in young children: Amblyopia. Also commonly called "lazy eye," this is decreased vision in one or both eyes despite the absence of any eye health problem or damage. Common causes of amblyopia include strabismus (eye turns) and a significant difference in the refractive errors of the two eyes. Treatment of amblyopia may include patching the dominant eye to strengthen the weaker eye. Strabismus. This is misalignment of the eyes, often caused by a congenital defect in the positioning or strength of muscles that are attached to the eye and which control eye positioning and movement. Left untreated, strabismus can cause amblyopia in the misaligned eye. Depending on its cause and severity, surgery may be required to treat strabismus. Convergence insufficiency. This is the inability to keep the eye comfortably aligned for reading and other near tasks. Convergence insufficiency can often be successfully treated with vision therapy, a specific program of eye exercises. Focusing problems. Children with focusing problems (also called accommodation problems) may have trouble changing focus from distance to near and back again (accommodative infacility) or have problems maintaining adequate focus for reading (accommodative insufficiency). These problems often can be successfully treated with vision therapy. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), infants should have their first comprehensive eye exam at 6 months of age. Children then should receive additional eye exams at 3 years of age, and just before they enter kindergarten or the first grade at about age 5 or 6 For school-aged children, the AOA recommends an eye exam every two years if no vision correction is required. Children who need eyeglasses or contact lenses should be examined annually At Overlake Eye Designs, we are equipped to see all children 4 and above and have a network of pediatric optometrists who we can refer to for those under 4. Experts say that 80% of what your child learns in school is presented visually. Undetected vision problems can put your child at a significant disadvantage. Be sure to schedule a complete eye exam for your child prior to the start of school. LASIK and Refractive Surgery Co-management If you are tired of wearing glasses and contact lenses and are interested in a more permanent solution, perhaps LASIK or another type of refractive surgery may be something you would like to explore. The doctors at Overlake Eye Designs have extensive experience in the pre-operative evaluation and post-operative care of LASIK and other vision correction procedures. Whether you are near or far sighted, or have astigmatism, we can discuss with you how LASIK may benefit you. We will evaluate your eyes and discuss your visual goals to help determine if you are an appropriate candidate for LASIK, PRK or Cataract Refractive Surgery. If you have appropriate goals and there are no contraindications for the procedure, we will recommend a pre-operative evaluation to determine suitability for refractive surgery. At this appointment, we will carefully measure your refractive state, review your eye history and refractive stability, thoroughly inspect your corneal and overall eye health and answer any questions that you may have. If after the pre-operative evaluation, the decision is made to proceed with surgery, your information will be forwarded to the surgeon. Post-operative management will be provided by our doctors at Overlake Eye Designs and includes multiple visits typically over a period of 3 months from the date of surgery to include medical evaluation and management of the vision and corneal healing. Evaluation of any additional needs such as reading glasses, sunglasses, or enhancement laser procedures is also included. If you would like to talk to our doctors about refractive surgery, please schedule a consultation with our doctors today! ONLINE APPOINTMENT REQUEST 15230 NE 24th Street Suite Q Redmond, WA 98052 reception@overlakeeyedesigns.com OVERLAKE EYE DESIGNS Tel: 425-562-2015 © 2017 by Overlake Eye Designs