EYE HEALTH
Your Eye Health Resource
At Burlington Eyecare we are proud to have been your eye health resource for over 50 years, and we will continue to be there when you need us. We believe that it is important to stay informed about your eye care, which is why we have compiled this tab of eyecare resources for you.
What is Optometry?
Optometry is a healthcare profession that involves the examination of the eyes, as well as all related visual systems, for defects, abnormalities, and diseases. Though Optometry was originally focused solely on the correction of vision using spectals; modern Optometry, however, also has a significant focus on ocular disease prevention, management, and correction.
In many countries in the world, including Canada, professions in the field of Optometry are established and regulated by a number of official bodies. In Canada and Ontario, these bodies include:
the Canadian Association of Optometrists, Ontario Association of Optometrists,
the College of Optometrists of Ontario, and
the College of Opticians of Ontario.
What is an Optometrist?
Optometrists are doctors of Optometry, more commonly known as “eye doctors”, with extensive training in ocular disease, vision loss, and visual abnormalities. It is believed that Optometry first emerged in the 14th century, and was traditionally focused on correcting refractive errors in the eye using eyeglasses.
Today's Optometrists, however, also regularly diagnose and treat various eye-based conditions
including low vision, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and more. Our Burlington eye doctors are all highly-trained eye specialists, able to detect both disease and visual abnormalities through professional eye exams. These Burlington Optometrists perform both adult eye exams and children's eye exams.
Why Get a Professional Eye Exam?
Your annual eye exam
is an important part of your healthcare routine, because in addition to your prescription, your doctor also checks for a variety of ocular diseases and conditions. Adults should aim for an eye exam annually, and children should complete their first exam between 2 and 5, but we recommend before they start school.
Common Eye Care Myths
Can my contacts get lost in my eyes?
Your contacts cannot get lost behind your eyes! Sometimes if you bump or rub your eye, your contacts can dislodge, or fold in half, and get stuck behind your upper eye lid. If this happens add a few contact lens rewetting drops to your eye, close your eye, and gently massage it. If the issue persists, or if you are uncomfortable, contact our Burlington Optometrists for assistance!
What causes watery eyes?
Though it seems strange, watery eyes can actually be a sign of dry eye! Dryness of the eye can sometimes over-stimulate your tear production mechanism, resulting in "reflex tearing". This reflex tearing does not stay long enough to correct the dry eye, however, so we recommend checking out our Dry Eye Clinic.
If I can see, do I need an eye exam?
Eye exams are an important part of your regular healthcare routine, regardless of whether or not you need glasses!
Routine eye exams can test for a variety of conditions, many of which do not have obvious symptoms, including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and more.
Will glasses make my vision worse?
Many people believe that glasses cause your eyes to rely on them, damaging your sight over time. This is not true. An incorrect prescription can cause eye strain, but it cannot harm your eyes.
Regardless of your age, the correct pair of glasses will improve your life.