Robert Parks, Optometrist

Blog Update: Signs of Retinal Detachment -- the 3 F's

Signs of Retinal Detachment -- the 3 F's If you are seeing the 3 F's, you might have a retinal tear or detachment and you should have an eye exam quickly.The 3 F's are:Flashes - flashing lights.Floaters - dozens of dark spots that persist in the center of your vision.Field cut – a...

Blog Update: Blepharitis, a Common Eye Condition

Blepharitis, a Common Eye Condition Red, itchy, swollen eyelids are often due to a condition called blepharitis. Blepharitis tends to be a chronic condition due to thick eyelid mucous gland production that sticks to the bases of the eyelashes. This adherent mucous can allow...

Blog Update: When Your Contacts Are No Longer Cutting It

When Your Contacts Are No Longer Cutting It More middle-aged and older adults are wearing soft contacts than ever.And one of the biggest reasons they stop wearing contacts is the difficulty they face reading with their contacts after presbyopia begins to set in around the early...

Blog Update: Why Daily Contacts Are So Popular

Why Daily Contacts Are So Popular When soft contact lenses first came on the scene, the ocular community went wild.People no longer had to put up with the initial discomfort of hard lenses, and a more frequent replacement schedule surely meant better overall health for the eye,...

Blog Update: Catch These Vision Conditions Early

Catch These Vision Conditions Early What do amblyopia, strabismus, and convergence insufficiency all have in common? These are all serious and relatively common eye conditions that children can have.Did you know that 80% of learning comes through vision? The proverb that states ”A...

Blog Update: Do You Know About MIGS?

Do You Know About MIGS? For over 40 years the standard surgical treatment for glaucoma was a procedure called a trabeculectomy.In a trabeculectomy, the ophthalmic surgeon would make a hole in the wall of eye to allow fluid from the inside of the eye to flow out of the...

Blog Update: Healthy Life, Healthy Eyes

Healthy Life, Healthy Eyes Living an overall healthy life is good for your eyes. Healthy vision starts with healthy eating and exercise habits.There's more to complete eye health than just carrots. Are you eating food that promotes the best vision possible? Learn what...

Blog Update: Ummm...Why are you wearing those?

Ummm...Why are you wearing those? What’s up with people wearing those big sunglasses after cataract surgery?The main reason is for protection - physical protection to assure nothing hits the eye immediately after surgery, and protection from sunlight and other bright lights.We...

Blog Update: This Might Just Be the Most Important Test Your Child Will Take

This Might Just Be the Most Important Test Your Child Will Take Is making an appointment for a comprehensive eye exam for your children on your back-to-school checklist? It needs to be.No amount of new clothes, backpacks, or supplies will allow your child to reach their potential in school if they have an...

Blog Update: Charles Bonnet Syndrome and Visual Hallucinations

Charles Bonnet Syndrome and Visual Hallucinations Have you ever heard of Charles Bonnet? He was a Swiss naturalist, philosopher, and biologist who first described the hallucinatory experiences of his 89-year-old grandfather, who was nearly blind in both eyes from cataracts. Charles...

Blog Update: An Eye on Fireworks Safety

An Eye on Fireworks Safety Fireworks Eye Injuries Have Skyrocketed in Recent YearsFireworks sales are exploding across the country through the Fourth of July. As retailers are blazing their promotions, we and the AAO are shining a light on this explosive fact--the number...

Blog Update: Your Makeup Could Be Drying Out Your Eyes

Your Makeup Could Be Drying Out Your Eyes Dry Eye Disease affects more than 5 million people in the United States, with 3.3 million being women and most of those being age 50 or over. And as people live longer, dry eye will continue to be a growing problem.Although treatment options for...

Blog Update: Frame Your Face

Frame Your Face Choosing a new pair of eyeglasses can be a daunting task.Making a decision on what style glasses you will be wearing for the next year until your vision is checked again can be stressful. This is one of the many reasons opticians are here for...

Blog Update: What Is Causing My Eyes to Change Color?

What Is Causing My Eyes to Change Color? It's pretty common for eye doctors to have older patients come in asking if the white part of their eye, the sclera, has a growth or is turning a gray color.Usually, the culprit is senile scleral plaque, which is commonly seen in people over the...

Blog Update: What to Know About Dropless Cataract Surgery

What to Know About Dropless Cataract Surgery After cataract surgery, there are two main issues we try to control: preventing infection and controlling inflammation. Traditionally, we prescribed antibiotic eye drops to prevent infection, as well as steroid eye drops to control...

Blog Update: The Solution for Your Contact Lens Care

The Solution for Your Contact Lens Care Oftentimes, contact lens wearers will skimp on their lens care because some of the solutions are costly and it seems like a good way to save some hard-earned cash. But this is not a good idea. Cutting corners can result in infections or...

Blog Update: 6 Reasons to Wear Great Sunglasses

6 Reasons to Wear Great Sunglasses Sunglasses are more than just a fashion statement - they’re important protection from the hazards of UV light.If you wear sunglasses mostly for fashion that’s great--just make sure the lenses block UVA and UVB rays.And if you don’t wear...

Blog Update: 7 Tips for Your Best Eye Exam

7 Tips for Your Best Eye Exam The eye holds a unique place in medicine. Your eye doctor can see almost every part of your eye from an exterior view. Other than your skin, almost every other part of your body cannot be fully examined without either entering the body (with a...

Blog Update: Eye Anatomy Crossword Puzzle

Eye Anatomy Crossword Puzzle Want to check your work? Or need some help? You can find the answers here.

Blog Update: How to Deal with Your Scary Red Eye

How to Deal with Your Scary Red Eye At some point, you might be the victim of one of these scenarios: You rub your eye really hard, or you walk into something, or you just wake up with a red, painful, swollen eye. However it happened, your eye is red, you’re possibly in pain, and...

Blog Update: Why You Shouldn't Try to Get By with Just Contact Lenses

Why You Shouldn't Try to Get By with Just Contact Lenses There is an old adage in the eye care industry--Glasses are a necessity, contact lenses are a luxury. Ninety-nine percent of the time this is absolutely true. In the absence of unusual eye disorders or very high prescriptions that don’t allow a...

Blog Update: The Lowdown on Low Vision

The Lowdown on Low Vision Recent Census Bureau data shows a population of approximately 71 million baby boomers . What does that have to do with low vision you may ask? Approximately 40 million people worldwide have some sort of...

Blog Update: Why Dilation Reversal Drops Are Not Currently an Option

Why Dilation Reversal Drops Are Not Currently an Option Getting your eyes dilated can be inconvenient – dilation makes your eyes light sensitive, which can make it difficult to read books or use phones and computers for a few 4 hours. So wouldn’t it be great to have another drop to reverse the...

Blog Update: Macular Degeneration, Cataracts, and You

Macular Degeneration, Cataracts, and You We are frequently asked if it’s wise to have cataract surgery if you have Macular Degeneration. Let’s start with some background. Cataracts and Age-related Macular Degeneration are both leading causes of visual impairment in the...

Blog Update: Eye Safety for the Upcoming Solar Eclipse

Eye Safety for the Upcoming Solar Eclipse Mark your Calendars!!! On Monday, April 8, a solar eclipse will be visible across the entire continental United States and most of Canada. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon blocks any part of the sun, and with this one, the vast majority of...

Blog Update: 12 Terrible Eye Jokes

12 Terrible Eye Jokes Why did the guy try to avoid eye surgery by rubbing ketchup in his eyes? He had heard that Heinz sight was 20/20. Patient: “Doc, I get a stabbing pain in my eye every time I take a sip of coffee." Doctor: “Have you tried taking the spoon...

Blog Update: Why Are My Eyes Red?

Why Are My Eyes Red? There are many things that can cause your eye to turn red. The eye looks red when the blood vessels that are in the conjunctiva becomes dilated. Those...

Blog Update: What to Know Before Your First Eye Injection

What to Know Before Your First Eye Injection A common in-office procedure is an eye injection for treatment of various eye conditions, such as wet macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, or vein occlusion. It is normal to be anxious prior to your first eye injection but knowing...

Blog Update: What You Should Know About Intraoperative Aberrometry Before Your Cataract Surgery

What You Should Know About Intraoperative Aberrometry Before Your Cataract Surgery What Is Intraoperative Aberrometry? Yes, that is a mouthful, but the concept isn’t quite as hard as the name. An Intraoperative Aberrometer is an instrument we can use in the operating room to help us determine the correct power of the...

Blog Update: What's a retinal detachment and what are the symptoms?

What's a retinal detachment and what are the symptoms? The retina is the nerve tissue that lines the inside back wall of your eye. Light travels through the pupil and lens and is focused on the retina, where it is converted into a neural impulse and transmitted to the brain. If there is a break in...