“COVID IS NOT OVER”. Masks are still to be worn in health care/clinics until the end of April or further notice. Please help us by wearing your mask while in the office and exam room. Once the mask mandate is removed from health clinics you will have the choice. Dr. Myles will most likely continue to wear a mask due to circumstances of the exam and the variety of people seen. This is safer for Dr. Myles and ultimately you. Thank you for your understanding.
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Personal Eye Care Services in Sault Ste. Marie
Dr. Lynda Myles’ clinic in Sault Ste. Marie offers a full range of eye care services for people of all ages. The services provided include routine eye exams, eye disease diagnostics, management and treatment, immediate attention for eye emergencies and prescription products to help you to achieve long-lasting ocular health. When you are in our office, we aim to provide the care you need while keeping the appointment relaxed and comfortable. We work with children, who can sometimes be a challenge, to make sure their ocular health and vision are developing normally. Learning is 80% visual, so good vision is so important for school.
You can get in touch with us to set up an appointment with Dr. Myles at your convenience. Learn more about our key services below.
Our Eye Care Services
Here is a comprehensive list of eye care services we provide:
Comprehensive Eye Exams
Routine eye exams are important, regardless of your age or physical health. During a complete eye exam, Dr. Myles will not only determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses but will also check your eyes for common eye diseases, assess how your eyes work together. A comprehensive eye exam includes reading eye charts to complex texts such as using a high-powered lens to examine the health of your eye tissues. This is done to evaluate the health of your eyes and the quality of vision. Dr. Myles recommends a complete eye exam once a year to keep any issues in check, even if there are no problems presenting themselves to you. Doctors recommend that people with high blood pressure or diabetes and other related health problems, get tested more frequently. The risk of eye disease increases with age and we recommend older patients get tested frequently as well. Learn more about what your eye doctor will screen for, what to expect at your appointment, some of the advanced technology we use, and special considerations for pediatric and infant eye care.
Some experts estimate that approximately 5% to 10% of pre-schoolers and 25% of school-aged children have vision problems. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), all children should have their eyes examined at 6 months of age, at age 3 and again at the start of school. Children without vision problems or risk factors for vision problems should continue to have their eyes examined every year throughout school.
Contact Lens Eye Exam
Contact lenses are a great alternative to wearing eyeglasses. An often unknown fact is that not all patients wear contact lenses as their primary source of vision correction. Each patient is different, with some patients wearing contact lenses only on weekends, special occasions or just for sports. If you decide to opt for contact lens wear, it is very important that the lenses fit properly and comfortably and that you understand contact lens safety as well as hygiene. A contact lens exam at Downtown Optometry will include both a comprehensive eye exam to check your overall eye health, your general vision prescription and then a contact lens consultation and measurement to determine the proper lens fit. Using contact lens eye exams, Dr. Myles is able to fit the lenses according to key measurements of your corneal curvature, pupil or iris size to determine the best vision and lens fit, and also assess your tear film evaluation so that your eyes don’t feel too dry when using your contact lenses.
Once all evaluations are complete, Dr. Myles and her team will take the time to ensure the fit is perfect. A thorough session for just fitting your lenses correctly will be conducted and an assessment will be made to determine how long they can be worn without causing discomfort. We may request that you schedule a follow-up appointment to check that your contact lenses are fitting properly and that your eyes are adjusting properly. If you are experiencing discomfort or dryness in your eyes you should visit your eye doctor as soon as possible. Your eye doctor may decide to try a different lens, a different contact lens disinfecting solution or to try an adjustment in your wearing schedule.
Eye Condition Treatment
Eye problems can range from mild to severe; some are chronic, while others may resolve on their own, never to appear again. The cardinal rule is if your eyes don’t look good, feel good or see well, you should visit your doctor. At Downtown Optometry, several types of eye conditions are treated with the latest technologies and treatments available. Some of the conditions we treat include Astigmatism, Amblyopia (also known as lazy eye), Blepharitis, dry eye syndrome, eye allergies, eye floaters and spots, Hyperopia (farsighted), Keratoconus, Myopia (nearsighted), Ocular Hypertension, Photophobia, Pingueculae and Pterygia, Conjunctivitis (pink eye), Ptosis, Retinal Detachment, Styes and Uveitis.
Dry Eyes
Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a chronic condition that develops when your eyes do not produce and maintain enough tears to keep the eye’s surface lubricated resulting in multiple symptoms that range from person to person. This can be due to a reduction in tear production or increased tear evaporation from a lack of lipid in the tears that stem from oil glands in the eyelids. The effects can range from minor dryness and discomfort to pain, blurred vision and frequent infections. The usual symptoms include dry, itchy eyes, burning or stinging, irritation, watery eyes, blurred vision, pain, foreign body sensation. Our tears prevent a host of infections and conditions that could develop in our eyes. The lack of tear production causes most of these symptoms. Ironically sometimes our eyes produce excess tears in hopes to combat this, causing watery eyes, which in itself causes problems. Dry eyes can occur naturally as a result of ageing or hormonal changes, typically in women who are pregnant, taking oral contraceptives or going through menopause. In fact, women over 50 have a 50% greater risk of dry eye disease than men do of the same age.
Environmental factors can also play a role in drying out the eyes and dry eye disease is common in areas where the climate is dry, dusty and windy. Apart from many other causes, home air conditioners or heating systems and excessive time spent staring at a computer or television screen can also dry out eyes and exacerbate symptoms due to the lack of blinking while staring at our screens. Dr. Myles and her team can effectively diagnose and treat your dry eye disease and provide long-lasting care for your condition. At the clinic, patients can also learn the best prevention methods for contracting dry eye disease.
Eye Disease Management
Preserving the eyesight of our patients so they can get the most out of life is our greatest goal. Downtown Optometry makes it a policy to ensure that all staff members are up-to-date on the latest technology and techniques for eye treatments. As optometric technology changes, it is even more important to visit an eye doctor who has all the right optometry qualifications and follows the latest developments in eye care.
Utilizing cutting-edge technology, we diagnose and manage, with greater precision, diseases like Glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, and Diabetic Retinopathy. Timely and more precise diagnosis means earlier treatment and better outcomes. We can take an aggressive approach to diseases that previously had few treatment options. Great advances have been made in the treatment of these diseases. Some of the conditions we offer management treatments for include cataract surgery co-management, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma testing and treatment and macular degeneration.
Emergency Eye Care Services
Emergency services that require immediate and urgent eye care can be assessed in our office. If we do not feel we can successfully treat the condition the appropriate referral will be promptly made. If your eye is injured, don’t try to judge the severity of it. Immediately seek the opinion of an eye doctor to lessen the risk of hurting your vision. We understand ocular emergencies can arise at any time. Symptoms that require emergency service include, but are not limited to sudden loss of vision, sudden double vision, sudden red or painful eyes, pink eye, new-onset flashes and/or floaters, foreign body in the eye (especially chemicals or metal) and new or worsening pain after eye surgery. We also urge that you do not do the following things when waiting for professional and medical assistance. Do not press or rub the affected eye(s), do not attempt to remove a foreign object resting on the cornea, do not use dry cotton or sharp objects like tweezers on the eye and do not remove an embedded object yourself. We urge you to reach out to a trained eye care professional in all of these circumstances. If you can’t reach us, please go to the emergency department or contact your GP.
Eye Emergencies (Pink/Red Eyes)
Dr. Myles provides emergency services for eye infections, eye injuries and other eye urgencies. Our state-of-the-art equipment allows us to examine the front surface of the eye and also digitally scan inside the eye for infection or damage. Dr. Myles accommodates many eye emergencies such as red-eye, scratched eyes, eye trauma, eye infections, dislodged contact lenses, flashes of light in vision and many more. If anything is stuck in your eye for more than a period of a couple of hours, you must immediately cease all attempts to remove it yourself. Doing so could lead to further damage and negative results. If you find yourself in this situation, it is vital that you seek professional help from a qualified eye care specialist.
LASIK and Refractive Surgery Co-Management
LASIK – Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis – is the most common refractive eye surgery today. As of 2011, over 11 million LASIK procedures have been performed in the United States and as of 2009, over 28 million have been performed worldwide. Often referred to as laser eye surgery or laser vision correction, LASIK is a refractive surgery for the correction of myopia, hyperopia, low vision and astigmatism. LASIK surgery is performed by an ophthalmologist who uses a laser or microkeratome to reshape the eye’s cornea in order to improve visual acuity. For most patients, LASIK provides a permanent alternative to eyeglasses or contact lenses. LASIK is the premier surgery for vision correction. It is quick, almost painless and there is little or no discomfort after the procedure. Vision recovery is rapid – patients report seeing 20/20 within 24 hours. LASIK corrects nearsightedness, farsightedness and even astigmatism. With a technique called mono-vision, it can reduce the need for reading glasses among patients over age 40 who wear bifocals.
Our office does NOT do the LASIK procedure. We can evaluate your ocular health and advise on the procedure. We also can do the follow-up in our office, coordinating with the surgeon. It is, however, important to note that LASIK is an elective procedure and does not always succeed to the patient’s expectations. The results are not always perfect vision and, in some cases, can cause vision to be less clear than earlier. All these facts must play an important role in your decision to opt for LASIK surgery. Dr. Myles also stresses that post LASIK eye care; patients still need to take regular eye exams to keep any related or new issues in check. Regular check-ups will help ensure that your vision remains stable post-procedure. We encourage you to visit Downtown Optometry to learn more details about the procedure and post-op care that we provide.
Low Vision
Low vision is considered a significant vision impairment that usually results from a serious eye disease or injury. The vision loss (either reduced visual activity or reduced field view) can’t be fully corrected with glasses, contact lenses, medication or surgery. Low vision can affect children but is more common in the elderly who are at a greater risk of eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts, which are some of the most common causes for the condition. Low vision can also be caused by heredity, other eye diseases and injuries to the eye or brain.
With significant vision loss, it can become challenging to complete common daily tasks including reading, writing, cooking and housework, watching television, driving or even recognizing people. There are millions of people who suffer from this condition and still manage to function with the remaining vision available to them through the use of visual aids or rehabilitation. Any signs of vision loss should prompt a visit to your eye doctor and if your condition cannot be corrected by eyewear or surgery, low vision aides can help. Dr. Myles and her team can help guide you to get the correct treatment to help you with low vision problems.
Your Eye Health
Learning about your eye health can be overwhelming and complicated. However, we feel it is crucial for you to educate yourself and be informed about the eye care available to you. Dr. Myles and Downtown Optometry can help guide and provide information about the different types of vision problems one can face and the treatments that are available to help manage them. One of the most important tools we have to offer is eye exams which allow you to learn more about vision care. Call us to stay ahead of any eye problems that may arise and the right treatment needed.
