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Vol. LXV, No. 38
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Wednesday, September 21, 2011
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Vol. LXV, No. 38
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Wednesday, September 21, 2011
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 CLEAR VISION: “In my practice, I see patients of all ages, and focus on three specific areas: children, glaucoma, and specialty contact lenses.” An optometric physician (optometrist), Dr. Charles Allen, O.D., F.A.A.O., is shown looking into a bio-microscope slit lamp, which helps to detect external and internal pathology, including glaucoma. |
“On a clear day, rise and look around you …
“How it will astound you …
“On a clear day, you can see forever …”
“And ever … and ever ….”
As the song suggests, seeing everything clearly can make all the difference. For many people, wearing glasses or contact lenses makes this possible. Others may be fortunate enough to see clearly without the aid of glasses, and still others, especially children, may not even be aware they are not seeing clearly.
When advised that he was not seeing the separated posts on a rail fence at a distance, a 9-year-old boy replied: “I thought that was how it was supposed to look.”
All Ages
It is the mission of optometric physician (optometrist) Dr. Charles Allen, O.D., F.A.A.O. of Princeton Eyecare Associates to help all his patients see as well as possible. His practice is located at Princeton Professional Park, 601 Ewing Street, and he treats patients of all ages.
A graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Dr. Allen has practiced in Princeton since 1961. In addition to prescribing corrective lenses, he explains that “an optometric physician can diagnose and treat eye disease and ocular manifestations of systemic disease. Eye examinations can detect many diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, arterial sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Lyme disease, among many more.”
In his practice, Dr. Allen has focused on three areas of specialization: (1) children, including “developmental problems, especially children labeled as dyslexic and ADD/ADHD. The problem can be physical and functional;” (2) glaucoma, and (3) specialty contact lenses.
He has lectured nationally and internationally on the subjects of developmental vision of children, glaucoma, and contact lenses. He is skilled in determining the correct contact lens for the patient and fitting it properly. “I have been able to provide lenses, including bifocals and for astigmatism, to anyone,” he points out. “The youngest patient I ever put contacts on was six days old. The baby was born with congenital cataracts. I have also served as a clinical investigator for contact lens companies and contact lens solutions.”
Dr. Allen’s expertise in diagnosing and treating glaucoma has provided him with “the largest glaucoma practice of optometric physicians in New Jersey,” he notes. He has also participated in glaucoma programs in Pennsylvania and New York. “90 percent of glaucoma patients can be treated with topical drugs,” he explains.
It is often his youngest patients who are in the forefront of his concern, however, and have been since his practice began. He is a strong advocate of early eye examinations for children, even starting at the age of nine months.
Role of Vision
“It is important for parents to get their children an eye test at nine months, even six months,” he explains. “Six months is a good time to have their first check-up, and definitely by nine months. By then, everything to do with the eye should be working. Unlike hearing, which is usually fully developed at birth, vision is rudimentary. The visual system undergoes significant developmental changes in the early years of life, especially during infancy and the toddler ages.”
Dr. Allen is frustrated that not enough children are examined early, often waiting until they go to school. “One of the biggest frustrations in my practice is that the general population in the U.S. ignores the role of vision in children as it relates to the ability to learn to read. Although vision disorders are the fourth most common disability in the U.S., and approximately 2 percent to 5 percent of pre-school children have impaired vision, only 14 percent of pre-school kids will have had their eyes examined by an eye doctor before they go to school. Incredibly, 70 percent will have been to a dentist! Yet the primary modality for learning is through vision, not the oral cavity.
“It has been estimated that 80 percent of learning is acquired through the visual system,” he continues. “The benefits of early diagnosis and treatment of developmental vision problems can improve motor, cognitive, and social development.”
He cites reports from the National Eye Institute, the American Public Health Association, and the Vision Council of America, indicating that “visual impairment in a child is associated with developmental delays and the need for special educational, vocational, and social services into adulthood”; also, “that 25 percent of students in grades K through six have visual problems that are serious enough to impede learning;” and that “it is estimated that 80 percent of children with a learning disability have an undiagnosed vision problem.”
Complimentary Exams
Ned Calogne, M.D., MPH of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has stated that “early testing for vision problems is key to preventing learning disabilities, or in some cases, significant visual impairment in children.”
“There simply has not been enough education on the importance of eye examinations before the child goes to school,” emphasizes Dr. Allen. In an effort to counter this, efforts have been made to bring it to the public’s attention. Last month was “National Children’s Vision and Learning Month”, and in addition, the InfantSEE program has been created. Sponsored by the American Optometric Association and Johnson & Johnson, it offers complimentary comprehensive eye examinations by pediatric optometrists for children between the ages of six months and one year.
“There is no charge whatsoever for this examination. Health insurance companies are not involved, since the office visit and exam is totally free,” explains Dr. Allen. This is so important, he adds, because many eye problems can occur without noticeable symptoms. Many optometrists are participating in the program. For more information, consult www.infantsee.org or call (888) 396-3937.
“Diet, exercise, and sports goggles are all important for kids’ eye health,” points out Dr. Allen. “But with all the advances in science and health, it’s hard to understand why children don’t have their eyes examined before they go to school.
“As they prepare to get their children ready to start the new school year and have paid attention to their clothing needs, lunch box, back pack, and school supplies, parents should place at top priority an examination of the ocular health and vision of their child to assure that they have the visual skills necessary to ‘learn to read’. If there is some defect undetected, then they might not be able to ‘read in order to learn.”
It is not just seeing something, he adds. “It is vision that brings meaning to what you see. My greatest satisfaction is helping my patients’ vision improve.”
Princeton Eyecare Associates is open Monday through Friday and alternate Saturdays. Call for hours. (609) 924-3567.