Online Amsler Grid Test for Macular Degeneration and Other Macular Disorders

The Amsler Grid test is a simple screening test used to assess the area in the back of the eye that is responsible for your most detailed vision (used for reading, seeing facial details etc).  This area is called the Macula and it is located in the center part of the retina (the nerve lining inside the eye – used for sight).

If there are any diseases or degenerations (like Macular Degeneration) that are affecting the Macula – then the Amsler grid test will usually provide early detection that there may be a problem going on.

HOW TO USE THE AMSLER GRID:

Position yourself at about 14-16 inches (about 40 cm) away from the grid.

If you have glasses that you use to read with – make sure you are looking thru the reading part of your glasses

Cover the left eye and use only your right eye to see the grid.

Stare at the white dot in the center of the grid with your uncovered eye.  Keep your eye focused on the dot.  Don’t move your eyes around to see any other part of the grid except for the white dot.  Use your side vision (peripheral vision) to see all the other parts of the grid.  “Glue” your sight to that white dot – don’t move your eye around at all.

While staring at the white dot:

• Can you see all 4 corners of the grid?
• Can you see all 4 sides of the grid?
• Are any of the lines WAVY or MISSING or DISTORTED?   (All lines should look perfectly straight, all intersections should form right angles and all the squares should be the same size.)
• Are ther any holes or “missing areas” in  the grid?

Then cover the right eye and repeat the steps with using the left eye to see the grid.

If you answered “YES” to any of the above questions then you need to see your eye doctor immediately. The eye doctor will examine the back of your eye and your macula VERY closely to determine if there are any medical issues causing these changes on the Amsler Grid test.  Below is an example of an ABNORMAL Amsler Grid Test (note the distortions in the lines):

If you have been told that you have macular degeneration or any other macular disorder, you should be doing the Amsler Grid test at home DAILY.

The Amsler Grid is a great way to monitor your macular health but you should always have yearly eye examinations with dilation when dictated by your doctor.

If you are in need of your annual eye exam in the Fort Lauderdale area – please call Fort Lauderdale Eye Care and Eyewear office at 954-763-2842 for an appointment with Dr Dawn Bearden (Our Optometrist) OR you can request an appointment with our Eye Doctor ONLINE at www.FLEyecareEyewear.com

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Online Eye Test: Find Your Blind Spot In Each Eye – From Fort Lauderdale Eye Care & Eyewear

Everyone has a BLIND SPOT in their vision of each eye.

Take this FUN test to check it out for yourself !!

Look at graphic of the cross and the circle at the top of this post.

Sit at your computer with your nose pointing in between the cross and the black circle.

Cover your LEFT eye and stare at the cross with your RIGHT eye.

Now SLOWLY move towards the computer screen while still staring at the cross with your RIGHT eye.

At somewhere around 10-14 inches from the computer screen – the black circle will disappear and the area where the black circle was…will now be all white – this is your BLIND SPOT.

If you move closer to the screen or farther away –  the circle will re-appear.  At just the right distance – the circle will disappear.

Now try the OTHER eye…but this time cover your RIGHT eye and look at the CIRCLE with your LEFT eye…..move closer and you will see that the CROSS now disappears!!

Your eye has an inner lining which is made of a sheet of nerves.  This sheet of nerves is responsible for your vision and what you see and it is called the RETINA.  There is a “hole” in the sheet where the Optic Nerve enters the eye.  This area is called the Optic Nerve Head.

Photoreceptors are cells in the retina that detect light and allow you to perceive “vision”.  On the optic nerve head there are NO photoreceptors.  Thus, there is no light or vision detected at this spot in the retina.  This is your “Blind Spot”.  Every eye has a blind spot….your blind spot in your right eye is slightly on your right and your blind spot in your left eye is slightly on your left.

Your brain automatically “fills in” the blind spot area for you…..

Now try it AGAIN with the above green and yellow graphic….but this time you will notice that when you move to just the right distance , the circle will disappear and your brain will fill in your blind spot WITH YELLOW when you are looking with your right eye (left eye covered)….and your brain will fill in your blind spot WITH GREEN when you are looking with your left eye (right eye covered)!!  Your brain automatically matches the surrounding colors when it “fills in” visual information for you.

Cool huh??

Your brain can even “fill in” missing information for you…..in the above graphic, you’ll notice that when you cover your left eye and look at the cross with your right eye – the brain will “fill in” your blind spot (the area where the circle is).  You will see that your brain fills in the line for you.  Keep looking at the cross – don’t look back at the circle – or you will will see the circle again.

Try it AGAIN with the above graphic while looking at the cross with your right eye (cover your left eye) – your brain will put a red circle where your blindspot is….it is “filling in” the “missing information” !!

Amazing.

If you need an eye exam in the Fort Lauderdale area – give us a call at 954-763-2842 or request an appointment ONLINE at www.FLEyecareEyewear.com   Our Optometrist is Dr Dawn Bearden – she has been an eye doctor for over 17 years!

 

Graphics fromSerendip….check out their very informative  website at http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/blindspot1.html

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Online Eye Test For Astigmatism from Fort Lauderdale Eye Care and Eyewear

Astigmatism is a visual condition caused when some surfaces of the eye are oval shaped….like a football or an egg. These surfaces in the eye that are oval shaped can be the cornea (the front of the eye) or the lens (inside the eye). Most often astigmatism is caused by the cornea being oblong or oval shaped.

This oblong shape causes the light rays that enter the eye to be distorted and not focus properly on the retina in the back of the eye. If you have uncorrected astigmatism, you can have various symptoms such as blurry vision, eyestrain, tired eyes, headaches or fatigue.

Here are several links to websites that have online testing for astigmatism. Check them out!!

CLICK HERE for ONLINE ASTIGMATISM TEST #1

CLICK HERE for ONLINE ASTIGMATISM TEST #3

CLICK HERE for ONLINE ASTIGMATISM TEST #4

Astigmatism can be quickly and easily corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses (called astigmatic or toric contacts) or Laser Surgery (called Lasik).

If you feel that you may have astigmatism and you need correction OR if has been more than 12 months since you have seen an eye doctor…..its time for you to schedule an eye exam! 

If you need an eye exam in the Fort Lauderdale area – you can call our office at 954-763-2842 or schedule an appointment ONLINE at www.FLEyecareEyewear.com. 

Our Optometrist is Dr Dawn Bearden.  She has been an eye doctor for over 17 years!!

Astigmatism Diagram courtesy of:

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ONLINE Appointments Available for Eye Exam or Contact Lens Exam in Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale Eye Care and Eyewear now offers ONLINE APPOINTMENTS for eye exams and contact lens exams by Optometrist, Dr Dawn Bearden.   You can click the picture above or just go to our website at www.FLEyecareEyewear.com to request your appointment.

Dr Bearden is an eye doctor that has been practicing Optometry ince 1997 in the Fort Lauderdale Area.  Online appointments are easy and convenient for patients who need to get their annual eye exam or contact lens exam scheduled 24 hours per day / 7 days per week.  You can also call our office during office hours at 954-763-2842 if you need to speak to someone about any questions that you may have.

We look forward to seeing you soon!!

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Video Testimonial: A Mom Talks About Her Son’s Vision and His Problems In School

This is a story of how an eye exam can actually change the course of a child’s life.

Jennifer is a loving mother of an 5 year old little boy. Her son is absolutely adorable and a really good child yet, in school he was being labeled a “difficult / problem child” and a “disturbance in the classroom”. He often did not want to pay attention in school, frequently “acted out” and even threw his books. He just did not seem to be interested in reading or learning – at ALL.

As a mother, she knew that this behavior in school seemed a bit odd and out of character for the sweet, loving boy that she knew her son to be at home. The comments from the school really alarmed Jennifer that something was definitely wrong.

Her young son had passed his Pediatrician’s vision screening, AS WELL AS the school vision screening but, acting on motherly instinct – she ignored the comments that “his vision is fine” and took him to see the Optometrist, Dr Dawn Bearden, for a routine eye exam.

During the routine eye examination – Dr Bearden discovered that Jennifer’s son was able to read the eye chart with just a little bit of blur but, he needed eyeglasses to correct the strain that he was feeling while reading. Once the strain was relieved from wearing the glasses full time…the child suddenly became more attentive in school and began reading ALL THE TIME.

Actually, he loved reading SO MUCH that he won an award from his kindergarten teacher for reading!! He even received an award from the school’s Principal for “Most Improved Reader”…he actually read 26 books within 30 days. WOW!!

Jennifer is now a HUGE advocate to have children get eye exams from an eye doctor and for parents NOT to be lulled into complacency by their child passing a vision screening. Her child could have gone through life in the classroom being labeled a “problem” and a “disturbance” simply because he could not see well and his eyes were being strained in school.

Jennifer states the following in her video:

No matter how well a parent THINKS their child sees well or if a child is labeled a “problem” in the classroom because he does not pay attention…it may just be because he can’t see well.

The eye exam has made a HUGE difference and my son has excelled, he is doing wonderful and his behavior is like “night and day”!

“I’m a big ADVOCATE…get your child checked by a (eye care) professional!!”

Dr Bearden can be reached at Fort Lauderdale Eye Care and Eyewear

954-763-2842 or online at www.FLEyecareEyewear.com

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Video Testimonial: Artist Susan Scott talks about Her Eyeglass Success With Dr Dawn Bearden

Susan Scott is a local artist and patient of Dr Dawn Bearden .  She had previously always had a problem finding an eye doctor who could address all of her creative and artistic visual needs.

One day she was having problems doing an art project and her friend, Evelyn (who is an artist and a patient of Dr Bearden) recommended that Susan go to see Optometrist, Dr Dawn Bearden.

This is Susan’s story…

While Susan and Evelyn were doing an art project together – Susan had THREE pairs of eyeglasses in front of her and still seemed to be having difficulty seeing what she was doing. None of the glasses seemed to meet her artistic visual needs. She felt that she just could not find an Eye Doctor that could give her a prescription that would allow her to see clearly enough to create her art.

After Susan was recommended to Optometrist, Dr Dawn Bearden, from her friend, Evelyn, she realized that Dr Bearden is ALSO an artist. Evelyn originally met Dr Bearden Evelyn because Evelyn was teaching Dr Bearden how to make stained glass art at her store – Glass By Design. Dr Bearden is also passionate about photography. Dr Bearden started taking pictures around age 12 when she was in middle school, she had minored in Photography in College and also had recently attended the Ft Lauderdale Art Institute for Photography. For as long as she can remember – Dr Bearden has ALWAYS had a camera in her hand. Susan felt a connection with Dr Bearden because she felt that they were both artistic and creative individuals. She felt at ease because she knew that THIS particular Doctor would understand her specific visual needs.

After the eye exam, Susan was very happy with the thoroughness of the eye examination. She FINALLY received a glasses prescription that met ALL of her artistic visual needs and she was impressed that the Doctor answered all of her questions in a very clear manner in which Susan could completely understand.

Susan recently moved to Washington, DC – BUT, she still plans yearly trips to South Florida so she can come to see Eye Doctor,  Dr Dawn Bearden,  for her annual eye exam.  Dr Bearden can be found at Fort Lauderdale Eye Care and Eyewear at 954-763-2842 or ONLINE at www.FLEyecareEyewear.com

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Eye Charts for Children – Fort Lauderdale Eye Care and Eyewear

Around 10 million school children in America have vision conditions that can negatively affect learning. This can be prevented by taking kids to get their first formal eye exam with an Eye Dr in an Eye Clinic BEFORE they enter school. A child’s first eye test with an Eye Doctor should be done between ages 3 and 4. At Fort Lauderdale Eye Care and Eyewear, our Optometrist, Dr Dawn Bearden begins to see children at age 5-6.

A child does NOT need to be able to verbalize or know their alphabet for the examiner to perform a comprehensive eye examination.  There are numerous eye charts for children!!

Lea Flip Chart

Allen and Lea charts have pictures or shapes on them that youngsters can identify. The Broken wheel chart allows the child to tell the examiner which wheel on the car is “broken” . The Tumbling E chart (also known as the illiterate chart) allows a child to just POINT in the direction that the “legs of the E” are pointing in.

Allen Picture Eye Chart

Often our children can not express to us when they are having problems with their vision. They may not even realize that they are experiencing vision problems. Sometimes children will try to compensate for vision issues by closing one eye, rubbing their eyes excessively, squinting, skipping over words or loose their place when they are reading.

Kids may start having difficulty in school due to an “unknown” reason. A recent study indicated that up to 60 percent of youngsters that have been identified as “problem learners” or “learning disorder” actually suffer from an undetected visual condition.

A vision problem is not suspected in many children because they were able to pass the school vision screening or the pediatrician vision screening. These children may still have visual issues but, they were not detected on the screening. Only a comprehensive eye exam, done by an Eye Doctor (Optometrist or Ophthalmologist) will be able to detect subtle vision problems.

Broken Wheel Eye Test

Vision issues need to be detected and corrected before age 7 to prevent lifelong problems such as lazy eye (amblyopia), eye turn (strabismus), learning disabilities and behavior problems.

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Video Testimonial: Starlene Carter Talks About How A Routine Eye Exam Pupillary Dilation Saved Her Vision

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Starlene Carter came into Dr Dawn Bearden’s Optometry office near Fort Lauderdale in January 2001. She was in the area and decided to stop in to schedule an eye examination for herself the following week. She was not intending to get an eye exam that day – her plans were to spend that day shopping!

Our office staff convinced Starlene to go ahead and get her eye exam that same day since the office was not busy and the Doctor (Dr Dawn Bearden) would be able to see her right away. Starlene agreed but, was insistent that she would NOT have her pupils dilated that day. Her shopping was waiting and she did not want to “mess up her day” with that “dilation thing”. Our staff members told her that the Doctor would talk to her during the exam about the importance of dilation. Still Starlene would just not be convinced….

When Starlene met Dr Bearden for the first time – Dr Bearden began to explain and stress the importance of pupillary dilation. Dr Bearden explained that this was Starlene’s first eye exam in our office, there could be a multitude of eye diseases or problems that Starlene may be unaware of (because most eye problems do NOT cause any symptoms like blurry vision, headache, eye pain etc) and that Dr Bearden may NOT be able to detect these issues if Starlene did not allow the Doctor to dilate her pupils. Dr Bearden also explained that Florida laws requires your Optometrist to dilate your pupils on the initial eye exam when you have an eye exam with a new Optometrist. Reluctantly…..VERY reluctantly….Starlene finally agreed.

This simple decision absolutely saved Starlene’s vision.

During the eye exam, all seemed very normal. Starlene had no family history of eye disease, she was able to see 20/20 in each eye with her new glasses prescription, she had NO eye pain, NO headaches, NO discomfort, her eye pressures were normal, her blood pressure was normal, good color vision etc. But, when Dr Dawn Bearden dilated Starlene’s pupils – she saw 2 very LARGE retinal tears (retinal detachments) in Starlene’s right eye that posed a HUGE threat to Starlene’s vision in her right eye. These tears could have eventually caused blindness in her eye had they not been detected during the dilation and then properly treated.

Immediately, Dr Bearden called Dr Jay Levy – who is a local ophthalmologist who specializes in surgery of the retina. Dr Bearden sent Starlene to see Dr Levy – who did surgery on Starlene’s right eye to repair the retinal tears in her right eye.

Starlene is now a loyal patient of Dr Dawn Bearden’s. She is still able to see 20/20 in each eye and has had no further problems from the retinal tears that were surgically repaired by Dr Levy. Each and every year during her routine eye exam with Dr Bearden, you can find Starlene out in the waiting room telling her story to ALL of the other patients in the office. She does a GREAT job in educating people and everyone that she comes in contact with about the importance of yearly eye examinations and the VITAL importance of pupillary dilation.

It saved Starlene’s vision…..and it can do the same for you and for the people in your life who come in for their annual eye exam!

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New Eyeglass and Contact Lens Technology to Help With Dyslexia and Reading Disorders in the Fort Lauderdale Area

Fort Lauderdale Eye Care and Eyewear is proud to announce that they now offer a new eyeglass lens technology that is helping many people in the Fort Lauderdale Area with reading difficulty from Dyslexia and Reading Disorders.  The lens filters are from a company called Chromagen.  The patented and FDA approved, light gray lenses offer a non-invasive treatment for visual reading difficulties often found with Dyslexia and reading disorders stemming from other disorders like ADD and ADHD.

Dr Dawn Bearden is currently the only Optometrist in the Fort Lauderdale area that is approved to fit the Chromagen Lenses.  If you are interested in a consultation – you can call our office at 954-763-2842 or request an appointment ONLINE at www.FLEyecareEyewear.com.

The theory is that the light coming from each eye enters the brain at different speeds thus causing visual problems like “swimming, scrunching or moving” words on the page, words “popping up” from a page or even blurriness or doubling of words.   Sometimes even the spaces between the words seem to appear to move.  ALL of this makes it difficult for the person to read comfortably and effectively.   These patients usually read much slower than others because of these problems.  As a result, they usually don’t like to read due to symptoms of tiredness, headaches or nausea.

CLICK HERE to take a test to see if Chromagen Lenses May Be Able to Help You or Your Child.

Eye Doctor, Dr Bearden, says that the Chromagen filters “alter the speed of the light going into each eye individually to make the light enter the brain at the same time from each eye”.  This makes the words easier to read because the symptoms of words moving, poping out, doubling etc are stopped by the Chromagen filtered lenses.  A noticible improvement in reading speed and word comprehension is seen in 2 out of 3 cases.  Usually patients with Chromagen lenses report that they now read faster, easier and comprehend more.  They actually LIKE to read now!

Dr Dawn Bearden has seen that these lenses can prove to be life altering.  She has fit these lenses on BOTH children and adults with great results.  The Chromagen fiters come in both spectacle eyeglass lenses and contact lenses.  And the results have been truely remarkable.  One patient was in her 60’s and suffered with Dyslexia her entire life.  Dr Bearden fit her with the Chromagen lenses and a HUGE smile came across the patient’s face “Oh My God…..I LOVE these lenses…..everything is just SO much better.”  It was astonishing to hear this patient read before and after the Chromagen lenses.  Without the lenses she read slower and more strained.  With the lenses it sounded like she was speed reading!

Its interesting to note that the ability to read and comprehend is the foundation of a quality education.  And people with a strong education tend to earn more money over their lifetimes and enjoy a better quality of life.  Contact  Fort Lauderdale Eye Care and Eyewear at 954-763-2842  if you know anyone with reading difficulties who can benefit from this breakthrough technology.

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Lenscrafters Independent Doctor of Optometry – Dr Dawn Bearden – from Pembroke Pines and Sawgrass Mall in Sunrise – move to Fort Lauderdale Eye Care and Eyewear!

Dr Dawn Bearden (Independent Doctor of Optometry Next to Lenscrafters) have moved out of their location next to Lenscrafters. Visionary Eyecare and Optometrist,  Dr Dawn Bearden, were located next to Lenscrafters in Pembroke Pines and Sunrise (INSIDE SawgrassMills Mall) for almost 15 years but, have now relocated to East Ft Lauderdale.

Eye Doctor, Dr Bearden is still seeing patients in Broward County and now seeing her patients for eye exams  in East Ft Lauderdale at Fort Lauderdale Eye Care & Eyewear located at 1489 SE 17th St  Suite 2J in Fort Lauderdale FL 33316.  The office is on 17th St Causeway – just west of the 17th St bridge, Port Everglades and Bimini Boatyard.  We are in the Southport Shopping Plaza with Office Depot and Ross.  We are on the second floor – above Wells Fargo Bank and next to Diamante Day Spa.

All patient records and all of the high tech computerized equipment from Visionary Eyecare have been moved to this new location on 17th St in East Ft Lauderdale.

CLICK HERE for MAP 

The website for Fort Lauderdale Eye Care & Eyewear is www.FLEyecareEyewear.com and you can find them on Facebook at FLEyecareEyewear and YouTube at FLEyecareEyewear

The phone number for Fort Lauderdale Eye Care & Eyewear is 954-763-2842  and you can email them at FLEyecareEyewear@aol.com

Visit their BLOG at www.FLEyecareEyewearBLOG.com

We are sad to leave all of our friends at LensCrafters but, it was time to move on.  We will miss LensCrafters but, we are excited for our new venture at Fort Lauderdale Eye Care & Eyewear.  Call us if you need an appointment for an eye exam 954-763-2842.