Eye Health: Seasonal Allergies & Itchy Eyes

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, spring time in Edmonton may not be your favorite time of year. Itchy, watery, blood shot eyes and that stringy mucous discharge can make spring time down right miserable. 

If you're like most Edmontonians, you've probably tried every over the counter eye drop in search of relief. In some instances they may do the trick, but make sure to read the label and follow the recommended dosage and frequency. If you're not experiencing relief from these commonly available products, it may be time to see an optometrist. An optometrist can prescribe varies prescription eye drops that can help to reduce or eliminate your ocular allergy symptoms. 

Note: An ocular allergy visits to your optometrist is covered under Alberta Health Care.  

Book your next eye exam in Edmonton with a 
Doctor of Optometry at Stonewire in Kingsway Mall.

Community: Join us for a workout!

Join Dr. Ross McKenzie this Sunday as he works out with the personal trainers of Blitz Conditioning in Kingsway Mall. Every Sunday in February, Blitz Condition is hosting a free full body high intensity interval training session. These workouts are a great way to get your blood pumping and improve your overall personal fitness.

The Details:

• Date: February 1, 8, 15, 22

• Time: 10am to 11am

• Location: Meet in front of the Gap

• Bring: A yoga mat, a sweat towel, water bottle and an open mind.

• Why: Because your body wants you too.

To learn more about Blitz Conditioning, visit their website.

Book your next eye exam in Edmonton with a 
Doctor of Optometry at Stonewire in Kingsway Mall.

20/20 Vision Care: Bring Things into Focus

If the eye chart is a little out of focus in your life, let Stonewire Optometry in Kingsway Mall help put things back in focus. Our Doctors of Optometry are trained to detect and treat various vision conditions, such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism, amblyopia and presbyopia.

An eye exam is a fast, simple and painless way to ensure that you see all life has to offer. It’s recommended that adults have a routine eye examination every 1 to 2 years, while children and seniors should have their eyes examined yearly.

If your optometrist finds even a subtle change in your vision prescription, this can have a dramatic impact on your quality of life. Updating your eyeglass or contact lens prescription can help to improve your night vision, reduce eye strain on the computer and reduce unwanted headaches caused from squinting.

Book Your Next Eye Exam at Stonewire Optometry
Kingsway Mall | Edmonton | Alberta

The Clinic: Are you Looking for an Edmonton Eye Doctor?

Many eye conditions are not immediately apparent and don’t have any obvious signs or symptoms. Having a regular eye exam with a Doctor of Optometry provides them an opportunity to examine your eyes for asymptomatic conditions, while ensuring that your eyeglass and contact lens prescription are up to date.

Stonewire Optometry in Kingsway Mall uses the latest diagnostic equipment to evaluate your eye health and eyewear prescriptions. So if you’re looking for a new optometrist in the Edmonton area, look no further! We would love to become your new eye care providers.

Book your next eye exam in Edmonton with a 
Doctor of Optometry at Stonewire in Kingsway Mall.

EyeTech: OCT Retinal Imaging

Stonewire Optometry is committed to investing in eye care technology that better allows us to  serve the needs of our patients. One of the newest and most advanced diagnostic instruments in our office is our optical coherence tomography scanning laser ophthalmoscope or OCT for short.

This retinal imaging technology allows our optometrists to see the fine details within your eye, helping them to better understand your eye health or visual symptoms. The OCT aids in the diagnosis and monitoring of many common eye conditions, including: age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy.

You can learn more about our OCT by visit our OCT imaging page. You can have your eyes imaged by booking an eye exam at Stonewire Optometry. 

Book your next eye exam with Stonewire Optometry
Kingsway Mall | Edmonton | Alberta

Contact Lens Corner: Have you tried Contact Lenses?

Contact lenses can be a great addition to eyeglasses, once you get over the idea of having to stick something in your eye. Contact lenses have many advantages, especially with individuals who live busy active lifestyles. They can provide improved peripheral vision, they won’t slip out of place when you exercise, and never fog up in the winter. So if you have always wondered about contact lenses, just ask us. We would be happy to educate you on your options.

All contact lens fittings are performed by one of our Doctors of Optometry, ensuring you the best contact lens advice and care for your prescription and unique visual needs.

Book your next eye exam in Edmonton with a 
Doctor of Optometry at Stonewire in Kingsway Mall.

The Clinic: Is Stonewire Accepting New Patients?

Absolutely! Stonewire Optometry clinic would love to become your eyecare provider of choice. Our eye care clinic has multiple Doctors of Optometry on site to ensure that we are convenient for your schedule. Stonewire Optometry is a family focused eye care clinic that accepts patients of all ages. Whether it’s for your child’s first eye exam, your annual contact lens exam, or you need a refill of your glaucoma medication, we are here to help.  

Our optometry clinic is conveniently located on the main level of Kingsway Mall next door to The Bay and Pearle Vision optical. Our eye doctors accept both scheduled and walk-in appointments, along with same day eye emergency services.

Book your next eye exam in Edmonton with a 
Doctor of Optometry at Stonewire in Kingsway Mall.

The Clinic: Remembrance Day

In honor of our Canadian soldiers, Kingsway Mall and Stonewire Optometry will be opening up later on November 11, 2014 to allow our staff and family members to take part in remembrance day ceremonies around Edmonton. Our clinic will be resume normal business hours at noon, on November 11, 2014. Poppy's are available my the main door entrance, with all donations going towards the Royal Canadian Legion, in support of our soldiers. 

Please take the time to take part in one of the many Remembrance day events around the city. To learn more, please visit:  City of Edmonton 

Book your next eye exam in Edmonton with a 
Doctor of Optometry at Stonewire in Kingsway Mall.

Kingsway Mall Events: Santa is Dropping In

Kingsway Mall has confirmed that Santa Claus is dropping by. Bring their Christmas wish lists and get their photos taken up until Christmas Eve. 

Details
Date: November 15, 2015
Time: Noon

After seeing Santa Claus, don't forget to bring your little elves by for their annual eye exam. 

Book your next eye exam in Edmonton with a 
Doctor of Optometry at Stonewire in Kingsway Mall.

Why Is My Colour Vision So Bad?

Every comprehensive eye exam at Stonewire Optometry starts off with a basic colour vision screening test.

Approximately 5-7% of men have some form of colour vision deficiency. 

Women can also have colour vision deficiency problems, but it’s undoubtetly much rarer.

Most colour vision problems are hereditary in nature, but may also be a sign of an ocular condition or side effect of a medication. As such, your optometrist will want to know if the problem is new or long-standing.

Most people honestly never realize that they have a colour vision problem and only discover it during a job application or routine eye exam. The police department, fire department, Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, Airline pilots, welding inspectors and a host of other professions all require successful candidates to possess adequate colour vision. It's often a very negative moment in eye care when an optometrist has to inform a patient that they don’t meet the vision requirements for their dream job. 

Case in point. Meet Jacob, a 22-year college student looking to join the Edmonton police force and fulfil his lifelong dream of becoming a police officer. He finally started the application process and showed up in our clinic with the visual report form to be filled in by one of our optometrists. 

He indicated that he had never had an eye exam, but never needed one because his eyesight was perfect. Before things barely got started, however, we noticed that Jacob did not pass the basic Ishihara colour screening book. The more advanced Farnsworth D-15 colour vision test was performed, which showed a strong red-green colour deficiency.  

To say the least, Jacob was devastated to find out that he had colour vision problems and might not become a police officer. He had never been for an eye exam before and was unaware of any problems.

 

Unfortunately, there is currently no treatment or cure for colour deficiency. However, this may not be the case for long. A recent study performed at the University of Washington and the University of Florida was able to restore colour deficiency through gene modification therapy in monkeys.  

---

Please Note: All case examples are fictitious and do not represent real Stonewire Optometry patients. These case examples are used only to highlight common eye care problems and potential solutions. Every patient’s medical situation is unique, and it is always important to discuss your case with your eye doctor to find your best option. These posts are not intended to offer treatment advice, but to improve patient knowledge and facility better doctor-patient communication. 

---

Book Your Next Eye Exam at Stonewire Optometry
Kingsway Mall | Edmonton | Alberta

Kingsway Mall Events: Halloween 2014

Kingsway Mall and the participating store merchants are once again excited to provide a safe warm environment for children to go trick or treating in.  So dress up your little ghosts, goblins and princesses and bring them to the Kingsway Mall to pick up this years supply of candy. 

Grab yourself a handcrafted Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks and go door to door the civilized way this Halloween.

Event Details

• Date: Friday, October 31, 2014
• Time: 5:00-7:00 PM ** 
• Location: Kingsway Mall 

Book your annual eye exam with a Doctor of Optometry at 
Stonewire Optometry in Kingsway Mall Today.

Eye Awareness: October is Children's Vision Month

Image Via: Alberta Association of Optometrists & Canadian Association of Optometrists

October is children’s vision month and the Canadian Association of Optometrists wants everyone to know the importance of comprehensive eye exams. Approximately 1 in 6 children has a vision problem. The best way to check for vision problems is through a thorough eye examination by a Doctor of Optometry. Vision screenings are great for finding big problems, but they can miss more subtle issues which may impact their learning at school. 

Book your annual eye exam with a Doctor of Optometry at 
Stonewire Optometry in Kingsway Mall Today.

Stonewire Optometry Insider

By joining the Stonewire Optometry insider list you will become privy to all the latest eye care trends and products. 

As an optometry clinic, your email address will never be sold to a third party agency. Stonewire respects your right to privacy. You may elect to discontinue receiving emails at any time.  

Book your annual eye exam with a Doctor of Optometry at 
Stonewire Optometry in Kingsway Mall Today.

Contact Lens Corner: It's probably time to change your contact lenses

Are you like most contact lens wearers who forget to dispose of their contact lenses on time? Then it may be time to find a solution. Over wearing or extending the life of your contact lenses can lead to increased contact lens intolerance, dry eye sensation, and blurry vision. Waiting to change your contact lenses until they become uncomfortable is an eye infection waiting to happen.

If you wear a 2-week disposable contact lens like Acuvue Oasys or Acuvue Advance, then change them with every paycheck. If you wear a 1-month disposable contact lens like Air Optix Aqua Comfort Plus or Biofinity, then change them on the first or last day of every month.

The alternative to these extended contact lens modalities is to also consider switching into a 1-day disposable contact lens like Dailies Aqua Comfort Plus, Acuvue 1-Day Moist, Acuvue TruEyes or the all new Dailies Total 1 and enjoy a clean new contact lens every day.

If technology is more your thing, consider joining Acuminder by the makers of Acuvue Brand contact lenses. This online tool allows you to schedule text message or email reminders for when it’s time to change your contact lenses.

Book your annual eye exam with a Doctor of Optometry at 
Stonewire Optometry in Kingsway Mall Today.

Did You Know? Reading in Dim Light

Reading in dim light will not cause you to go blind, but it can increase visual strain. Dim light causes your pupils to increase in size, which requires your eye muscles to work harder in order to keep the page in focus. This increased ocular effort may lead to headaches or visual fatigue. As such, we usually recommend that people avoid reading in dim light and opt for a nice reading lamp instead.

Book your annual eye exam with a Doctor of Optometry at 
Stonewire Optometry in Kingsway Mall Today.

StoneWire Optometry in Kingsway Mall - Coming Soon!

The all new StoneWire Optometry will be opening up on the lower level of Kingsway Mall next door to Pearle Vision optical on January 7, 2014 @ 1:00pm.

Optometrists Dr. Ross McKenzie and Dr. Jeff Holtz will be providing family focused comprehensive eye care and contact lens services, along with emergency eye care services and ophthalmology referrals. The clinic will offer extended office hours for your convenience including evening and weekend appointments.

To book your next eye exam at StoneWire Optometry in Kingsway Mall, please contact us @ 780.628.6886.

StoneWire Optometry
Kingsway Mall - Edmonton