Our Eye Care Blog & FAQ's

Children should have their first routine eye exam at 6 months of age and then annually thereafter. Since babies and toddlers have no way of knowing if what they see is "normal" and "clear" or not, having a comprehensive eye exam is the best way to ensure their eyes and vision is developing properly. In children, this should always include a cycloplegic refraction, read more about this here.

Myopia is near-sightedness. In children, this is partially hereditary and partially caused by environmental factors. In children when their myopia progresses, it is often because the eye is growing too long.  Studies show that if we can move the focal point of light in front of the mid peripheral retina we can slow the progression of myopia.  We can do this using specialty contact lenses, myopia control glasses, or a special concentration of atropine eye drops.( You can learn more about myopia in a video by Dr. Capo here. Or in our blog here.) The increased use of cell phones and computers, as well as less time outdoors, is probably a contributing factor.

An optometrist is a healthcare professional who is licensed to provide primary vision care. They are kind of like the family doctors of eyes. Their scope of practice includes routine eye exams, glasses and contact lens prescriptions, and medical management of certain eye diseases and conditions. An optometrist completes an undergraduate degree (3-4 years) and then a professional degree (4 years) at an accredited optometry school. Optometrists can then go on to complete a residency, which is a year of additional training with a specific focus on one area of practice. Read more about these specific optometry experts, like Dr. Capo, here. 

An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who is licensed to practice medicine and perform vision-related surgical procedures. They manage complex medical conditions. Optometry often refers to ophthalmologists for further management or surgical care. Ophthalmologists complete an undergraduate degree (3-4 years), medical school (4 years), a residency in ophthalmology (5 years), and an optional fellowship (1 year).

An optometric residency is additional training with focus in a particular area. Dr. Capo completed a residency in pediatrics, binocular vision, and vision rehabilitation. This means she obtained extra knowledge and training in these areas. Here at A B See, Dr. Capo chooses only to practice her areas of expertise. She welcomes pediatric patients for both routine eye exams and vision rehabilitation. This includes all children with diverse abilities and needs. She welcomes adults only if they have special needs, have a strabismus or amblyopia (lazy eyes), or if they need vision rehabilitation, such as after a concussion or for a low vision exam. 

Dr. Capo chose to pursue this additional residency training because she loves working with children. She grew up teaching swimming lessons to children with diverse abilities and loves problem-solving and outside-the-box thinking that the vision rehabilitation world brings. 

Vision therapy is an individualized doctor-supervised program. It is used to treat eye conditions, such as convergence insufficiency (poor eye alignment and coordination) or amblyopia (“lazy eye”). Through Vision Therapy, Dr. Capo aims to improve important visual skills, such as eye tracking, eye focusing, and eye teaming. Without these visual skills, simple tasks like reading or copying notes from the board become difficult. Some common symptoms include using a finger while reading, blurry near vision, double vision, eyestrain, and headache. How do we know if vision therapy is needed?  First, a visual skills assessment is needed. You can read more about visual skills assessments here, or book an appointment here. 

There are some conditions which evidence suggests can be treated by vision therapy, such as convergence insufficiency, accommodative insufficiency, and amblyopia. ( Learn more about those here.) An evidence-based provider, such as Dr. Capo, will provide an honest evaluation and recommendation based on your child’s symptoms and the examination findings. This is done through a visual skills assessment. you can read more about visual skills assessments here, or book an appointment here.  She also works closely with other providers, such as neuropsychology, pediatric physiotherapy, and pediatric occupational therapy, to accurately determine the best and most cost-effective therapy for your child.

Yes, see our blog about the difference between evidence-based and behavioral optometry here. 

Low vision rehabilitation is a specialized process aimed at helping individuals with significant visual impairments maximize their remaining vision. It involves a comprehensive assessment by an optometrist with training in low vision, such as Dr. Capo. The assessment helps to identify the extent of vision loss and the individual's specific needs. Rehabilitation plans often include training in the use of visual aids, adaptive techniques for daily activities, and environmental modifications to enhance safety and independence. The goal is to improve quality of life by enabling individuals to perform tasks they might have found challenging due to their vision loss. It also includes psychological support to help patients cope with the emotional impact of reduced vision. Read more about Dr. Capo’s approach to Low Vision Rehabilitation here.

Blue light is part of visible light and has a wavelength close to UV rays on the light spectrum. It is naturally produced by the sun, given off by fluorescent light bulbs, and emitted by LED screens on computer monitors, tablets, and smartphones. The eye's natural filters do not block blue light well.  Evidence shows that blue light can affect sleep, so it is recommended to use a blue light blocker or change your computer and phone settings 2 hours before bed. There is little evidence showing blue light is harmful to the visual system and contributes to health problems in the eyes. 

A child's ability to learn is strongly dependent on having a normal visual system. Visual acuity (being able to see the 20/20 letters on the eye chart) is only one aspect of about 17 visual skills that are required for reading and learning. Children should be assessed with a gold standard eye exam annually to ensure there are no visual clarity or coordination challenges creating a barrier to learning. (Read about the gold standard pediatric eye exam here. )

Children do not know that they cannot see. They also do not know what comfortable vision should feel like. Someone with perfect distance vision can still have focusing challenges up close.(Watch Dr. Capo on Kelowna Now explaining the difference visual clarity challenges in children and why eye exams are so important for functioning at school here. ) Our pediatric eye exams also look for visual coordination challenges, such as difficulty with the eyes focusing, working together as a team, and aligning. Someone with a perfect 20/20 vision can be struggling with a coordination problem. 

Read our pink eye blog here.