Boise Eyecare and Vision Information Resource

No. After recommended wear time, contact lenses can deteriorate in quality and are no longer safe for your eyes. You’re putting your eyes at risk for serious eye infections due to lack of oxygen to your eyes from deteriorated lenses and accumulation of bacteria. We also recommend not sleeping with your contacts. Recent studies have shown increased risk of infection in those sleeping in lenses. The risk increases with number of nights worn. We also recommend that all contact wearers have current prescription eyeglasses as backup in case of infections or to use when your contacts are out of date.

Check out ClearView Family Eyecare for the best in Boise Eyecare.

Here is the education that we typically give when we dispense a pair of eyeglasses.

First, ANY change in prescription will mean that you will need to adapt to the new glasses for a period of about 2 weeks. For at least the first 2 weeks, don’t switch back and fourth between new and old glasses. Wear only the new glasses and wear them as much as possible.

It is normal for you to experience a strange sensation when you are adapting to new glasses. This is called the swim effect. You may perceive it as things moving in a strange way near the edges of the lenses especially when you get up or move around. This is a common part of adapting to new lenses and will fade away over the first 2 weeks if you wear your glasses frequently.

LENS CARE:
Many times people will accidentally scratch their lenses by cleaning them improperly. On order to avoid that, please follow these steps when cleaning.
1) Only use 100% cotton cloth OR the micro-fiber lens cloth to clean the lens. Do NOT use paper towel, Kleenex, tissue paper, toilet tissues, or shirts to clean you lenses. Do not use towels or shammys used for cars.
2) Make sure there is no dirt on your lens or lens cloth. Dirt will act like sandpaper when trapped between a lens and cloth.
3) You may wash you eyeglasses with soap and water. The type od soap is important. Use only CLEAR LIQUID HAND SOAP. Do not use dish washing soap. DO NOT use any soap that has color to it. For example white, pink, or blue hand soaps are colored due to the abrasive hand cleaner. Those are great for getting grease of your hands but will scratch your lenses.
4) DO NOT USE WINDEX, GLASS CLEANER, AMMONIA, or ALCOHOL on your lenses. You will damage your lenses and void the warranty. If you need to spray you lenses use only eyeglass lens spray available at a pharmacy. It must say “safe for all lenses” or “safe for lens coatings” to be acceptable.
5) Every month or two, you may want to wash your lens cloth. You may use liquid soap for that. Don’t use very much. 1-2 drops will do. Hand wash the cloth with hot water and rinse until no more soap comes out of it. Hang it on a towel rack and it will be as good as new.

Dr. Nicholson is an optometrist in the Boise and Meridian Idaho area.

Yes. High blood pressure can affect your eyes if uncontrolled or untreated. If you are under observation for high blood pressure, it is important to follow your doctor’s orders and take your medication. High blood pressure can cause sight threatening eye disease. The retinal vessels within the eye can develop local closures leading to bleeding or lack of oxygen to the eye. It is important to have your eyes examined and dilated regularly to detect early signs of hypertensive retinal disease. If your eye doctor discovers signs of high blood pressure, don’t delay. Seek care from your medical doctor.

Dr. Nicholson is an optometrist in Boise / Meridian Idaho.

High pressures in the eye can damage the inside of your eyes and cause permanent vision loss. Risk factors of glaucoma, aka “sneak thief of sight”, includes being 40 years or older, having a high prescription, diabetes, or family history of glaucoma. The most common type of glaucoma develops slowly and painlessly. A rarer type occurs rapidly and can cause pain, redness, and blurred vision. Treatments include eye drops, medicines, laser treatment, or surgery to lower the pressures. Glaucoma cannot be prevented, but if found and treated early with a comprehensive eye exam, further vision loss can be prevented or slowed.

Dr. Nicholson is an optometrist in the Boise/ Meridian Idaho area. He urges you to get your eyes checked regularly regardless of vision changes.

Generally no. If you’ve never worn glasses, you’re used to seeing blurry and perceive it as normal. However, once vision is corrected with glasses, you see things clearer. If you remove your glasses after few months of wearing them, you see blurry again. It’s not that your vision became worse. It’s that your perception that has changed and your visual expectations are higher. Now that you know the difference between clear and blurry vision, it’s more difficult to accept the blurry environment. Also, over time, it is common to experience gradual vision changes, whether you wear glasses or not. There is one exception however. For younger children with still developing visual systems, inappropriate eyeglasses may influence proper vision development. The best advice is always seek comprehensive, routine eye care from a trusted practitioner.

Dr. Nicholson is an optometrist in the Boise, Meridian Idaho area.

Computer vision syndrome can cause eye strain, fatigue, burning, and headaches. Computers do not, however, damage the visual system. First, you should have a comprehensive eye exam to evaluate your vision. This could find that you simply have an uncorrected refractive error (need for glasses). You may need computer glasses that would alleviate the strain on your eyes. Special occupational lenses, anti-reflection lens coatings, or glare free computer screens may help. Also, it is helpful to take 3-5 minutes out of every hour to rest your eyes, looking at objects more than 20 feet from you. As always , I recommend regular comprehensive eye health and vision exams, regardless of vision status to rule out any eye health issues.

Dr. Nicholson is a optometrist (vision and eye health doctor) practicing in the Boise / Meridian Idaho area.

This is a natural part of the aging process in which the previously flexible lens inside your eye loses its flexibility, making it difficult for you to focus on close objects. It is not a disease and it cannot be prevented. First symptoms usually become noticeable in the early 40’s and progress until 55-60 years of age. Signs include the tendency to hold reading materials at arm’s length, blurred vision, and eye fatigue or headaches at near, reading, or computer distances. To correct this, your eye doctor can prescribe reading glasses, bifocals, progressive (no-line) lenses or possibly contacts.

Dr. Nicholson is the proprietor of ClearView Family Eyecare in Boise ID. He focuses on complete eyecare, prescribing accurate eyeglasses, and performing ocular health exams for all patients.

No. A comprehensive eye examination consists of several components. First is a series of “pre-tests”. These can include visual acuity, color vision, eye muscle function, depth-perception testing, and others. Next a refraction is performed, where the doctor evaluates your need for glasses or contact lenses. The last component is monitoring the eye health by testing the pupils, vision field, and eye pressures, followed by evaluating the internal structures of the eye. We recommend dilation of the eyes a minimum of every 1-2 years for adults and every year for school aged children.

Dr. Nicholson in an optometrist who believes in the importance of routine eye heath examinations regardless of vision. He practices full scope optometry in Boise ID.

During dilation, an eye drop is used to enlarge the central dark pupil, which is actually an opening into the deeper parts of the eye. With the enlarged pupil, specialized equipment is used to examine structures deep within the eye. Dilation is used during comprehensive eye examinations to check for any signs of early eye disease such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, or other disorders. It is also used to monitor different stages of eye disease. Interestingly, advanced stages of diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol can often be detected during the dilated eye exam.

Dr. Nicholson is an Optometric Physician practicing full scope optometry in Boise Idaho. He focuses on vision maintenance and early eye disease prevention through dilated fundus exams, as well as routine refraction with eyeglasses or contact lenses.

This will be a forum for discussing anything related to eyecare, vison, optics, ocular disease, and just plain ‘ol anything that comes to mind in the field of optometry. we hope this will develop into a useful resource over the years ahead.

Dr. Nicholson is an optometric physician practicing full scope optometry in Boise Idaho. He focuses on vision maintenence and early eye disease prevention through dilated fundus exams, as well as routine refraction with eyeglasses or contacts