Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How often do I need my eyes checked?

At Kingsway Eye Care Family Optometry because your comprehensive eye exam is tailored based on your age, visual needs, interests, and your ocular health and medical history along with any family eye history. Your Eye Doctor will let you know when it is best for your next eye exam.

The Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends the following as a general guide:

Early Toddlers (6 months -24 months): symptomatic toddlers as soon as 6 months (or sooner)
Preschool (2 to 5 years): at age 2, annually thereafter
School age (6 to 19 years): annually
Adult (20 to 64 years): every one to two years depending on ocular history
Older adult (65 years and older): annually
Previous Lasik/refractive surgery patients: annually

Individuals with medical health conditions such as glaucoma or diabetes, the frequency of visits as determined by your eye doctor

Q: My eyes seem fine... Why should I get them examined annually?

Changes in our vision usually occur slowly, and often people are unaware that they are no longer seeing 20/20. Also, sight-threatening eye diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration do not cause noticeable changes in our vision when they first begin. An annual eye exam will ensure that you are seeing as well as possible, and can detect any eye diseases in their early stages before permanent vision loss has occurred. Early prevention is the key to maintain eye health longevity. Annual eye exams enable you to monitor and track your visual healthy over time, this is achieved by taking digital retinal images of your eyes and tracking its progress over time.

Q: What if I had laser eye surgery, do I really need annual eye exams?

Many patients are thrilled with their results after laser eye surgery but are unaware of how laser eye surgery works. Laser eye surgery changes the way light enters in your eye by reshaping your cornea. It does not change or improve the overall health of your eyes. Unfortunately, even though LASIK surgery can eliminate the need for contacts and glasses, it doesn’t reduce this heightened risk of eye diseases such as glaucoma. That’s why it’s still important to continue to attend your regular eye exams after having LASIK. According to the journal of Ophthalmology recent evidence suggests that high myopia or near farsightedness is linked to glaucoma, an asymptotic eye disease that leads to permanent devastating vision loss. (Inert hyper link below) Aside from vision loss annual eye exams are important at preserving your vision and marinating optimal healthy. Did you know many LASIK surgical centers require you to have an annual eye with your local optometrist to maintain your lifetime commitment for future laser enhancements?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/30/us-nearsightedness-idUSTRE75T6TR20110630

Q: What does an eye exam involve?

Refer to our 12 step eye examination for a more visual detailed look into each process of your eye exam. Each eye examination is individualized to our patients concerns and needs. A typical examination will include:

Case history intake about your vision, general health, current medications, family history, and any visual demands due to your working environment or hobbies
Assessment of your visual acuity with letters, words, or (for children) pictures on eye charts
Tests of your binocular vision ability to use your eyes together; ability to see depth perception
Refractive and accommodation (focusing) testing
Examination of your eyes from front to back using high magnify microscopes and lenses to look for early signs of eye diseases
Measurement of your eye pressure to asses glaucoma risk using non invasive puff of air test or blue light physical touch of the eye

You eye examination is conducted via digitally secure electronic record keeping. All examinations include a digital retinal imaging of the eyes to establish a benchmark health of the eyes. The taking of retinal imaging is not an OHIP insured service but widely covered by many private insurance plans.

Q: What is 20/20 vision?

This is a ratio used to indicate normal visual acuity. It means that people with ‘normal vision’ on the acuity chart are able to see a certain size level of detail at 20 feet. That detail is calibrated to be the same size in all eye examinations so that visual acuity can be standardized when tested between different offices. The detail viewed could be letters, pictures or numbers. Some individuals have better than normal vision and some have weaker than normal vision. The top number in the ratio indicates the test distance (20 feet) that the target is calibrated for. The bottom number of the ratio indicates the distance at which a person with normal (20/20 vision) would be able to see that size of target. For example if a person had poorer than normal visual acuity, say 20/400 it would mean that the size of the target that this person sees at 20 feet would actually be recognized by the person with 20/20 vision at 400 feet. Conversely, a person with better than 20/20 visual acuity, say 20/15, would be able to see the small detail at 20 feet that a person with 20/20 vision would have to bring closer to 15 feet to be able recognize it.

Q: What do I need to bring to my eye exam, and how long will it take?

Bring your most recent pair of glasses with you. If you wear contact lenses bring your latest box or prescription. Be prepared to provide us with your previous eye and medical history and to let us know if you have any special visual requirements related to your work or recreational activities. Also, a list of medications, eye drops, vitamins, and supplements that you are currently taking is very helpful.

Plan to be in the office for approximately 45 minutes. We recommend bringing a pair of sunglasses for your trip home, as the eye examination can make your eyes sensitive to light.

Q: If I don’t wear my glasses, will it make my vision worse?

This depends on your age and the nature of your prescription. The majority of visual development occurs within the first decade of life; a time during which neural connections form between the eye and the brain. If one or both eyes lack the proper visual stimulation during early development, then central vision will not fully develop. This condition is called AMBLYOPIA or lazy eye. It is for this reason your optometrist recommends that you book your child’s first eye examination at six months of age, at age 2-3, and then annually thereafter. Because of the critical development that occurs throughout these early years of life, children who do not wear the glasses prescribed by their optometrist may not develop to their full vision potential. Concerning adult prescriptions, wearing of spectacle lenses will not make your vision worse or damage your eyes in any way. Unless you are near-sighted and remove your glasses for reading, most adults over 40 years of age will become increasingly dependent on reading glasses. This is not due to the glasses “weakening” your eyes but instead, it is due to the natural aging changes of the crystalline lenses within your eyes. (PRESBYOPIA). Whether you wear glasses or not, your vision will gradually deteriorate over your lifetime. By wearing the spectacle lenses prescribed by your optometrist, you will enjoy increased comfort and clarity of vision at all distances.

Q: How much is an eye exam?

Our $174 examination fees (as of March 1, 2023) are based on the recommended guidelines, as set forth by the Ontario Optometric Association. Each comprehensive examination will include a digital retinal image taken to monitor and benchmark your overall eye health. Retinal imaging is invaluable at evaluating and monitoring retinal diseases. Each eye exam will also include a dry eye assessment a value added service for our patients. Every eye exam will also include an assessment fitting of your current contact lens wear to determine your fit and ocular health are optimized. Our commitment is towards preventative eye care; as such we take great pride in offering services above and beyond traditional offices to achieve this goal. The best achievement for maintaining healthy and longevity of your eyes is through yearly eye exams, a relatively small annual investment when you consider the lifetime we have with our eyes.

Q: Does OHIP cover eye exams?

Effective November 1, 2004 the Ontario Ministry of Health changed the coverage for annual eye care services in Ontario. Currently, OHIP will only provide coverage for the following groups below:

Children Age 0-19: ONE full eye examination annually

Seniors aged 65 and above: ONE full eye examination annually

Adults aged 20 to 64 years: ONE full eye examination annually for people with certain medical conditions such as glaucoma or diabetes.

For more information, please call our office or email us at info@kingswayeyecare.com

Note: Although OHIP does cover basic eye examinations for the certain age groups listed above. There are advanced services performed by our office that are beyond the basic standards of care that OHIP provides and are not covered by OHIP insured services. These service tests are done as medically necessary to improve your overall eye health and prevent retinal diseases.

Q: Do you accept private insurance for eye care services in your office?

Most of our patients will have private insurance coverage for eye care services through their place of employment or purchased on their own. The specific amount of coverage will depend on the details of the plan. New to our office, we offer billing assistance options with most of the insurance carriers making the claim processing a simplified process. Be sure to ask your insurance provider if you are set up for electronic claim processing. For those providers without direct billing options, patients will pay our office directly for their eye care services and will require only an official receipt from our office for the reimbursement. Some private insurers will require forms to be filled out and signed by our eye doctors. Please ask your insurance provider if you are set up for online or direct billing. Please ask us how we can help you with your insurance billing needs. Please inform us what provider you are with at the time of your appointment.

Visagraph

Adults or children lacking in these critical functional visual skills will have problems reading, writing and may even have exhibit behavioural issues. All of which can lead to emotional, physical and visual barriers to long term academic success and stress free visual work day.

Is there a relationship between binocular vision problems and academic success?

Several published studies suggest that the answer is, "yes"

A 2010 study journal BMC Ophthalmology by Dusek at al. investigated the visual functioning of two groups of school-aged children in Austria . The study found that the group of children with reading difficulties was statistically more likely to have visual problems such as poorer distance visual acuity, and binocular problems such as slower reading speeds

The study confirmed the importance of a full assessment of binocular visual status in order to detect and remedy these deficits in order to prevent the visual problems continuing to impact upon educational development.

A similar study conducted by the prestigious Mayo clinic concluded vision therapy benefited for children's suffering from binocular vision disorders. http://newswise.com/articles/view/545210

Who is Vision Therapy for?

Vision therapy is beneficial for individuals with learning related disabilities, patients suffering from post concussion visual symptoms and for patients with strabismus and amblyopia (lazy eye). By understanding our Visual-Vestibular- Auditory Integration one can truly appreciate the benefits of vision therapy. Rehabilitative vision therapy goes beyond eye training exercises, it is the key to unlocking and improving the following deficiencies:

Learning Disabilities

Developmentally Delayed

ADHD

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Traumatic Brain Injury

Athletes – Sports Performance Enhancement

It should be noted that rehabilitative vision therapy is not limited to children, adults gain great success with vision therapy as well. For adults, learning and cognition is delayed after a traumatic brain injury such as concussions or strokes. The success rate of rehabilitative vision therapy is high due to the high motivation factor of adults as they are more in tune and aware of their visual dysfunction. Furthermore, therapeutic vision therapy benefits for adults is in the areas of sports vision and rehabilitative vision therapy is well documented to help to enhance and fine tune oculomotor control for clear comfortable vision.

Rehabilitative vision therapy is a prescribed doctor-assisted, non invasive treatment used to improve, enhance and/or develop visual function so that the visual system runs more efficiently and automatically. This is done by building strong, faster, more connected neural pathways along our visual vestibular auditory integration. This neural integration can take place regardless of age of treatment. Patients learn to use their visual abilities in new or more enhanced ways by participating in various vision training exercises that utilize the use of lenses, prisms, filters, patches and other materials and equipment. Therapy treatments are designed to enhance a set of skills to conscious awareness, practice using those skills to mastery so they become automatic.

How improvements in Visual Skills are related to Learning?

For children, rehabilitative vision therapy offers the ability to treat a child’s core visual processing skills that are directly related to a child’s academic performance and behaviour in school. Rehabilitative vision therapy bridges the gap between what the eyes allow us to see and how the brain interprets that information otherwise known as a ‘Vision Performance Assessment’. In other words, Rehabilitative vision therapy addresses the barriers to academic performance despite seeing 20/20 or not requiring glasses for kids with functional academic problems for kids labelled with learning related disorders, ADHD, and developmental delays.

Visual Performance Assessment

Where to start?

During your comprehensive 12 step ocular health eye exam, our doctors will assess based on the visual signs and symptoms if an individual is in need of an additional Visual Performance Assesement (VPA) to assess an individual’s higher order functional visual skills that goes beyond a routine comprehensive eye exam. A Visual Performance Assessment of functional visual skills will require 2.5 hrs to administer. The performance assessment exam includes a visagraph reading analysis of an individual’s oculomotor efficiency eye control and fixation.

Further higher order functional tests to evaluate one’s visual processing skills are also evaluated. They include the following tests:

Visual Performance Assement

The fee to administer and evaluate this advanced visual performance assessment is $375 and requires an additional visit after the annual eye examination. The time and costs to administer and evaluate this test is not included in your comprehensive eye exam. This advanced diagnostic testing goes beyond the scope of basic OHIP insured services. Following the visual performance evaluation, the doctor will counsel if rehabilitative visual therapy would benefit the individuals visual deficiencies. Rehabilitative Visual Therapy sessions are booked in 45 min in- office therapy sessions. Along with in office therapy sessions, at home supportive therapy activities will be given to strengthen the foundations of the visual skills learned from the office.

Advanced Vision Rehabiliative Solutions

Visual therapy results will vary depending on the severity of the condition, and compliance of the home supportive therapy activities. Expect at least 20 weeks to 40 weeks of therapy needed to rehabilitate the various visual dysfunctions. Please speak to your doctor for further details on prognosis and follow up treatments as needed.

Depending on your insurance carrier and coverage rehabilitative vision therapy treatment may be reimbursed through your third party private insurance. Please inquire with your insurance carrier for coverage limits. Our office does not do direct billing for vision therapy , Detailed receipts will be provided.

Vision Therapy to treat Strabismus and Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

For adults and children who were told, strabismus and amblyopia cannot be treated past a certain age were misinformed. In fact, recent studies by the National Eye Institute on the treatment of amblyopia has shown success https://nei.nih.gov/health/amblyopia

Traditional Strabismus /Amblyopia treatment typically involves prescribing glasses and then passively patching the stronger eye with an eye patch or using eye drops to blur the better-seeing eye while doing daily activities. This is the common traditional approach taken by many medical practitioners for amblyopia and the duration of the patching can vary from two to six hours per day depending on the severity of the amblyopia.

Traditionally, patching and/or prescribing glasses have been used to treat amblyopia, often for children at a younger age. Today, studies have shown that combining vision therapy with patching is a more effective treatment for lazy eye in children and adults than just patching alone.

Rehabilitative Vision therapy treats the Root Cause of Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

The reason vision therapy is so important in amblyopia treatment is that it gets at the root cause: the two eyes do not work in binocular unison and do not perceive visual space the same and therefore do not work together. They can’t produce healthy “binocular” vision or 3D vision. Patching of an eye is a passive form of lazy eye treatment. Vision therapy is the modern day form of active engagement of the amblyopic eye (lazy) so that both eyes work in unison, rather than work independently.

Individuals with amblyopia do not develop binocular vision, so amblyopia is essentially a binocular problem, not a monocular problem as we were misled to believe . Patching is a monocular solution when a binocular solution is needed to prevent amblyopic visual regression.

How do you correct amblyopia (lazy eye)? Our goal at the Academy of Vision Therapy is for strabismic and amblyopic eye patients to train the brain to process information from each eye as equally as possible, and then train to get both eyes to work together (binocular) as a team.

Basically, the two eyes don’t see visual space the same. We’re working to get the eyes to see visual space more similarly, so they can work as a team. The approach taken by developmental optometrists that practice vision therapy generally includes the following steps:

In summary, rehabilitative vision therapy for strabismic and amblyopia patient works by enhancing the biofeedback to teach the brain to blend the information from the two eyes to synergistically work together (3D fusion). Frequently this process can align the eyes without surgery or in some cases remediate or enhance outcomes after surgery is performed to help improve eye alignment, improve depth perception for school, sports, and leisure activities. Successful treatment of strabismus and amblyopia aligns both eyes and creates binocular depth perception for seeing the three dimensional beauty of our world.

Menu