Haven’t Seen the Eye Doctor Recently? 3 Reasons to Make An Appointment

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It’s important to see your eye doctor in Champaign, IL if you have glasses or if you’re at risk for eye diseases. Seeing your eye doctor can help you keep your eyes healthy, and can also help you maintain good vision. Below are three good reasons to see your eye doctor if you haven’t had an appointment recently.

1. Your Eye Doctor Can Diagnose Eye Diseases

Your eye doctor can diagnose eye diseases when you get a comprehensive eye examination. During these examinations, your eye doctor will dilate your pupils to see far into the back of your eye. If you’re at risk for conditions like glaucoma or macular degeneration, or if you have a condition that puts you at higher risk for eye diseases (like diabetes) seeing the eye doctor on a regular basis is important.

2. Your Prescription May Have Changed

If you have eyeglasses, your prescription may change over time. Seeing the eye doctor will catch these changes, so you can update your corrective lens prescription. This helps ensure that you can see clearly when you’re engaging in activities like driving, riding a bike, reading, and so on. Being able to see clearly is important, and it can be a matter of safety as well. Your eye doctor can help ensure that you’re able to see when you need to.

3. It’s Fun to Get New Glasses

Any time you get a new corrective lens prescription, it’s a good chance to get new glasses. Getting new glasses can be fun, especially if you like to follow glasses trends or coordinate your glasses with your outfits.

Ready for an eye exam in Champaign, IL? Call your eye doctor to make an appointment. Call Champaign Eye Professionals today.

Your Eyes Are Itchy? What to Know

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Itchy red eyes can have many potential causes. If your eyes are itchy, not knowing why can make it hard to treat the problem. While it’s helpful to see your eye doctor in Champaign IL, you can get a head start on identifying the cause of your itchy eyes. Below, we’ve listed the potential causes of this problem.

Possible Causes of Itchy Eyes

There are many things that can cause your eyes to become itchy. Below are some of the most common potential causes.

Allergies

Allergic reaction can cause dust, dander and pollen to cause the eyes to become itchy. If you have seasonal allergies, you’ll probably notice your eyes becoming itchy and red at the same time each year.

Dry eye

Dry eye is a condition that can be caused by various medications, environmental factors and contact use. Strangely, if you have dry eye, your eyes may also start to water, as they compensate for the dryness in the environment.

Eye strain

Eye strain occurs when you stare at a lit screen or at something similar for a long period of time. Over time, you’ll notice your eyes becoming itchy and red.

Infection

Eye infection, particularly conjunctivitis, can cause itchiness as well as discharge. This is a very contagious condition that should be treated as soon as possible.

Airborne irritants

Airborne irritants like smoke can irritate the surface of the eyes, causing a variety of symptoms, including itchiness.

What You Can Do

If you’re suffering from itchy, red eyes, talk to your eye doctor. Make an appointment with Champaign Eye Professionals to get your eyes examined in Champaign IL. Call today to get your appointment on our schedule.

3 Surprising Ways Eyes Can be Injured

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Your eye health is of paramount importance to your Champaign, IL eye doctor. With regular eye doctor appointments, you have the best chances of maintaining your vision for a lifetime. However, there are certain precautions you need to take at home, too. There are a surprising number of ways that eyes can be injured during everyday activities.

1. Paper Cuts

You wouldn’t think that something as innocuous as paper could endanger your vision. But consider an incident that happened a while back when a seated employee turned her head at the precise moment that her colleague, standing behind her, went to pass a piece of paper onto the desk. The resulting paper cut to the cornea was successfully treated, but this demonstrates how small accidents can cause great damage.

2. Tanning Beds

Many teens and young adults visit tanning beds, not knowing how dangerous the lights are to the eyes. Not wanting to have a ring around their eyes where the goggles are, they remove their goggles during the session. Hours later, they have scratchy, painful eyes that are swollen and red, with blurred vision on top of everything else. Injuries from tanning beds are not uncommon. If it happens once, chances are the eyes can recover after a day or two. But abusing the eyes in this way can eventually result in vision reduction.

3. Woodworking

Woodworking is a common pastime of Champaign, Illinois residents. Just be sure to wear safety goggles the entire time. Otherwise, the eyes are vulnerable to wood chip debris that flies through the air during cuts. There’s also the chance of wood chip dust, which is in the air, to make its way into the eyes.

A little bit of caution and care can prevent accidents like these. If you do have an eye injury, contact your eye doctor in Champaign, IL right away for help.

Do You Have VSP Insurance? What to Know

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If you’re going to your eye doctor in Champaign IL, then it’s important to know how you’ll pay for your visit. While some people pay for their vision care out of pocket, many have VSP insurance. At Champaign Eye Professionals, we make it our mission to help our patients keep their vision care affordable. We accept a range of insurances – here’s what you need to know.

What Is VSP Insurance?

VSP Vision Care is a popular form of vision insurance. Though VSP is often offered through employers, this type of insurance can also be offered to individuals for a relatively low rate. You can see for yourself what kind of plan you might be eligible for on theVSP website. Keep in mind that VSP might be offered through your job, so if you aren’t sure yet whether you have VSP, check with your employer.

What’s Covered Under My Plan?

Every plan varies, so if you’re choosing an individualized plan for you and members of your family, review the plan before paying. VSP often offers services like frames, vision exams, comprehensive eye exams and more. Since VSP can be personalized to your needs, know what you want in advance before signing up.

Does Champaign Eye Professionals Accept VSP?

At Champaign Eye Professionals, we take VSP insurance and can help our patients navigate their insurance to get the most out of their plan. If you’re not sure what kind of services you can get through VSP, check in your online VSP account, or call VSP if you have questions.

You can also call the professionals at Champaign Eye Professionals! Call today to make an appointment or just to ask your questions.

Why Does The Eye Doctor Dilate My Eyes?

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When you go to the eye doctor in Champaign, IL for eye examination, your eye doctor may choose to dilate your pupils. If you’re going to the eye doctor for an examination, it helps to know what dilation is, why it’s necessary and when you can expect dilation. Here’s what you should know about this common practice.

Reasons for Eye Dilation

When your eye doctor dilates your eyes, the pupils widen. This allows your eye doctor to see inside your eyes. This unencumbered view into your eyes allows your eye doctor to see irregularities and potential eye problems that could be developing inside your eyes. Your eye doctor will dilate your eyes to check for diseases that are not easily visible from the outside of your eyes.

Will the Eye Doctor Dilate My Eyes With Every Exam?

Unless there is a good reason to dilate your eyes, your eye doctor will likely not dilate your eyes with every eye exam. If you are at risk for certain eye conditions, like diabetic retinopathy, your eye doctor may dilate your eyes more frequently than if you were at low-risk for eye conditions. Your eye doctor may tell you when you make your appointment that your eyes will be dilated, but you can also find out if dilation is likely by asking your eye doctor.

What to Expect When Your Eyes Are Dilated

When your eyes are dilated, you’ll experience sensitivity to light. You may also have difficulty focusing on certain objects. Wearing sunglasses can help protect your eyes during this time. Your eye doctor will let you know if you need a ride from your eye appointment.

It’s important to check your eyes for diseases and other conditions. If you’re due for an eye examination in Champaign IL, contact your eye doctor at Champaign Eye Professionals.

Common Eye Conditions: Presbyopia 

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Presbyopia may sound serious, but in reality, it’s something that happens to most of us as we age. It’s a fancy term to describe your eyes’ inability to focus close-up as you get older. If you have presbyopia, you may need corrective lenses to see things up close, such as the small print in a book or newspaper. Your eye doctor in Champaign, IL, can tell you more about this eye condition that affects millions of people every year.

What Causes Presbyopia?

Presbyopia happens when the lens of your eye becomes less flexible due to age. Usually, symptoms begin appearing around age 40. Small print becomes more difficult to read, and you may have trouble seeing well enough to perform close-up, routine tasks, such as threading a needle. When you’re young, the lens of the eye is softer and more pliable. It’s able to change shape more easily, allowing you to shift focus between objects near and far away. As the lens ages, it loses some of that flexibility. And what was once easy to see, becomes blurred.

What Are the Symptoms of Presbyopia?

Symptoms of presbyopia are similar for everyone. Over time, it becomes more and more difficult to see close-up objects clearly. You may be forced to hold your book or newspaper further away to focus on the print. And you may suffer headaches or eye strain after a session of doing close-up work, such as sewing.

Treatment Options in Illinois

Presbyopia isn’t something to fear. In fact, it’s a very common occurrence. Treatment usually involves eyeglasses that bend the light before it reaches the lens of your eye. Other options may include refractive eye surgery or lens implants.

If you’re struggling with age-related vision changes in Champaign, IL, schedule an appointment today with Champaign Eye Professionals.