1. AVDC is an accredited residency program
Residency: Pediatric Optometry and Vision Therapy and Rehabilitation
Arkansas Vision Development Center is a nationally accredited residency site providing a residency in Vision Therapy Rehabilitation and Pediatric Optometry. AVDC is a private practice located in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The staff consists of Dr. Wanda Vaughn, an associate doctor, a resident doctor, board certified vision therapists, and a team of members dedicated to providing the best care for our patients.
Residency Highlights:
- Private practice experience and education on billing, insurance, and practice management.
- Full scope optometry: general practice of all ages with emphasis on the pediatric population and visual development.
- Resident time is split between the general practice and vision therapy side seeing patients.
- Weekly doctor meetings help guide research and learning on selected topics, including article reviews and case presentations.
- The resident works closely with vision therapists and assist in care and management of therapy patients
- Special equipment includes Sanet Vision Integrator (SVI) by HTS, Wayne-Saccadic Fixator, Welch-Allen Spot Vision, Vivid Vision Virtual Reality, Visual Evoked Potential (VEP), ReadAlyzer.
Residency Missions:
- To provide advanced clinical training in pediatric optometry and vision therapy rehabilitation in a private practice setting.
- Develop an expert clinician in a family optometric practice and master the diagnostic, management, and treatment of vision disorders in a variety of patient types.
- Create a foundation for the resident to be knowledgeable in practice management and skilled to efficiently lead and operate a practice with emphasis in providing vision therapy rehabilitation with success.
2. IPL treatment
With up to 49 million people in the US suffering from dry eyes, why do so many keep living with the frustration of foreign body sensation, pain, blurry vision, dry and watery eyes? There is a new safe and effective solution for dry eye disease. OptiLight by Lumenis® is a non-invasive treatment done in the area below the eyes. The technology utilizes light to offer a comfortable procedure with no downtime.
OptiLight by Lumenis® was designed for patient comfort, in both its gentle application in the area below the eyes and the very limited time commitment required. With only four treatments of 10-15 minutes, 2-4 weeks apart, you could effectively manage your dry eye with no downtime.
Still have questions? Give us a call to schedule a consultation.
3. Myopia Control treatment: Misight provider
Misight
Other contacts utilized for myopia control
Atropine
What is Myopia?
A “near-sighted” eye can see up close, but needs glasses to see clearly far away. This happens because the eye continues to grow. Unfortunately, the delicate tissue in the back of the eye does not continue to grow and becomes stretched and unhealthy.
Rates of myopia are increasing!
More people have myopia and they have higher prescriptions than ever before. This trend will increase in the coming years.
- Ethnicity
- Parent’s glasses prescription
- Onset before age 9
- Limited outdoor time
- Excessive near work
These last two are the only two factors we can change which is why we encourage everyone to set down their phones/ laptops and go outside!
Why treat?
Life is easier without glasses. People with high prescriptions are completely reliant on glasses or contacts to see.
Myopia is a disease that endangers vision. The risk for side effects increases as the glasses prescription increases. These problems could cause blindness later in life.
There is no safe amount of myopia.
Myopia control
“Myopia control" is the term used to describe specific treatments to slow the progression of nearsightedness in children.
There are four primary categories of myopia control treatments: atropine eye drops, multifocal contact lenses, multifocal eyeglasses and orthokeratology (ortho-k).
Myopia control is important because it may help reduce the risk of vision-threatening complications associated with high myopia later in life — including glaucoma, cataracts, retinal detachment and even blindness.
Bifocal Glasses
These glasses are designed to reduce strain and growing signals that come from doing lots of work up close. They are the least likely to cause complications but may not be effective enough on their own.
Eye Drops
Low dose atropine blocks the signal that leads the eye to grow. Studies show a significant slowdown of myopia with low side-effects. Your child will still need to wear glasses to see.
Soft Multifocal Contact Lenses
These specially designed soft contact lenses send a "stop signal" for further growth. In addition, they may reduce eye strain when reading. The complication rate is no higher than normal soft contact lens wear.
WHAT WE DON’T DO:
Do Nothing
Left untreated and unmonitored the signal to grow remains leaving your child at risk for blinding complications later in life.