Eye Examinations, Treatments & Preventative Care in North Battleford, SK

No matter the age of the patient, River Valley Eye Care in North Battleford can offer eye examinations and preventative care, as well as treatment for potential problems. We work with infants, children, adults and seniors, and our goal is to keep your eyes healthy for a long time to come. Learn more below, or contact us today to get started.

Children’s Eye Examination

Did you know that 80% of everything a child learns, understands, and remembers is acquired through his or her visual system? Vision is very important in the learning process. What's worse is that 1 in 4 children have undiagnosed vision problems that affect their learning. Sometimes the problem is misdiagnosed as ADD (attention deficit disorder), ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or dyslexia.

It is important that children receive comprehensive visual exams before starting kindergarten and then every year thereafter. We recommend starting no later than 2 years of age, and earlier if there are concerns that the infant is struggling, especially with a turned eye or eyes that do not appear to work together. Children frequently do not complain about having blurred vision and vision screenings at school are not sufficient as a basis for diagnosing problems with eye coordination. A comprehensive exam may find a visual problem missed during screenings, and your eye doctor can recommend treatment.

Very often we advise testing of the vision in young children by using eye drops that temporarily eliminate the ability to strain the focusing system. We often discover that corrective eyeglasses are needed to relax excess strain on the focusing system for developing and maintaining comfortable vision. Certain forms of vision therapy can also be necessary and helpful for developing and maintaining comfortable vision.

Your child may suffer from a visual problem if they exhibit any of the following characteristics:

Children suffering from uncorrected vision problems may face many barriers in life—socially, academically and athletically. Make sure your child's vision is developing well. Ensure the health of your child's eyes and vision and contact our office to schedule a pediatric eye examination. We will gladly answer any of your questions and provide you with the best treatment options available to you and your child.

Please use the following links to learn more:

• At what age should my child's eyes be examined by an optometrist?
• How often should a child have their eyes examined?
• Can babies have eye exams?
• My child has 20/20 vision. Do they still need an eye exam?
• What are the symptoms of visual problems in children?
• Could my child’s problems at school be related to vision?
• Are the eye exams performed at my kid’s school thorough?
• Do glasses worsen vision? My child needs a stronger prescription each year.
• Braydin’s Story
• Edward’s Story
• Rachel’s Story
• Patient story: 5 year-old

Adult Eye Examination

A regular eye exam is an important part of maintaining your overall health as an adult and making your vision last a lifetime. Without an eye exam, critical health issues can be overlooked until it’s too late. Your eyes change as you age, and people over the age of 40 in particular may be at an increased risk for age-related eye conditions. Glaucoma and diabetic eye disease may have no visible symptoms until the condition is advanced and difficult, or even impossible, to treat. Using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) in the pre-screening for comprehensive eye examinations, we can measure the retinal nerve fiber and this helps our doctors identify those individuals who are at risk for many eye conditions. Adults aged 19 to 64 should have an eye exam at least every 2 years, and if you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes you should have an exam at least once a year. There are many other factors that may require more frequent examinations. Contact us to arrange an appointment today.

Please use the following links to learn more:

• How often should an adult have their eyes examined?
• What kinds of problems can be detected through an eye exam?
• What are the most common eye problems people have?
• Who is at risk for cataracts?
• Does my diet affect my vision?
• Can my thyroid affect my vision?
• How does diabetes affect the eye?
• Patient story: 27 year old male
• Patient story: 39 year old woman
• Shrie’s story

Senior’s Eye Examination

As you age, complications can often arise, and getting expert care can be the key to maintaining good eye health. At age 65 and older, you should have an eye exam at least once a year. A comprehensive eye health examination can help ensure that your vision is maintained, and regular exams can help give you peace of mind in knowing that your eyes are being treated by an eye health professional that can identify potential health issues early. Early identification and treatment of conditions that can often have no visible symptoms is one of the keys to protecting your sight. Common sight threatening conditions often identified in seniors include, cataract, glaucoma, diabetic eye disease and macular degeneration. Using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) in the pre-screening for comprehensive eye examinations, we can measure the retinal nerve fiber and this helps our doctors identify those individuals who are at risk for many eye conditions. Contact us to arrange an appointment today.

Please use the following links to learn more:

• How often should a senior have their eyes examined?
• What is the difference between wet and dry AMD?
• What is diabetic retinopathy?
• What is a cataract and is there a cure?

Laser Vision/Refractive Surgery Management

Laser surgery is a safe, painless and effective way of treating many focusing problems with the goal of eliminating the need for, or at least reducing dependence on, contact lenses and glasses. Our practice works closely with Horizon Laser Vision Center, and we offer pre-operative assessments and referral to our trusted surgeons at Horizon, with follow-up care then provided by our practice after the procedure. Some individuals are not candidates for laser vision correction but may still be very good candidates for other surgical procedures, including Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) and Implantable Contact Lens (ICL). These are available as elective surgeries and can be performed by an Ophthalmologist with whom we have a good working relationship. One of our doctors would be happy to discuss your individual options with you after doing a comprehensive examination and/or refractive surgery pre-operative assessment that can help determine the best surgical options for your vision and focusing concerns.

Eye Infections and Emergency Visits

We can provide emergency consultation and treatment for medically necessary eye conditions. These include red and painful eyes and eyelids, including dry eyes, blepharitis, eye infections, styes, and uveitis. We can also treat eye injuries, including minor trauma to the eye or the removal of foreign bodies like metal, as well as chemical splashes and welder’s flash. We encourage you to contact us immediately if you have had eye pain, sudden vision loss, flashes, floaters, double vision, or darkness in part or all of the field of vision in one or both eyes.

If we are not available and you feel your concern is urgent, or if you have had an extensive eye injury, then please visit our contact us page and use the emergency numbers provided.

Please use the following links to learn more:

• What causes bloodshot eyes?
• What is pink eye and what can I do about it?
• Are floaters dangerous?
• What are the symptoms of a retinal detachment?

Glaucoma Testing

We offer a pre-screening Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scan with our comprehensive eye examination and, along with an eye pressure measurement and identification of other factors that might indicate that you

have thinning of the optic nerve fibers. If this is the case, we offer Heidelberg Retinal Tomograph (HRT) optic nerve analysis as well as Field of Vision Testing in-house to assess the optic nerve structure and to monitor for any progressive nerve fiber change and/or side-vision losses that would be considered to be glaucoma. We can arrange for the appropriate treatment if there is a positive diagnosis. We also offer this technology to those who are under current glaucoma treatment for the purpose of monitoring the steadiness of the treatment by using an extremely reliable and proven method that is often not currently being used.

Please use the following links to learn more:

• What is glaucoma and eye pressure?
• Are there any treatments for someone diagnosed with glaucoma?

Dry Eye Therapy

Although dry eye is typically not curable, the dry burning and pain can be regularly treated to improve your comfort and your eye health through the use of specific artificial tears. If the dry eye is more severe, gels and ointments can also be used, especially before bed. There are also new medications now available which help your body produce more tears naturally. Very often the source of your dry eyes is a lack of clean production of the coating for your tears at the eyelid edge due to blepharitis. If you suffer this type of dry eye, you may experience gritty burning eyes and eyelid edges, especially with extended reading, computer and driving activity. The eyes may even start to water or weep, and this can often be managed with dedicated hygienic care. Please let us know if you suffer from dry and irritated eyes when we see you at your examination, or arrange an appointment so that one of our doctors can assess you for dry eyes and find a management that works for you.

Please use the following links to learn more:

• What is dry eye?
• I have dry eyes - what can I do about it?