OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois is excited to announce the opening of their new pediatric ophthalmology clinic. The clinic will open on January 11, and they are ready to start taking appointments. They require a referral from a primary care provider or other specialist in order to schedule an appointment. Medical insurance will only be accepted at this time. Call the clinic at (309) 308-3500 for more information.

Pediatric ophthalmology is a branch of medicine that focuses on diagnosing and treating eye problems in children. In other words, pediatric ophthalmology helps kids see well.

Pediatric ophthalmology helps children who are having trouble with a vision-screening exam, have difficulty reading or learning, or need medical treatment or surgery for an illness affecting their eyes.

One of the best ways to make this a Happy New Year is to take better care of your eyes. While it is not a common resolution, improving your eye health is always a worthwhile goal. Here are four resolutions you can make for healthier eyes in the next year.

LASIK can provide a wide variety of benefits to those who undergo the eye surgery, but it does have its downsides. Understanding the pros and cons of the LASIK procedure can help you decide if this vision-correcting procedure is the right alternative to glasses or contacts.

Pros and Cons of LASIK

Pro: Living without glasses or contacts

The best benefit of undergoing the LASIK procedure is better vision without the use of contacts or glasses, of course. Patients are always glad to enjoy their favorite activities without the inconvenience of glasses or contacts.

If you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Healthcare Spending Account (HSA), you probably already know that they are convenient and can save you money in taxes. You also likely know that they may expire and that you might forfeit any money you don’t use at the end of the year. So what is the best way to spend your hard-earned dollars before the end of the year? On eye care, of course!

Are you finding yourself more dependent on reading glasses as you get older? Monovision may be right for you.

As we grow older, our risk of developing presbyopia increases. Presbyopia is a condition that makes it progressively harder to focus on nearby objects. Presbyopia can make it hard to read a book, for example, or dial a cell phone.

Typically beginning in your 40s, presbyopia is the result of age-related changes that affect proteins inside the crystalline lens within your eyes. The lens is flexible, so it can change its shape to bend light rays to give you sharp vision. The composition of the proteins made the lens soft and flexible in young people, but changes in the protein composition makes the lens harder and less flexible. When the lens loses its flexibility, it loses its ability to change shape and bend light rays – this diminishes the eye’s ability to focus on near objects.

At EyeCareToday, our Peoria eye doctors answer a wide variety of questions, both about eye care and about our office. Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions and their answers.

Frequently Asked Questions about EyeCareToday

What is EyeCareToday?

EyeCareToday provides same-day access to eye care for patients who are ages 5 years and up that have acute/urgent eye care or routine vision exams.

2020 go by in a blur? Was it because 2020 was the craziest year ever, or was it the result of eye problems, such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), or astigmatism? Maybe it was a little bit of both – there’s nothing more frustrating than dealing with a challenging situation with blurry vision.

The good news is that Illinois Eye Center has come up with a plan to make 2020 just a little better – we’ve decided to take 20% off the cost of your LASIK surgery when you schedule your free consultation by December 31, 2020.

Eye drops and pills work well for many conditions affecting the eye, especially for treating problems affecting the surface of the eye. For many diseases affecting the eye’s retina, though, injection is the only way to get medication where it needs to go.

Finding the perfect frame usually involves trying on several different pairs of glasses, but traveling to an eye center can sometimes be a hassle. Fortunately, technology steps in to save the day with Illinois Eye Center’s new Virtual Try-on.

Virtual Try-On lets you see how you would look in different eyeglasses frames, and is as easy as looking in a mirror. Illinois Eye Center offers two try-on options that allow you to “try on” glasses from the comfort and convenience of your own home.

Dry Eye is a condition that occurs when your eyes are unable to produce enough tears to lubricate the eyes, which leaves them healthy and comfortable. Without this natural production of tears, your eyes are left irritated and without the tears they need to naturally function and stay healthy.

When you receive LASIK surgery, your eyes do become more vulnerable to Dry Eye Syndrome. Today, we will be discussing how LASIK can cause dry eye, and how to treat it if you happen to get the condition post-LASIK.