Blog Archive

Glaucoma can manifest in four different ways, causing your vision to deteriorate over time. The symptoms typically don’t occur until significant vision loss has been done, which is why early detection is so important. Here is some insight into the four kinds of glaucoma, how they’re diagnosed, and how often...

We all experience some degree of light sensitivity. Episodes can occur when we’re walking outdoors, turning on the lights, or opening the curtains in a dark room. For some, photophobia occurs in tandem with migraine episodes. In other instances, it might indicate an issue with the brain or eyes.  Sometimes...

Although we’ve become adept as a species at preventing blindness, it isn’t without effort. Proper eye care involves more than just getting a new pair of glasses from time to time or keeping your contact lenses clean. If you want to preserve your eyesight, you’ll need to be mindful of...

In the early stages of cataracts, you might notice that some of the color and clarity has left your life. Though cataract treatment has become more effective and accessible, not everyone has the means to undergo surgery right away. With a specialist, you can begin planning the procedure while managing...

Contact lenses can provide clearer and more convenient vision than glasses, but they can take some adjustment on your part. Picking the right kind of contact lenses can make the transition process as comfortable as possible. During a consultation for contacts, a specialist can help find the perfect fit for...

Many jobs today require looking at a computer screen for hours. Even if you aren’t using your computer much for work, you might be glued to it or another device screen in your free time, reading, catching up on news, spending time on social sites, or watching TV shows or...

Though many schools perform their own vision screenings on students, these are not comprehensive exams. Roughly 75% of these screenings miss notable vision problems, and many children do not receive eye examinations outside of school.  To make matters worse, refractive errors like myopia worsen as your child’s vision develops, leaving them with...

According to statistics, half of adults will have some form of cataracts by age 75. In the past, blindness was just something that came with age, but modern technology allows doctors to replace the cloudy lens, restoring your vision and even improving it in the process. The best part? You...

Tired of glasses that constantly slip around on your face, don’t let you make the fashion statement you want, and create difficulties when you want to engage in physical activities? Contact lenses could be the best option for you. Today, you have more options than ever. At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in...

Pink eye is instantly recognizable. Many a parent has been woken by a distraught child early in the morning and found their offspring with eyes crusted shut. Once the grime is cleared away, the reddish-pink sclera (white) of the eye is obvious, and it’s time to book an appointment with...

Staring at a screen is something many people who are working from home these days spend far too much time doing. Having your home space also serve as your workplace means lines can easily get blurred, and you find yourself glued to your devices for extra hours every day. Harlem...

Dry eyes in winter have a range of contributors and causes, and it’s important to cover all of your bases when trying to avoid dry eyes.  Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in New York City provides a full range of eye care services, including solutions for uncomfortable dry eyes in winter....

Have you or your child been experiencing blurry vision? If so, you might need to simply order glasses with a fresh prescription, or you could need your eyes examined by a specialist to look for deeper problems.  At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City,...

If your child is in daycare or school, odds are they are going to come home with pink eye at some point. Little kids touch their eyes and touch everything else, and it’s almost impossible to keep pink eye from turning into an outbreak. Once your child brings it home,...

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide, but they aren’t an automatic sentence of vision loss. Today’s cataract surgery options are both accessible and effective, and your doctor can tailor your treatment for your specific case to help you have the best experience and results possible.   At Harlem VistaSite...

Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness in the United States. Depending on what type of glaucoma you have, your risk may come at an earlier or later age. Other health conditions can also increase your risk of going blind from glaucoma.  At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in the Harlem neighborhood of...

Do you need to get eyeglasses because of issues with your vision? Choosing between metal frames or plastic is the immediate problem faced by those new to eyeglasses. Your frames can feel deeply personal, since you’ll be wearing them daily and they will be part of how you present yourself to the...

Astigmatism usually develops in adolescence. This condition can cause subtle, but notable, problems, especially when it's combined with other refractive errors like myopia or hyperopia. Luckily, treatment for astigmatism has improved over the years, and you have several treatment options.  At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in the Harlem neighborhood of New York...

Myopia often manifests in adolescence, with symptoms like squinting at the board and struggling to see distant objects. If your child is showing signs of nearsightedness, it’s important to have them formally diagnosed and treated while they’re young. From there, you and your optometrist can discuss how to manage their...

Making the switch from eyeglasses to contact lenses can be a difficult transition if you’re one of those people who are squeamish about touching your eyes. Maybe you’re struggling with putting them in, or you keep blinking them out, or everything feels weird and itchy. That’s all totally normal, and...

When babies are born, their worldview is limited to what’s in front of their face. As their eyes develop and their vision becomes clearer, their attention will shift to what’s in their hands and beyond. If you want your baby’s world to keep expanding, it’s important to monitor their growth...

Pink eye is common and easily spread, and it isn’t unusual for children to bring it home from daycare or school. Conjunctivitis is rarely dangerous, but it’s important to monitor your child’s condition and make sure they don’t infect anyone else. Most cases will clear up without incident, but severe...

Every season brings its own unique health issues; summer sunburns and heat exhaustion, springtime and autumn allergies. Winter has its own set of problems, including the common cold and dry eye syndrome. Luckily, there are a number of ways you can prevent your eyes from becoming itchy and inflamed or...

Staring at a screen, smoking, sitting near an air conditioner, and even being outside on windy days can all cause your eyes to feel dry and scratchy. Although OTC eye drops can usually alleviate the sensation, persistently dry eyes can be a symptom of a more serious problem. If you...

If you’ve been longing to make the switch from eyeglasses to contact lenses, you may be surprised to find out there is an adjustment period when you finally get fitted for contacts.  Don’t worry; although you might find your contacts challenging at first, you’ll swiftly become accustomed to them. However,...

Children are carefully screened at multiple points during childhood to prevent vision problems or vision loss. What are the most common childhood eye problems, and how can they be addressed? At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, Brittni Rodriguez, OD, and Sarah Quan, OD,...

We tend to take our vision for granted, but aging and disease can quickly take that surety away. Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide, but cataract surgery is more effective and accessible than ever. If you’ve begun noticing symptoms of cataracts, getting diagnosed is the first step to...

If you have a child in daycare or in school, you know that a pink eye breakout is their worst nightmare. Without knowing the cause of conjunctivitis, you have to assume it’s contagious. At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, Brittni Rodriguez, OD, and...

Vision problems, such as nearsightedness and farsightedness, can be relatively easy to correct, but what about astigmatism? The good news is it, too, can be treated with the right approach. At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, Brittni Rodriguez, OD, and Sarah Quan, OD,...

While glasses are still one of the most popular methods for correcting vision, contacts have been evolving and gaining popularity for decades. If you lead an active lifestyle, are concerned about how your appearance will change with glasses, or just want the convenience that contact lenses can provide, a contact...

It’s estimated that 45 million people wear contact lenses in the United States alone. Many people prefer contacts because they don’t alter their appearance, and they don’t get in the way of activities, such as showering or sports. Regardless of why you choose contacts, it’s important to understand the different...

Rubbing, blinking, and itching are the three constants when it comes to having dry eyes. If regular eye drops don’t help, it might be time to visit an expert. Dry, irritated eyes can be a sign of poor tear production, and leaving your eyes chronically dry may make you vulnerable...

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness, especially in people over age 60. However, there’s more than one type of glaucoma. At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, Brittni Rodriguez, OD, is an expert in diagnosing and treating glaucoma. In this blog,...

Pink eye is a childcare worker’s worst nightmare. Bacterial or viral forms of pink eye can spread rapidly between children and infect adults as well. However, inflammation and infection of the eyes can also be caused by a number of other things, including prolonged use of contact lenses, allergies, and...

It’s a common pattern. A child who used to do well in school suddenly starts to lose ground and complains of headaches and eye strain. This is often due to myopia, also called nearsightedness, which is a condition that allows someone to see things well up close but makes things...

Most people age 80 and older have either developed cataracts or have already had cataract surgery. In fact, cataract surgery is one of the most common vision surgeries in the United States. But how do you know if you have cataracts, and when should you get surgical intervention? At Harlem...

Approximately 16 million Americans, two thirds of them women, suffer from dry eye disease, or DED. The symptoms can vary, but the feeling of dryness is universal. At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, Brittni Rodriguez, OD, can diagnose and treat your dry eyes...

Every year, an estimated 6 million people in the United States get conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye. Many cases of conjunctivitis are triggered by allergies, which can stimulate histamine production and cause the eyes to get red, swollen, and itchy. At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in the Harlem neighborhood...

Better vision is easier and more accessible than ever, and 45 million Americans now wear contact lenses. If you think you’d like to join that number, your chances are good. Most people who wear glasses can make the switch to contacts without issues. However, there are a few things to...

Presbyopia is the slow progression of the stiffening of the lens of the eye as you age. By age 40, more than 60% of people have some degree of presbyopia, and that percentage rises with age. Women are more likely than men to develop presbyopia, and women are also more...

Not all vision issues can be readily fixed with a regular pair of glasses or contact lenses. If your vision issues are increased by astigmatism, you could need the help of a trained optometrist in diagnosing and treating this disorder. At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in New York City, Brittni...

As we reach our 40s, it becomes more likely that our vision starts to change. It usually happens slowly, but eventually you may develop presbyopia, an inability to focus on objects near you. Whether you’re wearing glasses or not, when you develop presbyopia, you will have to start deciding if...

Around 45 million Americans enjoy the comfort and convenience of their contact lenses. However, myths about wearing contact lenses keep more people from embracing the chance to be free from glasses. At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in Harlem, New York, Dr. Brittni Rodriguez can walk you through the process of...

Blurry vision can be annoying, especially if you expected blurriness to resolve after getting eyeglasses or contacts. However, if you have a condition called astigmatism, even correcting your nearsightedness or farsightedness won’t do away with your unclear eyesight. At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in Harlem, New York City, Dr. Brittni...

Burning the midnight oil to study for a test or spending the day sunning and swimming at the beach can leave you with dry itchy eyes the next day. But what happens when that scratchy, burning feeling is constant, even when you’re well-rested and can’t blame the environment? That’s called...

Contact lenses not only give you a whole new look, but they also offer far more freedom than glasses. Imagine not having to worry about dirty or fogged up lenses disrupting your vision, frames sliding down your nose when you sweat, or glasses getting in the way during the big...

The statistics are alarming: By the year 2050, over the course of three short decades, the number of adults in the United States who will be either visually impaired or completely blind is expected to exceed 8 million, a figure that’s more than double today’s rates.  So why is some...

You’ve weathered the long New York winter, and summer is finally here. At last, you can relax in the warm sun by the pool or lake and take a dip when the temperature hits a high note. But wait — before you dive in, make sure you protect your eyes...

Sunglasses are essential for protecting your eyes against the sun’s glare and sun damage. They are also a statement about your individual style.  At VistaSite Eye Care in Harlem, New York, we offer patients a wide selection of the very best in sunglass wear, to ensure everyone can find a...