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May 1, 2024
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Alcon Scientist discusses DAILIES TOTAL1

Motherhood.., the sheer sound of it brings enduring memories. A mother’s touch, her voice, her cooking, and the smile of approval in her eyes. Science has recently proven that there is a transference of emotion and programming from birth and infancy between a mother and her child... a type of communication, if you will, that occurs when the infant looks into its mother’s eyes. So what is this programming? How does it work and what effect does it have on the life of the child? What happens if it never happened to the infant? What happens if the mother is blind? These questions and more can be answered through a term called “triadic exchanges” in which infants learn social skills.

The gaze into a mother’s eyes brings security and well being to the child. When she gazes at another person, it makes the infant look at what she is gazing at, and introduces the infant to others in the world. This is known as a triadic exchange. So now their world is no longer just one person, their mother, but a third party which teaches them the art and skill of organizing their social skills and interaction.

Interestingly, if a mother is blind, it does not adversely affect the child’s development. A study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B showed no deficit in their advancement. The sheer fact that the infant looks into the mother’s eyes helps with connectedness and emotional grounding.

Looking into mom’s eyes and face teaches facial recognition and expressions of emotions and is primarily how the child learns in the first few months of life. Additionally, infants tend to show a preference to viewing faces with open eyes rather than closed eyes, thus stressing the importance of the mother or caregiver’s gaze.

Some health benefits to gazing into the mother’s eyes is a lower incidence of autism, or spectrum disorders, better social skills, higher learning capacity, and emotional groundedness.

The beauty of a mother’s gaze is that the child can feel the emotions of love, security, safety, and overall well being by connecting with her through eye to eye contact. This sets the stage for the future development of social skills, visual recognition of people, and their readiness for social interaction in the world.

A big thank you to science and mothers for proving what we already know, that the values in life can be taught to a child “through a mothers eyes” setting the course of proper interaction for life skills and relationships.

References:

1. Kate Yandell, Proceedings of the Royal Society B ,04/10/2013.

2. Maxson J.McDowell, Biological Theory, MIT Press, 05/04/2011.

The content of this blog cannot be reproduced or duplicated without the express written consent of Eye IQ.

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Corneal Molding, also know as Ortho K or OrthoKeratology is a non-surgical procedure used to temporarily reshape the cornea. Some mild cases of near sightedness and astigmatism can be treated by simply changing the shape of the cornea, to correct the way it refracts light.

A specially designed contact lens, which is rigid and gas permeable, is made specifically for your eye. This lens can be worn during the day or overnight. The lens itself is fitted so that it places gentle pressure on the center of the cornea, causing it to change shape. The outer part of the lens surrounds your central visual zone and is further away from the surface of the eye. The combination of the pressure at the center and space around the outer part causes a reshaping of your cornea. With your cornea reshaped the light can now focus properly on the retina at the back of the eye.

The process is painless and not permanent, so retainer contacts must be worn periodically to maintain the shape of the cornea. This also makes the process completely reversible, simply stop wearing the retainers and your cornea will return to its natural shape.

Corneal Molding is a non-invasive alternative to corrective surgery. Ask your eyecare provider for information to see if you qualify for Corneal Molding.

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DAILIES TOTAL1 Shares Vision Innovation with Hendrick Motorsports’ Pit Crew Athletes

There are many opinions on the topic of texting and driving. The goal of this blog is to neither refute nor endorse the subject, but instead to explore the effects on vision during texting. It is up to the reader to make a judgement call on the endorsement of texting and driving.

You may not be surprised to hear that texting has replaced drunken driving as the number one cause of deaths in the teenage population. According to Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York, teen drunken driving has gone down over 50% since 1991 but the number of people texting and driving has skyrocketed. It is illegal to text and drive in the UK, but not in many states in the USA. Some phone companies are launching ad campaigns to discourage texting while driving, and they are reporting a 23 times higher incidence of an accident if you text and drive.

So why does it make you more likely to crash from a visual perspective? The problem lies in distraction from driving. For example, it takes a fast texter approximately 20 seconds to read and reply to a text. At 55 mph on the highway, a driver glances away from the road for approximately one-third of a mile. When the driver is focusing on their screen, this gives the driver essentially tunnel vision causing the visual system to essentially use peripheral vision. Your central vision is used to detect depth perception, detail, and colors such as red or green. So when texting, your depth perception, or 3-D vision, is altered, so that if cars are stopped ahead or closing in rapidly, its not detected. Brake lights are red, so while texting, our visual system is using mainly peripheral vision, which can detect gross movement, but not the color red.

So next time you encounter situations with texting and driving, know that the visual system was designed to perform advanced visual perception while using central vision. This includes detail vision, depth perception, and color vision....all of which are placed on hold while texting and driving, since the visual system switches to peripheral vision designed to detect gross movements.

For more information on texting and driving see:

www.itcanwait.com

US Dept. of Transportation

www.AAA.com

The content of this blog cannot be reproduced or duplicated without the express written consent of Eye IQ.

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Office Details

optometrist, eye doctor, South Portland, ME

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743 Broadway
South Portland, ME 04106
Phone: (207) 799-3031   Fax: (207) 799-9005

Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri:

Office: 8:00am - 5:45pm

Optical: 8:00am-5:15pm

Wednesday:

Office: 8:30am - 5:45pm

Optical: 8:30am-5:15pm

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May 1, 2024
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