OPT-ISM Eye Care Blog
Helpful eye care tips, vision education, and modern optometry insights from OPTISM in Tampa, FL.

If your contact lenses suddenly feel uncomfortable or your eyes are itchy with stringy mucus, giant papillary conjunctivitis may be the cause. Here’s what to know.

Amblyopia is more than just a “lazy eye.” Learn the different types of amblyopia—including refractive, anisometropic, strabismic, deprivation, meridional, bilateral, and mixed amblyopia—and how each affects a child’s developing vision.

MiSight 1 day is an FDA-approved soft contact lens designed to both correct childhood myopia and slow its progression. This clinical guide walks optometrists through patient selection, baseline testing, lens fitting, axial-length monitoring, follow-up intervals, troubleshooting, and treatment-response decisions—from the first consultation through long-term management.

Modern myopia management requires more than monitoring a child’s spectacle prescription. This clinician-focused guide reviews how optometrists can interpret axial elongation, establish treatment targets, fit MiSight contact lenses, select low-dose atropine concentrations, evaluate orthokeratology topography, identify inadequate treatment response, consider combination therapy, and establish appropriate follow-up intervals.

Have FSA or HSA funds available? Learn how you may be able to use them for eye exams, prescription glasses, contact lenses, prescription sunglasses, and medical eye care.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome affects connective tissue throughout the body, including parts of the eye. Here’s what patients should know about vision changes, dry eye, corneal problems, and warning signs.

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare nerve condition that can affect more than the arms and legs. In some patients, it can cause double vision, droopy eyelids, trouble moving the eyes, and dry eye from poor blinking. Here’s what patients should know about the eye-related warning signs.

Amblyopia, often called lazy eye, happens when the brain does not fully learn to use one eye clearly during childhood. Early treatment with glasses, patching, drops, or binocular vision therapy can make a major difference in long-term vision.

If your eyes water all day but still feel dry, you may have tear film instability or meibomian gland dysfunction. Learn why dry eye can trigger reflex tearing and how treatment can help restore comfort.

Horner’s syndrome can cause a smaller pupil, mild droopy eyelid, and sometimes a lighter-colored iris when present from birth. Learn how optometrists compare acquired Horner’s syndrome with congenital Horner’s syndrome, what red flags require urgent evaluation, and why pediatric cases need careful monitoring for vision development.

Adie’s tonic pupil is a condition where one pupil becomes larger and reacts slowly to light, often causing glare, light sensitivity, and near focusing problems. This guide explains how optometrists diagnose Adie’s pupil, rule out more serious causes of anisocoria, and manage symptoms with reading glasses, bifocals, tinted lenses, polarized sunglasses, and specialty contact lenses.

Eye freckles are usually harmless pigmented spots, but they should be monitored. Learn the difference between choroidal, conjunctival, and iris nevi, how doctors photograph them, and which warning signs need attention.

Eye coloboma is a condition present at birth where part of the eye does not fully form. It can affect the iris, retina, optic nerve, lens, or eyelid, and its impact on vision depends on which part of the eye is involved. Some people with coloboma see very well, while others may need glasses, specialty lenses, retinal monitoring, or support for reduced vision. A comprehensive eye exam helps determine whether the coloboma is mostly cosmetic, visually significant, or needs long-

Ocular myasthenia gravis affects the neuromuscular junction and can cause fluctuating ptosis, intermittent double vision, and variable eye muscle weakness. This clinical guide reviews in-office tests optometrists can use to evaluate suspected ocular MG.

Myasthenia gravis can cause droopy eyelids, double vision, blurred vision, and eye fatigue that often worsen throughout the day. Learn how this condition affects the eye muscles and when symptoms need medical attention.

Corneal topography and Pentacam tomography provide detailed information about corneal shape, elevation, and thickness. This clinician-friendly guide explains how to interpret each map, recognize patterns of keratoconus and other thinning disorders, evaluate progression, and avoid common diagnostic mistakes.

Keratoconus is an eye condition that affects the cornea, the clear front window of the eye. In a healthy eye, the cornea has a smooth, dome-like shape. With keratoconus, the cornea gradually becomes thinner and steeper, causing it to bulge forward into a cone-like shape. This change can distort how light enters the eye, leading to blurry, shadowed, or irregular vision. Keratoconus often starts in the teenage years or early adulthood, but it can be diagnosed at different ages.

Learn how eye doctors read an HVF 24-2 visual field, including reliability, grayscale, total deviation, pattern deviation, MD, PSD, VFI, and common glaucoma patterns.

Concussion patients may see 20/20 but still struggle with focusing, eye teaming, reading, light sensitivity, and dizziness. Here is what optometrists should know and do during a post-concussion eye exam.

Prescription eye drops can be hard to fill at regular pharmacies. Here’s how BlinkRx and PhilRx help patients access common dry eye, blepharitis, and glaucoma medications.