Services provided at our office include:
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Eye ExaminationsWe know your vision is important to you--and it's important to us. For sixty-eight years, Sheridan Eyecare Center has served the patients in Sheridan and the surrounding area. Our commitment to quality and commitment to our patients is the foundation of our organization. When you come for your appointment, we schedule ample time for your appointment so you will never feel rushed, and our doctors are proud of the care they give their patients and the time they take to explain patients' eye conditions to them.
Our office provides complete eye care for both adults and children, and our comprehensive eye examinations will check your eyes inside and out for any potential eye disorders or diseases. Your visual skills and abilities are carefully evaluated and appropriate treatment is prescribed, whether it's medication, lenses, or vision therapy. We are prepared to handle whatever your eyecare needs are, and will treat them with the latest in diagnostic equipment and are committed to keeping up with eye care technology. For instance, our office is the only one in the surrounding 100 miles that has an optical coherence tomographer, a state-of-the art technological device which helps us assess retinas for glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and a number of other eye diseases.
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Contact LensesOur eye doctors can help fit you into a pair of lenses that is just right for you. We are experts in fitting contact lenses and can handle the most specialized needs. Whether rigid or soft lenses, we are experienced in handling the most difficult of prescriptions. However, we also promise to take great care of your eyes even if they are simple to work with!
If you have allergies, then you know allergies can be particularly annoying to contact lens wearers. In the past many people had to quit wearing their lenses during the allergy season. However, new lens materials and allergy medications have made it possible for these people to eliminate the burning itchy eyes associated with allergies. Prescription medications such as Patanol and Alocril are amazingly effective and safe even in children as young as three. Let us know when you come in for your appointment if you have special allergy needs and we will be happy to help you.
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Optical DispensingOur highly trained opticians are simply the best around. They can adjust your glasses and make them feel better than they have in years, and they can answer all your questions and help you find glasses that will make you see well and look fantastic!
Our optical laboratory has the latest in equipment to not only fabricate your glasses, but to maintain and repair them should they become broken or damaged.
We are able to tint, harden and edge spectacle lenses. We are able to provide you with any frame or lens design available.
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Laser Vision CorrectionMany of our patients ask us about laser vision correction, sometime skeptically. The answer is, "Yes! It works fantastically well!" However, it is not right for everyone. Here is a brief description of the procedure;
A flap is surgically cut in the cornea and gently folded back (in fact, there is a new procedure which uses laser light to create the flap. Ask us about it!). An Excimer Laser is then used to reshape the cornea into a flatter shape (this is much like a contact lens corrects vision by forming a new shape on the cornea). The flap is then put back in place, acting like a natural bandage. The healing process is quick and the discomfort level is quite low.
People will often say that they did not feel anything, and could see well the very first day. Most people have improved vision in 24-48 hours. but it must be noted that each person will heal at a different rate. Vision, although greatly improved immediately after surgery, often continues to improve for some weeks, even months.
LASIK is not for everyone. People's eyes are different; it may not be the best course of treatment for you. If you are interested in laser vision correction, we will be happy to guide you in picking the right surgeon, procedure and laser appropriate for you.
After the procedure, we take great care to monitor your eyes and adjust your medication for the best possible results!
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Surgery Co-ManagementOur office provides many surgical services such as Cataract surgery, Laser surgery, Refractive surgery and Strabismic surgery. We offer these in conjunction with Sheridan Memorial Hospital and other local doctors. Dr. Hall and Dr. Hanna are both outstanding eye surgeons located right here in the Sheridan area, and we highly recommend their services when necessary.
Additionally, we have working arrangements established with other specialized eye care doctors in Billings, Rapid City, Cheyenne, Denver, and Salt Lake City to manage such things as retinal detachments, retinal tears and hemmorhages.
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Eye Infections, Eye Injuries, Dry EyesOur office provides emergency services for eye infections and eye injuries. Please, if you have an eye emergency, don't go the ER! Call our office at 675-2020 during office hours or our emergency pager at 673-3256 after hours or on weekends. During regular hours, our staff will work with you to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. State of the art microscopes allow us to examine the front surface of the eye and facial areas around the eye for infection or injury. After assessing the extent of the injury or infection a treatment plan will be formulated and explained to you. Treatment may include medications and supportive care. Follow-up visits to monitor your recovery will be scheduled as needed.
Our patients are our most valuable asset and we take care of them as we would our family. Please do not hesitate to call us on nights, holidays, or weekends. We care for you and plan to take care of you!
Dry Eyes: Symptoms include scratchy eyes, burning, mild redness and gritty feeling eyes. Oral medications, reading, computer tasks and dry environments may aggravate marginally dry eyes. Dry eyes can be diagnosed by using dyes to observe tear patterns, evaluation of the amount of tears on the front of the eye and from review of your symptoms. Treatment may include artificial tears; eye drops for treating allergies; and/or punctal plugs inserted in the tear drainage canals.
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Eye Diseases; Cataracts, Glaucoma, DiabetesCataracts: The natural lens in the eye gradually becomes less clear as we get older: "If you live long enough, you WILL get cataracts!" When opacities develop in the lens and the lens gets too hazy, vision will be impaired. Our office can diagnose and manage cataract care. When the cataract affects the vision to the extent that you cannot read or see distant objects comfortably, we will recommend cataract surgery. Our office co-manages with a number of cataract specialists that are proven experts in cataract surgery, including Dr. Hall right here in town. Cataract surgery can provide you with a bright new world of vision.
Glaucoma: Glaucoma gradually destroys the optic nerve tissue in the back of the eye. The greatest danger of glaucoma stems from the fact that the disease is painless and without obvious symptoms until significant damage has occurred. The most common cause is from pressure being too high inside the eye, but vascular disease and other diseases can also cause glaucoma. We always monitor for glaucoma during routine eye examinations. Tests include checking the pressure of the eye, screening for peripheral vision defects and analyzing the appearance of the optic nerve. If you are diagnosed with glaucoma, we typically prescribe medications that lower the eye pressure. Most forms of glaucoma are successfully treated with eye drops. Laser treatments and eye surgery are secondary treatments that offer alternative ways to treat more advanced glaucoma.
Diabetes: Diabetic patients should have a dilated retinal examination each year. Laser treatments have proven to slow the progression of retinal eye disease for many patients. Diabetes often stimulates the growth of new blood vessels in the back of the eye, which ultimately leak and damage the retina. If this condition is discovered early, laser treatment can destroy these vessels. We have the latest instruments used to detect changes in the back of the eye. If we discover advancing diabetic eye disease that can be treated or needs further evaluation, we will refer you for consultation and further testing to a board certified retinal specialist.
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Low Vision ServicesPeople who have lost eyesight due to injuries or eye disease need special types of products to help them function as independently as possible. We offer a full range of these products through our office. Our paraoptometric staff is trained to demonstrate the use of some of these devices. They range all the way from a simple hand magnifier to a closed circuit TV system.
In addition, we can direct those who have low vision problems to products that will help them carry on the day-to-day tasks that they need to perform. In some cases we can set up a program for the low vision patient with the National Library of Congress to receive "books on tapes", which is a service for the blind.
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Vision TherapySeeing clearly is not enough. For many people, reading and hand-eye coordination tasks can be very difficult. The act of sight not only includes one's eyes, but it also includes the neurological activity that processes the visual information. Throwing a ball or skiing down a hill is a learned activity; to do either well takes practice. Those who do it best are those who started learning at the earliest age. Sight plays an important role in the learning of these activities. Sight is the steering mechanism; it is the main activity that provides feedback regarding what really is happening. We provide Vision Therapy to help individuals learn how to process visual information and develop better hand-eye coordination skills.
Dr. Jill Miller is the primary Vision Therapy cooridator at our office, and she has extensive experience, education and skills to help almost anyone succeed at vision therapy. Couple that with her Masters in Education and it becomes obvious why Sheridan Eyecare Center receives referrals from schools and physicians for miles around to assess children with learning disabilities.
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Infant ScreeningHow can an infant's eyes be examined?
We use instruments that allow us to examine the vision and eye health of infants objectively. Objective measures are ones in which we do not rely on the individual to provide us with feedback. We use various instruments and examination techniques to assure that both eyes see equally well, are aligned, and all the ocular muscles are functioning as expected for the infant's age.
What visual skills are examined?
Any misalignment of the eyes
Reduced vision in one or both eyes as compared to expected levels
Detection of high prescriptions
Detection of eye disease
What infants have a higher risks of eye problems?
Premature infants weighing less than 1200 grams at birth or born 2 months or more premature have a much higher chance of being nearsighted than infants born full term.
Other infants at higher risk of having eye problems are those whose mothers had rubella during the pregnancy or took drugs or alcohol during their pregnancy.
What signs might indicate my child has a vision problem?
Repeated squinting, closing, or covering of one eye
Any turn of either eye in or out
Poor eye hand coordination
Interesting Facts
The most crucial period of development where both eyes learn to work together as a team is during the first 2 years of life. Both eyes need to have equally good vision and be perfectly aligned in order to develop depth perception. At 20 months old, children should demonstrate depth perception.
Remember that a child may not tell you if they have trouble seeing because they think everyone sees the way they do. Also if they have good vision out of one eye, the will not appear to have a problem even if their other eye does not see well.
A child can see well (have 20/20 vision), but still have other vision problems like trouble focusing, poor eye movements, or misalignment of the eyes which will affect their vision and performance in school.
Children that have high prescriptions that go uncorrected, may have vision problems that are present throughout their lives.
Approximately 20% of children starting school have undetected vision problems.
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