The pre-testers are nationally certified paraoptometrics. Because they are efficient in their performance, the patient is allowed more quality time with the doctor. Your paraoptometric will begin the pre-examination with your medical history and any recent eye changes or symptoms.

They inquire about hobbies to understand what the eyes are used for and possible determination of strain. They test for visual acuity, color vision, depth perception, and peripheral vision. The pre-testers are nationally certified paraoptometrics. Because our paraoptometrics are efficient in their performance, the patient is allowed more quality time with the doctor.

Once the pre-exam is completed, you will receive the utmost care from one of our five optometrists. Each specializes in a particular are so, if necessary, they consult each other on patient issues. Each of our doctors takes the time necessary to give complete general eye examinations. If they see anything which may result in further care, they tend to it, confer with another doctor in the office, or refer you to a specialist.

Sometimes patients return to the paraoptometrics following the doctor’s examination if the doctor suspects any problems or would like further testing. A paraoptometric will perform specialized examinations, which may include retinal photography (photos of inner eye) or pachymetry (measures thickness of cornea).

Upon completion of the entire examination your doctor will escort you to optical or back to contacts, where you will be assisted choosing glasses or contact lenses as needed.

There is more to eye sight than 20/20!

A report of 20/20 vision does not mean complete eye health.

So often Dr. O'Connor sees patients who were given a clean bill of eye health from other optometrists or opthamologists, yet the patient experiences difficulty reading or following directions, gets frequent headaches, has inexplainable mood swings, memory problems, can't stay on one line while reading or following a teacher on the blackboard, not coordinated or any number of other symptoms related to the ineffectual processing of information required from sight to brain.

This means that the patient can see fine, however the information gets misguided along the processing tracks en route to the brain. The brain needs to be retrained and its tracks, rerouted.

Dr. O'Connor is our specialist in behavior optometry and neuro-optometric rehabilitation (vision therapy). Developmental examinations scheduled with Dr. O'Connor are 90 minutes. He takes this time so he can get to the root of the problem and with his 30 years of experience in this field, take a plan of action to rectify the situation.

Who should ask for a developmental examination?

The following are some problematic areas one might seek help for:

• Developmental Issues
• Stroke
• Brain Trauma
• Dyslexia
• Dizziness
• Uncoordinated Movement
• Headaches
• Peripheral Vision issues

Please contact the AOG, PC for a developmental exam with Dr. O'Connor if you are having difficulties in any of these areas. 716-652-0870

Our contact lens specialists will walk you through the care of your lenses. They will ensure that you are comfortable with inserting, removing and caring for them before you leave the office.

You will feel confident in the care, insertion and removal of your contacts before leaving our office.

We will properly fit the lenses according to your individual eye curvature and patterns. We fit people who have tried lenses before but had trouble wearing them. Our doctors and specialists will take all the necessary time with you to meet your specific need with contact lenses.

We have a large selection of colors available in hard or soft lenses.

Our optical department is managed by New York State Licensed Opticians.

You may walk in any time to receive an adjustment or repairs. No appointment is required for our optical department.

When in the market for new frames or lenses, our staff will assist you in every aspect of decision making from fitting your budget to thinner frames for those formerly "thick" prescriptions. We have transitional lenses (dark outside, lighten when indoors), progressive lenses (no-line bifocals) and any number of personalization desired or required by the doctors.

Our opticians work hand in hand with the doctors. Often a patient requires a specific type of lens, prism coating, or developmental equipment installed on a current prescription. You will feel comfortable asking the opticians anything about the glasses or accessories, from care of, to warranty. Ask them about the one year warranty which replaces the glasses for only $10.00 no matter how many times your child breaks his glasses during the year.

Almost every pair of glasses comes through John for inspection and altercation to specifications before passing them onto the customer. Optical takes the orders. They measure exactly where, for example, the bifocal should be within the lens for optimal use. John makes sure the bifocal is where optical says it should be.

John's ultimate responsibility is to see that your glasses are made to order. He measures and remeasures. If you order a tint, John does the tinting to the shade you desire, if you want transitional lenses he makes sure that is what you get. He grinds the lenses to your perscription and to your frame, precisely measures for your bifocals and assures any other specifications requested by you, the doctor and optical so that your experience with your glasses is positive.

John began his career and continued through most of it painstakingly measuring minute details to get it right for the customer. He is somewhat relieved now that engineers have finally come up with a few choice instruments that can get it "almost" as perfect as he can.

Everyone is talking about LASIK. Here is a brief description of the procedure.

A flap is cut in the cornea and then the flap is gently folded back. An Excimer Laser is used to reshape the cornea, much like a contact lens forms a new shape on the cornea, only the laser is permanent. The flap is then put back in place, acting like a natural bandage.

The "Wow!" effect of Lasik is the very rapid recovery of vision and the decreased level of discomfort post-operatively. You hear from people that they did not feel anything, and could see well the very first day. Most people have functional vision in 24-48 hours, although this is true in some cases, it must be noted that each person will heal at a different rate. Vision, although greatly improved immediately after surgery, continues to improve for some weeks, even months.

Everyones eyes are different. Even though you may have had a friend who has had LASIK, it does not mean it is right 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. For many of you who are long-term contact lens wearers my pre-operative input can make the difference between an excellent result and a mediocre one.

Post-operatively we can monitor your eyes, and taper medications to arrive at the best possible result. After all, no one knows your eyes better than your optometrist.

Our office provides many of the surgical services such as Cataract surgery, Laser surgery, Refractive surgery and Strabismic surgery. We offer this in conjunction with the hospital and local eye surgeons.

Additionally, we have working arrangements established with other specialized eye care doctors to manage such things as retinal detachments, retinal tears and hemmorhages.

Our office provides emergency services for eye infections and eye injuries. Please call our office. 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.

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.

Cataracts: The natural lens in the eye gradually becomes less clear as we get older. 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 cataract specialists that are proven experts in cataract surgery. 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.

People 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.

Neuro-Optometry is the specialized training within the optometric field that enables the Doctor of Optometry (Dr. O’Connor here at AOG, PC), to understand the connection, or lack thereof, between what the eyes see and how that information is processed to the brain.

Sometimes there can be a missed junction within the tracks that take information to our brain. This can be caused by a head trauma, developmental issue, stroke or any number of other reasons.

The patient may continue to see with 20/20 vision but the processing of that vision becomes distorted and by the time the brain receives the information, it may be entirely different, or in some cases, the brain doesn’t receive the information at all.

Neuro-Optometrists can catch this problem and correct some or all through therapy.

The therapy they use is called Vision Therapy and is just like physical therapy for the brain. It consists of a series of exercises prescribed by the doctor specifically for the individual patient and that patient’s individual situation. Quite often our Vision Therapist works together with the patient’s Occupational and Physical Therapists.