Blurred Vision

People travel many countless miles this time of year to drive around aimlessly taking in Vermont’s radiant fall foliage. Brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges blanket the hills and valleys for a few short weeks before stick season portends the long, cold winter ahead. The lush, polychromatic landscape is bursting with rich definition and subtle, striking variation that you might not even realize you’re missing!

Most of us are familiar with sitting down at the eye doctor's and going through the routine of testing our vision. You’ve probably looked at the eye chart on the wall and noticed the letters getting blurry the further down the chart you try to go. Or sitting behind the phoropter, cycling through different lenses and lens combinations trying to determine which combination provides you with the clearest, sharpest vision. The entire point of that examination is to identify refractive errors in your vision that are preventing you from seeing something like fall foliage in all its outstanding glory.

The primary causes of blurred vision are refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, or presbyopia – the loss of the ability to focus on things close-up that occur normally as we age. Refractive errors simply means that the shape of your eye is not correctly bending light, resulting in blurred instead of clear vision.

In large part, refractive errors can be easily diagnosed by your eye doctor, and corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery. The key to diagnosing and treating refractive errors, or any eye condition for that matter, is regular, routine eye exams. Annual eye exams, like annual visits to your primary care physician, can identify and correct issues before they regress further and increase your ability to enjoy your life to the fullest.

Peak Foliage – Off-Peak Vision

The dramatic display of color we all enjoy this time of year is a truly incredible natural phenomenon. Fall foliage across New England presents a unique break from the monochromatic seasons we are generally used to – green mountains in the brief spring and summer, and white all winter long. The astonishing variation of peak foliage color creeping across the landscape can easily be missed if your eyesight is even a little off-peak.

Vermont has some truly exquisite vistas across the state if you’re looking for fall foliage. From Craftsbury Common to Peacham, Lake Willoughby to Mount Equinox, wherever you head out this time of year to take in the stunning show of color, start with a visit to the eye doctor to make sure your vision is at its peak.