Sidney Eye Care Welcomes Dr. Burnett

Sidney Eye Care welcomed a new optometrist to their team March 16. Soon, they will have the ability to manage myopia and prevent it from getting worse.

Dr. David Burnett was born and raised in Ogden, UT. For several years, he has been providing optometry care in his home state of Utah and for the past five years, he has been specializing in myopia management. According to the information put out by the Mayo Clinic, myopia or nearsightedness is a common vision condition in which a patient can see objects near to them clearly, but objects farther away are blurry. It occurs when the eye of a patient is elongated. This causes light rays to bend incorrectly, focusing images in front of their retina instead of on their retina. It is genetic but they also said that studies have shown that a lack of outdoor activity can increase a person's risk for it. According to a 2012 article by Dr. Bruce H. Koffler called "The Case for Myopia Control Now" there has been a connection between intense near work, such as reading books and tablets, for children and myopia that has been noted for many years, giving rise, to the term "school myopia.". Currently and for years beforehand, the optometrists and staff of Sidney Eye Care have been treating the symptoms of myopia with glasses containing corrective lenses. The typical corrective lenses alter the light going into the eye so that when the glasses are worn the patient can see clearly. The glasses do not stop a child's eyes from growing abnormally and once a person's glasses are removed their vision is no better than before. The progression of severe myopia can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, retinal detachment, and myopic macular degeneration. Now they want to offer more options to manage it.

Although increased outdoor activity does seem to help reduce the chance of getting myopia, there are actual treatments to stop the abnormal stretching of a child's eyes as they grow. The World Health Organization put out a kit for introducing myopia treatment this year. In it they said, "It is important to acknowledge that a growing number of promising clinical measures (such as atropine eye drops, orthokeratology contact lenses, and soft multifocal contact lenses) are also available to reduce or slow the progression of myopia." Dr. Burnett says, "We (Sidney Eye Care) will be able to perform orthokeratology, atropine therapy, and glasses and contacts which are used in presbyopia treatments.

Dr. Burnett said he likes Sidney and "The people is what really makes the place". However, he said this is the final stage of his retirement. He is very passionate about myopia management but once he fully retires he and his wife plan to follow their children and enjoy being grandparents.

Sidney Eye Care is at 124 S. Central Ave., Sidney. They can be contacted at 406-482-2609 for appointments.