Dr. Wexler is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Washington University School of Medicine where his responsibilities include teaching LASIK surgery to ophthalmology residents and cornea fellows. Dr.Wexler is past president of the Missouri Ophthalmological Society. He is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Wexler’s original research on refractive surgery has been selected for publication in ophthalmology journals, and he has presented papers on LASIK at national Ophthalmology meetings. He is a member of the TLC Clinical Advisory Board where he assists surgeons from around the country. Dr.Wexler has received national recognition and is frequently sought after by medical professionals for their own vision correction and that of their families.
Dr. Stephen Wexler recently published an article in The Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery titled: Outcomes of custom laser in situ keratomileusis: Dilated wavescans versus undilated wavescans.
Your retina, located in the back of your eye, is the only place in the body where blood vessels can be seen directly. This means that in addition to eye conditions, signs of other diseases including Stroke, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration, Diabetes, and even Cancer can also be seen in the retina.
Early signs of these conditions can show on your retina long before you notice any changes to your vision or feel pain. While eye exams generally include a look at the front of the eye to evaluate health and prescription changes, a thorough screening of the retina is critical to verify that your eye is healthy.
The Optomap ultra-widefield retinal image is a unique technology that captures more than 80% of your retina in one panoramic image while traditional imaging methods typically only show 15% of your retina at one time.
The benefits of having an Optomap ultra-widefield retinal image taken are:
Early detection of life-threatening diseases like cancer, stroke and cardiovascular disease
The unique Optomap ultra-widefield view helps your eye care practitioner detect early signs of retinal disease more effectively and efficiently than with traditional eye exams
Early detection means successful treatments may be administered and may reduce the risk to your sight and health.
The doctors of Family Eye Care of O’Fallon trust and rely upon the comprehensive imagery provided by the Optomap so much so that Family Eye Care of O’Fallon has made the investment to bring the technology in-house.
Each new-patient comprehensive exam now receives a FREE Optomap Retinal Image as part of the exam. There is no additional charge to the patient. This allows our doctors to establish a baseline for your eye health.
On subsequent annual visits, the doctors of Family Eye Care encourage a new Optomap for comparison, although it is not required. On these visits there is a small out-of-pocket fee that is charged to the patient for the images. If the Optomap imagery shows signs of a medical issue, then the cost of the Optomap imagery may be covered by insurance.
All Optomap images are incorporated into your Electronic Heath Record and are made available to your Family Eye Care doctor in the exam room.
Myopia (More commonly referred to as Nearsightedness) is when close-up objects look clear but distant objects are blurry. For example, a child can read the textbook on his or her school desk but is unable to clearly see the teacher’s notes being written on the whiteboard at the front of the classroom.
In simple terms, myopia is an elongation of the eye. Think of myopia as a football instead of a basketball. Once the eye becomes elongated, incoming light focuses in front of the retina instead of directly on the retina as it should. This leads to objects in the distance to appear blurry.
Myopia is considered an eye disease and is increasing at a rate that is of epidemic proportions. Today more than 2 billion people suffer from myopia, and it is estimated that one half of the world’s population will be nearsighted by 2050.
The exact cause of myopia is unknown; however, experts generally agree that myopia in children is due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
What exactly does this mean? Well, it is likely that children inherit the ability to be myopic from their parents if their parents have myopia; and given the right lifestyle conditions, children can then go on to develop myopia themselves. Lifestyle conditions include increased up-close activity such as reading, writing and electronics – computers, tablets and phones.
OptometryMyopia begins in early childhood, progresses through the teen years, and usually stabilizes in the early twenties. The eyes grow in tandem with the rest of the body, and Myopia will progress in a similar fashion. This means there can be growth spurts and also periods of little to no change in vision.
Typically, myopia is diagnosed in children between the ages of 6 and 12 years. As the body grows more rapidly during the teenage years, Myopia will generally grow worse during this period.
Besides being young, science is showing that the more time a child spends indoors, the greater the likelihood they are to develop nearsightedness. Why? Indoor activity generally includes artificial lighting, and long periods of up-close, intense activity on electronics.
People with myopia are at greater future risk of developing glaucoma, cataracts, and having retinal detachment.
Treatment for myopia lies in controlling the progression of the disease since there is no cure for nearsightedness. This is typically referred to as a Myopia Management Program.
Family Eye Care of O’Fallon offers two treatment options for children in our Myopia Management Program:
MiSight daily disposable contact lenses that are worn 6 days a week and specifically designed to control myopia. These are the only FDA approved lenses for myopia management.
MiSight daily disposable contact lenses that are worn 6 days a week and specifically designed to control myopia. These are the only FDA approved lenses for myopia management.
Atropine eye drop therapy that is used in a low-dose, nightly before bedtime. This treatment has not yet been approved by the FDA for myopia management.
If you are interested in learning more about the MMP program offered by Family Eye Care of O’Fallon, please click the button below to download our program overview.
Please take a moment to download and complete our revised “Patient Registration” and “Patient Health History” forms prior to your scheduled appointment.
Family Eye Care of O’Fallon accepts the both vision and medical insurance plans. Please click here for more information.
Did you know that your Flexible Saving Accounts can be used for many optometric services and products?
What are Electronic Health Records and how are they used at Family Eye Care?
Your privacy is important to us. Please see all the ways we actively protect your privacy.
Use this quick link to securely access your Personal Health Record with the login information provided to you at your last office visit
All of the staff are very friendly and helpful. Office is completely accessible. Dr. Kloke was very patient when examining my special-needs daughter. Would highly recommend Family Eye Care to others.
