Edward Jarka has been an optometrist for more than 30 years and a member of the faculty of the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Optometry for over 14 years before retiring in December, 2017. In his early career as a clinician he has provided patient care in various clinical settings including private optometry practice, ophthalmology-optometry practices and as a hospital-based out-patient practice within the Veteran’s Administration. His ophthalmic research career has included experience in basic research and clinical research projects. In addition he was involved in product development research while serving as senior research optometrist at Ciba Vision. His research interests have centered on ocular surface disease and dry eye. Eight years ago, he began researching the clinical applications of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for ocular surface diseases. Dr. Jarka’s special interest includes meibomian gland dysfunction and ocular rosacea. He and his wife of 35 years (Martha) live in suburban St. Louis.

Dr. Jarka is currently accepting patient at our Webster Groves location on Mondays.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Complete Vision Care!

Thank you to all of our wonderful patients for trusting us with your eye care and allowing us to serve 
you!  At Complete Vision Care we believe that we serve the greatest patients in the world!  It is truly an 
honor caring for you and your family! We look forward to serving you in the New Year! Have a very 
Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy Holiday season!
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Here comes the cold!
 
The winter season transforms the world outside and makes us adjust our daily routines to prepare for these transformations.  
 
During the colder months we make numerous adjustments to our environment and wardrobe to adapt to the chilling effects of winter. It is important to remember that our bodies and health are often significantly affected by the changes that occur during the winter months.  
 
There is no shortage of ways the cold can bring inconvenient changes to our daily lives. Common symptoms of cold winter weather include runny noses, chapped lips, dry skin, and frozen fingers.   
 
However, there is one part of our body that often receives the worst of the winter weather -- our eyes.
 
Both the harsh winter winds outside and the dry heat radiating inside can cause a sudden onset of moisture evaporation from our eyes.
 
The result is a significant increase in dry eyes.
 
Dry eye leads to a number of eye symptoms including itching, burning, fluctuating vision, blurred vision, eye pain, and/or excessive watering to compensate for the dryness.
 
It is nearly impossible to avoid dry eyes all together in the winter months, but there are steps that you can take to ensure that your eyes stay as hydrated and healthy as possible this winter season.
 
1. Humidify Your Home
During the winter months, a home’s humidity level can dip below the 30-55 percent range that is required for our eyes to stay adequately lubricated. Consider bringing a humidifier into your home to improve the ambient humidity. Additionally, consider leaving off the exhaust in your bathroom while you are showering.
2. Drink Plenty of Water
Even mild dehydration can negatively affect the hydration of the eyes. This is especially significant in winter because cold temperatures can dampen the body’s thirst mechanism, while artificial heat speeds the evaporation of tears. Keep your eyes hydrated by drinking water throughout the day and increasing your intake of fluid-rich foods (soup, fruits, vegetables).
3. Increase Your Omega 3s
The dryness of the winter season can contribute to inflammation of the eyes tear glands. This can lead to a decrease in their secretion and an increase in evaporative tear loss. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to decrease the amount of inflammation in these tear glands and improve the quality of their secretions, thus decreasing tear evaporation. If your diet is low in these essential nutrients, consider taking a fish oil or flaxseed oil supplement.  
4. Heat Your Seat
On a cold day, your first instinct when getting into your car is to blast the heat on high until you warm up. Sitting in front of the forced air vent is essentially the same as holding a hair dryer to your eyes. They can become very dry, very quickly. Consider heating your feet and/or turning on your seat warmer until you are at a comfortable temperature.

Dry eye is a common occurrence and is exacerbated during the winter months. It can lead to significant discomfort and a decreased quality of life. The understanding of dry eye disease continues to improve and new therapeutic options continue to emerge. If you are suffering from dry eyes, itching, burning, fluctuating vision, blurred vision, eye pain, and/or excessive watering, then schedule a dry eye evaluation today. We would love to help you find treatment plan that works for you!

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​Many people participate in Vision plans, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) or Health Savings Accounts (HSA) through their employers.

Many vision benefits and flexible spending accounts (FSA) offer benefits that expire at the end of every year.  This means that if you do not USE the money by the end of your benefits year (usually December 31st) you will LOSE it.  In most cases, unused benefits cannot be transferred over to the New Year (usually beginning January 1st).

Most vision insurance plans entitle you to annual comprehensive eye examination and either an allowance or discounts toward eyewear or contact lenses each year.

Have you taken advantage of these benefits this year?

If you are not sure of the date of your last comprehensive eye examination at Complete Vision Care, please call us at one of our convenient locations and we can look it up for you.

Leadington (573) 431-1301
Festus (636) 931-2020
Webster Groves (314) 918-1239

or Request An Appointment on our website.

If you have utilized your vision plan benefits, and still have money remaining in your FSA, why not consider a second pair of glasses so you have options or that pair of prescription polarized sunglasses you have always wanted or some colored contact lenses?  These make a perfect gift for yourself or your loved ones.

Have you considered contact lenses in the past, but your vision plan only covered either glasses or contact lenses?

Now is the perfect time to give contact lenses a try!  Whether it is for occasional wear (sporting events, date nights, parties, etc.) or full time wear, we have a contact lens that can meet your needs.

The holiday season is always a busy time. It is easy to forget something like vision benefits expiring or losing FSA dollars.

Be creative and use those benefits before they expire.

Avoid the holiday rush, call NOW and schedule your appointment.

​There are numerous and varied reasons women wear make-up.  For some, it brings confidence in going to work, school, or just running errands. Makeup is great for creating the appearance of perfect skin, and, with skillful application, women can erase years from their face.  Some women want to appear glamorous while others prefer a natural look. Both use makeup to achieve it, but the idea is to have a polished look without looking like they are wearing makeup. Additionally, with all of the different colors, textures and tools involved, playing around with makeup can simply be seen as a fun thing to do. 
 
Have you ever wished you could make your eyes pop without piling on eye shadow, highlighter, and mascara? 
 
Or, have you ever wondered if you could make your eyes appear brighter and more youthful?
 
Contact lenses might be your answer.
 
There is a whole new way to enhance the natural beauty of your eyes - 1-Day Acuvue Define Brand contact lenses. These lenses enhance your own natural color rather than mask it.
 
They do this by enhancing the limbal ring - the line surrounding the iris (the colored part of your eye). Studies have found that a naturally darker and defined limbal ring is associated with attractiveness and youth.
 
These lenses define the outer edge of your iris while letting the natural color shine through. They are carefully designed to mimic and intensify the patterns and light reflection on the iris, so it will not be painfully obvious that these eyes aren't quite your own. In other words, they bring out the radiance in your eyes in a natural way. As a result, your eyes will appear brighter and more youthful.
 
Take the first step toward enhancing the natural beauty of your eyes. Schedule your evaluation today!
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In order to harvest deer consistently you need to learn all you can about how a deer hears, smells, and sees. Then, you need to devise ways to try and negate those remarkable senses. Because they do not hear much better than you, the primary areas to focus on closing the gap are smell and vision.
 
A deer’s nose is roughly a thousand times better than yours and he can see about five times better than you (amazingly, they have peripheral vision between 250-270 degrees!).
 
Deer hunters spend a fortune on scent control products every year trying to close the largest gap – the deer’s sense of smell. Reality may be that you can’t completely defeat whitetail’s awesome nose, but you can stay in the game by playing the wind and practicing good scent control when you head to the field.   
 
What can we do to close the gap between the deer’s vision and our own? The most common practices to defeat a deer’s vision are use of camouflage to blend into our surroundings, and tree stands to attempt to defeat their amazing peripheral vision and keen ability to detect movement.
 
All of these things are great. They help close the gaps by minimizing the deer’s advantages over the hunter.  But, how can we maximize our own senses to close the gap even more? The best way is to maximize our own vision.  
 
Excellent vision is critical to becoming a skilled hunter. Appropriate eyewear will protect the hunter’s eyes and can improve their ability to spot wildlife and make a great shot. It is important to take the time to choose proper eyewear before heading to the field. It can pay big dividends through the protection of a one’s eyesight and in the thrill of a successful hunt.
 
Whether at the range or in the field the importance of eye protection cannot be overstated.  Most shooting activities take place in close proximity to the face. This leads to significant risk of eye injury from ricochets and flying objects (ejecting shells, etc.). Additionally, they protect the eyes in the field from branches, wind, sun, and dust.
 
For shooting and hunting applications, polycarbonate is the best lens material available. It is lighter, more durable, more impact-resistant, and more scratch-resistant than other materials on the market today.  It also blocks UV rays that can be damaging to the eye.
 
It is important that your lenses adequately cover enough of the eye area to provide proper protection. Look for lenses that wrap around, past the sides of the eye for complete coverage.  Complete Vision Care carries a large selection safety frames that are both stylish and provide the complete coverage needed for shooting and hunting applications.
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Yellow or Amber tints improve contrast and depth perception and give a sensation of heightened visual acuity, especially during dawn and dusk -  the times when wild game is most active. Additionally, they are effective at blocking the blue light commonly found in diffused light such as one might experience on a cloudy day.
 
The first step to maximizing and protecting your vision is to have a comprehensive eye examination by one of the optometrists at Complete Vision Care.  The prescription generated from this examination will allow us to make customized hunting or shooting glasses just for you. Take the next step towards closing the gap between the deer and the hunter. Improve your chances of seeing and harvesting that trophy buck you have dreamed about all these years. Schedule your appointment today.

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Vision plays a critical role in learning.  In fact, eighty percent of learning is done visually, and one in four children have an undetected vision condition.  Children often do not know what good vision is if he or she has never experienced it, so he or she will not voice that there is a problem and often leads to frustrated students or low self esteem. It is common for vision problems to be mistaken for a learning disability.  Because eye health and vision development plays a major role in academic growth, an eye examination is a great investment in your child's education.

Is there a difference between a comprehensive eye examination with us versus a vision screening at school or by the pediatrician?

Yes. While screenings are valuable and do help identify some eye or vision problems, they are not a substitute for a comprehensive eye examination. A comprehensive eye examination includes visual acuity, cover test, pupil assessment, extraocular muscle evaluation, visual field testing, retinoscopy, anterior slit lamp examination, and dilated posterior slit lamp and binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy examination. By contrast, a vision screening usually consists of visual acuity only.

How often should a child have his or her eyes examined?

Annually. Eye health is an important part of your child's overall health care.  Whether you have vision insurance or not, the majority of medical insurance plans cover an annual preventative eye examination for children.  We accept most medical insurance plans for preventative or medical eye examinations. 

We strongly encourage you to schedule a comprehensive eye examination before your child starts school again to help ensure he or she is ready and eager to learn.