Cameron Optical: Restoring Vision, Curing Eye Disease and Changing Lives

What if we told you the perfect eye clinic really does exist? If you don’t believe it, take it from me! I had the opportunity to be a patient for the day at Cameron Optical. The staff ran several tests on my eyes, adjusted my old flimsy glasses, and gave me their professional advice concerning my eye health. I was surprised to find the amount of new technology and latest treatments the practice uses to optimize their patient’s eye health and overall well-being.

I spoke with Dr. Bonnie Cameron and Mark Soveral, co-owners and founders of Cameron Optical about why they offer options that most opticians don’t. Dr. Cameron shared that during her time working in large optical practices with multiple doctors, she was limited on what she could offer patients. So, she set out to start her own practice, where she could provide unlimited care and services to patients in need. “I wanted to be able to offer people more, and have as many options as possible,” Dr. Cameron said. “Rather than sending you to 3 different places, we can treat you all in one place.” With this kind of reputation, optometrists around the area send their patients to Cameron Optical who have more difficult eye issues, knowing they will find a solution.

Dr. Cameron has a vast array of optical abilities, as a Therapeutic Optometrist and Glaucoma Specialist with experience in Neuro-Ophthalmology, Retinal Diseases, Ocular Dry Eye Treatment, Cataract Management and all types of visual disorders. Mark Soveral is a licensed Optician with over 27 years of experience with an American Board Opticianry Advanced Certification. Together, the duo brings 45 years of expert level eyecare care to Lake Conroe and surrounding communities.

One fascinating part about visiting Cameron Optical was seeing the latest technology used to treat and cure eye diseases, along with cosmetic treatments. The doctors were excited to show off their newest equipment, stating they didn’t know of any other optometrists in the area who are offering this kind of technology.

Neurolens: Correcting Eye Misalignment

In August of 2023, Cameron Optical introduced brand-new technology that helps cure eye misalignment. “We’ve never been able to do this before,” Mr. Soveral said.

So how does eye misalignment happen? Mr. Soveral explained to me that both of your eyes are working together to see an image at the same time, meeting in the middle to focus on a single point. If one of your eyes is not meeting at that center point, you’ll eventually start to see double imaging. Even in mild cases, having misalignment can cause strain on your eyes, as they are working overtime to correct themselves. Eye misalignment can cause a plethora of issues like headaches, eye strain, neck and shoulder pain, dizziness, dry eye, and light sensitivity.

Neurolens allows patients at Cameron Optical to be tested to see if they have an imbalance. “It’s precise to the millimeter,” says Mr. Soveral. With the results provided by the Neurolens technology, the staff can see exactly how far off track your eye balance is. With a contoured prism installed into a pair of glasses, the eye misalignment can be corrected, and cause your eyes to feel instant relief from strain.

An eye exam and a face lift? Yes please!

If you suffer from droopy eyelids, but you’re not a fan of surgery, there is an in-between solution for you. Dr. Cameron explained the muscles around the eye can grow weak overtime, but their latest technology provides a way to strengthen these muscles. When these muscles are strengthened, they will not only improve symptoms of droopy eyes, but also symptoms that come from Lagophthalmos—a condition that keeps your eyes from closing while you sleep.

Now here comes the exciting part: not only will this technology (called triLift) strengthen the muscles in your eyes—it is also used to give natural face lifts!

The muscle stimulator is heated up and applied to your facial muscles around cheekbones, jawline, under the chin, around the eyes, and more. Once applied to your face, you’ll feel your muscles being toned and tightened, like a work-out for your face. After 16 minutes of treatment, your face will look brand new! It corrects crows feet, eye bags, sagging skin under the chin, drooping skin around the cheekbones, and more. No downtime, pain, no scarring, and no injections.

The Cure for Dry Eyes

If you suffer from dry eyes, you may need more than over-the-counter eye drops to cure the issue. Dry eyes can lead to long term damage, and make wearing contacts a nightmare. The problem goes a lot deeper than you think. “Everyone is on their phones nowadays or working on screens, causing them not to blink as much as they should be,” Mr. Soveral explained.

Dr. Cameron and Mr. Soveral showed me x-rays of the inside of an eyelid, filled with tiny tubes. These tubes are called meibomian glands, which provide oil needed to trap the tears in your eyes so that your eyes can receive the oxygen provided by the tears. Without the proper amount of oil produced in your eyes, the tears produced will instead evaporate, resulting in irritated and dry eyes. This disease is called Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, or MGD.

“We have the solution,” Mr. Soveral said. “We are one of the only clinical providers that can cure dry eye.”

LipiFlow is one treatment used at Cameron Optical to remove blockages from the meibomian glands, allowing them to produce the oils needed. This 12-minute treatment will gently massage the eyelids using a combination of heat and therapeutic motion. Once blockages are removed, glands can resume their normal oil production.

Another cause of dry eyes is inflammation, a key ingredient causing dry eyes. Cameron Optical utilizes another piece of equipment called OptiLight to treat inflammation. Using an intense broad spectrum light at a particular color wavelength, brand new nerve growth is triggered. This causes the meibomian glands to regenerate and open back up. Each session takes 10 to 15 minutes, and is usually spaced out between 2 to 4 weeks.

Not only does OptiLight cure dry eyes, but can also be used to eliminate age spots, rosacea, and acne—all of which cause inflammation—resulting in dry eyes.

“Your eyes are connected to the areas next to your skin that are affected by acne and rosacea. If we treat the eyes by themselves, they will improve some, but we want to treat the whole thing,” Dr. Cameron explains. She also shared that acne topicals can cause dry eyes as well, since the chemicals usually dry out the skin. “It’s a vicious cycle, but we can cure it now.”

Catch Diseases Before They Catch You

The team at Cameron Optical has technology that can pick up on diseases years before they become serious.

“The eyes are one of the only places in the body that we can look into and see how the vascular system is communicating with the heart,” she explained. “Instead of cutting someone open, we can look into your eyes and see how everything in your body is responding to each other.”

Dr. Cameron also explained that different diseases have different eye related symptoms that you might not notice yourself. The Cameron Optical Team’s specialized equipment picks up things like diabetes, deterioration, macular degeneration, glaucoma, heart disease and more.

Correct Color Blindness and Dyslexia

While most who suffer from color blindness use special sunglasses with color corrected lenses, Cameron Optical offers specialty contact lenses. Dyslexia is another visual issue, resulting from the way your eyes and brain are linked. The brain interprets what your eyes are seeing incorrectly, causing words in a paragraph to jump and dance around.

Cameron Optical offers vision therapy for those who suffer with dyslexia, to train the eyes with a computer program. Along with this program, the doctors use a series of colored lenses that are placed in front of the eye as a filter. This filter pulls out the jumbling words, presenting a paragraph with straight lines and words in order.

In-House, Quality Care Sets Cameron Optical Apart

In addition to the testing and treatment rooms, Cameron Optical greets its visitors with an optical showroom in the front lobby, containing all the most requested brands. From designer to budget lines, they have everything you’re looking for.

Another part of the facility that sets Cameron Optical apart is the private lab, where the staff creates drill-mounted, custom eyewear. While traditional opticals take 2 weeks to complete prescription glasses, Cameron Optical can do it in 1 week. “We don’t have to wait for things to pass through large-volume labs before it gets to us,” Mr. Soveral explained.

This factor makes the precision and quality of lenses 10 times better than other opticals, due to the fact that Cameron Optical has a doctor, a licensed optician, and a lab technician all in house. “We pride ourselves in quality over volume,” Mr. Soveral says. “Because of this, our patients trust that we care about them.”

Stay up to date on Cameron Optical’s latest offers and discounts by following them on social media and visiting their website. Call them today to schedule an appointment and receive the best quality eye care in your local area!