Author: innexus

Eye Safety In The Home

Have you thought about eye safety in your home? Over 2.4 million eye injuries each year in the United States. Experts say wearing safety glasses and taking a few common-sense precautions can prevent or reduce the severity of eye injuries.

Common causes of eye injury in the home:

  • Household cleaners and chemicals
    Tip: Keep out of reach of children, high shelves in cupboards or childproof cupboards.
  • Toys and games (hard or sharp edges)
    Tip: Always check the age recommendation to ensure toys are appropriate for your child.
  • Eye makeup and applicators
    Tip: Throw out old or damaged products to avoid potential eye hazards.
  • Lawn, garden, and hand tools
    Tip: Wear protective eyewear when completing house or yard work.
  • Champagne Corks
    Tip: Never face the cork towards anyone’s face, including your own.
  • Fireworks
    Tip: Attend a professional firework show, avoid the risks associated with at home fireworks.

 

What to do in case of eye injury

If you or your child has an eye injury contact your eye doctor immediately. If it is after regular work hours, try an emergency contact number or call 911. It is always better to be over cautious when it comes to your eyes.

The next steps after your phone call vary greatly depending on the eye injury. Typically, we either recommend you come to our office or go to the emergency room. Depending on the situation your eye doctor may also ask you to flush your eye, remove your contact lenses, or cover your eye.

When in doubt treat all eye injuries as potential emergencies. You only have one pair of eyes, and we want to ensure they are taken care of.

What to look for in safety glasses

Safety glasses should be worn when doing any house repairs/renovations, yard work, or sports activities. This is the best way to protect your eyes from potential harm. When looking for safety glasses, it is important to have impact-resistant polycarbonate lenses and safety rated frame.

If you have additional questions about eye safety in the home, ask our staff. We want to help you keep your eyes safe and healthy!

Prevent Glaucoma: Regular Eye Exams

Did you know, half of Americans with glaucoma don’t know they have it? Glaucoma is often called a silent thief of sight because the early stages often have no symptoms. In the US glaucoma is the second-leading cause of blindness.

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is an eye disease damaging the optic nerve in the eye; the optic nerve connects the retina to the brain to produce sight. The most common type of glaucoma is called primary open-angle glaucoma. According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, over 3 million Americans have glaucoma.

Eye pressure is a significant risk factor for optic nerve damage. We recommend annual eye exams to measure eye pressure and detect glaucoma before you lose vision.

Populations at a Higher Risk Include:

  • African Americans over age 40
  • Everyone over age 60, especially Mexican Americans
  • People with a family history of glaucoma

Symptoms of Glaucoma

Typically glaucoma has no signs or symptoms, by the time you notice your loss of vision the disease has progressed to irreversible vision loss. Regular eye exams are the best way to detect and prevent glaucoma because several tests are performed to look for signs of glaucoma.

Potential Signs/Symptoms Include:

  • High Intraocular Pressure
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Vision Loss
  • Blurry Vision
  • Distorted Vision
  • Eye Pain

Can you reduce your risk for glaucoma?

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential to reduce your risk of developing glaucoma. A few ways to reduce your risk include not smoking and eating a varied healthy diet. Healthy weight and blood pressure are also essential to lowering your chance of getting glaucoma.

Recent studies have also found that physical exercise may also lower your intraocular pressure. Glaucoma development may be due to high intraocular pressure. Therefore, physical exercise and an active lifestyle are great ways to prevent glaucoma along with other serious health problems.

Tips for Choosing Your Perfect Eyewear

Have you ever gone to pick out new eyeglasses, but been overwhelmed by all your options? Do you ever struggle to know what eyewear shape looks best on you? We’ve compiled our best tips for picking the perfect pair of eyewear to help make your decisions easier.

  1. Contrast your face shape

    • There are seven basic face shapes to review including oval, base-up or base-down triangle, oblong, square, diamond, and round. Eyewear should contrast your face shape but be in scale with your face size. Find your face shape below and try out our recommended shape frames

      1. Oval: wide or walnut-shaped frames
      2. Base-up triangle: frames with a wider bottom, light color or lightweight
      3. Oblong: frames with more depth than width
      4. Square: narrow frames and with more width than depth
      5. Diamond: cat-eye shaped frames or other detailing on the brow line
      6. Round: narrow frames which are wider and have a clear bridge
      7. Base-down triangle: frames with color or detailing on the top half

  2. Highlight your features

    • Pick your best or favorite feature and pick a frame to highlight it.
    • Some features to consider highlighting would be your eyes, hair, skin color, and face shape. For example, if you have blue eyes, try a blue frame to match and highlight your eye color.

  3. Match or complement colors

    • Your skin, eyes, and hair work together to create your overall coloring. Everyone has either a cool (blue or pink undertones) or a warm (yellow or orange undertones) overall color. Try a frame from our color list below to complement your coloring.
    • Warm coloring: camel, khaki, gold, copper, peach, orange, coral, red, or warm blue
    • Cool coloring: black, silver, rose-brown, blue-gray, plum, magenta, pink, blue, or tortoise

  4. Find the perfect size

    • Try on multiple pairs to see what size fits your face shape best.
    • If the frames are too small your peripheral vision will be limited and could potentially feel tight on the head. The frames should not pinch your nose, leave red marks, slide down your nose, or easily slip off your head. The tightness around your ears can be adjusted to get the perfect fit.  

  5. Match your frames to your lifestyle

    • Make sure your frames will work for every part of your life and will be a representation of you and your personality.
    • Pick frames to match your unique lifestyle and hobbies. Consider your common activities when choosing frames. For example, if you are more active you may want a pair of sports eyewear or a wraparound band. If you spend a lot of time on the computer, you may want eyeglasses with a tinted lens.

  6. Anti-reflective coating

    • An anti-reflective coating helps eliminate reflections on both sides of your lenses to cut down annoying glare and improve night vision.
    • Anti-reflective coatings allow for sharper, clearer vision with less glare. The lenses appear to be nearly invisible, giving the eyeglasses a more attractive appearance and allowing for better eye contact.

  7. Are weight and material important to you?

    • Frames are most commonly made of plastic, metal, or a combination of materials. This combination determines the longevity, weight, and average cost of a frame.
    • Key Features:
          • Stainless steel and titanium are long lasting
          • Metal frames often have adjustable nose pads
          • Metal frames can come in hypoallergenic materials
          • Plastic frames tend to be less expensive
          • Plastic frames are lighter
          • Plastic frames typically need less maintenance than metal frames
          • Flexible hinges allow the “arms” to bend more than regular hinges

The Importance of Sports Eyewear

Whether you’re playing or watching the game, one incident everyone dreads is an injury. Injuries can prevent players from finishing the game, or worse, end an athletic career. Protective sports eyewear helps to prevent injuries and allows players to continue to play their sport. In today’s world, many sports facilities and fitness clubs require athletes to wear proper eye gear in order to minimize injury.

Why is it important to wear protective eyewear?

Emergency rooms treat more than 40,000 sports-related eye injuries every year, and up to 90 percent of those injuries could have been prevented by using protective eyewear. Any sport in which a ball, racquet, or other flying object is present poses a risk for injury. However, injuries can also result from close contact with others in the way of pokes or jabs with fingers and elbows. Protective eyewear is important because it keeps your eyes safe from a variety of injuries. As an additional bonus, the sharper your vision, the better you will perform in your sport of choice.

Features to look for:

  • Various sizes and shapes designed to fit the user.
  • Customized to best suit the sport including reflective lenses, space for headgear, and wrap around bands.
  • User’s prescription can be added to the lenses, which allows for better clarity during the game and increased overall performance.
  • Lenses are often made of polycarbonate, an impact-resistant material, to protect eyes from high speed and high impact objects.
  • Sports frames are also made of impact resistant material and often come with rubber padding where the frame comes in contact with the head or nose.
  • Wraparound sports glasses help to ensure the eyewear remains in place for the duration of a sporting event and prevents dust or debris from entering through the sides of the glasses.

Get the Facts

Experts agree sports-related eye injuries can be prevented by wearing protective eyewear. Parents and coaches should ensure athletes are wearing safety glasses during sporting events, especially considering 43 percent of all sports-related eye injuries occur in children younger than age 15. Regular eyeglasses are not safe to use as protective sports eyewear because they do not have impact resistance and could shatter or break upon impact.  

It is imperative that protective eyewear properly fits the user. Resist the urge to buy children’s eyewear with “room to grow.” Purchasing protective eyewear too large for the user could cause eyewear to be less effective and increase the risk of injury. Additionally, be sure the user has not outgrown protective goggles as this increases the risk of injury as well.  

Sports using Protective Eyewear

  • Badminton: sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses
  • Baseball/softball: batting and baserunning- helmet with polycarbonate face shield. Fielding- sports goggles or sports sunglasses with shatterproof lenses and head strap
  • Basketball: wraparound sports goggles
  • Bicycling: performance sunglasses with anti-fog and anti-scratch lenses
  • Fencing: full face mask made of rigid metal
  • Field hockey: all players- sports goggles with a head strap. Goalies- full helmets and face masks
  • Fishing: polarized sunglasses
  • Football: polycarbonate shield attached to a helmet
  • Hunting and shooting: polarized shatter resistant shooting glasses
  • Ice hockey: full face helmet
  • Lacrosse: form fitting and padded face mask
  • Paintball: full face helmet
  • Racquetball: sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses
  • Skiing and snowboarding: ski goggles or wraparound polarized sunglasses with mirror coated lenses
  • Soccer: sports goggles
  • Squash/Tennis: sports goggles with wraparound frame
  • Swimming and diving: swim goggles and diving masks
  • Volleyball: sports goggles or sunglasses
  • Water Polo: swim goggles with polycarbonate lenses

Reasons Not to Compromise on Price

Have you ever been tempted to buy cheap glasses you see online or the reading glasses you found at a discount store? They look just as good as the prescription eyeglasses you paid full price for, right?

The hard truth is they are not the same as the high-quality prescription eyewear provided by our office. Unreliable eyeglasses are more likely to break, scratch, and discolor over time. Your goal should be to buy glasses that will last and will not need frequent replacement. The cost of replacing cheap glasses can add up to the same cost as purchasing a more expensive, quality pair, originally.

Know what you lose

When comparing costs, there is always a compromise to be made. One of the biggest elements lost when buying cheap eyeglasses is individual care. Opticians recommend eyewear based on your daily routine, provide professional fittings, and ensure the quality of your eyewear is examined.

Same top quality?

Online glasses retailers often state that they offer the “same top quality” as eyecare practices. How do you know what their definition or range of top quality is? Cheap price often means cheaper materials.

Try before you buy

Usually, when buying glasses from an online retailer, you sacrifice the opportunity to try the glasses on and see how they fit your face. A virtual try-on does not allow for an accurate representation of how glasses look and fit on your face.

You cannot receive a proper fitting

If you choose to purchase eyeglasses from an online supplier, you forfeit a proper fitting. As a result, you may purchase a pair of glasses that are too tight or loose for your face.

Cheap frames

A downside to cheaper frames is they are more likely to cause skin irritation. Cheaper metal frames can discolor your skin or even cause a skin rash due to allergy. With prolonged wear, cheap plastic frames will discolor in sunlight and the smooth finish will diminish.

Durability

Another inevitable loss with cheaper eyeglasses is durability. Frames made with inexpensive materials are not designed to withstand extended use as well as eyeglasses sold by eye practitioners are able to.

Reading glasses

A wide-spread myth: all reading glasses are the same whether you purchase them at a discount store or at an eye practitioner. The truth is, your eye practitioner is able to customize the lenses to fit your exact eye and lifestyle needs. Read more about progressive lenses available at our office here.

Sunglasses lose UV protection

It’s tempting to buy cheap sunglasses because you are worried you might misplace or scratch them. However, it is crucial to protect your eyes from UV radiation damage. Don’t give up 100% UV protection for a cheap sticker price.

Progressive and Bifocal Lenses: Vision at Every Distance

As your eyes age, conditions like age-related farsightedness or presbyopia may start to affect your vision. If you already suffer from an eye-related condition or disease, finding eyewear to remedy multiple vision deficiencies can be a hassle. Progressive and bifocal lenses are a perfect eyewear solution for individuals with multiple prescriptions. Progressive and bifocal lenses provide you a transition from near to far distance vision within one lens!

Bifocal vs Progressive Lenses

Seeing your best at every distance is important for maintaining natural and comfortable vision and lifestyle. The age-related onset of conditions like presbyopia causes the primary need for progressive or bifocal lenses.

Although, both bifocal and progressive lenses are used to combat the effects of presbyopia and provide comfortable vision for individuals with multiple prescriptions, it is important to review your lifestyle to determine the best option for you.

Progressive lenses provide the most natural vision for the wearer by seamlessly transitioning between near and far prescriptions within the lens. Whereas, a bifocal lens is separated into distinct areas of near-and-far-vision prescriptions.

Consider your lifestyle, the demands of your job, and your personal preference when choosing which type of lens is the best fit.  

Bifocal Lenses

  • Two distinct powers in the lens, one for near vision and one for distance
  • Has a distinct line separating the powers
  • Put user at greater risk for computer vision syndrome
  • Provide wider lens areas for reading and computer work

Progressive Lenses

  • Seamless progression between all distances of vision
  • No distinction between different powers within the lens
  • Most popular lens for anyone with presbyopia who wears eyeglasses
  • Expanded intermediate zone for better computer vision

Adaptable to your lifestyle

We understand the need for comfortable eyewear adequate for your lifestyle. Due to the popularity of progressive lenses in the past decade, technology advancements have allowed wearers to see their best without adjusting their lifestyle.

Progressive lenses provide wider zones of clear vision to make activities like computer use and reading easier for the wearer. Early progressive lens designs had a soft blur during movement, but today’s progressive lenses have reduced this blur to provide better vision for active wearers. With improved technology, labs are able to condense the size of lenses needed fit the range of RX, power changes, which allows for those who desire a smaller frame to benefit from the advantages of progressive lenses.

Progressive-and-Bifocal-Lenses-INTERNAL IMAGE

Multifocal Contact Lenses

Multifocal contact lenses are yet another way to tackle presbyopia, a condition making it difficult to focus on objects up close. Presbyopia, or farsightedness, affects nearly 111 million people in the United States with a large effect on individuals in their mid 40’s. If you suffer from near and farsighted vision, you may have thought glasses were your only option for corrective lenses. Think again! Similar to progressive or bifocal lenses , you can also wear bifocal or multifocal contact lenses to provide a natural transition between your near and distance vision.

What is presbyopia?

Presbyopia, a very common refractive error often referred to as age-related farsightedness, is a gradual, age-related loss in the ability to clearly view up-close objects. If you begin experiencing eye strain after reading or are holding reading materials at an arm’s length away to clearly view, schedule a visit with us to talk about your vision. While there is no way to stop or reverse the effects of presbyopia, factors that can lead to a higher risk of developing presbyopia include age, medical conditions, and drug use. Our practice offers a wide range of eyecare services, and vision correction including frames, lenses, and contact lens options to fit your vision needs and keep you seeing your best.

Why Use Multifocal Contact Lenses?

Multifocal contact lenses create a more natural viewing for the wearer because both eyes are corrected for distance and near vision. There are a variety of options available for multifocal contact lenses that can be worn depending on your preferences and lifestyle. From single and part-time to everyday use, there is a multifocal contact lens option for you.

If you have started experiencing signs of farsightedness and are interested in multifocal contact lenses, schedule your next appointment today to talk with our team. It is much easier to adjust the multifocal lens correction provided on lower prescription needs. If you have a strong prescription and would like to try multifocal contact lenses, contact our office today.

The Pros and Cons

Pros of Multifocal Contact Lenses

  • Convenient to use
  • Provide a variety of powers in one lens to allow for great vision at all distances
  • Offer a smooth transition between different prescriptions without the distinct lines found in bifocal contact lenses

Cons of Multifocal Contact Lenses

  • Some wearers find their vision is not perfect at both near and distance, in these situations a compromise is made so one distance vision is better than the other.
  • Adjustments are difficult with higher prescriptions
  • More difficult to adjust when compared with standard contact lenses
  • People who suffer from dry eyes may have more difficulty wearing contact lenses, which may not make the multifocal lenses a good solution to their presbyopia.

Types of Multifocal Contact Lenses

Simultaneous Design

The simultaneous vision design provides a gradual change between near and distance vision. Different zones of the lens are made for near, far, and intermediate vision providing a more natural transition and viewing experience.

Concentric and aspheric lenses are the most common simultaneous vision designs. The concentric design allows for the center of the lens to be the primary viewing zone and the rings around it gradually switch between near and distance vision. Aspheric lenses have a more gradual shift in prescription throughout the lens.

Segmented Design

Segmented contact lenses have a bifocal design. The distance vision is in the upper and central parts of the lens and the near vision is in the lower section of the lens. The two zones are separated by a visible line. When the user looks down the contact lens remains in place due to the flattened bottom edge.

Multifocal Contact Lenses - INTERNAL IMAGE

Ready to try out multifocal contact lenses? Give us a call or schedule your next appointment today!

Eye Color & Genetics

Ever wonder why your eyes are blue, green, brown, or somewhere in between? The colored part of your eye, the Iris, contains pigmentation which determines our eye color. Your parents pass on chromosomes which combine to customize your eye color.

How eye color develops

Eye color is not as simple as other genetic traits. Three different genes contribute to your eye color. Due to dominant gene types, darker colors like brown overpower lighter colors like blue and green. Colors such as gray, hazel, and multiple combinations are not as common and are not yet completely understood.

Most babies are born with blue eyes, but did you know their eyes can darken for three years? Melanin is a pigment not present at birth, which develops with age and causes eyes to darken. The more melanin someone has, the darker their eyes will be.

Facts About Common Eye Colors:

  • Brown: Most common eye color worldwide. This varies between dark brown, light brown, and honey brown eyes.
  • Blue: People with blue eyes have less melanin in their eyes than any other color. Blue eyes are thought to come from a genetic mutation of one individual.
  • Green: Thought to be the most attractive and one of the rarest eye colors.
  • Hazel: The hue of hazel eyes changes based on what you are wearing and the type of lighting you are in. Hazel eyes host a variety of colors.

Changes in eye color

When your pupil changes size, the pigments in the iris of your eye compress or spread apart causing the color of your eyes to change. Your pupils change size for a variety of reasons including changes in light and the distance of the object you are focusing on. Emotions can also change the pupil size and iris color.

Heterochromia

Heterochromia is a condition in which a person’s eyes are different colors, caused by one eye having more melanin than the other. Typically, present at birth and is not considered an eye disease as it does not commonly cause vision problems.

Enhancing your eye color

  • Wear eyeglass frames to compliment your eye color and skin tone.

Example: Determine if you are “warm” or “cool” toned skin and eye color then match your frames with a complementary color.

  • Use eye makeup to bring out the color of your eyes.

Example: Pinks, purples, and silvers bring out the warmth in brown eyes.

  • Wear clothing which compliments or contrasts your eye color.

Example: Orange, red, and gold highlight the natural hue of blue eyes.

  • Choose hairstyles and colors to accentuate your eyes.

Example: Bangs and layers which frame the face draw more attention to your eyes.

  • Colored contact lenses give you the opportunity to try out a new look.

Macular Degeneration

Individuals over the age of 50 are at a higher risk for developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which causes gradual vision loss. If you are over the age of 50 and have noticed changes in your vision, call our office to schedule an appointment with your eye doctor to discuss your risk for AMD.

What is Macular Degeneration?

Macular degeneration is a condition in which the macula in the eye breaks down resulting in gradual central vision loss. This vision loss is commonly referred to as age-related macular degeneration due to its increased development in individuals over the age of 50. Early signs of this condition include shadows in your central vision, fuzzy vision, or distorted vision. While AMD is not curable, early detection, prevention, and treatment can help slow or stop the progression.

Symptoms of AMD

  • Straight lines appear wavy
  • Fuzzy vision
  • Night vision problems
  • Gray, dark, or empty area in central vision
  • Dramatic vision loss

Types of macular degeneration

Dry macular degeneration is the most common type of AMD, diagnosed in nearly 90% of cases.* Dry macular degeneration causes yellowish deposits to form in the retina resulting in deterioration. Dry AMD will not result in full vision loss, but it is not curable or reversible. By maintaining good health and protecting your eyes from UV rays, you can decrease your risk and prevent early development of dry macular degeneration.

Wet macular degeneration is a severe form of AMD and accounts for about 10% of macular degeneration cases.* Wet AMD is an advanced form of macular degeneration and can result in full loss of central vision. Wet macular degeneration occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina and macula in the eye. As these blood vessels start to leak blood and fluid into the eye, the macula is forced to lift away from its base causing distorted central vision.  

Who is at risk?

Macular degeneration primarily affects female Caucasians over the age of 50 people. While smoking is one of the highest risk factors for developing macular degeneration, other risk factors include obesity, high blood pressure, lighter eye color, and a family history of AMD.

If you are concerned about changes in your vision or suffer from one of these risk factors, call our office to schedule an appointment with your eye doctor and discuss your vision and risk of macular degeneration.

*American Macular Degeneration Foundation

Know the Facts About Cataracts

Did you know, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world? Cataracts affect nearly 20.5 million Americans age 40 and older.* If you are over the age of 50, you should have a yearly comprehensive eye exam to detect cataracts as they develop.

A cataract is the clouding of the lens in your eye. Many people describe the feeling as if you are looking through a foggy or frosted window.

What causes cataracts?

Clouding of the natural lens in your eye is caused by proteins clumping together within the lens. It is unknown why the eye changes as the body ages, but these changes may cause cataracts to grow larger over time, resulting in an increased difficulty to see clearly.

Some factors that have been linked to cataract development are diabetes, obesity, smoking, ultraviolet radiation, and family history.

Symptoms

Symptoms associated with cataracts can vary from person to person. However, there are a few key symptoms associated with most cases of cataract development. If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms, schedule a visit with your eye doctor to discuss your risk or development of cataracts.

  • Slight blur in vision
  • Vision is cloudy
  • Sunlight or lamps feel too bright
  • Headlights have more glare and/or a halo around them
  • Colors no longer appear as bright as they once did

Types of cataracts

Subcapsular

Subcapsular cataracts typically occur in the back of the lens and are most common in individuals with diabetes or those taking a high dose of steroid medication.

Nuclear

Nuclear cataracts are associated with aging and occur in the central zone of the lens.

Cortical

Cortical cataracts occur in the lens cortex and are associated with streaks which interfere with light passage through the eye.

Congenital

Congenital cataracts are present at birth and may be due to genetics or intrauterine infection.

Are cataracts preventable?

No studies have shown a way to prevent cataracts, however, there are recommended practices to help maintain eye health and lower your risk of developing cataracts.

  • Yearly comprehensive eye exams help maintain eye health and detect the development of cataracts at an early stage.
  • Smoking has been linked to the development of cataracts. Quitting smoking provides a variety of health benefits lowering your risk for further cataract development.
  • Keeping up with treatment if you have diabetes or other medical conditions will help minimize your risk.
  • Maintaining a healthy diet, including fruits and vegetables, provides increased overall eye health.
  • Wearing sunglasses to prevent ultraviolet radiation will decrease your risk of UV damage which has been linked to the development of cataracts.

 

*National Eye Institute (https://nei.nih.gov)