Author: innexus

Floaters or Spots: Should I be worried?

Have you noticed tiny shadows cast upon objects? Small spots, lines, or other shapes caused by floaters in your eye aren’t a big deal most of the time. Read more below to find out when you should contact your doctor about spots in your vision!

Floaters or Spots, are they normal?

As you age, the gel-like consistency in your eye begins to dissolve, creating floaters in the watery center of your eye. While you cannot see the particle floating in your eye, a shadow of these particles reflects off the objects. Floaters or spots are normal, and typically, treatment is not necessary.

Flashes of light

When light enters your eye, it sends a message to the retina. The retina then produces an electrical impulse to your brain. The brain then interprets this impulse as an image.

If the retina is tugged or torn, it’s common to see flickers of light. Depending on the retinal tissue’s severity, the flashes or flickers of light can be temporary or continue indefinitely. If you see flashes or flickering light in your vision, call our office immediately!

Shower of floaters

Seeing a few new floaters is not an emergency. However, if you suddenly see a shower of floaters or spots, this may cause concern. The sudden appearance of flashes of light could mean that damage is occurring to your retina. If any of these symptoms suddenly appear, call our office immediately to discuss them with your eye doctor.

Dark shadows in peripheral vision

If your floaters or spots become darkened peripheral vision or larger areas start to darken and stay in your peripheral vision, call our office to schedule an appointment immediately. Loss of sight in your peripheral vision could be the sign of a more severe vision problem.

It is our goal to keep your eyes healthy throughout your life. If you notice trouble seeing or are experiencing pain with your vision, schedule an appointment. While you can’t prevent some eye diseases, there are some general tips to protect your vision and maintain eye health.

  • Receive a comprehensive eye exam
  • Maintain a healthy diet
  • Drink more water
  • Wear protective eyewear
  • Rest your eyes

Online Shopping? What You’re Missing When You Purchase Online

Love online shopping and want to extend your purchases to online eyewear? Before you do, let us share with you what you may be missing! Eyewear is one of the most important investments you can make, it will help you see the world around you and complete your daily life to the best of your ability. We don’t want you to end up with a pair of eyewear that will break, scratch, or even discolor over time.  Our goal is to find you a pair of eyewear that will last and not need frequent replacement.

Know the difference.

When you compare online eyewear to our practice, there is always a compromise to be made. One of the most significant features lost when buying online eyeglasses is individual care. When purchasing eyewear in our office, our opticians will recommend eyewear based on your daily routine, provide professional fittings, and ensure your eyewear quality is examined. In addition, once you purchase your eyewear, you have our team to call if something breaks, scratches, or stretches. We are happy to readjust your glasses anytime a mishap happens!

Quality

Many types of metal, plastic, and lens materials are used in the eyewear manufacturing process. Online retailers often use lower quality materials in the eyewear they are selling, leading to more easily damaged or worn eyewear. Unsure about the materials offered in an online store? Ask us! We are happy to share our recommended frame and lens materials or brands for your unique needs.

Try it On For Fit & Style

When buying glasses from an online retailer, you sacrifice the opportunity to try various eyewear shapes and colors to see how they fit your face. We know a virtual try-on just doesn’t cut it! In addition to style, purchasing eyewear online does not allow a proper fitting of your final eyewear. Our staff is experienced in altering your nose pads, ears, and arms of your frames to ensure they are the perfect fit for you. As a result of an online purchase, you may receive a pair of glasses that are too tight or loose for your face.

Materials

Did you know some materials could cause skin irritation! Lower quality metal frames can discolor your skin or even cause a skin rash due to allergy. With prolonged wear, low quality plastic frames will discolor in sunlight and the smooth finish can diminish. If your frames are made with inexpensive materials, they are not designed to withstand extended use, unlike eyeglasses sold by our office, which are designed to be long-lasting.

Sunwear Protection

Quality and material is the most crucial factor when purchasing sunwear. If you are tempted to buy low-cost sunglasses because of the fear of misplacing or scratching them, stop! While we understand the fear of breaking your new pair of sunglasses, we feel your eye protection is always most important. It is crucial to protect your eyes from UV radiation damage! So, don’t give up 100% UV protection for a lower sticker price.

Are you still looking to purchase eyewear online? We ask that you come into the office to talk with our staff first! Ask our team to write out their specific recommendations so you can compare your new eyewear features equally across suppliers.

Computer Vision Syndrome: Eye Strain

According to The Vision Council, 65% of adults experience some form of computer vision syndrome. Often individuals associate eye strain as a “normal” part of computer work. However, the eye strain you are experiencing is a symptom of computer vision syndrome and can be reduced or avoided!

What is Computer Vision Syndrome?

Computer vision syndrome is caused by the eyes and brain reacting to the characters on a computer screen. On-screen characters have less contrast than characters in print and are more challenging for our eyes to focus on. The difficulty of having to focus on the characters on computer screens is what causes eye fatigue and strain.

Symptoms of CVS

Depending on the individual they may experience one, several, or all symptoms of computer vision syndrome. These symptoms can cause discomfort for the individual and make it difficult to complete work effectively.

  • Headaches
  • Loss of focus
  • Burning eyes
  • Tired eyes
  • Red eyes
  • Double vision
  • Eye twitching
  • Blurred vision
  • Neck and shoulder pain

Ways to Combat CVS

Many computer users find their eyes feel strained working under fluorescent lights. Users feel more eye comfort when using floor lamps instead of harsh overhead lights. Minimize the reflection of glare off your computer screen by installing an anti-glare screen on your monitor. Consider closing the blinds to prevent the sun from reflecting off your computer screen as well.

The type of screen and settings of your screen can also impact your eye strain. We recommend making sure you have an LCD screen because it has an anti-reflective surface and is more comfortable for the eyes.

Additionally, you can adjust the settings of your screen for optimal viewing. A few settings to adjust are the brightness, text, and color temperature. The brightness should be the same as your surrounding workstation, the text size and contrast can be changed to your comfort level, and reducing the color temperature lowers the amount of blue light emitted by your screen.

Computer Eyewear

One of the best ways to reduce your risk of computer vision syndrome is to visit our office. Your eye doctor can perform a few tests to detect vision problems which could be contributing to your computer vision syndrome and help decide if computer eyewear is the solution for you. Many individuals discover computer eyewear helps reduce their symptoms and improves their productivity.

Schedule an appointment with our office to discuss the impact computer work is having on your eyes and the best ways to reduce your eye strain and fatigue.

 

Vision Development and Children

Childhood is a critical time for vision development. Nearly 80% of what a child learns in school is presented visually. Arguably making vision the most important of the five senses. Visual skills start developing during pregnancy and continue to evolve and develop as a child grows. Undetected vision problems can cause developmental and educational delays in children.

Infant Vision Development

Your infant’s vision starts developing during pregnancy. It is crucial that toxins are not consumed during pregnancy as they can cause serious vision problems. At birth, babies only see black, white, and shades of gray. Infants are unable to focus on objects for several months and can only see the outline of objects.

As infants grow, they can distinguish between high contrast colors. By six months your child can see color, has sharper vision, and has begun developing hand-eye coordination skills. Schedule your child’s first eye exam at six months to make sure their eyes are healthy and on the right developmental track. Detection of eye health issues and vision problems at this stage in development can help to ensure your child does not experience setbacks in learning and growth.

When your infant begins to crawl and potentially walk they are learning to coordinate their body movements and their vision. Over time, your child will become better at judging distances. However, this is also a time when your child may grow more injury prone because they are exploring their environment. Bumps, bruises, eye injuries, and other injuries can occur which is why it is so vital to ensure that your infant’s vision is on track to prevent these injuries as much as possible.

Early Childhood Vision Development

During these years your child will be growing, developing, and improving their visual skills. It is recommended to schedule your child eye exam at three years old. Even if you don’t think your child has vision problems, your child is growing and changing. A comprehensive eye exam before your child enters school provides enough time to catch and correct any vision problems.

They are discovering how to integrate their vision and body position to complete new tasks. They learn this through playing games, throwing a ball, and riding a bike. Children are also working on developing their fine motor skills. The primary way preschool age children are learning this is through writing their name and the alphabet.

Between the ages of 3 to 6 is when you, as a parent, may begin to notice signs of a vision problem. If your child complains about headaches or tired eyes, this could potentially be due to a vision problem. Signs of vision problems include squinting, tilting the head, frequently rubbing eyes, and closing one eye to see. Additionally, look for sitting too close to a tv, holding a book too close, or avoiding activities that require near or distance vision. Some of these activities include coloring, reading, playing ball, or tag if you notice these signs in your child schedule an eye exam as soon as possible. Correct their vision before any learning is delayed!

Types of Diabetic Eye Disease

More than 28% of diabetics age 40 or older have a diabetic eye disease. These numbers are only expected to grow in the upcoming years due to the decrease in physical activity and healthy eating.

Types of Diabetes

Type 1

A chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. About 1.25 million Americans have type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes was previously known as juvenile diabetes. However, anyone at any age can get type 1 diabetes.

Type 2

90% of Americans with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. This occurs when your body is not using insulin correctly, called insulin resistance. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include obesity, an unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity.

Complications of Diabetes

Not managing or treating your diabetes can cause serious health complications including hypoglycemia, skin infections, neuropathy, kidney disease, foot complications, and eye complications. Additionally, people with diabetes are at a higher risk for blindness and eye problems. The good news is with the correct treatment and lifestyle changes many people can prevent the onset of these complications. Therefore, we recommend regular eye exams to avoid eye problems and vision loss.

Diabetic Eye Disease

  • Diabetic Retinopathy: Damages the blood vessels in the retina in the back of the eye. Uncontrolled high blood pressure is more likely to result in diabetic retinopathy. Consequently between 12,000 and 24,000 new cases of blindness due to diabetic retinopathy occur each year in the U.S. according to the CDC.
  • Clinically significant macular edema: Swelling of the macula in the back of the eye. Macular edema is most common in those with type 2 diabetes.
  • Cataract: Clouding in the lens of your eyes. Cataracts are two-five times more likely in people with diabetes.
  • Glaucoma: Optic nerve damage to the fibers that connect the eye to the brain. Diabetes doubles the risk of glaucoma.

Those with diabetes should get a comprehensive eye exam at least once a year to ensure their eyes are healthy. Call our office today to schedule your comprehensive eye exam!

Toys and Eye Safety

Playing with a toy stimulates a child’s vision at a young age and grows their imagination as they get older. As a parent, it is important to consider toy eye safety before purchasing for the children in your life. Typically, toys are deemed unsafe because they are not age-appropriate for the child. Here are some common toy-related injuries and tips for choosing eye safe toys!

Toy-Related Eye Injuries

Each year more than a quarter of a million children were seen in emergency rooms due to toy-related injuries. Nearly half of these injuries were to the head and face. In a survey conducted by AllAboutVision.com, 41% of parents say they ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ considered eye safety when choosing toys. When asked if any of the toys their children own could cause harm to their eyes 54% of parents responded ‘definitely,’ and 22% said ‘possibly.’

We encourage you to consider eye safety everytime you purchase a toy. Toys that pose a higher risk for eye injuries include:

  • Toy Guns
  • Water Balloon Launchers
  • Toy Fishing Poles
  • Toy Wands, Swords, Sabers
  • Aerosol String
  • Laser Pointers and Bright Flashlights

 

Tips for Choosing Eye Safe Toys

Anytime you are purchasing toys for someone else’s child, be sure to discuss with the parent if the toy sounds fitting for their child. Parent’s know the maturity and personality of their child which plays a huge factor into whether a toy would be suitable or not suitable for their child. Check the recommended age range for the toy. This is usually a good way to determine the safety of the toy. However, don’t be afraid to trust your gut and use your common sense to assess the safety of a toy! We also recommend shopping in a store rather than online. When shopping in a store, you can see the features of the toy and make better judgments to the safety of the toy.

Toy eye safety is an important consideration for all parents. If you have more questions please reach out to our office, we want to help you protect your child’s eyes.

The Right Lenses for Your Sport

Do you know the features to look for in your protective sports lenses? Protective sports eyewear helps to prevent injuries, allows you to see clearly, and can improve overall performance. Any sport with balls, racquets or flying objects poses a risk of injury to your eyes. Injury can also occur due to pokes and jabs by fingers and elbows. Protective sports eyewear protects your eyes from the many ways they can be injured during sports.

It used to be common for players with mild prescriptions to play without wearing their eyeglasses, but overall performance is improved with sharper vision. If you are looking to have the best vision possible during your next game, try selecting protective sports eyewear that meets the needs of your sport. Sports lenses should be polycarbonate, scratch-resistant, anti-reflective, and tinted for best performance and safety.

Polycarbonate Lenses

Protective sports eyewear is made using polycarbonate lenses, an impact-resistant lens material. Polycarbonate is the safest lens option for sports with flying and fast moving objects. Most polycarbonate lenses also have built-in ultraviolet protection and scratch-resistant coating for additional durability.

Anti-Reflective Coating

Eliminate reflections from the front and back surfaces of your eyewear with anti-reflective coating. This coating allows for 99.5% of available light to pass through the lens, eliminating glare and reflections from the sun for clearer vision and better performance.

Lens Tints

The best tint for sports eyewear depends on the environment of the sport and the lighting conditions you experience during the sport. Tints are an optional addition to sports eyewear and can be very beneficial for your game. Selecting the right tint for your lenses is dependent on the conditions of your sport and your personal needs of the eyewear.

  • Yellow or Orange: Heighten contrast in overcast, hazy, low-light conditions outdoors or indoors.
    Sports: Cycling, Hunting, Shooting, Skiing, Snowboarding, Indoor Basketball, Raquetball
  • Amber, Rose, or Red: Heighten contrast in partly cloudy and sunny conditions, but significant color imbalance occurs.
    Sports: Cycling, Fishing, Hunting, Shooting, Skiing, Snowboarding, Water Sports
  • Dark Amber, Copper, or Brown: Blocks blue light to heighten contrast & visual acuity.
    Sports: Baseball, Cycling, Fishing, Golf, Hunting, Skiing, Water Sports
  • Green: Mildly heightens contrast while maintaining color balance.
    Sports: Baseball and Golf
  • Gray: Reduces brightness while maintaining 100% standard color recognition.
    Sports: All Outdoor Sports in Bright Light Conditions

Say No to standard Eyeglasses for Sports

We do not recommend wearing dress eyeglasses designed for street or office use while playing sports. These everyday eyeglasses are not able to withstand impact and may shatter or break. A serious eye injury can occur due to non-safety-rated eyewear shattering.

Need help selecting the right lenses for your sport? Visit our office, and our team can help you find the perfect protective sports lenses. We want to keep your eyes safe and allow you to perform your best.

 

Screen Time and Children

Screen time is the amount of time a person spends staring at digital displays including computers, tablets, smartphones, and TVs. In our modern and technology-focused world children are spending time on digital displays for educational and recreational purposes. Children who spend several hours on digital devices are at risk of developing vision-related problems.

Average Time Children Spend On Digital Devices

According to the Vision Council, 72% of American parents report their children regularly spend more than two hours on screens per day. It is likely that children spend significantly more time on screens than their parents think. Common Sense Media reports that children under age eight spend more than two hours a day with screen media. For 8 to 10-year-olds screen time triples to six hours per day. Kids in middle school and high school spend up to nine hours per day looking at digital displays.

Risks of Screen Time

Too much screen time can be dangerous for anyone’s eyes, children included. Screens emit a broad spectrum of visible light. While most of these light rays are harmless, blue light is a high-energy visible light that can cause damage to your eyes. Blue light has shorter wavelengths and higher energy causing harm to the retina over time. Overexposure to blue light can cause:

  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Headaches
  • Neck/shoulder pain
  • Eye strain
  • Reduced attention span
  • Poor behavior
  • Irritability

Computer Vision Syndrome

Computer vision syndrome is a condition caused by visual stress. Symptoms include tired eyes, dry eyes, headache, and fatigue.

Unhealthy Posture

Your body naturally slouches inwards when on digital devices. Your back and shoulders round, your head tilts back, and your chin justs forward. This reaction to digital devices is called “turtling” and can cause neck, back, and shoulder pain.

How To Protect Your Child’s Eyes

It is clear digital devices will not be going away anytime soon. Therefore it is essential to ensure you are doing everything you can to protect your children’s eyes from digital screens. One way you can do this is by limiting screen time for your children while at home. You can also apply blue light filters or download blue light filtering apps to all digital devices. If your child wears prescription glasses, ask us about add blue light blocking to their lenses during your next appointment.

Nighttime Use

The largest source of blue light is our sun, which tells our brain when to be awake or sleep. The high use of digital devices emitting blue light may disrupt your natural circadian rhythm (sleep cycle) by miscommunicating the time of day and if you should be awake or asleep. Stop digital device time two hours before usual bedtime to ensure your child’s sleep schedule affected by blue light.

Do you have more questions about screen time and blue light? Stop by our office or give our office a call and we would be happy to answer your questions!

Puffy Eyes and Dark Circles

Ordinary swelling around the eyes is due to an excessive accumulation of fluids in the surrounding skin tissue. Puffy eyes and dark circles can occur for many reasons, and a visit to your eye doctor can usually detect the underlying cause behind your puffy eyes.

Causes

The skin around your eyes is the thinnest skin on your body; therefore it shows swelling and discoloration more prominently. There are various factors which can cause puffy eyes, a few of the most common causes include:

  • Overconsumption of salt
  • Allergies
  • Sinus problems
  • Dehydration
  • Fatigue and lack of sleep
  • Stress
  • Crying
  • Aging
  • Inherited facial features

Why are my eyes puffy in the morning?

Some individuals may notice their eyes are puffy when they wake up in the morning. Since we don’t blink when we sleep, this allows fluids to settle or get trapped in the skin around the eyes. As soon as you wake up and start blinking this swelling will begin to diminish. Likewise, some individuals develop swelling in their lower extremities while sleeping, which reduces upon walking.

Medical condition

In some situations, puffy eyes can be due to an underlying medical condition. Those with thyroid disease can develop swelling around their eyes. Eye allergies can cause swollen eyelids due to the release of histamine. Additionally, eye infections such as pink eye can cause swelling and puffiness. However, the best way to detect the cause of your puffy eyes is through a comprehensive eye exam by your doctor.

What can be done?

To find the best solution or remedy to your puffy eyes, your eye doctor must first determine the underlying cause. Temporary solutions include eye drops, hydration, iced compresses, cucumber slices, creams, reducing salt in your diet, and getting plenty of rest. In other circumstances, cosmetic solutions may be the only long term way to reduce swollen eyes.

To learn more about your puffy eyes, schedule an appointment with our office. We are here to answer all of your questions and advise you on the best steps to alleviate your puffy eyes.

Prescription, Polarized, and Performance Sunglasses

Sunglasses help protect your eyes from the harmful UV rays from the sun. The most important feature to look for in sunglasses is blocking 100% of UVA and UVB rays. However, there are many other features of sunglasses you can select to meet the needs of your lifestyle. Here is a brief overview of prescription, polarized, and performance sunglasses.

Prescription Sunglasses

All prescription sunglasses purchased from our office protect your eyes from harmful UV rays of the sun and block 100% of UV rays. Prescription sunglasses are an excellent option for both glasses and contact lens wearers in many situations. Try keeping a pair of prescription sunglasses in your car so you are able to remove your glasses and switch to prescription sunglasses easily. These sunglasses will provide you with vision correction, minimized glare, and dimmed the brightness of the sun.

Contact Lens Wearers

Prescription sunglasses are a great solution for contact lens wearers when swimming at the pool or beach. It is not recommended to swim in contact lenses, so prescription sunglasses make an excellent alternative for clear vision during these activities.

Polarized Sunglasses

Polarized sunglasses have always been popular with boaters and fishers to reduce reflected glare from the water. However, others like hikers, bikers, golfers, and joggers also benefit greatly from polarized sunglasses. Polarized sunglasses optimize your vision for safety and performance by eliminating glare caused from light reflected off flat surfaces. Polarized lenses improve comfort and visibility. These lenses are also great for driving because they help reduce glare from the hoods of cars and off the road’s surface.

Performance Sunglasses

The goal of performance sunglasses is to provide you with the best vision possible under all conditions. These glasses are designed to be lightweight, flexible, durable materials, no-slip, and have lens color variations. Performance sunglasses are great for sports such as mountain biking, snowboarding, rock climbing, kayaking, skiing, golfing and in-line skating. While performance sunwear is most often used by athletes, they are also helpful for those who work outdoors, do a lot of driving, or are in the military.

Popular features of performance sunglasses include anti-reflective coating and changeable lenses. The anti-reflective coating applied to back surface of lenses to eliminate glare from light reflecting off the back of lenses when the sun is behind you. Changeable lenses allow you to switch out your lenses for the tint that will best match the lighting conditions for the day.

Selecting the best sunglasses for you is highly dependent on the needs of your lifestyle. Do you need help deciding the best type of sunglasses for your lifestyle? Contact our office we are happy to assist you in your sunglasses selection!