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September 19, 2023

Tips to Keep Your Eyes Healthy This Fall

The great memories of Summer are coming to an end as the first day of Fall makes its debut this week on the 23^rd. There is something about Fall that makes people fall in love with this beautiful season. Maybe having a pumpkin spice latte, seeing the tree’s foliage change, or a trip to the orchard can entice you to fall in love with the season every year. As the season changes, your eye health should be a top priority. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, here are a few tips to protect and ensure your eyes stay healthy this Fall.

Dismiss Dry Eyes That the Fall Air Brings

Spending time outdoors with a warm fire or fall breezes with family and friends can lead to burning, stinging, and watery eyes. The dry and cold air is the main reason causing dry eyes. Use artificial tears to keep your eyes moist, and try to avoid overly warm rooms or hairdryers, which are elements that can dry out your eyes even more. Talk with your eye doctor if the dry eye problem persists for treatment recommendations.

Avoid Problems From Costume Contact Lenses

The fall season includes a favorite holiday where we all love to say trick-or-treat, and many Halloween costumes include enhancement for a frightful look. However, it is best to avoid scary decorative contact lenses if they are not prescribed by your eye doctor who has examined your eyes. That leads to painful, sometimes blinding eye infections. Be sure to have an eye exam and get properly fitted for the colored contacts you want.

Raking Leaves? Protect Those Eyes!

When you rake or blow leaves, pieces of plant material can get into your eyes and cause an eye infection called fungal keratitis. Be sure to wear protective glasses or goggles to keep your eyes safe when doing any yard work.

Enjoy Fall Favorite Foods for Healthy Eyes

Reap the harvest of Fall’s healthy foods. This season’s fruits and vegetables offer a bountiful of eye-friendly nutrients, including antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin A, and other essential vitamins and minerals. Enjoy these fruits and vegetables below at their fall peak:

apples
cauliflower
pears
pomegranates
squash
turnips

If you have additional questions about enjoying the outdoors this Fall or if you are due for your eye exam, call us TODAY to schedule your appointment.

Have a happy, healthy, and safe Fall season.

References: American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Optometric Association. This blog provides information and discussion about eye health and related subjects. The content provided within this blog and any linked materials are not intended and should not be considered medical advice. If the reader or any person has a medical concern, they should consult with an appropriately licensed physician.

August 16, 2023

Your Eyes As You Age – What To Know

Beginning in the early to mid-40s, many adults may start to have issues seeing clearly, especially when reading and working on a digital device. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, adults develop this typical problem between 41 to 60. This average change in the eye’s focusing ability, called presbyopia, will continue to progress over time. Fortunately, people with presbyopia now have many options to improve their vision.

Many adults in this age group may need to hold reading materials farther away to see them. Seeing the print in your favorite book or reviewing a restaurant menu may appear blurred, especially under dim lighting.

As we age, it is critical to prioritize your eye health and schedule an eye exam with your eye doctor to check for developing eye and vision problems. Don’t delay seeing your eye doctor because you may not have any issues. Be proactive; your eyes will love you for it!

Who Is at Risk for Developing Eye Problems?

Adults over 40 who have the following health concerns may be particularly at risk for developing eye and vision problems:

Chronic, systemic conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure
A family history of glaucoma or macular degeneration
Health conditions related to high cholesterol, thyroid, anxiety, or arthritis for which medications are taken, many of these conditions’ medicines have vision side effects.

Understanding Age-Related Eye Issues

Just like our bodies, our eyes and vision change over time. Not everyone will experience the same symptoms, but here are a few common age-related vision changes:

Need for more light. As you age, you need more light to see than you used to. Brighter lights in your work area or beside your reading chair will help make reading and other close-up tasks easier.
Difficulty reading and doing close work. Printed materials can become less clear, partly because the lens in your eye becomes less flexible over time. The result makes it harder for your eyes to focus on near objects than when you were younger.
Problems with a glare. When driving, you may notice additional glare from headlights at night or the sun reflecting off windshields or pavement during the day. Changes in your eyesight cause light entering the eye to be scattered rather than focused precisely on the retina; this creates more glare.
Changes in color perception. The clear lens located inside your eye may start to discolor. The discoloration makes it harder to see and distinguish between certain color shades.
Reduced tear production. With age, the tear glands in your eyes will produce fewer tears. Decreased tear production affects women who are experiencing hormone changes. As a result, your eyes may feel dry and irritated. An adequate amount of tears is essential for keeping your eyes healthy and maintaining clear sight.

What Are the Warning Signs of Eye Health Problems?

The following symptoms could be the early warning signs of a serious eye health problem as we age.

Fluctuating vision – Frequent changes in how clearly you see may indicate diabetes or hypertension (high blood pressure). These chronic conditions can damage the tiny blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. This vision loss can sometimes be permanent.
Seeing floaters and flashes – Seeing spots or floaters in your eyes of shadowy images of particles floating in the fluid that fills the inside of the eye. Although they can be bothersome, spots and floaters typically don’t harm vision. This is a natural part of the eye’s aging process. If you suddenly see more floaters than usual, along with bright, flashing lights, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor immediately to prevent this.
Loss of side vision – Losing peripheral or side vision may indicate glaucoma. Glaucoma occurs when the optic nerve is damaged and no longer transmits all visual images to the brain. It often has no symptoms until damage to your vision has begun.
Seeing distorted images – Straight lines that appear distorted or wavy or an empty area in the center of your vision could be signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The disease affects the macula, the part of your retina responsible for central vision. The condition causes a blind spot in the middle of your field of vision. Regular eye examinations, early diagnosis, and treatment of eye diseases can help you preserve good eye health throughout your life.

Your Eye Health Matters

A healthy diet and wise lifestyle choices, such as not smoking, are your best defenses against your eye health as you age. Make your eye health a priority, and schedule an eye exam. During your appointment, discuss all your concerns about your eyes and vision with your eye doctor. Also, it is imperative to tell your eye doctor about any history of eye problems in your family and what medications you are taking, including non-prescription medicines, vitamins, or herbs. This information will help your eye doctor to give appropriate recommendations to keep your eyes healthy.

August 1, 2023

What Are The Makings of the Human Eye?

Did you know that the human eye is a marvelous engineering feature? The human eye is one complex organ we should not take for granted. The miracle of seeing the beautiful world around you is the greatest gift we have as individuals. The uniqueness of these mysterious organs is why eyes make all magical experiences through sight. The human eye is so fascinating that it can differentiate approximately 10 million colors. The eye anatomy is intricate and essential to understanding how our eyes can manage the value they bring to our lives. Additionally, our eyes are connected to our emotions in surprising ways, and having two eyes provides many evolutionary advantages. Some people even have different colored eyes due to a condition called heterochromia.

Let’s take a journey of the human eye anatomy, starting from the front and working to the back of the eye, as the eyes are made up of over 2 million working parts. The details about the human eye are listed below to share some information on the human eye anatomy 101.

Outside of the Eye

The eye sits in a protective bony socket called the orbit. There are six extraocular muscles in the orbit that are attached to the eye. These muscles move the eye up and down, side to side, and rotate the eye.

The extraocular muscles are attached to the white part of the eye called the sclera. This part of the eye is a strong layer of tissue covering nearly the entire surface of the eyeball.

The Surface of the Eye

The eyes and inner surface of the eyelids are covered with a transparent membrane called the conjunctiva.

Tears lubricate the eye and makeup three layers. These three layers together are called the tear film. The conjunctiva makes the mucous layer. The lacrimal gland produces tears. The eye’s lacrimal gland sits under the outside edge of the eyebrow (away from the nose) in the orbit. The meibomian gland makes the oil that becomes another part of the tear film. Tears drain from the eye through the tear duct.

Front of the Eye

Light is focused into the eye through the clear, dome-shaped front portion of the eye called the cornea.

Behind the cornea is a fluid-filled space called the anterior chamber. The fluid is called aqueous humor. The eye is consistently producing aqueous humor. Aqueous humor also drains from the eye in the drainage angle area to maintain constant eye pressure.

Behind the anterior chamber are the eye’s iris (the colored part of the eye) and the dark hole in the middle called the pupil. Muscles in the iris dilate (widen) or constrict (narrow) the pupil to control the amount of light reaching the back of the eye.

Directly behind the pupil sits the lens. The lens focuses light toward the back of the eye. The lens changes shape to help the eye focus on objects up close. Tiny fibers called zonules are attached to the capsule holding the lens, suspending it from the eyewall. The lens is surrounded by the lens capsule, which is left when the lens is removed during cataract surgery. Some types of replacement intraocular lenses go inside the capsule, where the natural lens once appeared.

By helping to focus light as it enters the eye, the cornea and the lens both play essential roles in giving us clear vision. 70% of the eye’s focusing power comes from the cornea and 30% from the lens.

Back of the Eye

The vitreous cavity lies between the lens and the back of the eye. A jelly-like substance called vitreous humor fills the hole.

The light focused into the eye by the cornea and lens passes through the vitreous to the retina; this is the light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye.

A tiny but specialized area of the retina called the macula gives us our detailed, central vision. The other part of the retina, the peripheral retina, provides us with our peripheral (side) vision.

The retina sends light as electrical impulses through the optic nerve to the brain. The optic nerve is made up of millions of nerve fibers that transmit these impulses to the visual cortex — the part of the brain responsible for our sight.

The Eye Organ Is Fascinating How It Works

The eye works just like a camera, where a camera’s shutter opens or closes depending on the amount of light needed to expose the film in the back of the camera. The eye connects to the brain and depends on the brain to interpret what we see. Our senses of sound, taste, hearing, and touch would not be completed without the sense of sight because sight is closely related to other parts of the anatomy. We hope this information is helpful for you, whether you are a patient seeking knowledge or simply curious about the wonders of the human body.

June 20, 2023

Why Are Eyebrows and Eyelashes Important?

Isn’t it interesting that a study completed by MIT stated that it would be hard to recognize you if you did not have your eyebrows!?

Our eyebrows and eyelashes frame our faces, but they don’t just exist for our beauty. They also serve as protection, help us express emotion, and are our eye’s first line of defense.

According to the Academy of Ophthalmology, there is a functional reason why we have hair above and around our eyes. Here is some information about our eye accessories you probably didn’t know.

Expressive But Functional Eyebrows

The perfectly curved, delicate hairs above our eyes help channel unwanted moisture away from the eye, particularly sweat and rain, to help keep vision clear. The shape and direction of the eyebrow make it easier for moisture to wick away from around the eyes. The eyebrows also help block light and filter dust and dirt that may fall into the eyes. Experts believe that eyebrows play an essential role in human communication exaggerating expressions such as surprise, happiness, and anger.

Flirty But Protective Eyelashes

Eyelashes are a group of the shortest hairs on the body that grow around the edge of the eyelid. Thanks to our eyelashes, they operate as dust catchers, protecting the eye from debris that can obstruct vision or cause infection or injury. Eyelashes are sensitive, very similar to a cat’s whiskers. Our eyelashes are sensors for objects coming close to the eye, like insects, and trigger a reflex and protective blink.

Researchers completed a study in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface and found that eyelashes act as air filters for the eye. The study found that lashes reduce tear evaporation by up to 50 percent, helping keep eyes sufficiently lubricated.

You Are Naturally Beautiful!

Be careful using cosmetic enhancements to your eyelashes and eyebrows. If you don’t overdo it with plucking and makeup, your eyebrows and eyelashes don’t need much to stay healthy. An essential tip to remember is to introduce only one new eye makeup or eye care product at a time, especially if you easily have allergic reactions. Don’t add another new product until you know you’re not reacting to the first one. There might be eye inflammation in certain situations, and if you experience anything like this, see us!

References: American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Optometric Association, and the Journal of the Royal Society. This blog provides information and discussion about eye health and related subjects. The content provided within this blog and any linked materials are not intended and should not be considered medical advice. If the reader or any person has a medical concern, they should consult with an appropriately licensed physician.

May 2, 2023

May Is Healthy Vision Month

It’s Healthy Vision Month, established by the National Eye Institute in 2003. Our practice agrees to spread awareness to our patients and educate you about the importance of eye health this month and every day of the year. We encourage you to find ways to be healthier, so your vision will last a lifetime. One aspect of a healthy lifestyle is eating the right foods. Healthy choices like a colorful diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, and fruits would greatly benefit your overall health and your eyes.

Scheduling regular eye exams and making healthy choices can help reduce the risk of getting some eye diseases. Also, healthy options can minimize vision loss or slow down the condition if you have been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, or glaucoma.

Here are four amazing foods recommended by the American Academy of Ophthalmology to include in your diet that can keep your eyes healthy.

Kale

Leafy green vegetables, like kale, are high in lutein and zeaxanthin, two nutrients found in the healthy eye that are believed to lower your risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. One large study showed that women with diets high in lutein were 23 percent less likely to develop cataracts than those with low diets. Kale is not your vegetable of choice? Not to worry. Other dark leafy green vegetables, like spinach, romaine lettuce, collards, and turnip greens, also contain significant amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin. Eggs are also a good source of these nutrients, as are broccoli, peas, and corn.

Salmon

Some studies suggest that diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids from cold-water fish like salmon, sardines, tuna, and halibut help reduce the risk of developing eye disease later in life. A 2010 study from Johns Hopkins found that people with a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids were much less likely to develop AMD (age-related macular degeneration).

Oranges

Oranges and all of their citrus families, such as tangerines, grapefruit, and lemons, are high in Vitamin C, an antioxidant critical to eye health. Scientists have found that your eyes need relatively high levels of Vitamin C to function properly, and antioxidants can prevent or at least delay cataracts and AMD. There are other foods that offer benefits similar to oranges, including strawberries, peaches, red peppers, and tomatoes.

Black-Eyed Peas

Legumes of all kinds, including black-eyed peas, lima beans, kidney beans, and peanuts, contain zinc, which is an essential trace mineral that is found in high concentrations in the eyes. Zinc also may help protect your eyes from the damaging effects of light. Other food options high in zinc include fortified cereals, lean red meat, oysters, and poultry.

Most people think of one vegetable, carrots, as a great food choice to keep your eyes healthy. Carrots are nutrients that help with night vision and are high in beta-carotene. Also, other orange-colored fruits and vegetables to add to your plate, like sweet potatoes, apricots, and cantaloupe, are excellent choices. The overall key to healthy vision is to keep your diet colorful, which will help keep your eyes healthy and don’t fall behind in getting your eye exam.

Is it time to schedule a comprehensive eye exam? Call TODAY to schedule your appointment!

References: American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Optometric Association, and National Eye Institute

The content is researched and vetted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. American Optometric Association, and National Eye Institute. This blog provides information and discussion about eye health and related subjects. The content provided within this blog and any linked materials are not intended and should not be considered medical advice. If the reader or any person has a medical concern, they should consult with an appropriately licensed physician.

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