Winterize Your Eyes - Protection From Winter Sun

Protection From Winter Sun When faced with a hot, sunny day at the beach, most of us recognize the need for sunglasses and sunscreen. When faced with the same kind of day at work, most workers also recognize they need protection from the sun's harmful rays.  But what about winter sun? How many people consider winter sun to be harmful? Unfortunately, few take precautions necessary to ensure their protection from the winter sun.  Like sunshine in the summer, winter sunshine contains two types of radiation that are dangerous to you: ultraviolet-A and ultraviolet-B. You require protection from both. 

Here are some tips that will protect you from the winter sun's radiation. 

1. Wear Sunglasses! When it comes to your eyes, the winter sun can be blinding – literally. Overexposure to ultraviolet rays can damage the retina which contains photo-sensitive cells in the back of the eye that allow you to see. 
2. Winter sun reflecting off snow is more blinding than summer sun reflecting off water. If bright enough, it can easily cause a temporary, but very painful condition called snow blindness. Snow blindness occurs when the surface of the eye is sunburned. Other types of eye damage have been linked to overexposure such as growths, cancers, and cataracts.   
3. Dark lenses alone do not ensure protection from the sun. You need to protect your eyes from ultraviolet radiation, not just the sun's brightness. If the lenses are extremely dark, but lack proper protection, this will cause even more damage. The damage occurs when the pupils of your eyes open wider to accept more light and allow more harmful rays to reach the retina. 
4. If you wear regular eyeglasses or contacts, you should talk to your eye doctor about the right kind of eye protection for you.

2012 Checklist for Better Vision

Print this checklist and tape it to the fridge — you'll be on your way to having your best year ever for good vision and eye health.

Improve Your Eye Health

1. Boost your nutrition. Studies show a healthful diet with lots of fruits and green, leafy vegetables may reduce your risk of serious eye problems like macular degeneration. Consider eye vitamin supplements, too.

2.  Start wearing sunglasses outdoors (and have your kids start as well). Make sure they block 100 percent of the sun's harmful UV rays, to reduce your risk for cataracts and other eye problems.

3.  Schedule an eye exam for everyone in your family. Kids and seniors, especially, should have comprehensive annual exams to monitor vision changes.  Make sure to take advantage of everything your vision benefits plan offers in 2012. Check your plan carefully. In addition to eye exam coverage, some plans offer big discounts on eyeglasses, contact lenses and prescription sunglasses.



 
4.  Clean your contact lenses properly and replace them as recommended. Dirty contact lenses, even if they are not uncomfortable, can cause serious eye infections.

5.   Start using safety eyewear for lawn-mowing, home repairs and other chores. Experts say 90 percent of eye injuries requiring a visit to the emergency room can be prevented with proper eyewear.

6.  Rearrange your workstation to reduce computer eye strain. And ask your eye doctor about special computer glasses for long hours spent in front of the computer.

7.  Using glaucoma drops? Start using a reminder tool so you never miss a dose. Also, ask your eye doctor about the latest medical and surgical glaucoma treatments, which might reduce how often you need to use eye drops.



8.  Quit smoking. Studies show this could reduce your risk for age-related macular degeneration and other eye diseases. Kicking the habit is healthy for your whole body, including your eyes.

New Pair of Glasses

 


Tiny new pair of glasses, you mean so much to me. You're pearly brown and purple. You're light and thin. You have spring hinges and dare not break.  I love you, new pair of glasses. A day without you is misery, but  with you, my world is illuminated by metal and plastic crafted artfully together:  A new shape, same me, new perspectives allowing me to do what I never could before. How sweet!  I would go to the movies with you.  Go to class with you. We are inseparable... Incomparable is our existence...Together.

Eye Spy

Vision Problems among preschoolers may be more common than anyone suspected, two new studies show.  Left untreated, even mild vision issues can lead to permanent vision loss.  Those are the conclusions of two large studies of nearly 10,000 young children ages 6 months to 6 years funded by the National Institutes of health.  Before these studies, vision specialists believed that one in 20 preschoolers had vision problems.  This new research shows that one in four preschoolers may have vision disorders, including near-sightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism, crossed eyes (strabismus), and lazy eye (amblyopia). Researchers know that the last two can result in permanent vision loss if not treated early in life.  The new studies show that children with even mild nearsightedness, astigmatism, and farsightedness are at increased risk of more serious problems.

OPTIFOG LENS

 One common problem that affects eyeglasses wearers is fog, which can cloud one’s vision and provide a frustrating hindrance – an unwanted and uncontrollable "blindfold" that can appear unexpectedly and interfere with one’s daily life.

Optifog, is the best and most durable protection against lens fogging. Truly long lasting fog free vision. Optifog is available whatever your eye correction.