Category Archives: Eye Health

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Eye Allergies: How To Protect Your Eyes

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Most eye allergies are caused by plant pollen, so, as you can imagine they can be rather difficult to avoid. However, there are a few approaches that you can help you decrease and perhaps even improve your eye allergy symptoms:

  • Check out the pollen reports. Your weather channel or any weather Internet site will offer updates that give the pollen counts for your region. When you notice that pollen counts are particularly high, limit your time outdoors, if possible.
  • Have someone else cut your lawn. It may seem like an extravagance to have someone else take care of your yard, but if you are highly susceptible to spring allergies, this can be a very worthwhile measure to take.
  • Limit your exposure to wooded areas. The warm weather always beckons us outdoors, but especially when pollen counts are high, avoid wooded areas.
  • Shut your doors and windows and use your air conditioning. Keep in mind that even when you rely on air conditioning, if you are highly sensitive, you can still suffer because the allergens can circulate through your air conditioning system. If you’re noticing that having the air on is not helping, turn it off for the time being, and replace your filter.
  • Buy a HEPA high efficiency particulate air) filter. HEPA filter systems are extremely effective at eliminating allergens from the air in your home. If your eye allergies are really bad, this can be a great option!
  • Try an over-the-counter allergy medicine that will address your eye allergy symptoms. If you’re unsure of which one to get, consult the pharmacist. And, if over-the-counter is not going to cut it, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your options to alleviate your eye allergies.
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Ocular Migraines: What They Are & How to Treat Them

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Optical migraines, also called ocular migraines, are a condition where the sufferer experiences visual disturbances, and if you’ve ever experienced one, the episode can be quite unsettling.

Some symptoms that are often associated with optical migraines are:

·       Visual impairment, such as loss of peripheral vision, in one or both eyes

·       Visual ‘hallucinations’, like spinning colors or flashing lights

·       Blurred vision

·       Appearance of shapes, such as dots or zig-zags

·       Partial obstruction of vision

·       Headache behind one or both eyes

If a headache does result, it can last for a few hours to a few days, depending on the intensity. If you’re sensitive to optical migraines, keep in mind that they are often brought on by stress, food sensitivities, vigorous exercise, or intense exposure to sunlight. Take note of when they tend to occur for you, so you can avoid and prepare for them.

If you’re experiencing an optical migraine, it’s best to take a pain killer, such as Tylenol or Advil, and rest your eyes in a dark room. If you get them frequently, consult your physician or eye doctor.

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4 Reasons Your Contact Lenses Could Be Making Your Eyes Burn

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Clean, well-fitting contact lenses should be so comfortable that you forget you’re wearing them. If they give you a burning sensation, one of several things could be wrong.

1. Your contact lenses are dirty. Protein deposits and other debris accumulate on contact lenses over time, even if you properly clean and disinfect them. These block oxygen from getting to your eye, causing irritation. It can be fixed by adding a separate lens cleaner to your regimen or by replacing your contacts more frequently.

2. You have allergies. Allergens like dust, pollen, and pet dander can build up on/under your contact lenses making for red, itchy, watery eyes. Your doctor may restrict where/how long you wear your contacts or recommend daily disposable lenses.

3. Your eyes are dry.  Contact lenses can make some eyes dry out. Symptoms include redness, scratchiness, excessive tearing, or a feeling that something is in your eyes. Your doctor may prescribe eye drops and/or vitamins.

4. You’re sensitive to your lens cleaning solution. An ingredient in your contact lens solution could be irritating your eyes. Even if you’ve safely used the same solution for years, it’s possible to develop an adverse reaction to it. Switching to a preservative-free solution may help.

The only way to know what’s making your eyes burn is to get an eye exam. Don’t delay: even simple problems like this can become serious if left untreated.

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Why Do Contact Lenses Expire?

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Why do you throw milk out when it expires? It can make you sick. You should treat your soft contact lenses the same way. After they’re manufactured, lenses are sterilized and sealed before being put on the market. If too much time passes they risk becoming contaminated, even if left in the package. This could cause serious eye problems.

The expiry date on the lens package is generally written in yyyy/mm format. For example, if the package reads 2015/03, the contents are sterile and safe to wear until March 2015. This date is usually four years from the time of manufacture. Of course this is different from your prescription itself, which in most cases has to be renewed once a year.

Don’t risk your eyes—throw out old lenses!

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What Happens If I Wear My Contacts For Too Long?

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Contacts are made of plastic.  But it’s not all the same kind of plastic.  The material determines how long you can safely wear them, both daily and over the long term.

Your eyes need oxygen to stay healthy, and different plastics ‘breathe’ better than others. This makes certain types of contact lenses acceptable for sleeping.

Some plastics are also prone to mineral deposits, which naturally occur from contact with tears. Deposits can make your vision cloudy or cause infection. If you don’t clean your lenses properly, or if you wear them longer than the prescribed amount of time, you risk complications like corneal ulcers and inflammation.

Wearing your lenses too long probably won’t cause problems immediately.  But over time, microscopic changes may be occurring to your eyes. This can add up to pain, blurred vision and serious eye injury.

So make sure to give your eyes a rest when recommended, and get your lenses evaluated at least once a year. Your eye care provider will make sure the schedule suits you, check that your corneas are healthy, and offer new products that may better suit your lifestyle. Also if you’re looking for extended wear contact lenses, try Biomedics 55, Frequency 55, or Purevision contacts.

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7 Makeup Tips for Women Who Wear Contact Lenses

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Ladies, you know how annoying it is to get makeup in your eye. But it’s even worse when you wear contact lenses, because makeup can stick to your lenses. Here are a few tips for keeping your eyes looking and feeling good.

1. Put your contact lenses in before applying makeup. Always wash your hands thoroughly before touching your contacts so you won't transfer any oils, creams, or lotions to the lenses.

2. Use only hypoallergenic makeup. Almay and Clinique have eye-friendly products, but check out other brands too.

3. Cream eye shadow is less likely to get in your eye than powder, but creams can irritate your eyes more. Choose water-based creams.

4. If you prefer powder, keep your eyes closed during application. Then brush off any excess powder before opening your eyes.

5. Never apply eyeliner between your lashes and your eye—only to the portion of your lashes that is well away from your eye.

6. To remove eye makeup, wash and dry your hands. Then remove your contacts, being careful not to brush them into your makeup.  Finally, use eye makeup remover.

7. Buy new makeup frequently—at least every three months. Don't use old eye makeup, because over time bacteria will get into the product and then into your eyes, where it can cause an infection. One way to tell if your makeup is too old is if it has a strange smell.  Also, don't share your eye makeup with others.

You can also use contact lenses to enhance your makeup efforts. Check out our colored contacts to see how you can customize your look!

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Can Contact Lenses Get “Lost” in My Eye?

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Not really. The white part of your eyeball is covered in a natural barrier that prevents foreign objects from getting trapped behind the eye. Occasionally, though, a rub or bump can fold the lens in half and dislodge it from the cornea.  If you feel like your lens is stuck in your eye, don’t worry; it’s only under your eyelid, and it can’t go any further. Here’s what to do:

Add a few eye drops to your eye, then shut the eye and gently massage it. This action will usually bring the contact lens forward so you can remove it.  If the lens remains folded, briefly soak it in contact lens solution, then gently rub it until it returns to its original shape.

If you can’t find your lens this way, try turning your eyelid inside out. It’s not painful, and we promise it’s easier than it sounds.

Place a Q-Tip horizontally over your eyelid. Then, while looking down, grab hold of your eyelashes, gently pull the lid down and quickly fold the lid over the Q-Tip.

Keep looking down and tilt your head back. With your other eye open, you should be able to see the folded lens and remove it.

If these methods don’t work, ask someone to help you, or call your eye doctor for assistance.

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Are Contact Lenses Right For My Child?

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Maybe. In fact, contacts may even benefit your child more than glasses. Human eyes can tolerate contact lenses at a very early age. Sometimes infants are fitted with contacts to correct congenital eye problems before they become serious.

In general, though, contacts are appropriate when a child is old enough to wear and care for them responsibly. Over-wearing lenses—especially sleeping with lenses designed only for daytime use—greatly increases the risk of eye problems. Also, your child must be able to easily apply and remove the lenses, as well as clean/disinfect them in the proper solution.

In 2008, the Contact Lenses in Pediatrics (CLIP) study found that children as young as 8 years old are mature enough to handle contact lenses, and children aged 8 – 12 had no more contact lens-related eye problems than teenagers. Kids are also more resourceful than you might think: 83 percent of preteens enrolled in the study said contacts were easy to maintain, and 92 percent chose to continue wearing them.

Results from another study suggest contact lenses may have an additional benefit for young children—boosting self-esteem.

In another study 484 children ages 8 – 11 were randomly assigned to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses for three years.  Results suggested that children's perception of their own physical appearance, athletic ability and social acceptance may improve with contact lens wear.

Contacts may also have long-term benefits. Some experts believe that kids who wear contact lenses that block the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays may have a significantly reduced risk of eye problems like cataracts or macular degeneration later in life.

Perhaps most important, however, is a child’s motivation to wear contacts. Just because you wear contacts doesn't mean your child will want to; some children are perfectly happy wearing glasses and don't pursue contact lenses until much later in life, if at all.  Make sure to discuss the options with your child and his/her eye doctor.