Antioxidants and your eyes

Antioxidants are nutrients that defend cells from damage caused by molecules known as free radicals. Too many free radicals can cause eye health issues, including advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Antioxidants help reduce the formation of free radicals and help protect and repair cells damaged by them.

We recommend a diet high in antioxidants, plus vitamin and mineral supplements, for all people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Some common antioxidants include vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and selenium. You’ll usually find them in colorful fruits and vegetables, especially those with purple, blue, red, orange, and yellow hues.

What are your favorite antioxidant-rich foods? Feel free to share in the comments below!

Do contact lenses bother your eyes?

It’s not uncommon for people to complain that their contact lenses are uncomfortable. But whether you wear them every day or just occasionally, you shouldn’t feel discomfort or irritation when you wear your contact lenses. Let’s review some things you can do to ensure a great experience with your contact lenses every time you wear them.

Replace your lenses on schedule.
You should replace your lenses as often as suggested, even if you don’t wear them every day. Wearing lenses beyond their recommended use is a common reason for eye irritation, and it also increases your risk of developing serious eye infections.

Clean your lenses well.
There are several different systems for keeping your lenses clean. Many people use a multipurpose solution for cleaning, rinsing, disinfecting, and storing their contact lenses each day. While some solutions are marketed as “no-rub” solutions, we still find that rubbing your contacts thoroughly during the cleaning process increases comfort and better removes any film or debris. Always wash your hands before removing or inserting your contacts. If you use a lotion or moisturizer, wait until after you’re done handling your contacts, as residue from the lotion can stick to the contacts.

Don’t use water.
If you run out of contact lens solution, it’s tempting to use water as a backup for cleaning and storage. Don’t do it! Not only will it increase your discomfort, water often has microbes that can introduce infections and further irritate your eyes.

No saliva, either!
Like water, it’s tempting to use your own saliva when you don’t have solution with you to rinse and clean your contacts. But using saliva will also increase your risk of irritation and infection.

When they are really uncomfortable…
If your contact lenses are really uncomfortable, there may be some dust or other debris  clinging to your contacts and irritating your eyes. Remove your contacts and clean them thoroughly, letting your eyes rest before placing the lenses back in your eyes. Always be sure your contacts aren’t “inside out,” as they won’t feel good if they’re not inserted the right way. If they still don’t feel good, try giving your eyes more of a break by wearing glasses instead of contacts for a while. Allow your contacts to soak, or throw them out and start with a fresh pair.

Never let your eyes bother you for very long before seeing your eye doctor. You might have an allergy or eye infection that should be treated. We might be able to recommend another type of contact lens or cleaning and storage solution. Regardless, we’ll help identify the underlying reason for discomfort so that you can get back to enjoying clear and comfortable vision every day!

Is Eye Twitching Serious?

If you’ve ever been short on sleep or greatly-stressed, you might have also experienced repetitive, uncontrollable eye spasms known as blepharospasm, or eye twitching.

While it can be annoying, eye twitching is usually fairly painless and harmless, indicating nothing more than increased fatigue, stress, or caffeine intake. Once these issues are resolved, the eye twitching usually disappears.

In rarer cases, eye twitching will become chronic, affecting the individual’s quality of life or progressing to the point of severe vision impairment.

If an eye twitch doesn’t resolve itself within a few days, or your eye twitch is strong enough to close the entire eye or affect other areas of your face, you should make an appointment to be seen at our office to determine the underlying cause and begin any possible treatments.

Smart Contact Lenses?

The latest in vision technology will no longer need to be put over the eyes—it's becoming part of the eyes. With new contact lenses, able to see magnitudes further than normal glasses, now being experimented with, it's become obvious that vision science has taken a leap forward. First, it was called Google Glass. Now it's something else entirely.

They're called smart contact lenses, and together with a set of glasses inserted over them, they become a quick—and cool—way to view your daily apps. Never mind the ability to see farther than a human has seen before with ordinary lenses. You're also able to process what you see through your social filter, all in the blink of an eye.

The question now: when? Companies currently working on smart lenses hope they will one day replace smart phones as the device of choice. A bold plan to be sure, but one that is becoming increasingly possible.

As vision technology extends into surprising new frontiers, you can count on us to keep your vision and eye health our top priority!