The sunshine is here to stay! It’s time to plant those petunias, take long walks in the neighborhood and enjoy lunch on the back deck. Your calendar is wide open, and you can’t wait to fill up those days with baseball games and outdoor concerts to soak in some sun.

To protect your vision and keep the tissues around your eyes healthy, here are some summer tips to protect those peepers:

Check the Clock
The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays are most intense between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Try to avoid spending time in the direct sun during those hours, and enjoy your outdoor activities earlier in the morning or in the later afternoon and evening.

Buy a New Hat
Summer styles change each year, so buy a new hat that will protect your vision and make a fashion statement. The hats that provide the best protection against UV rays have a wide brim that will protect your face, ears and even your neck and shoulders.

Find Sunglasses You Love
It’s time to throw out that pair of sunglasses that are scratched up in the junk drawer and buy a new pair that you’ll look forward to wearing every day. Try something different like bright colored frames or a different lens shape. Whatever shape of lens you choose, go large! Big lenses offer more eye protection. One requirement should always stay the same, and that is a pair of sunglasses that offers 100 percent UV protection.

Apply Sunscreen Regularly
Wrinkles only look cute on dogs, so be generous with the sunscreen and remember to reapply often. Choose the correct sunscreen level for your skin tone, and don’t forget to check the expiration date of the product. If your sunscreen has expired, it is not providing the protective benefits that your skin needs. Throw it out and buy a new bottle (Source: Superior Vision).

Protecting your skin is easy, and you can show some style while you’re at it. Enjoy a fun-filled summer of all the outdoor activities you love most. Before you finish filling your calendar, set aside a day to have a comprehensive eye exam. Your ophthalmologist will test your vision, adjust your prescription and evaluate your eyes for several common diseases. An eye exam is an hour well-spent in the shade before going back out to play!

The best way to prevent cataract-related vision loss is to know its symptoms. 

A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, which is made of water and protein (Source: Mayo Clinic). As we age, the protein in the lens can clump together and blur an area of the lens.

The most common symptoms of this eye disease are:

• Dim, blurry or clouded vision
• Sensitivity to light and glare
• The appearance of “halos” around lights
• Increasing difficulty with night vision
• Fading or yellowing of colors
• Need for brighter light for reading
• Frequent changes in eyeglass or contact lens prescription

You may not notice any changes in your vision when the cataract is small. But as it grows, the cataract will distort more light that passes through the lens. You may gradually notice that it is becoming more challenging to read, drive at night or do activities like sewing.

Staying current with your comprehensive eye exams is the best way to detect cataracts as early as possible. Your doctor will be able to detect the presence of a cataract in an eye exam before you notice a change in your vision. Cataracts are reversible with surgery, so your eye doctor can discuss treatment options with you at your appointment. Stay one step ahead of cataracts by keeping up with your eye exams—and what better way to celebrate Cataract Awareness Month by scheduling an eye exam today?

Cataracts are the principal cause of blindness in the world and the leading cause of vision loss in individuals over the age of 40.

A comprehensive eye exam provides many more benefits than just cataract detection and intervention. When you have your eyes examined, your doctor evaluates you for:

• Refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism
• Focusing problems like presbyopia, strabismus, amblyopia, and binocular vision
• Eye diseases like glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy
• Systemic conditions like high blood pressure or high cholesterol

If your eye doctor detects a cataract during a comprehensive eye exam, he or she can suggest possible treatments and a timeline that suits your schedule and budget. Cataracts often develop very slowly, so you have time to decide when you want to have your cataract removed. The great news is that cataract surgery is one of the safest, most routine surgeries performed today. You can feel confident that your doctor will discuss the most innovative and cutting-edge procedures to treat your cataracts. You and your doctor will also discuss the type of intraocular lens (IOL) that meets your unique vision needs: monofocal, astigmatism-correcting or multi-focal.

Celebrate Cataract Awareness Month by scheduling a comprehensive eye exam today. You will get an update on your eye health and stay one step ahead of cataracts! If you do not have an eye care professional, use our Physician Locator tool to find a qualified specialist near you.

It can be rewarding and exhausting at the same time.

In the midst of caring for others, it is essential to remember your own health needs as well. June is Cataract Awareness Month. This condition affects one in every six Americans over the age of 40. A cataract is a clouding of the eye lens, a condition which is unnoticeable at first but can lead to complete vision loss if left untreated.

The development of a cataract is slow, which means it probably will not cause sudden vision changes. Over time, however, objects will appear more blurry, colors will look faded, and seeing at night will be increasingly difficult. The best gift that you can give is to schedule a comprehensive eye exam for yourself and your loved one. During your eye exam, your doctor will be able to diagnose refractive errors, focusing problems and eye diseases such as cataracts. This means that you both can leave the eye care center with the most updated information on your eye health. If either of you is developing a cataract, your doctor can present treatment options and a timeline that fits your schedule and budget.

Being a caregiver is one of the most important jobs that exists, so don’t let cataracts get in the way. Compromised vision puts your loved one at risk for a debilitating fall or another type of accident in the home. For you as a caregiver, cataracts could prevent you from being able to drive at night or react quickly in an emergency. Take a proactive step toward eye health and schedule two comprehensive eye exams in the month of June. You’ll be glad you did. Thank you for all you do as a loving caregiver.

A team of researchers conducted a population-based study with 11,652 HCV-infected patients for just over five years. All participants were registered with the National Health Insurance (NHI) database of Taiwan and were matched against a control group of correlating age and gender.

The research team found that the HCV-infected patients were 1.36 times more likely to develop cataracts than non-HCV infected patients. Interestingly, patients who were undergoing a specific treatment with interferon-ribavirin therapy were at the greatest risk of developing cataracts. Using interferon-ribavirin therapy to treat HCV almost doubled the risk for developing cataracts compared to patients who were not infected with HCV. After the research was compiled, the researchers did not discourage the use of interferon-ribavirin therapy even though this treatment increased risk of cataract development.

The team defended their position in not discouraging the use of interferon-ribavirin therapy by writing, “Considering the surgical curability of cataract and serious HCV infection-related morbidity, we do not discourage the use of anti-HCV therapy for HCV-infected patients. Instead, we recommend routine screening of these HCV patients for ocular problems, especially those who received interferon alpha–ribavirin therapy.”

The exact connection between these two seemingly unrelated conditions still remains to be seen. What the research suggests is that HCV increases oxidative stress, which can affect multiple body systems. Cataract development is also linked to oxidative stress. However, there are very few studies that link these two conditions, so further research will need to be completed (Source: Hepatitis News Today).

Sometimes you need to see the world from someone else’s point of view—literally. These three conditions are among the leading causes of blindness and vision loss in the world.

This useful tool allows you to virtually walk around streets with the vision of someone affected by cataracts, glaucoma or retinopathy. You can also adjust the severity of each condition so you can be more sympathetic to others who are affected by degenerative eye disease.

Here is what the street will look like with the three conditions:

• Cataracts. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye. Seeing through the cataract lens makes the street look fuzzy and blurred.
• Glaucoma. Glaucoma refers to a family of diseases that damage the optic nerve when eye pressure increases to a dangerous level. Using the glaucoma lens makes the street look bright in certain areas and darker in others.
• Retinopathy. This condition is characterized by blood vessel damage or leaking blood vessels in the back of the eye. The retinopathy lens shows spots or dark strings floating in your visual field.

Jeff Todd, the COO and vice president of partner organization Prevent Blindness said, “The simulator is one way to bring attention to these problems so someone with normal vision can type in their home address and see how much more challenging it is to see what you see on a daily basis.”

Keeping your vision healthy and strong is just a phone call away. The best way to prevent these three eye conditions is by scheduling regular comprehensive eye exams with your doctor. A comprehensive eye exam includes screenings for all three of these conditions. Vision damage from certain degenerative eye diseases can be irreversible, so get screened regularly to preserve your precious gift of sight (Source: Daily Mail).

Research shows that too much screen time is posing a hazard to our vision, but few are willing to make a change until their vision is affected (Source: Yahoo News).

For years, eye care professionals have cautioned that overexposure to blue light could be more harmful than we realize. Electronic devices emit high-energy light waves that penetrate deep within the eyes and can cause chronic issues such as:

 

• Headaches
• Shoulder pain
• Blurred vision
• Neck pain
• Sleep problems
• Dry eye

From smart phones and tablets to LED monitors and flat-screen televisions, we are constantly exposing our eyes to blue light and putting ourselves at risk for eye damage. Although we cannot back-pedal when it comes to technology, we can implement some guidelines to safeguard our vision. Here are some ways that you can limit your exposure to blue-light and reduce your risk for vision-related issues:

• Give your electronics an early bedtime. Turn off digital devices at least one hour before you go to bed, and don’t power them back up until morning. Blue light suppresses melatonin levels and can cause insomnia.
• Keep your distance. Increase the distance between you and your digital device by using the zoom feature to see small print and details, instead of putting the device closer to your eyes.
• Make your devices work for you. Adjust your device settings to reduce glare on screens or use a glare filter to decrease the amount of blue light reflected from the screen.
• Implement the 20-20-20 rule. When you are using any device or computer, take a 20-second break and look away from the screen every 20 minutes and view something 20 feet away.
• Call your eye care professional. Every year, schedule a full eye exam to maintain your vision health. Contact your eye doctor immediately if you experience any changes in your vision.

Give your diet a makeover

Piling your plate high with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins will help boost your eye health. Some of the most important nutrients for good vision are omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E, so try to increase your intake of leafy greens such as spinach, kale and collard greens. Fatty fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, so look for recipes that include salmon, tuna and other oily fish. Nuts (especially walnuts) nourish the eyes as well as eggs, beans and other legumes. Oranges, citrus fruits and peppers are some of the best sources of vitamin C.

Wear your shades

Make sunglasses a part of your wardrobe 365 days a year. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun causes premature oxidation, or free radical damage, which can lead to cataracts and macular degeneration. Shades that offer offer 99-100 percent UVA and UVB protection and wrap around the face will protect your eyes from the harmful rays of the sun.

Reduce digital eye strain

According to the Vision Council, over 31 percent of Americans suffer from digital eye strain. Digital screens produce blue light, harmful light waves that penetrate deep within your eyes and can cause permanent damage. Most cases of digital eye strain can be managed by taking specific precautions including adjusting your computer monitor, wearing blue light filtering lenses, using anti-glare screens, and downloading blue light filters for your electronic devices. 

It is impossible to eliminate electronic devices in our digital world, but you can create good habits to protect your vision. Remember the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and look at an object at least 20 feet away. Dry eye is a common side effect of digital eye strain because we tend to blink less often when staring at a computer screen. Try writing yourself a note to “Blink More” and put the post-it on your computer monitor. Even small steps like this can make a significant impact on your comfort as well as your eye health.

Make regular appointments with your eye doctor

The best gift you can give to your eyes is an annual comprehensive eye exam. Eye exams help detect eye diseases like glaucoma which often have no symptoms, as well as refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness and presbyopia. An eye exam also gives your eye doctor a glimpse into your overall wellness. It is not uncommon for ophthalmologists to identify chronic conditions like diabetes or hypertension because these diseases often affect the eyes. So get a comprehensive eye exam and you’ll receive a mini check-up as a bonus!

You can boost your eye health one choice at a time. Healthy Vision Month is just one way to remind us to re-committing to healthy habits that help maintain clear eyesight.

Cataracts affect about one in every six Americans over the age of 40, making them the most common cause of vision loss in the United States. A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens, which is made of water and protein. Through age and oxidative damage, the protein in the lens begins to clump together and create a cloudy area known as a cataract.

The good news is that cataract-related vision loss is reversible through surgery. There is no prescribed age for cataract surgery, so it is up to you and your eye care professional to decide when you should schedule the procedure. Even though it is one of the most common surgeries performed in the United States, cataract surgery can still seem quite intimidating. However, the benefits of cataract surgery are numerous, including restored vision and the ability to resume all the daily activities you enjoy.

If you are unsure of when you should have your cataracts removed, you are not alone. The American Academy of Ophthalmology has developed a list of four questions to help you determine when it is time to schedule cataract surgery:

• Are cataracts negatively impacting your daily or occupational activities? Common symptoms of cataracts are blurred vision, double vision, lack of contrast, increased glare, and sensitivity to light. This can make activities like reading, driving, cooking, or doing housework or yard work increasingly difficult.
• Are cataracts affecting your ability to drive safely at night? Another symptom of cataracts is the appearance of “halos” around lights and difficulty seeing in low light conditions. This can make driving extremely challenging and even dangerous.
• Are your cataracts interfering with the outdoor activities you enjoy? Sensitivity to light can be distracting, annoying and even painful because of your cataracts, and this may discourage you from spending time outside.
• Can you manage your cataracts in other ways? If you are not ready for cataract surgery, can you compensate for changes in your vision by using brighter light bulbs and contrasting colors in your home and workplace? Other small changes may include using a magnifying glass for reading or purchasing polarized sunglasses to reduce glare.

Cataract surgery is available to you when you and your ophthalmologist agree that you are ready. Ravi D. Goel, M.D., cataract surgeon and a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, gives a good explanation by saying, “If cataracts aren’t disrupting your life, you can probably wait and have surgery when they really start to bother you. But for those who are feeling impeded by their blurry or dulled vision, the procedure can make a significant beneficial impact” (Source: American Academy of Ophthalmology).