How to Keep Your Eyes Healthy

Don't take your eyes for granted. Take these easy steps to keep your peepers healthy.

1. Eat Well

Good eye health starts with the food on your plate. Nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E might help ward off age-related vision problems like macular degeneration and cataracts. To get them, fill your plate with:

• Green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and collards
• Salmon, tuna, and other oily fish
• Eggs, nuts, beans, and other nonmeat protein sources
• Oranges and other citrus fruits or juices
• Oysters and pork

A well-balanced diet also helps you stay at a healthy weight. That lowers your odds of obesity and related diseases like type 2 diabetes, which is the leading cause of blindness in adults.

2. Quit Smoking

It makes you more likely to get cataracts, damage to your optic nerve, and macular degeneration. If you've tried to kick the habit before only to start again, keep at it. The more times you try to quit, the more likely you are to succeed. Ask your doctor for help.

3. Wear Sunglasses

The right pair of shades will help protect your eyes from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays. Too much UV exposure boosts your chances of cataracts and macular degeneration.

Choose a pair that blocks 99% to 100% of UVA and UVB rays. Wraparound lenses help protect your eyes from the side. Polarized lenses reduce glare while you drive.

If you wear contact lenses, some offer UV protection. It's still a good idea to wear sunglasses for an extra layer.

4. Use Safety Eyewear

If you use hazardous or airborne materials on the job or at home, wear safety glasses or protective goggles.

Sports like ice hockey, racquetball, and lacrosse can also lead to eye injury. Wear eye protection. Helmets with protective face masks or sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses will shield your eyes.

5. Look Away From the Computer Screen

Staring at a computer or phone screen for too long can cause:

• Eyestrain
• Blurry vision
• Trouble focusing at a distance
• Dry eyes
• Headaches
• Neck, back, and shoulder pain

To protect your eyes:

• Make sure your glasses or contacts prescription is up to date and good for looking at a computer screen.
• If your eye strain won’t go away, talk to your doctor about computer glasses.
• Move the screen so your eyes are level with the top of the monitor. That lets you look slightly down at the screen.
• Try to avoid glare from windows and lights. Use an anti-glare screen if needed.
• Choose a comfortable, supportive chair. Position it so that your feet are flat on the floor.
• If your eyes are dry, blink more.
• Rest your eyes every 20 minutes. Look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Get up at least every 2 hours and take a 15-minute break.

For more information or to book an appointment, visit us at www.visionsourcenw.com.

UV damage you can’t see, but impacts your vision

Summer is officially upon us and Canadians across the country are excited to get outside and enjoy the sun. While most Canucks recognize the importance of sunscreen to prevent sunburns and skin cancer, many are unaware that UV light can cause serious eye damage. In fact, overexposure to UV rays has been linked to a variety of eye problems, one of which is cataracts, a condition where the normally clear lens of the eye become cloudy and opaque.

June is Cataract Awareness Month, and with an estimated 3.2 million Canadians living with the eye condition[1], Doctors of Optometry are urging residents to book an annual eye exam with an optometrist and take the necessary precautions to protect your vision from the sun’s harmful rays.

 

What can you do?

• Avoid sources for UV radiation. Don’t stare directly at the sun and be aware of reflections from snow, water, sand and pavement. If you’re a welder, hairdresser, lighting technician, paint and resin worker, or work outdoors, be sure you’re in the know about potential risks and how to avoid UV exposure.
• Protect your peepers. Wear sunglasses that are 100% UV blocking against both UVA and UVB rays, and are close-fitting with a wrap-around style frame to help keep light out. If you wear corrective contact lenses, consider wearing UV-blocking contact lenses for an added layer of UV protection. In addition to cataracts, these steps help protect against:
• Age-related macular degeneration
• Eyelid skin cancer
• Corneal sunburn
• Age spots
• Tissue growths on the surface of the eye
• Stay informed. Get regular eye exams to monitor eye health, maintain good vision and keep up-to-date on the latest in UV protection (Check out the UV Canada smartphone app for up-to-date info on UV radiation in your location).
• 10-4. Keep out of direct sunlight between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when the sun’s rays are strongest.
• Children are at high risk. It’s estimated that 50% of lifetime exposure to UV happens before the age of 18. Keep children younger than six months out of direct sunlight, ensure children of all ages wear sunglasses and sun hats when outside and consider using a canopy or umbrella as a sun-shield when at the beach or in the back yard.
• Recognize the symptoms. If you’re experiencing immediate pain, an inflamed cornea, or an aversion to light, see your Doctor of Optometry right away.

Your Doctor of Optometry can make specific recommendations to ensure your eyes are well-protected and to fit you with your perfect pair of sunglasses. Booking a comprehensive eye examwww.visionsourcenw.com can identify early onset of eye-health conditions related to UV that may not have apparent symptoms.

Cataracts

What is a cataract?

When the normally clear lens within your eye becomes cloudy and opaque, it is called a cataract. Cataracts vary from extremely small areas of cloudiness to large opaque areas that cause a noticeable blurring of vision.

Who gets cataracts?

Cataracts are a function of aging and are most often found in people over the age of 60, although they are also occasionally found in younger people, including newborns. If a child is born with a cataract, it is referred to as a congenital cataract.

What causes cataracts?

Cataracts are the result of aging changes that occur within your eyes that cause the lenses to become cloudy. This may be due to advancing age or it may be the result of heredity, an injury or a disease. Excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation (present in sunlight), cigarette smoke, certain systemic conditions, or the use of certain medications are also risk factors for the development of cataracts. Cataracts usually develop in both eyes, but often at different rates.

Can cataracts be prevented?

Currently, there is no proven method to prevent cataracts from forming. Wearing sunglasses is a tremendous benefit as they protect your lens from harmful UV rays, which can speed up cataract formation. A diet rich in antioxidants (such as Vitamins A, C, E, Zinc Selenium & Magnesium) can also be beneficial.

What are the signs/symptoms of cataracts?

Some indications that a cataract may be forming include blurred or hazy vision that cannot be corrected by changing the glasses prescription, or the feeling of having a film over the eyes that does not go away with blinking. A temporary change in distance and/or near vision may also occur. An increased sensitivity to glare, especially at night may be experienced. Cataracts develop without pain or redness.

How are cataracts diagnosed?

A comprehensive eye examination by a doctor of optometry can determine if you have a cataract forming.

How are cataracts treated?

In the early stages of a cataract, where vision is only minimally affected, your doctor of optometry can sometimes prescribe new lenses for your glasses to give you the sharpest vision possible. When the cataracts start to interfere with your daily activities and glasses cannot improve this vision, your doctor of optometry will refer you to an ophthalmologist (eye surgeon) who may recommend the surgical removal of the cataracts.

When will I need to have cataracts removed?

Cataracts may develop slowly over many years or they may form rapidly in a matter of months. Some cataracts never progress to the point that they need to be removed. When a change in glasses can no longer provide functional vision, and the cataract is starting to interfere with your daily activities, your doctor of optometry will arrange a consultation with a cataract surgeon.

What happens after cataract surgery?

The old cloudy lens is removed and an intraocular lens implant, inserted in your eye at the time of surgery, serves as a new lens. Sometimes the lens implant can give you good enough distance vision that you may not require glasses. Your near vision will still be blurred, so you may need glasses to read. Your doctor of optometry will prescribe new lenses for your glasses about four to six weeks after surgery to maximize your distance and near vision. Before surgery, your doctor of optometry may recommend lens implant options with new “specialized” intraocular lenses designed to minimize your need for glasses following the surgery.