It is that time of year again! Back-to-School! Millions of parents around the country are rushing to stores to buy all the newest school supplies and outfits. While you are going through your list of school supplies make sure to not skip your child’s eye health.

You can’t underestimate the importance of ensuring your children have healthy eyes and good vision during the course of their education. Having healthy vision is essential in ensuring academic success no matter what the age. Children are especially susceptible to vision problems during their education because they are still growing so it is important that parents remain vigilant about their eye health. If we can identify vision problems in your children earlier, then the damage can be minimalized.

To ensure your child’s vision stays healthy throughout the school year, the American Academy of Ophthalmology has these recommendations:

1. Regular eye exams for your child – As mentioned earlier children’s eyes experience rapid changes due to their body still growing and maturing, this makes regular eye exams that much more important to detect these problems as early as possible before they have an effect on your child’s academic success.
2. Make sure your child is wearing protective eyewear while playing sports – Injuries from outdoor activities like Sports are fairly common, but what is less known is that eye injuries from this activity happen pretty commonly. Some of these injuries can be serious and cause permanent damage to your child’s vision, so it is important that they are using the right protective eyewear for their outdoor activities.
3. Know your families eye health history – Knowing your families eye health history is important because you can inform the eye doctor of the history when your child is undergoing an eye exam. This provides your eye doctor with a little insight and helps them know what to be on the lookout for as your child continues to grow. Common vision conditions include: nearsightedness, farsightedness and lazy eye. It is important these are cart early so as to minimize the damages.
4. Be on the lookout for signals that there might be a problem with your child’s vision – It is important to be vigilant with detecting symptoms of vision problems. If your child starts to complain about issues involving recurring headaches, eyestrain and you notice he/she is squinting a lot when reading then it is time for a visit to the eye doctor. If your child’s grades also begin to suddenly drop that could also be caused by problems with their vision.

More and more people are making the decision to make healthier food choices every day. Generally, the goal is to improve heart health and lose weight, which are both valid and great goals, but certain foods can also actually help your eye health and reduce your risks of developing certain eye diseases. Studies have shown that your risks of developing cataracts, macular degeneration and dry eye can be reduced if you make healthier food choices.

Here are a few different food groups that you should explore adding to your diet:

Orange Vegetables and Fruits

As I’m sure most people know, carrots are considered to be good for your eye health. This is because they have high levels of Beta Carotene in them—a precursor to Vitamin A and the reason for the orange color. If a fruit or vegetable is orange, chances are there is high levels of Beta Carotene involved. Beta Carotene helps to improve your vision at night and in dark environments. Look to add squash, carrots, apricots and/or pumpkin to your diet for a healthy boost to your eye health.

Dark Green Vegetables

If you haven’t already jumped on the kale band wagon, you might want to consider it. Dark green vegetables like kale, spinach, broccoli and collard greens all include two essential nutrients—lutein and xeaxanthin. Both of these important nutrients are known to help reduce damage to your cells and slow the effects of macular degeneration—a progressive vision loss eye disease that is seen in many senior citizens.

Fatty Fish

The omega-3 fatty acids that are commonly found in salmon, tuna and sardines have been known to help reduce your risks of developing eye inflammation and dryness—this in turn helps to reduce your risks of developing dry eye and macular degeneration. Adding some oily fish to your diet is not only good for your overall eye health, but also has health benefits for your heart.

Nuts

Vitamin E is considered to be a powerful antioxidant that can help if you have issues with heart disease and glaucoma. Glaucoma is a serious eye disease that can cause major vision loss if not monitored carefully. Certain studies have shown that vitamin E can also reduce the progression of vision loss from cataracts. Nuts are a great source of Vitamin E, but be careful you aren’t over eating them because they are high in sodium and calories.

For more information on how you can build your diet around improving your eye health, consult your eye doctor and they can help you review your options.

Sunglasses have been synonymous with the idea of “cool” for a long time and it isn’t hard to imagine why. It is hard to picture sunglasses without thinking about Tom Cruise rocking aviators while riding on a motorcycle. Sunglasses have been an important fashion accessory in our society for a long time now, but it is important to make sure your sunglasses aren’t just form and have some function as well.

Picking the right pair of shades can help to reduce wrinkles on your face from increase sun exposure as well as protect your eyes and prevent them from getting red and dry. The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can cause permanent damage to your eye health if not blocked by UV protective eyewear.

Yes, you read that correctly, UV eye protection is important when picking out those slick looking shades. As mentioned above, the suns UV radiation can cause irreparable damage to your eyelids, cornea, lens and many other areas related to your eye. There is also plenty to data to show that excessive UV radiation exposure to your eyes can increase your risks of developing cataracts, pterygium and macular degeneration.

You might be asking yourself, “how do I know if the sunglasses I want block those UV rays?” Well Here is a little buyers guide to help you pick out sunglasses that no only look good, but also protect your vision:

• Make sure they are listed to block 99 – 100 percent of both UVA and UVB rays
• Screen 75 to 90 percent of visible light
• Ensure that the lenses are free from distortions and imperfections before you buy them
• For the most accurate color recognition possible, we recommend picking gray tone lenses

Despite popular believe, the level of darkness your lenses provide have nothing to do with how much UV rays are blocked. It is also recommended that you consider choosing wraparound and/or close-fitting sunglasses to give your eyes the maximum amount of UV ray protective coverage.

Well it is officially Spring, a time of beauty where plants spring into life and also a time of season allergies. Ocular allergies, commonly referred to as “eye allergies” are one of these Spring frustrations that millions of people deal with every year. If you suffer from Spring allergies, then you might end up having to deal with watery and/or irritated red eyes.

So What Causes Spring Allergies?

Well, a lot of things, but in the spring there are two types of allergies that you need to look out for:

1. Seasonal Allergies: These are the common allergies that your eyes become subjected to and definitely very big in the Spring. These are caused by allergies to pollen from bloom plant life such as weeds, grass and trees.
2. Perennial Allergies: These last throughout the year and are usually caused by allergies to dust and different animals. Smoke can also trigger an allergic response as well as colognes and pollution.

There are plenty of times when you can easily identify the cause of your allergic reactions, but seeing a doctor might be necessary to determine what is triggering your allergic reactions. Once you figure out what it is that is bothering you, there are things that can be done to help reduce your exposure to those allergens.

Here are some useful tips on how you can limit your exposure to allergens:

• If the pollen counts are high, stay inside!
• If you are a contacts user, then you should consider removing them when you go outdoors because they can accumulate airborne allergens like pollen. Sunglasses can help to protect your eyes from these airborne risks.
• Your bed and pillow cases can actually get pretty dusty, so it is a good idea to regularly wash your sheets and pillowcases to limit your exposure to dust mites.
• Cleaning the floor with a damp mop helps to keep allergens from getting airborne when you are doing Spring cleaning.
• DO NOT rub your eyes! This only makes your allergic symptoms worse.

If your allergies are severe then it might be best for you to see a specialist. Reach out to your eye doctor regarding eye allergies if the conventional methods of fighting your allergies are producing the results you expected.

Digital eye strain is a rapidly growing issue in today’s computer reliant world. If you work in an office, chances are you will be spending quite some time in front of a computer screen which can cause your eyes to strain. In fact, 70 percent of Americans who work with computers on a daily basis deal with symptoms of digital eye strain. Luckily, there are some precautions you can take to help prevent digital eye strain and protect your vision.

To further promote eye health and safety in the workplace, here are 3 ways you can protect your vision from digital eye strain:

1. Don’t forget to blink: This may seem like a no brainer, but studies have shown that when we use computers we tend to blink a lot less, which causes your eyes to become dry and irritated. Blinking helps to keep your eyes lubricated and also helps to spread necessary nutrients across the eye.
2. Using proper levels of Lighting: One of the biggest causes of digital eye straight is poor lighting and glare on computer screens. If the overhead lights are too bright then you should position your computer screen in a way that doesn’t reflect the lights and create glare. Light coming in through the windows can be difficult as well, depending on the time of day, so you might want to consider closing the blinds if necessary.
3. Step away from your computer occasionally: There is a technique that can help you avoid digital eye strain called the 20/20/20 rule. This is an easy enough system to work into your daily routine. You just need to look away from your computer every 20 minutes at an object that is at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds or more. This technique is said to reset your eyes and keep them from getting strained.

Taking these necessary steps to help avoid digital eye strain is not only great for you, but also your productivity in the workplace, so why not give it a try? If your eyes continue to be strained, then it is recommended that you see an eye doctor for a routine eye exam.