How to Save Your Vision in Today's Digital World

Today, most of us are fully immersed in the digital world around us. From our work computers to laptops and tablets to our smart phones that we never leave home without, we definitely always have an amazing amount of information at our fingertips. While technology has continually advanced to allow us access to this amazing flow of information, it can also put a tremendous strain on our eyes. Common symptoms that can result from excessive computer usage may include: eye strain, dry eyes, headaches, fatigue, blurred vision and loss of focus. The combination of these symptoms is often referred to as computer vision syndrome. March has recently been recognized as Save Your Vision month by many national eye care organizations and seeks to bring awareness to computer vision syndrome and how to best manage it. If you are one of the millions of Americans that now use some sort of digital device for more than 8 hours a day, you have probably felt your eyes begin to strain, dry out or become fatigued towards the end of the day. If this is you, then you have suffered from some of the symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome. The barrage of symptoms from this syndrome can range from minor inconvenience to being totally debilitating and decreasing productivity completely. The best treatment for computer vision syndrome is often a combination of changing your digital work habits with the correct ergonomic setup and by taking frequent breaks to look off in the distance using the 20/20/20 rule. This is an easy exercise to relax your eyes so they do not overfocus up close by looking 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes you are at the computer. There are also occupational computer prescription eyeglasses that can help you read the computer and other digital devices. This will not only improve your vision at your proper viewing distance, but also aid your comfort and productivity while using your digital devices. Dry eye treatment may also be needed to help your vision perform optimally when staring at a monitor all day. This is often due to the fact that we tend not to blink as much when working on a computer and the right lubricating eye drop or medication dry eye drop can sometimes make all the difference. To see your best and perform up to your potential at work ask your eye doctor about computer vision syndrome at your next eye exam.

Glaucoma Awareness Month and Annual Eye Exams

It's a new year and what better resolution than leading a healthier lifestyle in 2012. One item on everyone's list this year seems to be heading back to the gym - to improve their fitness level, or just eating healthier overall for a better quality of life. However, how many of you think about going to the doctor more often for preventative health care screenings? Though it may be down your resolution list a bit, making it a point to see your eye doctor for regularly scheduled eye exams is a must in order to keep seeing your best in 2012 and beyond. It does not matter whether you wear corrective lenses or not, or even if you think our eyes are in perfect condition. Getting a regular eye exam is a necessary part of your overall health care, and vital to make sure you continue with healthy vision. Prevent Blindness America is helping promote the importance of regular annual eye exams by recognizing January as Glaucoma Awareness Month. Close to three million people actually have glaucoma, but half of them do not realize it because there are often no warning symptoms. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the United States of America and the first major leading cause of preventable blindness. Approximately 120,000 Americans are mostly blind because they suffer from glaucoma, accounting for 9% to 12% of all cases of blindness in the United States of America. Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among the African-American population in the U.S. as well. The condition is 6 to 8 times more common to be found in African-Americans than in Caucasians. Annual eye exams are the number one deterrent from individuals suffering vision loss from Glaucoma and other preventable eye diseases. This is because even in a routine eye examination, your eye doctor can detect signs and/or risk factors of glaucoma. If the condition is detected early enough their are many steps that can be taken to maintain the amount of healthy vision you currently have through topical (eye drops), laser, or surgical treatments. So make sure you make an annual eye exam a part of your healthier lifestyle in 2012 and keep seeing your best this year and beyond.

Keep Driving Safely and Comfortably with Polarized Sunglasses

I always look forward to the cooler weather and watching the leaves change this time of year. But something I usually don’t expect is having to reach for my sunglasses more and more often. However, as the season has changed, you also may have noticed your day getting shorter and the sun setting earlier (especially on your evening drive home).
Hopefully like me, you have some polarized sunglasses you can rely on to reduce glare when you are driving, for a safe and comfortable ride home.

Most light reflected from surfaces such as a flat road or smooth water is generally horizontally polarized, meaning that this light is traveling in a horizontally oriented direction. Polarized lenses have a filter within them that blocks this reflected light and thus reduces glare.

Polarized lens technology has been popular with fishermen for years due to their ability to help eliminate the reflected glare off the water. Today many other outdoor enthusiasts have discovered the benefits of polarized sunglasses as well; including golfers, skiers, bikers, joggers, and more. Of particular benefit, these lenses can reduce eyestrain and fatigue from squinting on the golf course for enhanced sports performance. Also, when driving these lenses can help reduce glare off the hood of your car and the surface of the road.

When choosing a Polarized sunglass lens it is important to choose a lens that blocks glare from every angle, effectively manages blue light, and enhances colors for the best optical clarity available. For more information on polarized sunglases check out this article and link.