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Firework Safety

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Fireworks

 

For most of us, celebrating the Fourth of July means barbeques and fireworks. Unfortunately, the fun can be cut short when fireworks are used inappropriately and cause serious injuries. One of the most common causes of firework injury is when a device explodes before expected. This often results in cuts, burns and bruises in and around the eye. Sparklers are not exempt, in fact they are responsible for a significant percentage of eye injury cases.

According to a study by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, fireworks were the culprit for an estimated 8,800 injuries treated in US emergencies departments during 2009. Of these, 54 present were children and teens under the age of 20 years.

Below are tips to help protect and preserve eyesight during the Fourth of July holiday.

  • Discuss firework safety with children and teens prior to the Fourth of July holiday.
  • Do not allow kids to handle fireworks and never leave them unsupervised near fireworks.
  • Wear protective eyewear when lighting and handling fireworks of any kind.
  • Store fireworks, matches and lighters in a secure place where children won’t find them.
  • Refrain from purchasing sparklers. Heating up to 1,800 degrees, sparklers are the number one cause of fireworks injuries requiring trips to the emergency room.
  • Be aware of your surroundings and only light fireworks when family, friends and children are at a safe distance.

Have a happy and safe holiday!

Bifocal Contact Lenses

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I have attended 2 interactive evenings sponsored by 2 different contact lens manufacturers in the last 2 months. Both companies were promoting their soft multifocal contact lens products. Each lens type appears to offer something different.

I was able to gleen some tips that I think will improve patient success in the lenses. I am feeling more optimistic about soft multifocal contact lenses. A multifocal contact lens is designed to improve the close vision and make near tasks easier while wearing contact lenses. This is important for someone experiencing presbyopic changes and finding themselves pushing the newspaper farther away or reaching for reading glasses more frequently. The challenge with the lenses has been trying to achieve good near vision without decreasing the distance vision.

The other advantage of the newer multifocal contact lenses is they are available in the silicone hydrogel (sihy) material. The sihy material allows more oxygen to reach the cornea, less protein to deposit and better daily comfort.

To add to the excitement, a new daily use multifocal has just hit the market. I think this will help include the patients who wear their lenses intermittently or who can only wear a lens once because of comfort issues.

Click here to read more about the rigid gas permeable  multifocal contact lens designs.

Burning Eyes

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Red rimmed eyes, burning eyes, watery eyes. These are symptoms of eyelid inflammation caused from Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), blepharitis or both. Another condition of the eyelid that causes discomfort and redness are styes; when one of the eyelid glands becomes infected. Styes are more localized and found on the edge if the eyelid.
The Meibomian glands are between the eyelashes. They can become plugged and inflamed causing problems with the tear quality. The compromised tears evaporate quickly causing the lacrimal gland to overcompensate and produce too many tears which spill over the eyelids. The inflammation produces a foamy discharge that sits on the lower eyelid margin causing irritation and burning.


Blepharitis in an infection or irritation of the eyelid. The typical sign of “bleph” is flakes and/or debris on the eyelashes. The flakes and debris end up in the eye causing irritation and redness.
At night when we sleep, the eye is closed and not blinking. Tear production is greatly reduced. Anything left on the eyelashes and eyelids will sit on the eye all night causing discomfort, grittiness and redness by morning. Treatment involves removing the potential irritants. This includes thorough removal of make-up and creams. A hot compress will soften the waxy plugs in the meibomian glands. Mild cleaning solution and a washcloth or cotton swab will remove debris from the eyelids and eyelashes. For a printable description of eyelid hygiene click here.

Good lid hygeine will improve contact lens comfort during the day, and reduce dry eye symptoms too.

What are the Advantages of Daily Use Contact Lenses?

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Soft daily use contact lenses have been available since 1995. The obvious advantage of replacing contact lenses daily is placing a clean, sterile, well-hydrated lens in your eye each morning. Even with the best cleaning and hygiene; lenses get dirty, lose their ability to stay wet and protein adheres to the surface. These factors reduce comfort, cause dryness and decrease lens clarity.

The other advantage is the elimination of contact lens solutions and the complications resulting from solutions. The contact lens solution industry changes as often as the lenses. Most contact lens complications result from sensitivity to the solution or poor compliance. Eliminating this component from the care of contact lenses, resolves multiple problems.

Probably the greatest advantages to patients is the convenience. No more contact lens solutions, no contact lens cases, just a clean, clear and comfortable lens each day.

For intermittent wearers, someone who uses lenses for sports, social events or infrequently, the daily lenses are easier to keep on hand, in a gym bag, briefcase or backpack. No more trying to remember how old a lens is, or opening the case to find dried up lenses.

One of the disadvantages is that not all prescriptions are available in daily disposable lenses. There are some toric lenses (astigmatism correction) in limited powers but not enough. Currently there is not a decent multifocal daily contact lens (although, this will be available in the future). The second disadvantage of daily replacement lenses is they are not designed for overnight use and must be removed before sleeping.

UV Damage and Your Eyes

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Most people (79%) know the importance of sun protection for the skin, but only 6% know how important it is for the eyes.
Studies from all over the world have shown that Ultraviolet (UV) damage due to chronic exposure to UV light is a factor in many diseases of the eye. Some of these conditions include pterygium ( a growth on the cornea), cataracts (clouding of the lens) and possible age-related macular degeneration (a condition causing decreased vision).

  •  No amount of UV exposure is healthy for the eyes.
  • The eye is the only place where internal tissues of the body are directly exposed to environmental UV.
  • UV damage is cumulative and often irreversible
  • Almost half of your UV exposure occurs when you are not in full sun and less likely to wear sunglasses or protection.

There are several things to consider when selecting sunglasses. The glasses should be comfortable and provide complete UV protection. More than one pair may be indicated; the sunglasses you wear running to the store, will be different than the pair you use for golf or boating. The style of frame and type of lens vary to the task.

The staff at Westside Optometry can help you make the best decisions to maximize your UV protection and maintain good eye health. They are very excited about a new lens that becomes polarized as it darkens.

Itchy, Watery Eyes

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girl with allergies

I hope this is the peak of the allergy season and the air clears soon. There are a lot of people suffering from itchy watery eyes. Besides locking yourself indoors or wearing goggles to avoid the cause of seasonal allergies there are a few things you can do.

  • Wear sunglasses outdoors to minimize exposure to wind
  • Start using an allergy drop with mast cell inhibitors to reduce the allergic response. At your next visit to Westside Optometry we can write a prescription and make recommendations.
  • Rinse your eyes with cool, sterile saline. This soothes and rinses out allergens.
  • If you wear contact lenses, consider switching to glasses temporarily. Pollen and irritants stick to the lens creating more time for the eye to react to them. The glasses will create a barrier between the eye and wind too.
  • Do not rub your eyes! This will only create more of a reaction and cause swelling. Instead put ice cubes in a washcloth and gently rest on closed eyes to soothe them.

Allergies are so common in Petaluma, I wrote about them in April, Eye Allergies. If you suffer all year long, I have more information about indoor allergies such as dust and animal dander, too.  Your Eyes and Allergies

 

Cool things patients teach me

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I would like to say that I think of this stuff by myself but my brain is scientific and analytical (a good trait for a doctor). I can’t help but admire a creative mind. The other day I asked a patient for a list of medicines he was taking and he whipped out his iPhone. I thought he was going to call his wife to ask her, instead he went to his notes and read his list to me. Usually I get a piece of paper which I appreciate because I can xerox it and update my list later, but the phone list was legible, and up-to date. I was very impressed until about an hour later I asked a different patient if there were any changes in the medicine he was taking. The gentlemen whipped out his phone. PrescriptionNo way, this has never happened and twice in the same morning, did I miss a memo? Instead of a list, the patient showed me a picture. The picture was a pill bottle of his newest medication. Easier yet, includes dosage, correct spellings and even easier to maintain. Just take a picture of the bottle. Brilliant!

How do you use your smart phone to be smarter about your health and eyes? What about setting alerts when it is time to change your contact lenses?

How do I take care of my new glasses?

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Caring for your Glasses

You have carefully selected the best lens materials and designs to fit in a stylish frame, it is important to take good care of your new eyewear.

  • Remove glasses from your face with two hands
  • Never place glasses lens side down, it is best to put them in their case when not wearing them
  • Clean glasses with water and a little oil-free soap. Wipe them with a clean cloth or a cloth especially designed for your lenses
  • Do not leave glasses on the dashboard of your car. (It gets too hot for the frame and any coatings on the lenses)
  • If your glasses start to slide or feel lopsided  on your face, come by the office for an adjustment

Evatik

GLARE

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glarePeople suffer from 4 types of  glare: distracting, discomforting, disabling and blinding. Distracting glare is caused by reflections on eyeglass lenses. This can be eliminated with anti-reflective coating. At Westside Optometry, we recommend this type of non-glare coating on the back side of sunglasses also.
Discomforting glare is caused by everyday light conditions that cause squinting and eye fatigue. Tinted or photochromic lenses will reduce this type of glare.
Disabling glare occurs when excessive, intense light reaches the eyes. The effects of disabling glare can cause long-term eye damage. Good sunglasses with maximum ultraviolet protection eliminates disabling glare.
Blinding or reflective glare comes from light reflected off smooth, shiny surfaces such as water, sand, snow or wet roads. A polarized sunglass is the ideal solution for blinding glare.

Glare is a problem during the day and night. It bothers people working at a computer, driving on the freeway and fishing on a boat. Don’t squint and suffer any longer, let us eliminate the discomfort of glare with appropriate glasses.

Eating for your Eyes

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Everyone knows that proper diet and nutrition have advantages for health, but did you know that it is beneficial to your eyes as well? A diet rich in beta carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and certain vitamins can also help protect against vision loss, particularly age related macular degeneration (AMD).

AMD diminishes central vision and currently affects the vision of more than 2 million Americans, ages 50 and older. AMD is a progressive disease that if left untreated, can result in severe vision loss and even blindness. The exact cause of AMD is unknown, but risk factors for the disease include age, race, smoking, family history and health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and hypertension.

eyes and nutrition

A wide variety of foods including lentils, grapes, carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, kale, certain kinds of fish, turkey and some kinds of nuts, have been shown to aid eye health. Although there are a variety of available over-the-counter supplements designed for vision and eye health, a doctor should always be consulted before use.

Foods that contain refined starches and are high in sugar can be damaging to vision. A study by Tufts University showed that high-glycemic foods cause a dramatic rise in blood sugar, which over time, may damage the retina and capillaries in the eye by promoting oxidative stress and inflammation. Soda and sugary drinks, candy, baked goods,  some cereals , white rice, foods made with white flour, such as white bread and pasta, should be avoided or limited.

Other healthy habits can lead to healthy vision. The risk of eye disease and vision loss can be lowered by:

  • Avoiding trans fats
  • Quitting smoking
  • Controlling blood pressure and cholesterol
  • Exercising regularly
  • Visiting your optometrist regularly