Eyecare Blog

02/17/10  -  SATURDAY APPOINTMENTS!

   

    Tired of taking time off of work to have your eye examinations? Hate wasting your lunch hour to pick up your glasses or contact lenses? We understand that it can be difficult to schedule a visit to our office Monday through Friday if you work so Precision Eyecare will now be opened on some Saturdays for your convenience. 

Dr. Bodman has opened his schedule to include one Saturday per month from 8:00am to 1:00pm. Appointments will fill quickly so call early to reserve your examination time.

    In order for Saturday mornings to run efficiently, we need your help. We will be minimally staffed so our staff can enjoy time with their families. Please limit calls on Saturday’s to non-routine questions. If you suspect that you have an eye infection or illness on Saturday morning, please call early, before 10:00am if possible. We sincerely thank you in advance for your help and cooperation  in this matter. See you Saturday!

 

 

03/16/10  -  HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR EYES WHEN USING A COMPUTER

 

Staring at a computer all day can take a toll on your peepers. We thought we'd share these helpful tips on dealing with the eyestrain that accompanies office work.
  • Take eye breaks. Be sure to look away from your screen every 15 minutes — if not more. Look at something close up (check out your cuticles) and something far away, to help exercise your depth perception. It’s especially smart to look out a window when searching to focus your eyes on something in the distance.
  • Remember to blink! When staring at a computer screen we tend to blink about five times less than usual. Blinking might seem like an unimportant activity, but it lubricates eyes so they work smoothly.
  • Eye-cercise. Eye exercises look silly, but they help. A private place to do them is in the bathroom; take a minute to do eye circles, diagonals, and long blinks. Yep, you can alleviate some eyestrain by working out your baby blues. Unforch, these moves don't count as strength training.

Hope your eyes don't feel too strained because we have plenty more tips, so continue reading.

  • Keep eye drops handy. Especially in the winter when the heaters are going, eyes are prone to drying out. You should do drops a few times a day and stay away from Visine, Clear Eyes and Murine products which contain toxic preservatives. Non preserved artificial tears are recommended instead.
  • Adjust your workstation so the words you are reading are at eye level — you shouldn't have to look up or down to see your screen. The screen should be about an arm’s length away. Your back should lay flat against the back of your chair. Sitting well will also help prevent neck strain.
  • Take real breaks. Go outside. Breathe fresh air. Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while for a quick catch-up. Get your blood flowing. These short activities are great for your body and mind in addition to your eyes.
  • Eating a well balanced diet can help your eyes too. Include eggs, carrots and kale, and yummy avocados. All these foods are high in nutrients like lutein, which is great for your eyes.
  • Drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially if you drink coffee in the morning. Caffeine dries out the eyeballs.
  • As for home laptop use, try to create a workspace with a desk and the positions mentioned above. It’s nice to sit on a couch, and a good break, but don’t do it for over an hour (it can cause neck strain). Make sure you’re not working in the dark — a bright screen and dark ambiance strains the eyeballs!

 

 

04/26/10  -  PROTECT YOUR CHILD'S EYES FROM UV RADIATION

While 85 percent of Americans recognize that ultraviolet (UV) rays can damage their eyes, only 65 percent wear sunglasses as protection, and even fewer (39 percent) make sure their children wear sunglasses.  By comparison, 78 percent make sure their children wear sunscreen when outdoors.*

These gaps in vision care attitudes and behavior are of great concern, particularly when it comes to children.  Compared to their parents, children have larger pupils (allowing more light into their eyes), clearer lenses, and are outside without eye protection much more frequently and for longer periods than most adults.  It is estimated that 80 percent of lifetime exposure to UV occurs by age 18 and that children's annual dose of UV radiation is three times that of adults.

Short-term damage to the eyes is hard to notice, but over the long-term the sun can cause irreversible harm to all structures of the eye and surrounding tissue that are left unprotected or under-protected.  These conditions may not manifest for years at which point the damage is already done and it is too late to reverse the effects of the sun. That's why it is important to get maximum protection beginning in childhood.

Protecting Your Eyes

Experts say it is difficult to isolate the exact amount of damage that UV imposes on the eye over a long period of time. However, a number of studies have shown that the effects of UV radiation are cumulative and may increase the chance of developing eye problems later in life, including cataracts, a leading cause of reduced vision in the United States.

While most sunglasses can help block UV rays from entering through the lenses, most frame styles do not prevent rays from reaching the sides, top, and bottom of the glasses.  Hats with brims offer no protection from UV rays reflected up from surfaces such as pavement, sand, and water.