Night Driving

For most people night driving can prove more of a challenge than daylight driving. The pupil of the eye dilates in poor lighting reducing a person’s “depth of focus”. Let me make some suggestions to improve your night driving results:
1) take your time- allow your eyes a chance to adjust to varying light levels
2) minimize glare- night driving settings on rearview mirror, non-glare coatings on eyeglass lenses
3) keep of all interior lights off
4) reduce your driving speed
5) keep your car in tip-top shop for maximum safety and headlights bright and windshield clean.

School vision screenings

School vision screenings are designed to check a child’s eyesight, or sharpness of vision (ex. 20/20). Many times, for several reasons, a child’s close up skills responsible for reading such as tracking, focusing and binocular vision are either overlooked or not revealed. The American Optometric Association warns that school vision screenings may not accurately measure your child’s overall eye health. The AOA recommends having your child’s eyes examined at the ages of 6 months, 3 years and 5 years.

Wet vs. Dry Age Related Macular Degeneration

The leading cause of blindness in people over aged 65 and older is AMD. The part of the retina that is responsible for our sharp central vision is the macula and for these purposes think of it as a piece of graph paper with many different boxes. Dry AMD progresses slower and begins as changes in the pigmented cells of the macula, in wet AMD abnormal blood vessels can bleed into those “boxes” lift the macula and causing visual distortions.

Top 7 Ways for Contact Lens User to minimize eye infections

1) Remove contact lenses before immersing in water
2) Wash hands before handling lenses
3) Keep your contact lenses clean & disinfected
4) Use fresh products and discard used solutions
5) Store contacts in clean, dry, disinfected cases
6) Replace contacts regularly and on schedule
7) Have regular eye examinations

Higher Vitamin D status associated with decreased risk for Type II diabetes

According to the Framingham Offspring Study researchers found that those patients with higher vitamin D status had a 40% lower incidence of diabetes

Pregnancy and Vision

1) Many times contact lenses become intolerable during pregnancy and it is often suggested to wear glasses during the duration of the pregnancy.
2) Mild changes can occur to your prescription during pregnancy but are usually temporary.
3) Due to hormonal changes the eyes can feel more dry and irritated during pregnancy.
4) If you are already diabetic pregnancy may exacerbate diabetic retinopathy which can also blur the vision.
5) Complaints of spots are taken very seriously often being confused with scotomata which can indicate preeclampsia or eclampsia.