Regular Visits to the Eye Doctor Can Save Your Precious Sight

BY SARA MAGNOLA

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PREVENTION
There are several simple things people can do on a daily basis to maintain and protect the health of their eyes. Need another reason to quit smoking? Statistically, non-smokers have a lower chance of developing several conditions, including allergic conjunctivitis and age-related macular degeneration. Smokers also have an increased risk of developing diabetes, which in turn heightens a person’s odds of getting glaucoma and cataracts. Also, recent studies have shown that eating a diet rich in dark leafy vegetables, such as spinach, may reduce a person’s risk of developing age-related macular degeneration. People who are deemed to be at high risk for developing this disease may also benefit from taking high-dose supplements of zinc, beta-carotene, and vitamins C and E.

Other ways to protect your vision include wearing sunglasses that absorb harmful UV rays, and maintaining healthy blood pressure, since high blood is a risk factor for developing glaucoma.

Even the healthiest person should be sure to visit an ophthalmologist on a regular basis, since many eye disorders and diseases are treatable and, if caught early enough, will have little or no lasting effects on the person’s quality of vision. How often a person needs to see a doctor varies depending on age and other factors.
Children should be screened during their regular pediatric appointments up to the age of approximately three. If a child appears to be suffering from crossed eyes (strabismus), a lazy eye (amblyopia), or drooping of the upper eyelid (ptosis) he or she should be seen by an ophthalmologist immediately.

For healthy kids and teenagers, a once or twice yearly visit to an eye doctor is recommended to ensure their vision is developing properly. Between the ages of 20 and 40, a person without any vision problems should have three or four eye exams unless he or she experiences problems such as blurriness, eye pain or injury. If you wear glasses or contacts at any age, you need to see your eye doctor every year to check your prescription.

Since many eye disorders and diseases commonly appear later in life, people over the age of 40 should start seeing an eye doctor every two to four years. Once they have reached the age of 65 and older, a visit every year can better the chances of identifying any potential problem at its onset. Certain factors, such as family history, being of African American descent, injury and diabetes, put individuals of all ages at a higher risk for experiencing problems with their eyes, and necessitate that these people see an eye doctor more often than the generally recommended guidelines.

Our capacity to do so many necessary and enjoyable things depends on our vision, so take good care of your eyes.

Trends in Eyewear

While following the latest in fashion trends is always important, especially when accessorizing, eye glasses are perhaps our most powerful decorative piece, but also need to be functional and versatile to serve their full purpose. They need to “fit” your face, as well as your over-all lifestyle and look.

Here are a few general guidelines to keep in mind when making your next eyeglass selection:

• Resist the urge to choose a frame in too trendy of a color. If what compliments your skin tone and hair color also happens to be the hue of the moment then go for it, but if not you may be better off sticking with a neutral shade instead.
• The shape of the frames should be the opposite of the shape of your face. For example, a person with a full face, should try frames with sharp edges, and the person with an angular face, should try slightly oversized rounded frames.
• Un-like the popular “bigger is better” mentality of trendy sunglass style, size does matter when it comes to eye glasses. The size of the frames should be proportionate to the size of a person’s face, so a petite face will look best in a slighter glass frame, while a fuller face will look best with a larger style.
• In order to maximize your eye glasses’ ability to help you see, be sure you are choosing frames that don’t block your vision, with extra thick arms or too bulky a bridge. In order to ensure the lens itself is correctly positioned, put the glasses on and be sure your eyes fall at the direct center of the lenses.
• Don’t be too reserved, just because you have to wear them every day with everything. You can always buy multiple pairs, for various uses and different looks.

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