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Treating Dry Eyes

Crying is not the only reason teardrops exist. Rather, tears serve as a vital part of maintaining eyesight and act as a moisturizer to help lubricate the cornea. In fact, when eyes become deprived of the proper amount of teardrops, they become itchy, scratchy, and achy. These symptoms are a direct result of dry eye syndrome.

Simply put, dry eyes mean that the eyes are not producing enough tears. Because the cornea receives nutrition from tears, every single blink produces nutrients that the eyes need to remain healthy. Tears reduce the risk of infection by keeping the eye clear of foreign matter that could damage the cornea.


Normally dry eye syndrome occurs when there are not enough tears being produced in the eye and if there is an insufficiency in the quality of the tears being produced. Reasons including the inflammation of the lacrimal glands is one major reason why not enough tears are being produced to keep eyes properly protected. Additionally, tears combine oil, water, and mucus which helps the tears seal and prevent evaporation. If the eyes are not producing enough oil or mucus, tears will not be able to protect the cornea efficiently.

Dry eyes can be caused by a number of effects including, but not limited to, medications, medical conditions, environment, and eyesight correction. Age, however, is one of the most common risk factors of having dry eyes. So much so, in fact, that dry eyes is considered another part of aging.

With dry eyes being such a common problem, what can be done to relieve this symptom? The most important step is consulting a medical professional about any concerns regarding dry eyes. The treatment of dry eyes primarily focuses on relieving any burning and stinging sensations from the eyes. This can be done through a number of possible treatments including artificial tears, eye inserts, ointments, restates, dietary changes, changes in medications, tear duct plugs, and, if necessary, surgery.

Eye health is an incredibly important part of everyday life. Caring for dry eyes can be as easy as consulting a doctor and finding out what steps need to be taken to ensure proper maintenance of the eyes.

Top 5 Foods For Your Eyes

Every year millions of adults are affected by various eye diseases including cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. But eye diseases can be slowed or even avoided by simply eating the right foods. Getting proper vitamins and nutrients into your system such as: vitamins A,C, and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, betacarotene, and omega-3 can help reduce your risk of eye related diseases quite significantly. While many nutrients are easily available through a simple pill, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants are most effective when being consumed as food. Below are five foods and drinks that have been proven vision health.

1. Orange Juice

Orange juice is filled with vitamin C, which has many benefits for vision health. Vitamin C promotes healthy ocular blood vessels and it can significantly reduce the risk of cataracts. The suggested amount of vitamin C per day is 500 mg. Intaking this amount of vitamin C can slow the process of age-related macular degeneration by roughly 25 percent and visual acuity loss by 19 percent. Orange juice is one of the greatest sources of vitamin C and drinking around 5 glasses a day provides your body with the perfect amount of vitamin C.

2. Oysters

Filled with incredible amounts of zinc, oysters are one of the essential foods to eye health. Intaking a proper amount of zinc enables vitamin A to create melanin, a pigment that protects the eyes. The recommended amount of zinc per day is 40-80 mg, which is a total of 6 oysters. While eating six oysters a day is not a practical suggestion, nor is it everyone’s taste, other foods that provide plenty of zinc include beans, beef, and nuts.

3. Kale

Kale, when cooked, is full of lutein and zeaxanthin. These are two antioxidants that are found in the eye and the antioxidants in kale protect the eyes from damaging feee radicals. Eating leafy vegetables, like kale, increase pigment density which leads to better protection of the retina. Additionally, eating kale can significantly lower the risk of macular degeneration.

4. Peanuts

Peanuts are filled with omega-3 fatty acids and are an incredible source of vitamin E, both important for the heath of vision. The vitamin E that is found in peanuts has been proved to slow cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

5. Quinoa

Quinoa, as well as other whole grains, have been found to reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration. Eating quinoa or whole grains instead of other refined carbs can prove incredibly healthy for your eyesight.

Eye Health in Your 40′s and 50′s

Your eyes are one of the most important parts of your everyday life. In fact, you rely on your eyesight to help you experience and live life to the fullest. However, upon reaching your 40′s and 50′s you might begin to notice changes in your vision that are not entirely positive.

As the human body ages, the muscles in the eyes start to becomee much less flexible. This causes the eyes to have a much more difficult time focusing on objects that are close to them, you might notice that you need more light to see, and you might even have a difficult time differentiating various shades of darker colors. The name for these difficulties is called presbyopia and is not uncommon at all. In fact, presbyopia is perfectly natural and it occurs in almost everyone’s vision around this period of life.

One thing you might have already begun to notice is that just about everyone in their 40′s and 50′s uses some form of vision correction. If you find that you need prescription glasses, basic readers, or contact lenses, it is important to know that you are not exclusively confided to the option of corrective lenses. Laser surgery or Vision Shaping Treatment are both viable options if you are nearsighted, farsighted, or you simply have astigmatism that you would like to have corrected. Checking with a professional optometrist will help you decide and understand what your specific vision needs are and will allow you to gain back healthy vision.

Being well-informed can help you learn and recognize what certain signs of trouble are and, if caught early, vision related diseases can be treated or slowed easily.

What is most important is understanding that the right amount of rest, exercise, and maintaining a healthy diet will prove to be beneficial to your eyesight longterm. Additionally, the proper amount of antioxidant minerals and other vitamins will help you protect your eyes against common eye diseases.

Remember, your eyes allow you to fully experience your world and keeping your eyes healthy will benefit you greatly. Whether you are noticing any issues with your eyesight or not, being in tune with your eyes health is one of the greatest gift you can give to yourself.

Diet and Eye Health

Everyone knows that what you eat can greatly help your heart’s health and can reduce the risk of cancer, but what about your eye’s health? Caring for your eyes does not simply mean paying a visit to the local optometrist once every few years. Rather, recent studies have shown that good nutrition is a critical part of caring for your eyes.

The best way to begin is to start eating more fruits and vegetables. The recommended dose of fruits and vegetables for the average adult is five servings per day. Consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables during the day is incredibly important to to the health of eyes, especially darker-colored ones like carrots, broccoli, and squash. These dark-colored fruits and vegetables are an amazing source of beta-carotene which contains carotenoids which are plant pigments that are incredibly good for the eye’s health. Other nutrients that are found in fruits, vegetables include: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Zinc.

Vitamin C helps to keep the eyes healthy by protecting against damage that is caused from ultraviolet lights.The antioxidants in vitamin C serve as substances that protect and strengthen cells agains the effects of oxidation.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin and an antioxidant that helps prevention of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Both are common eye diseases that are associated with aging. An abundance of vitamin E can be found in many different types of foods including vegetable oils. It is important to not exclusively eat “fat-free” products, our eyes need that extra dose of vitamin E. The best sources of vitamin E can be found in wheatgerm oil, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, almonds, cottonseed oil, papaya, cereals, and peanut butter.

Zinc is a mineral that protects against the development of age-related macular degeneration since zinc is primarily concentrated in the eyes. Zinc is primarily found in wheat germ, garbanzo beans, black-eyed peas, sunflower seeds, almonds, tofu, brown rice, milk, beef, and chicken.

The eyes are truly one of our most valuable senses and protecting them is incredibly important to your health. Through the aid of eating healthy, you can prolong the lifespan of your eyes greatly.

The Best in Eyewear Fashion

Are you looking for that new pair of glasses? Whether your prescription is worn out or you are simply tired of your current frame style, getting new glasses can often times be a must. There are so many different types of eyewear available and just like any form of style, fashion and trends in the eyeglass world changes constantly.

Some of the more popular types of glasses available today mirror what is seen in the tabloids or whatever is worn by the latest celebrity. It might come as no surprise that glasses today have become as much as a fashion statement than they are a visual necessity. With eyeglasses becoming so popular as an accessory to an outfit these days, more brands are making a wide variety of glasses that can help keep up with the ever popular demand of wearing glasses that fit your lifestyle.

With so many different options, it may come as a surprise that there are only three basic types of glasses available on the market to choose from.


Plastic frames are the first option, they come in all types of shapes and styles. Contrary to the notion that plastic glasses are bulky and unsightly, however, many plastic frames are currently becoming smaller, thiner, and far more modern. Additionally, rather than having a small selection of colors, many brands offer a wide variety of colors, including the the popular option of two-toned plastic frames that add extra spark to your style. Most importantly, plastic eyeglasses are very durable and traditionally cheaper than wired frames.


The second option for eyeglasses are rimless glasses, which are the most flexible glasses you can buy. This style of eyeglasses do not have rims whatsoever, the arms and the bridge are connected to the actual lens so that the glasses can be held together. Don’t be fooled, however, rimless glasses are not as fragile as they appear and they are so light that you might not feel like you are wearing eyeglasses at all when they are on your nose.

Wire Frames

The last option of eyeglass styles are wire framed glasses. These frames have always been a fashion staple and are quite possibly the most classic style available. While wire frames are the most classic, they also tend to be the most basic and plain, which is good if you are a minimalist in style. With simple colors and a basic style, wired frames are a style that simply cannot let you down.

Wire Frames

Aging and Eye Sight: How To Protect Your Vision

Are you getting to a point in your life where you are needing to wear glasses for tasks as simple as reading the daily paper or seeing the computer screen in front of you? This is an immediate affect of having older eyes and although you may never have your youthful vision back in the same way it used to be, you can help your eye sight to be the best it can possibly be at any age. Naturally, some changes in eyesight are unavoidable, but there are ways to ensure the best vision health in your life.

Some of the eye diseases that commonly can affect seniors and that are associated with aging include: cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. Millions of Americans suffer every year from age-related eye diseases. However, medical advances have helped ensure these forms of diseases not to have overwhelming and negative implications to the health of eyes in old age.

As well as some disease based problems in the eyes, other common problems might include: presbyopia, floaters in the vision, dry eyes, and lastly, tearing. There are a number of medications that can affect vision and have side effects that can create a nuisance in daily activities.

Glasses and Paper

With so many vision related issues that occur in old age, what can be done to resolve these problems? First of all, seeing an optometrist on a regular basis is the first step to success in caring for your eyes. Making regular appointments to the optometrist or ophthalmologist can play a huge part in catching and easily treating any form of eye disease early on.

If there are any pressing concerns or if you are experiencing any form vision loss, pain, or abnormality, it is crucial to contact the ophthalmologist immediately. If there is a history of diabetes or eye disease, it makes contacting the ophthalmologist extra important.

Wearing sunglasses with ultraviolet protection and a hat with a wide bill with out in the sun also plays a huge part in the protection of the eyes. UV rays form the sun damage eye tissue and can increase the potential of developing cataracts.

Lastly, make sure you are maintaining a healthy diet that includes sufficient vitamins and minerals. Intaking plenty amounts of vitamin B, C, A, and E, and other antioxidants will greatly help maintain the health of your vision. Fresh fruits and vegetables likewise play a huge role in offering an incredible source of nutrients to the eyes. It is also recommended that seniors take a daily multivitamin pill to add to their source of nutrients.

Ten Steps to Caring For Your Eyes

Like the rest of your body, the eyes are a crucial element to your health and overall performance in life. Maintaining basic health of the eyes is incredibly important for the body’s sake and some of the following ten steps and principles to taking care of your eyes might come as a surprise.

Step 1 – Eat Healthy

Carrots are filled with beta carotene and prove especially helping in preserving the eyes. Other vegetables like, broccoli, bell peppers, and brussels sprouts contain a lot of vitamin C and are incredibly beneficial for the eyes. Wild salmon, sardines, and other types of fresh fish are also healthy for your eyes. These types of fish contain omega-3 fats that are the good kinds of fat for the body, and the omega 3s help to protect blood vessels in the eyes.

Step 2 – Avoid Wearing Contacts for Over 19 Hours

Wearing contact lenses for over 19 hours can potentially cause permanent damage and extreme discomfort the your sight. It is important to remember never to sleep in your contact lenses and avoid wearing contacts while swimming.

Step 3 –  Use Allergen-Reducing Eye Drops

Using allergen-reducing eye drops will get the redness reduced and it will sooth irritations. Eye Drops restrict the blood flow to the cornea and prevents the eyes from feeling inflamed and itchy. Remember, use drops sparingly, daily use can exasperate the issue.

Step 4 – Use Cucumbers on the Eyelids

Pressing cold cucumber slices on the eyelids for 10 minutes before going to sleep will prevent puffiness. Cucumbers contain ascorbic acid which prevents water retention.

Step 5 – Wear UV Protected Sunglasses

For the protection of your eyes in the sun, get polarized lenses. These lenses protect from exposure to UV rays and can help prevent loss of eyesight in the future.

Step 6 – Limit Time Looking Into Screens

In this day and age there are screens everywhere. Try and give your eyes regular breaks from staring into bright screens all day. Yes, this includes mobile screens as well as computer screens.

Step 7 – Wear Goggles When Necessary

Wearing goggles can protect the eye from chemicals and harmful particles.

Step 8 – Exercise and Relax Your Eyes

Exercising your eyes by focusing on objects that are far and near can help strengthen them and closing your eyes and while sitting down can help relax them.

Step 9 – Do Not Read in Dim Light

Reading in low light causes excessive strain on the eyes. It is important to take breaks if you feel like your eyes are being strained while reading.

Step – 10 Do Not Look Directly Into Bright Lights

While this might seems like an obvious step, sometimes it is one that can be overlooked. Looking directly into the sunlight can cause major and permanent damage to the eyes.

Why Choose Vision Health Insurance?

The eyes are truly one of the most essential senses to the human experience. The eyes not only effect the way we see but also how we feel and respond to life. In short, caring for your vision will ultimately lead to a better quality of life. Good eyesight will impact and enhance performance in work, school, and even in the home. When your vision health is at its best, it can help with performance in each and every aspect of life. However, if the eyes are strained and not cared for, they will become bothersome and easily irritated. This irritation can lead to headaches, fatigue, stress, and other various discomforts that will prevent you from feeling your absolute best.

With this in mind, it is important to know why having good vision health insurance is so crucial living a healthy and happy lifestyle. Having vision health insurance will not only help with protecting the eyes, but it can assist in the preservation of the rest of the body. In fact, many health conditions can be caught and treated early by eye doctors. Routine eye exams can easily detect poor conditions like diabetes. Skilled doctors can catch early signs of diabetes through eye examinations sometimes years before any signs appear. Additionally, other health conditions can be identified through simple eye exams such as, macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, multiple sclerosis, and risk of heart disease and stroke.

The eyes are controlled by muscles and, just like the rest of the body, the health of the eyes is impacted by everyday lifestyle. Proper eating habits, regular exercise, and routine physical exams are all ways to preserve the health and function of the eyes.

Maintaining the health of the eyes is not only important for the sake of vision, but also for the overall health of the body. Choosing vision health insurance is not simply an option to keep the eyes in good health, but it could potentially aid in the health and maintenance of the whole body. Choosing a vision health plan will let you take control of your life.

Picking the Best Frames For Your Face Shape

Round, oblong, heart, or square? When it comes to picking out the right pair of eye glasses, often times the pressing question is, “how do I know which is the right style for my face shape?” While glasses might be an essential to your eyesight, they are also an accessory and as such it is extremely important to pick the right frames.

Many factors are included when it comes to choosing the right frames, including personal style, eye, skin, and hair coloring, and of course, face shape. One extremely important aspect to remember when it comes to picking out the ideal pair of eyeglass frames is that there are four basic categories of face shapes (round, oblong, heart and square) and if you do not find yourself fitting perfectly into one category, find the category that comes closest to your face size and shape.

Anyone who has a round face will want to choose frames that add angles and prominent points to their face. These types of frames will be slim and more pronounced in appearance. Wider and darker frames will add depth and definition to the rounder face.

Oblong face shapes generally will want to choose frames that are larger and have more length. Choosing frames like these will help break up the face’s length.

The heart-shaped face has a chin that is thinner than the forehead. In this case, the best fit would be frames that balance the width of the face. Trying frames that minimize the top width of the face and that will widen towards the bottom is the best way to pick glasses for this face type.

For those who have faces that are more square shaped, it is important to avoid glasses with hard lines that make the face look boxy or overly pronounced. It is likewise important to know that having frames that are wider than the widest part of the face will help balance out the the proportions of a square face.

Finally, whatever your face shape may be, it is important to know what you look best in and how a new set of eyeglass frames will make you feel. But, in general, proximity is the best way to decide which frames are the best frames for you. The more angular the features, the rounder you will want your glasses to be and vice versa.

Eye Exams: How Important are They?

Eyes are our gateway to the world we live in. Our eyes allow us to observe everyday life and allow us to recognize, respond, and relate to others. However, vision impairment is one of the highest feared disabilities known to man. While loss of vision, or vision impairment is not uncommon, there are ways that it can be prevent.

The first and most important step in catching any vision problems early-on and preventing sight loss in the future is receiving regular eye examinations by a local and professional optometrist. Regular eye appointments are not just important for those who think they are beginning to develop signs of vision problems, but it is recommended that children should receive their first eye appointment before the age of 3. Mauritius If, however, problems with vision runs in the family, it is encouraged to check your children’s vision on a routine basis.

Whether there have been any vision problems or not, young people from the ages of 20 to 30 should have their eyes examined once every two years. Once a person reaches their 30’s, their appointments should become more frequent and at an annual basis. While some may not notice any immediate warning signs of vision impairments, it is just as important for them to receive regular care and examinations.

The second step to preventing sight loss is recognizing and understanding what will specifically cause problems in vision. Certain types of diseases such as, cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy all have potential of causing complications in vision.

While vision loss is not always a result of a third party disease, it is vitally important to be aware of the effects they could have on vision. Being aware of changes or abnormalities in vision is fundamental to protecting your vision.

Even non-threatening problems can and should be treated to keep the eyes satisfied and sharp. These problems can manifest themselves through, crossed eyes, dark spots in your vision, trouble focusing, double or blurred vision, eye pain, adjusting to light, redness in the eyes, or a sensitivity to glares, just to name a few.

Remember, eyes are not immune to the pains of aging. Like the rest of the body, the eyes are very important and should be examined and cared for regularly.