Category: Eye Health

Risks of blue light exposure have become a topic of discussion in recent years. More eyecare professionals and scientists are studying the effects of blue light to assess the effects of relying on blue light for so much of our lighting.

It’s hard to say for sure how much added blue light exposure may lead to additional cases of degenerative eye health problems like macular degeneration. Plus, there is some evidence that overexposure to high-energy blue light can cause side effects such as sleep disturbances, eye strain, and headaches. With this in mind, how can you reduce your exposure, inside and out?

Inside

• Lower the brightness of your electronic screens, especially at night, but make sure you are not straining to see the words if you’re reading.
• Take frequent breaks while working at a computer. Regardless of blue light exposure, Computer Vision Syndrome is another problem you may face, and taking breaks to relax your eyes will help.
• Stop using your devices at least a couple hours before bed. Unplug and read a book instead, which will give your eyes something easy to focus on and help you wind down for good sleep.
• Adjust your distance. Viewing a bright screen up close is fatiguing. Make sure to set your computer monitor and television at a comfortable distance, and don’t hold handheld devices too close to your eyes. You can adjust text size if reading a device at arm’s length is difficult.
• Opt for non-glare lenses. Non-glare or anti-reflective treatments on your lenses will help reduce bright lights affecting your eyes.

Outside

• Wear sunglasses. Sunglasses that are an appropriate darkness and block 99-100% of UVA-UVB rays are the best protection for your eyes.
• Consider polarized lenses, too. Polarization cuts harsh glares that bounce off of water and other surfaces.
• Don’t forget a hat! In especially bright outdoor settings a hat will help block bright light from above, even if your eyes are protected from the front.

Ask us about what blue light-blocking options are available for your eyewear. We can help with your everyday lenses, reading glasses, and especially with sunglasses!

Many medical professionals are aware of the benefits of adding healthy oils to our diets. Most of the fats that are essential for a healthy heart, skin, brain, and other systems come from things like fish, nuts, seeds, and vegetables. Doctors will sometimes prescribe fish oil or flaxseed oil to help improve someone’s health, but we are learning more and more about how these beneficial oils can help more than previously thought. In the case of your eyes, certain oils may aid in treatment of dry eyes.

Vision Benefits of Flaxseed and Fish Oil

Fish oil and flaxseed oil are beneficial because of the omega-3 fatty acids they include. These materials are needed to support optimal health. Flaxseed oil contains high levels of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid. ALA is converted into two different omega-3 fatty acids during digestion. These acids are called EPA and DHA and they protect cell membranes all over the body.

By adding flaxseed oil or fish oil to your diet, you may be protecting against dry eyes. These items appear to reduce dry eye symptoms, and can be used with or without eye drops to alleviate some aspects of dry eyes. Many eye doctors are recommending fish oil or flaxseed oil as part of an overall plan to treat dry eyes, or to prevent the onset or progression of symptoms.

Symptoms of dry eyes include:

• Chronic dryness
• Burning
• Stinging
• Redness
• Eye fatigue
• Sore eyes
• Light sensitivity
• Blurred vision

How to Start Taking Flaxseed and Fish Oil

If you’re looking for how to get these substances into your diet, keep in mind that many kinds of fish are high in these oils. Look for things like salmon, sardines, tilapia, and shrimp. For people who don’t like fish, or want other options, fish oil supplements are usually pretty inexpensive and easy to come by. You may ask a pharmacist for suggestions on which over the counter versions are best.

The downside of fish oil is that sometimes people will get a fishy aftertaste from the supplements. A great alternative is flaxseed oil. These supplements are readily available as well, and will provide similar benefits. Just be sure to find a brand that is cold pressed and remember to keep it refrigerated for freshness and optimal nutrient content (benefits of flaxseed oil are reduced by exposure to oxygen, light, and higher temperatures).

Flaxseed oil can get a little pricy, but you can buy flaxseeds and grind them in a coffee grinder before adding them to your diet. Use them immediately to get the full benefits!

Other Benefits

These fatty acids may help reduce your risk for several other health problems. The benefits include:

• Reduced risk of macular degeneration
• Reduced risk of cataracts
• Increased cardiovascular function
• Lower risk of heart disease
• Help maintain healthy weight

Most of us remember being told not to sit too close to the TV because it would ruin our vision. Well, that may have been an exaggeration of the actual dangers of sitting too near a tube television, but new risks are at play when it comes to electronic screens and the eyes of our children.

Old tube televisions and things like handheld games relied on much different electronics and lights to power their screens in the early years. It wasn’t until much more recently that we have moved to bright, LED and plasma screens that use a lot of blue light to show unimaginably crisp images. Whereas sitting pretty close to one of those screens twenty years ago probably wasn’t a good idea, it’s likely that prolonged and extreme use of screens nowadays is more problematic.

We know that using a computer can improve school readiness and academic achievement. Children learn digital tools quickly, and have relatively little trouble using them for educational games, math, reading, and more. These things aid cognitive development when used appropriately, and will not harm your child’s vision.

The risks associated with using a digital screen come from prolonged use, improper ergonomics, and developmental problems caused by getting too much screen time instead of getting social interaction and physical activity.

Children’s eyes are more sensitive to bright light because they lack certain tints that we develop as we get older. As we age, our eyes take on a slightly yellowish tint that helps filter bright blue light. The sun is the largest source of bright blue light, but digital devices also rely on this kind of light to produce clear videos and graphics. This means that children who use a bright screen up close are naturally less protected than older people, and their eyes are more susceptible to damage. Over time, our risk for macular degeneration increases along with years of exposure to “high-energy visible light.”

When children use a digital device for long periods of time, they do not “flex” their eyes by focusing on distant objects, as well as looking in the near and intermediate fields. This causes eye strain. Additionally, sitting for too long and making repetitive movements with hands (like clicking a mouse or controller) or sitting in a position with bad posture or an unsupported upper body can lead to problems like carpal tunnel, muscle soreness, and poor physical development. Everyone knows that kids need time to burn off energy, build gross motor skills, and strengthen their muscles and bones through exercise and play. When they get too much time sitting down while indoors, other important activities like outdoor play, conversation, spatial reasoning, and other skills suffer.

To reduce your child’s risk of computer vision syndrome:

• Limit their time on computers and devices
• Prompt them to take breaks regularly (this is a good habit for many activities)
• Make sure they are sitting in a comfortable, supported position
• Opt for anti-glare protection on their eyewear to reduce eyestrain
• Teach them to view digital screens at arm’s length and not too close

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition where diabetes causes damage to the retina. It is the leading cause of blindness among American adults. Sadly, many instances of vision loss from diabetic retinopathy could have been prevented with appropriate treatment and regular eye exams. Once damage has occurred, it is not possible to regain lost vision.

Light-sensitive tissue comprises the retina that lines the back of the eye. With diabetic retinopathy, changes to blood vessels in the rear of the eye cause bleeding or leaking fluid, which starts to distort vision. The changes in blood flow happen because diabetes (especially uncontrolled diabetes) can create chronically high blood sugar. This damages very small blood vessels in the retina and eventually leads to retinopathy.

There are four stages to this type of retinopathy:

1. Mild nonproliferative retinopathy is when small areas of the blood vessels sweet and balloon. These are called microaneurysms and may begin to leak fluid into the retina.
2. Moderate nonproliferative retinopathy happens as the disease progresses. Blood vessels that supply the retina with blood and essential nutrients may swell and distort. When this happens, they may also lose their ability to transport blood. This may contribute to diabetic macular edema (DME).
3. Severe nonproliferative retinopathy is when several blood vessels are blocked, depriving blood supply to parts of the retina. These problem areas secrete materials that tell the body to grow new blood vessels in the retina.
4. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is the advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy. Growth factors secreted by the retina cause too many new blood vessels to form. They grow inside the retina and into surrounding areas, but are fragile and likely to leak and bleed. Scar tissue can shift and cause retinal detachment. If the retina pulls away from underlying tissue, permanent vision loss may occur.

If you have diabetes, it is very important to control blood sugar to guard against developing symptoms. Make sure that you are working closely with a qualified doctor to manage your care and have regular follow-ups.

The same is true for eye care with diabetes. Diabetic eye disease is a group of several eye conditions that are commonly caused by diabetes. These conditions include diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, cataracts, and glaucoma. If caught in time, treated, and managed as part of a diabetes care plan, many people can maintain their vision or slow the progression of trouble seeing.

Everyone wants to know how eating can affect the ways our bodies function. Maybe it’s because we want even more reasons to eat healthy, or because more of us want natural ways to lower our risk for diseases and deficiencies, but the good news is that you can easily eat right for your vision!

Antioxidants

Many foods contain antioxidants. Antioxidants literally remove oxidizing agents in living organisms. These oxidizing agents may be potentially damaging to our various systems, so many people believe that foods rich in antioxidants could help lower our risk for certain illnesses.

There are many delicious foods that can help promote overall health and may be part of a plan to lower your risk for eye disease.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) helps with building and maintaining connective tissues in the human body. It also helps maintain collagen found in the cornea. By promoting healthy skin, bones, and circulation, your retina may be aided by vitamin C. People who have healthy levels of vitamin C in their diet are also at a lower risk of forming a cataract and vision loss from macular degeneration.

Red peppers are especially high in vitamin C, as are green peppers, strawberries, broccoli, and some citrus fruits.

Flavonoids

Many of the foods that contain vitamin C also contain flavonoids. Unlike vitamins, these substances are not necessarily required for life and crucial functions of the body, but they are generally linked with health benefits as part of an overall healthy diet.

Anthocyanins are a type of pigment and antioxidant that are considered good for your eyes because they may reduce risk of cataracts or macular degeneration. These substances are found in many berries like blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, and blackberries. You can also get anthocyanins from grapes, red cabbage, and red apples.

Fatty Acids

Many people falsely believe all fat is bad, but there are lots of healthy fats that we need in our diets. Our brains demand various kinds of fats to function properly, and healthy fats help our circulation, digestion, and even things like our outward appearance. Diets with proper omega-3 fatty acids are also very good for your eyes, and are especially important for eye development in children.

You can get these essential nutrients from foods like flaxseed, walnuts, fish, soy, and veggies like brussel sprouts and cauliflower.

Though we can’t be totally sure how much these foods help lower our risk for illnesses, there’s no doubt that a balanced diet and healthful lifestyle are important for a strong body and healthy eyes!