Dry or Watery Winter Eyes

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In the cold and wind your tears can often evaporate and cause symptoms of dry eyes.  The lacrimal gland then produces reflex tearing - an increase in tear production intended to wash out dust or irritants (ie: cold and wind).  
 
A pre-existing dry eye problem is often made worse in the cold or wind - this will cause the eyes to water excessively because instead of staying on the eye the extra tears spill out onto the cheeks.  Treatment is often the use of an artificial tear drop such as Systane Balance which can help to stabilize the tear film. You can find artificial tear drops at a drug store (no prescription needed).

Every year, your child needs an eye exam

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Many kids don’t complain about vision problems because they think everyone sees like them. Teachers who work with young children often detect their students’ vision problems before their own parents. At home, parents see the progression of these problems at a gradual rate, and they often don’t have a room full of kids to compare their child to. 

Here are some common symptoms of eye problems in school. Teachers should notice this in the classroom, and parents can watch for some of these at home, too.

  • Squinting
  • Inching desk forward
  • Constantly walking up to the board to read
  • Moving around furniture in the room to get a better view
  • Saying out loud that they can’t see, or asking what something very obvious is 

We want youngsters to see friends down the hall, recognize a familiar pet greeting them, and play safe in sports and on the playground. We want them to have every opportunity to learn about the world around them. Every child should have an eye exam before the age of 3. They should see an optometrist once per year (psst! Alberta Health Care covers that!).

Is vision impacting your athletic performance?

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"Watch your man!""Keep your eye on the ball!"

Sound familiar?  That’s because so much of your success at sports can be attributed to your ability to see and react quickly to objects or people coming your way. A large percentage of athletes have an undetected refractive error (i.e. nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism). By correcting even small amounts of blur, you can maximize your performance on the sports field. Even slight visual blur decreases performance by up to 25 percent.

Could your eyewear sustain a hard hit?
 Eyeglasses made for street or office wear are not made to the same protective standards as safety eyewear and will probably not hold up under impact. Eyeglass lenses that are not safety-rated could shatter, causing serious eye injuries.

Get the vision you need to perform. Optometrists at eye-bar will help you correct blur, reduce glare, enhance depth perception, and protect your eyes from injury. Our opticians will set you up with all the protective lenses or safety eyewear you need, too.

*Images found here and here.

Prevent Snow Blindness!

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Snow Blindness (Solar Keratitis/Photokeratitis) is a painful eye condition that results from excessive intense exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.  Snow Blindness results when the sunlight is reflected off of the snow's surface and directly into the eye. In fact, fresh snow can reflect up to 80% of the sun's ultraviolet energy.  The sun's UV energy also increases with altitude, further increasing the chance of Snow Blindness when hitting the mountains for a ski weekend. 

Snow Blindness or Photokeratitis happens when ultraviolet radiation is absorbed by the cornea and lens of the eye - kind of like a sunburn.  Excessive ultraviolet radiation can lead to a solar toxicity of the cornea and can cause the epithelial layer of the cornea to breakdown. The symptoms of Snow Blindness are identical to that of welder's flash and includes pain, watery eyes, light sensitivity, and twitchy or droopy eyelids. 

If you think you or someone has developed Snow Blindness, please see your optometrist for treatment. Treatment may initially involve simple pain relief, but in some more serious conditions, topical and oral pain medications may be warranted. 

Prevention is the real key. Wearing dark ultraviolet resistant sunglasses, goggles or specialized glasses while outdoors can help to reduce the likelihood of developing snow blindness, and the uncomfortable symptoms that follow.

*Images spotted here and here

Night (or early morning) Driving Tips

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Daylight hours are slowly going to get longer, but you may still find yourself driving to and from work in the dark! Most of the decisions we make while driving is based on what we see. There are a few things you can do to make driving at night (or early morning) safer. 

  • First, it's important to have your eyes checked on a regular basis to ensure you have the vision correction you need to see your absolute best while driving.
  • Lower your speed and/or following distance when road conditions are less than ideal. At night, our regular surroundings are all the same dark colour so the visual cues to help us estimate depth and distance aren't available when we need to stop quickly.
  • Glare from lights on streets and other cars can be a distraction. An anti-glare coating on your lenses is helpful to have if you're doing a lot of night driving.
  • A clean windshield is extremely important - make sure your wiper blades work properly and well, and ensure you have plenty of washer fluid on hand!
  • Ensure headlights are clean and properly aligned. You know how your windshield gets covered in dirt around the edge where your wiper blades miss? Well, that same amount of dirt is covering your headlights and blocking your headlights from keeping you as safe as they can. 

*Images spotted here and here

 

A Dilated Fundus Examination in "Regular English"

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Reading through the purpose and procedure for a Dilated Fundus Examination (DFE) can sound like science fiction. Here’s our regular language interpretation.

What is it?
A DFE is an exam that uses special eye drops to enlarge the pupil of the eye. This gives optometrists a better view of the internal surface of the eye. It is a more effective method for checking internal eye health – similar to receiving an X-Ray at a dentist. It allows doctors to see the peripheral part of the retina, lens, and fluid inside your eye.

Why should I have one? 
This gives optometrists insight into your retinal health (cataracts, glaucoma, optic nerve head disease, plus many others) and about your overall health – this exam can find evidence of systemic disease prior to symptoms showing up elsewhere in the body.

What can I expect?

  • Medicated eye drops are administered to enlarge the pupil. This takes about 20-30 minutes to start working.
  • At first, you’ll notice that your near vision will start to blur slightly, then eventually you may notice distance blur. You may also become more sensitized to light. Depending on the drops used, your vision may remain blurry for 4-6 hours.
  • Interesting! People with light coloured eyes will often react quicker to the drops than those with darker coloured eyes. Their pupils will often dilate more, but the effects of the drops will often wear off quicker, too.
  • After the procedure, we recommend you wait for the effects of the eye drops to diminish or have someone pick you up. It’s a great idea to wear sunglasses after the procedure to reduce light sensitivity. 

Who should have a DFE?
A DFE is recommended for anyone with visual concerns, headaches, diabetes, hypertension, over the age of 65, or on medications that may affect vision. Anyone undergoing ocular surgery is required to have a DFE to ensure there are no underlying problems beforehand.

*Images found here and here

What exactly is pink eye?

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To start, there are a few different types of pink eye:

Pink eye related to bacterial eye infections can cause a lot of swelling and produce sticky green discharge, resulting in eyes that are often ‘glued’ shut in the morning. Bacterial eye infections are more commonly seen in contact lens wearers and can result from our skins own bacteria.

Pink eye related to viral infections is by far the most common cause, and is caused by the same virus that results in the common cold. Viral pink eye will usually result in a watery eye with little to no discharge, but may still be crusted shut in the morning. Viral pink eye is the most contagious of all pink eyes, which is why it hangs out in preschools, daycares and work environments.

Pink eye related to allergies is more common after coming in contact with allergens and is often associated with other physical symptoms like stuffy nose, itchy skin or swollen eyes. People often complain of itching and may want to rub their eyes.

Pink eye can also be related to some more serious eye conditions like scleritis, uveitis, or iritis. These conditions require more urgent care, and will generally not resolve on their own if left untreated.

Regardless of the cause of your pink eye, it’s important to get an accurate diagnosis by your optometrist to ensure that the treatment matches the condition. Please don’t touch anyone until you see us, and we’ll let you know if you are contagious.

Please Note: Alberta Health Care now covers the cost of emergency eye care visits to your optometrists office – there is no charge to you as a patient. 

Is it okay to sleep in my contact lenses?

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Unless you have specific contact lenses that are approved for overnight wear, it is NOT OKAY to sleep in your contact lenses!  When you sleep in them a few things happen: bacteria adhere to the lens surface and increase your risk of eye infection, your eyes dehydrate and the contact lens can cause small abrasions, and most commonly, your eye doesn't get enough oxygen (your closed eyelids when you are sleeping means that your cornea doesn't get as much oxygen as when your eyes are open).  When this happens, you can develop serious infections that can cause discomfort, light sensitivity, scarring and even blindness.

Related: What is the harm in extending the life of my contact lenses?

What do I do if I get metal in my eye?

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If you’ve sustained an eye injury, it is important not to panic but to try and see an eye doctor (optometrist or ophthalmologist) as soon as possible. If you feel that your eye injury is severe, please have someone drive you to the nearest emergency room. If you don’t feel that your injury is severe, please read on.

Most metal foreign body injuries occur accidently with metal fragments falling off an eyebrow or somehow getting around safety wear and landing gently on the surface of the eye. The metal or other foreign object can easily adhere to the wet surface of the eye and result in a scratchy, irritating sensation. As your eye is a moist environment, metal can start to rust and result in further irritation. Left untreated, metal foreign objects can eventually result in a large eye infection and may result in partial or permanent vision loss.

Most metal objects can be safely and quickly removed by your optometrist saving you a trip to the emergency room. Your optometrist will evaluate your eye by instilling numbing eye drops to ease any discomfort. Once located, the metal can often be easily removed with specialized magnetic instruments with little to no discomfort.

If the metal has been left in the eye to long, a small amount of rust may be left over after the removal. This rust can lead to similar eye problems and a continued foreign body like sensation in the eye. Your optometrist will quickly remove this rust with an Algerbrush, a fast moving instrument that gently polishes the surface of the eye.

Your eye doctor will provide you with a prescription for topical antibiotic eye drops or ointments along with lubricating eye drops, which must be used for a few days.

Please Note: Alberta Health Care now covers the cost of emergency eye care visits to your optometrist office – there is no charge to you as a patient. If you should ever experience a serious eye injury after normal eye-bar clinic hours, please proceed to the Royal Alexandra Hospital, where there is an on-call ophthalmology resident on site.

What is the harm in extending the life of my contact lenses?

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Extending the life of your contact lenses is kind of like driving a car at 250 km per hour.  For a while, if everything goes smoothly, there is no indication of trouble.  However, if something starts to go wrong, it can go wrong in a major way very quickly. 

Some complications that can occur are:

  • Allergic Reaction – protein build-up on the lens can cause discomfort, itchiness, dry eyes and intolerance to contact lens wear.
  • Conjunctivitis – accumulated protein attracts bacteria which can easily lead to conjunctivitis.  Symptoms include redness, burning, itching, tearing, light sensitivity, blurred vision and mucous discharge.
  • Corneal Edema (swelling) – Extended contact lens wear decreases the oxygen supply to the cornea and can cause increased fluid in the cornea. It can cause blurred vision and halos around lights.
  • Neovascularization – The cornea normally doesn’t have any blood vessels. When it is deprived of oxygen (by over wearing contact lenses), the body responds by growing new blood vessels, hoping to increase oxygen to the cornea. This abnormal blood vessel growth can interfere with vision. The new vessels are also weak and can hemorrhage and cause blindness.
  • Corneal Abrasion/Corneal Ulcer – Again, due to the lack of oxygen, the surface cells on the cornea become weak and easily damaged.  Corneal abrasions or corneal ulcers can form causing very serious infection and complications that can lead to blindness.

These complications can be caused both by wearing a contact lens too long in a day (or overnight) or by not replacing your lenses according to your optometrist's recommendations.  Either way, the eye is subject to less oxygen and more irritation and bacterial growth.  The blurred vision, pain, light sensitivity and potential scarring can be greatly reduced or eliminated by responsible contact lens wear.  If any of these symptoms occur, remove your contact lenses immediately and get checked by your optometrist.

*Image found here