Protecting Your Eyes From Summer's Sunny Hazard: UV Rays

UV or Ultraviolet rays are harmful to your eyes. The amount of UV radiation reaching earth is increasing, which is why it is more important than ever to wear sunglasses. Sunglasses are not just created for the “cool factor”, they are a crucial part of healthy eyes. Because UV damage is cumulative, it is important to wear sunglasses every time you go outside. Even infants should be wearing sunglasses because their eyes have not begun to cloud yet and are more sensitive to light.

Types of Ultraviolet Rays

There are three types of UV rays: UVA, UVB, and UVC. The most harmful of these are UVC rays, but thankfully, our atmosphere blocks virtually all of these rays from ever reaching the earth. UBV rays are shorter in wavelength, meaning they are lower energy. Small amounts of exposure cause our production of melanin -Our body’s natural defense against UV radiation (and the pigment that gives you skin a sun tan). High doses cause sunburn and increase your risk of wrinkles, freckles, premature aging, and skin cancer. UVA rays are perhaps the most detrimental to your eye health. These rays have the ability to pass through the cornea and reach the retina and lens of your eye. Overexposure can lead to cataracts and macular degeneration over time.

Common Light-related Eye Irritants

One of the most common eye irritations that can occur from exposure to excess amounts of UV radiation is photokeratitis. Photokeratitis is similar to that of a sunburn. The eye can feel itchy, have a burning sensation, or even have a gritty feeling. None of these symptoms are pleasant, but with the use of sunglasses, they can be prevented.

Your eyes are similar to your skin, if exposed to sunlight, they will get burned. This is how some people get cancer on their eyelids. Remember, even ten minutes outside at the right time of day can cause damage. Constant exposure to sunlight and other harmful light sources can cause macular degeneration later on in life.

People living in the mountains or one of the US Sunbelt states are at a higher risk of UV radiation damage. Tanning beds and sunlamps create artificial UV light and (contrary to some belief) still cause damage, possibly leading to skin cancer. Welders, medical technologists, graphics artists, and those who work in manufacturing electronic circuit boards are at risk of UV damage. If you have had cataract eye surgery or if you have a retinal disorder, your eyes can be more sensitive to harmful rays. Even certain medications can increase your eyes sensitivity to UV radiation.

What to Look for in Your Sunglasses

When deciding on a pair of sunglasses, there are a few things you should consider. Sunglasses with 100 percent UV protection provide the best protection and those that absorb most HEV rays are important. Also, close fitting sunglasses that slightly wrap to your face provide the best protection. Sunglasses should screen out 75-90 percent of visible light, this means those lighter tinted sunglasses may not be the best for long sunlight exposure.

At Infinite Eye Care, we have numerous options of sunglasses to choose from. We will help you find the ones that fit your face, provide the right exposure protection, and help you avoid problems later on in life. Visit our website for more information on the sunglasses we have in store.

Framed for Spring Trends

Spring has finally sprung, which means Spring fashion is well underway - and that includes glasses and sunglasses for the season. Not only is it important to find a frame that fits your face shape, but the color of the frame can make a world of difference. Spring is the season for calm colors, warm grays, and matte blues. These trends provide a fun color option without an in-your-face statement.

When choosing new frames for you face, use these useful tips for fitting the frame to your face shape:

Square Face:

If you have a square face, frames that are oval or round will contrast against the straight lines of your face. The contrast creates a softer look on your face.

Round Face:

Looking for frames when you have a round face? Soft rectangular frames are your best bet; these frames usually have a taper from the top to the bottom.

Oval Face:

Your face is naturally balanced, so when you are looking for glasses, avoid frames that are too big or too small for you face. Off-sized frames can distort the natural balance of your face.

Heart Face:

What’s a heart face shape? It’s when you have a wider forehead and your face narrows to your chin. The best frames for your face are frames that complete the balance of your face and mirror its shape.

Rectangle Face:

Frames with a heavier top divide up your face for more depth. Both round, oval, and rectangle frames can work with your face, so you may need to try a few to find what fits you best.

When looking through the new trends for spring, remember to consider your face shape. Just because you like the color of the frames or you like them in the advertisement, doesn’t mean they will fit your face. You not only want to feel good about wearing your glasses, but you also want to look good, too!

Spring time means grad parties, picnics, reunions, and reconnecting with friends. This is the perfect time to freshen up your look. An updated pair of glasses can take years off your face. Plus, it’s a great conversation starter. We have unique and trendy frames for all your needs, and now, we even carry Raybans! Stop in and check them out - we will help you select the best frame for your face. See clearly with a new pair of frames from Infinite Eye Care.

Treating and Preventing Springtime Allergies

Seasonal allergies can wreak havoc on your health, but you don’t need to let irritating allergies disrupt your enjoyment of spring. Learn about the most common causes of seasonal allergies and about how you can take care of annoying springtime allergies.

Most Common Causes

Springtime allergies can trigger coughing, sneezing, congestion, and runny noses. These airborne irritants can also cause itchy, watery, irritated, and swollen eyes.

Pollen — from trees in early spring and from grasses in late spring and early summer — is often the main culprit of spring allergies. Mold spores, like yeast or mildew, are common in the air outside and inside your home. They often cause severe allergy symptoms from the beginning of spring well into the fall season.

Pollen and mold can set off hay fever, which affects 30 to 60 million Americans each year. The most common types of trees to trigger hay fever in spring include oak, sycamore, elm, maple, birch, walnut, poplar, birch, ash, and cypress. As Minnesota residents, we are lucky enough to have access to nearly all of these.

Get Your Body Back on Track

Everyone looks forward to the sunshine and warmth that spring welcomes, but allergy season is something we could do without. Once you know how to face your allergies head on, however, you can feel in control of your body again.

Be aware of your triggers. More than two-thirds of spring allergy sufferers have year-round symptoms. Talk to your allergist or local specialist. Your doctor can recommend the best treatment or medication to control your symptoms that can range from antihistamine eye drops and oral medications to widely recommended drugs without a prescription and immunotherapy (allergy shots).

Take preemptive care. To alleviate spring allergy suffering, begin taking your allergy medicine before your allergy symptoms escalate. Anticipating the onset of your allergy symptoms and seeking the proper treatment will prevent a host of health problems and suffering.

Clean up after being outside. Don’t leave airborne irritants embedded in your body or clothing. Washing your face, rinsing your eyes, or just hopping in the shower can loosen and flush out the allergens from your body. Take care to launder your clothes (in a machine, not outside) after being outside all day as pollen and mold spores can become embedded in the fibers of your clothing. Wipe your pet’s fur off before returning inside.

Spend some time indoors. For temporary relief, keep your doors and windows closed, use allergy filters on your air conditioning unit, and avoid spending too much time outdoors on breezy days when the pollen counts are especially high. Spending time outdoors between 10 AM and 4 PM will prolong your exposure and worsen symptoms of allergy. When you do, make sure to wear protective sunglasses to shield your eyes from irritants.

Seasonal allergies don’t have to get the best of you. Talk to the specialists at Infinite Eye Care to take control of your allergies and enjoy your best spring yet!

Love Your Eyes: Tips for Healthier Eyes

It might sound like an exaggeration, but taking care of your eyes is crucial to living a happy life. Don’t think so? We use our eyes nearly every waking moment to drive, work, read, watch tv, surf the web (maybe for a blog about eye health), and enjoy time with friends and family ­ It is especially important to take care of your eyes. Use these simple tips on a regular basis and you can look forward to healthier eyes and a clearer life.

Regular Eye Exams

Regular visits to the eye doctor are important to ensure eye health and eye exams help avoid problems that may become worse without treatment. Eye exams are short and safe, and should be scheduled with your eye doctor annually.

Avoid wearing contact lenses longer than 19  hours

Take care of your contacts! Most users know that contact lenses can become harmful ­ even cause permanent damage ­when left in the eye too long. It is especially important to remove, clean and change your contacts as your eye care provider has recommended.

Remove eye makeup

Makeup can cause redness and irritation in the eye when left on the skin overnight; especially eye makeup and eyeliner. Remove makeup every day to prevent irritation and maintain healthier eyes.

Don’t rely on Allergy drops

Eye drops are meant to temporarily reduce the irritation in the eye, but don’t rely on them too heavily. Because they are effective and create moisture in the eye, the eye can stop creating its own moisture and become more irritated. If you find you’re using your eye drops too often, contact your optometrist.

Wear Sunglasses

Always wear sunglasses when the sun is out ­ even in the winter. You may not be going to the beach, but the sun is still out, and you can bet it is bouncing off all that snow! Choose shades that are UVB and UVA protectant 99%­100% for the best protection. The younger you are when you start wearing sunglasses on a regular basis, the better it will be for your eyes when you are older.

Get Sleep

Sleep is the most important ingredient to almost any good habit. Get 7­8 hours of sleep a night. A good night’s sleep not only allows your eyes to rest, but excessive strain on your eyes can cause temporary blurriness.

Exercise Regularly

Just like sleep, regular exercise is very beneficial to any healthy lifestyle. Exercise can prevent glaucoma and macular degeneration, as well as keep you feeling better every day.

Keep Eyes Hydrated

This one is simple; drink plenty of water! Cucumbers on eyes prevent puffiness. Eye lubrication 

drops (not Visine) help, but remember that using eye drops too often can make them worse. If your eyes do get too dry, avoid rubbing them, as this can cause accidental trauma.

Limit Screen Time

Look straight at a computer screen or TV screen, not angled down or up. Also, keeping good posture is good for overall health. Use the 20­20­20 rule: after 20 minutes of screen time, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Eat a Healthy Diet

A diet rich in Vitamin E, Zinc, Vitamin C, Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and Omega 3 fatty acids can help you see clearer and reduce eye complications later in life. In short, listen to your mother and eat your vegetables.

All in all, your eyes are an important part of everyday life, so take care of them now. Take time to take care of yourself and schedule an eye exam today. We would be glad to help. You can contact us online with any questions, or call Infinite Eye Care at 320­257­4990 to set up an appointment.

Glaucoma Awareness Month

In honor of Glaucoma Awareness month, we wanted to share facts and generate awareness about the disease that affects 200,000 + people per year. According to the National Eye Institute, Glaucoma is, “a group of diseases that damage the eye’s optic nerve and can result in vision loss and blindness.” Here are 5 facts about Glaucoma, and 3 ways to prevent it:

What we know:

1. Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness according to the Glaucoma Research Foundation. They also state that 10% of people who receive proper treatment, still go blind from the disease.
2. Three million Americans have Glaucoma, but only half are aware that they have it.
3. African Americans are 15 times more likely to have Glaucoma, than Caucasians.
4. Glaucoma can affect the number of words you can read at one time, due to the loss of visual field.
5. Open Angle Glaucoma is the most common form, affecting 95% of people with the disease.

Preventing Glaucoma:

1. 
   Exercise, believe it or not, is a great way to prevent Glaucoma because it decreases Intraocular Pressure (Eye Pressure) which can lead to Glaucoma.

2. Wearing proper eye protection when playing sports or doing other activities can prevent Glaucoma. Often times, eye injuries lead to the development of the disease, making it extremely important to always protect your eyes.

3. Receive regular eye exams and checkups; early detection of Glaucoma can help the treatment of the disease. If you are under 40 years old, you should be checked every two to four years. If you are 40 to 54, every one to three years. If you are 55 to 64, you should be checked every one to two years, and if you are over 64 you should be getting checked every year.

Stop into Infinite Eye Care to get checked for Glaucoma. We run various tests to be sure you are safe from this vision-threatening disease. We also prescribe treatment for those already affected by the disease which can keep it from progressing. Call us at 320-257-4990 or visit our website to book your next eye appointment.

Dr. Tom's 2016 Eye Health Resolutions

2016 marks Dr. Tom Johnson’s 27th year in the eye care industry. His knowledge and willingness to help his patients with every eye care need is what makes him one of the top Family Optometrists in Central Minnesota. So with the start of a new year, here are some tips from Dr. Tom on how you can improve your eye health in 2016:

1. Regular Visits to Your Eye Doctor  

Reviewing your eye health on a regular basis makes discovering potential problems (such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, refraction based lazy eye, etc) easier. Treatment early on is better and more effective than discovering a problem later and trying to reverse more significant damage.

2. Eating Carrots Can Be a Good Thing

Old wives tale? Not really. Leafy green veggies and orange colored veggies like carrots or squash are rich in antioxidants, which can radically slow down the process of certain sight blinding diseases.

3. Rule of 20/20/20

If on a monitor or reading for long periods of time, follow the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at a space 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This gives the eye a chance to rest and lessens the chance or severity of future nearsighted advancements and general strains to the eye.

4. Contact Lens Health

Some folks don’t know that you CAN wear certain contact lenses overnight or for a certain amount of time. More importantly, some don’t know that the wearing of ANY contact lens overnight can lead to a vision debilitating infection, and can even create a scar that will lead to permanent vision loss. NOT FUN. Know your lenses.

5.  Dry Eye  

There are many conditions that can lead to dry, scratchy eyes, which can also cause reduced visual ability, even with your best glasses or contact lens prescription. There is merit to regular hot lid compress cleaning every day - it will increase the performance of your tears and lessening the dry eye symptoms. We can illustrate how to properly perform lid treatments, and when used with other meds or treatment options, they can drastically help dry eyes.

6. Glasses Cleaning  

What a puzzle. I’ve seen the most absurdly scratched glasses mostly from the people who feel they never see clearly and they need to “power scratch” their glasses. The more they scrub, the worse they see. At Infinite Eye Care, we train our patients how to properly clean daily in a way that scratches (while not impossible) are much less likely. I often stop by our in-office lab and illustrate it to my patients myself. I can describe it, but it’s so much easier to teach in person. Stop in and see a first-hand demonstration on how to properly clean your glasses.

For more information and assistance or to book an appointment visit infiniteeyecare.com or give us a call at 320.257.4990. We wish you a healthy and happy 2016!

May the Frames Be With You

Greetings. My name is Mini Darth Vader, I am the long lost brother (and a significantly shorter version) of the Real Darth Vader, aka Anakin Skywalker. Many of you know his story - well here is mine. Shortly after the Empire Struck back, I set course for the plant Madukatar in the Galaxy of the Milky Way. During my voyage, my ship experienced engine failure and I crashed landed in a place called Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, on your planet Earth. After my crash landing, I noticed that my eyesight had diminished due to my entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

Luckily my ship landed near Infinite Eye Care, where I was pleased to meet Dr. Thomas Johnson. Dr. Tom and the Infinite Eye Care staff graciously assisted me with my eye care needs.

Everything from the check-in, the waiting lobby, the eye exam and the selection of frames was exceptional (The best service in the universe actually). They even accepted my healthcare insurance provider!

After my checkup, I was greeted by a lovely lady named Katie who helped me try on some frames. Their large selection of high-quality frames made it a very difficult decision.

After much consideration, I decided to go with the red ones, not only because I am a member of the dark side, but because they fit my facial structure just right!

To repay my friend Dr. Thomas Johnson and the Infinite Eye Care staff, I agreed to help them run a contest of epic proportions called #MayTheFramesBeWithYou, which is happening now until the movie premiere of the new Star Wars Film: The Force Awakens, on December 18th.

You can win a multitude of prizes, including Marcus Theatres gift cards, popcorn and soda and the grand prize, a family movie package, including a gift card to Zaffiro's!

So pay close attention to Infinite Eye Care’s Facebook page over the next few weeks, and be sure to stop in and say hello, as I will be hanging out in the lobby waiting for your arrival. Make sure to snap a picture with me as well, I enjoy taking photos.

Hope to see you soon, and #MayTheFramesBeWithYou,

Mini Darth Vader