CARING FOR OUR EYES

[drvolcanoe]

Next SERIES…CARING FOR OUR EYES.

Part 1 - Introduction

I CARE FOR MY EYES
Have you ever imagined how life would be like without our eyes? We use our eyes to judge, find our way around, to gain information and even to communicate, among other things. Losing our sight, even if it’s just a minor loss of vision, can greatly affect our lifestyle. Going totally blind is obviously worse. It can leave you feeling totally vulnerable & disabled. Learning to depend on other senses like hearing, touch, & smell isn’t easy; and failing to do so can lead to depression.

WHAT CAUSES VISION LOSS?
There are many causes of vision loss, such as Glaucoma or Cataracts, but the leading cause of vision loss and blindness is Macular Degeneration, also known as AMD.
Several things can cause AMD, but the most common cause is the lack of blood vessel nourishment in the macula, which is the part of the retina responsible for the sharp, central vision needed to read or drive. Early detection of the condition can be treated with laser therapy.


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Part 2 - TYPES OF AMD

There are two (2) forms of macular degeneration – dry or wet. Wet AMD refers to growth of new blood vessels in an area where they are not supposed to be, such as the macula. Dry AMD is more common compared to wet AMD, affecting around 85% - 95% of AMD patients.

DRY AMD
Dry macular degeneration occurs in the early stage of the disease, usually diagnosed when yellowish spots start accumulating around the deposits or debris of deteriorating tissue, primarily around the macula. Sufferers of dry AMD experience gradual vision loss, which isn’t as severe as symptoms associated with wet AMD.

WET AMD
Wet macular degeneration is a more advanced & damaging form of AMD. During this stage, new blood vessels grow beneath the retina, leaking blood and fluid, causing permanent damage to light-sensitive retinal cells. This in turn causes the cells to die off, creating blind spots in central vision. The process of abnormal blood vessel growth beneath the retina is actually the body’s way of finding new ways to supply more nutrients and oxygen to the retina, but the process creates scarring, leading to vision loss.


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Title: Part 3 – SIGNS & SYMPTOMS of MACULAR DEGENERATION

Macular degeneration usually causes a slow, painless loss of vision. In rare cases, sudden loss of vision is experienced. Vision distortion, fuzzy vision or shadowy areas in your central vision are also symptoms of AMD.

*AMD can be diagnosed with an Amsler Grid Chart. (www.vrmny.com/amsler)

A normal person sees the Amsler grid chart as it is on the left, while a person suffering from AMD might see some wavy or blurry lines, with some dark areas in the centre. You can do this test yourself by testing one eye at a time. Cover one eye, focus on the black dot on the left chart and ask yourself these questions:
Are any of the lines crooked or bent?
Are any of the boxes different in size or shape from the others?
Are any of the lines wavy, missing, blurry, or discoloured?

If you answered “Yes” to any of these Qs, you should contact your eye physician immediately for an examination.

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Title: Part 4 – SOME FACTORS THAT CAUSE AMD

OLD AGE
Macular degeneration is often accompanied by old age.

SMOKING
Smoking is one of the major factors to be associated with about 25% of AMD cases causing severe vision loss. People living with smokers also risk having AMD.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
A study showed that high blood pressure might cause some development of macular degeneration.

GENETICS
Research shows that AMD can be caused by genetics, with specific variants of two different genes present in most people with macular degeneration.

OBESITY
Overweight people are more at risk of developing AMD, compared to people with normal body weight. Research shows that those who exercise at least three (3) times weekly have reduced risk of developing AMD.
 
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Part 5 – KEEPING OUR EYES HEALTHY

Make these subtle changes to your lifestyle to help improve your eye health & minimize your risk of developing eye conditions, such as macular degeneration & cataracts.

STEP 1: EATING RIGHT!
Eating healthily can help keep your eyes healthy & diseases at bay. Nutrients found in many fruits & vegetables such as spinach, red peppers, avocado & berries can help you fight off macular degeneration.
 
STEP 2: EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE!
When you exercise, your body increases oxygen supplies to the entire body including the optic nerves, which lead to healthier and comfortable eyes!

STEP 3: REST WELL!
Sleeping well can keep your eyes feeling bright & refreshed. Not doing so can make your eyes sore, irritated, puffy & bloodshot. If sleeping is a problem for you, place a slice of cucumber over both your eyes, then lie back & relax for about 10 minutes to get fresh looking eyes!

STEP 4: STAY AWAY FROM CIGARETTES!
If you’re a smoker, this is a good reason for you to quit – smokers have a higher risk of developing eye diseases, compared to non-smokers. Quit smoking to reduce your risk of developing AMD.

STEP 5: USE GOOGLES!
Use them not just for swimming, but for any sport imaginable! Almost 50% of injuries occur during sports, and most of them involve eye injuries! Use googles to protect your eyes against any sort of injury if you’re an active person.

STEP 6: CONTROL YOUR ALCOHOL INTAKE!
Alcohol interferes with your liver functions, reducing the level of antioxidants that help protect against eye diseases.

STEP 7: PROTECT AGAINST UV RAYS!
Exposure of the eyes to the sun’s dangerous UV rays can lead to red, swollen & watery eyes. the damage done is also accumulative, which can increase your risk of developing eye diseases! Make sure you get at least 99% of UVA & UVB light when you’re purchasing your sunshades!

STEP 8: MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT!
Keeping your weight at a healthy level helps preserve macular pigment density, which also helps protect the retina against AMD.

STEP 9: DRINK UP ON WATER!
Water is essential to keep our body and eyes healthy. Dehydration can lead to dry, sore & irritated eyes, so drink at least 6 glasses of water a day to keep your eye diseases at bay!

STEP 10: GO FOR REGULAR EYE CHECK-UPS!
It is recommended that you go through eye examinations at least once every two years, unless advised otherwise by your optometrist. Eye examination will detect eye problems early (assuming you have an eye condition) & it might help you prevent the eye disease from advancing further! 

(Source: Reproduced from Guardian Pharmacy’s pamphlet titled ‘Caring for Our Eyes’, with some alterations)

[drvolcanoe]

EYE-CARE for CONTACT LENSE USERS

More on Caring for our Eyes…this short series is for CONTACT LENSE WEARERS!

Contact lenses are convenient to use for people with eye problems. It is a relatively safe & effective way of correcting vision problems, but most people have issues with their lenses because they either:
1/ Don’t follow instructions on wearing time…
or
2/ Don’t know how to wear them properly.

Use these contact lens care tips to make sure your eyes stay healthy with contact lenses!

~STEPS TO PROPERLY WEAR CONTACT LENSES~
•   Wash your hands to remove any bacteria & dry them thoroughly
•   Always apply & remove your lenses one at a time in the same order to avoid mix-ups. For eg: always remove your left lens from the storage case first.
•   Rinse your lense with the recommended solution to remove traced of debris.
•   Place the lens on the tip of your index finger.
•   Use your other hand to hold up your upper lid & hold down your lower lid. This stops you from blinking.
•   Look upwards & gently place the lens on the lower white part of your eyes.
•   Slowly release your eyelids, & shut your eye for a while.
•   Blink a few times to center the lens on your eye.
•   If you feel any sort of discomfort in your eye, remove your lense & inspect it for any scratches or damages. If it is, throw it away. If not, rinse with more solution & reapply.
•   Apply the right lens using the same method as above.

~STEPS TO PROPERLY REMOVING CONTACT LENSES~
•   Clean your hands with soap & dry them thoroughly.
•   Remember that you ALWAYS have to work from left to right to avoid confusion
•   Look upwards & pull down your lower eyelid.
•   Use your index finger to touch the lower eyelid.
•   Slide the lens down to the lower part of the eye.
•   Squeeze the lens gently between your thumb & index finger and remove it.
•   Remove the right lens using the same procedure.

***
PART 2:CONTACT LENS ‘CARE’

There are 3 different types of lenses out there & there are different METHODS to caring for them. Here are some general guidelines to caring for your type of lenses.

~PERMANENT LENSES~
These type of lenses need to be removed at the end of every day. When not in use, they should be cleaned, disinfected & kept in a bacteria-free contact lens case. Make sure they are rinsed & disinfected before applying, otherwise they might cause some irritation or eye infections. Use multipurpose solutions that can clean & disinfect in one step to make it more convenient for you to take care of these lenses.

~CONTINUOUS WEAR LENSES~
These type of lenses can be worn up to 6 nights, even while you are sleeping. If it gets uncomfortable, they can be cleaned & reapplied for extra comfort. If you keep these lenses in a case, they need to be cleaned and disinfected before reapplying, just like daily wear lenses when they start to get dry while you’re wearing them. After the prescribed wearing time, these type of lenses have to be discarded.

~DAILY DISPOSABLE LENSES~
These lenses are convenient, in the sense that you just have to discard of them at the end of the day. They usually come in boxes to last you an entire month.

***
PART 3:Dos & DON’Ts of LENS CARE with MAKE-UP
If you’re used to wearing make-up & you’re starting to wear contact lenses, you need to make a few adjustments to your make-up routine so you don’t accidentally damage your lenses with make-up.
Making yourself look good, whether its your skin, hair or even your eyes, usually just comes down to the basic rule: keep it clean & use common sense. However, there might be some tricks to keeping your eyes and lens clean that you haven’t considered. To find out all about these tricks, read on!!

~DOs~
•   Make sure your lenses are applied before your makeup
•   Thoroughly clean your hands before applying your lenses. Even residue from moisturizers or cleansers can cause various problems for your eyes & lenses, so wash up!
•   Slowly apply your eye shadow & eyeliner. Rushing to do the job might cause you to accidentally damage your lenses.
•   Make sure you use only oil & fragrance-free eye make-up.
•   Prevent your mascara & eyeliner from getting into your lenses by only using water-resistant mascara & eyeliner.
•   Replace your mascara every month & your eyeliner every three months.
•   Always remove your lenses before removing your eye make-up
•   Never leave eye make-up on for more than a day.
•   Use an oil-free hypoallergenic makeup remover.
•   Always disinfect your contact lens after removing them, to prevent bacteria from entering your lenses.
•   Consult your optometrist if you have any problems with your lenses.

~DON’Ts~
•   Wear your lenses or apply make-up on your eyes if they’re swollen, red, or infected.
•   Share your make-up with anyone else
•   Share your contact lenses (EXTREMELY UNHYGIENIC!!)
•   Use water to moisturize dried out mascara
•   Apply eyeliner inside of your lashes
•   Applying mascara from the base of your lashes. You should start from the midpoint & extend to the tips.
•   Wear fake eyelashes when you have contact lenses on
•   Expose your make-up to extreme temperatures.
•   Wear your lenses to the hair stylist (hair spray & fumes can damage your lenses).
•   Sleep with your lenses on (unless they’re made for extended wear)!
•   Swim with your lenses on or let your lenses come into contact with tap water.
***

PART 4: SUMMARY - QUICK TIPS for LENS CARE
Last but not least, Below are some quick tips to caring for your lenses, for those of you in a rush!
A Summary:
•   Thoroughly wash & rinse your hands before handling your contact lenses
•   Always apply & remove your lenses one at a time in the same manner, to avoid mixing up your lenses
•   Never use anything to clean your lenses except the recommended multipurpose solution
•   Never sleep in your lenses (unless you’re wearing continuous lenses)
•   Clean & disinfect your lenses every time you remove them
•   Keep your multipurpose solution bottles tightly capped when not in use.
•   Make sure the tip of your solution bottles never touch any other surface besides the cap (that includes your fingers, eyes, or lenses)
•   Always throw away expired multi-purpose solutions
•   Never try to scrimp on multi-purpose solution by re-using them
•   Never ever share your lenses!
•   Rinse your lens care with multi-purpose solution everyday & let it air-dry.
•   Make sure your toiletries (soap, make-up, moisturizers, sunscreen, etc) never touch your make-up
•   Don’t wear your lenses when you’re going anywhere near irritating fumes or vapours.
•   Never swim or soak in a tub when you have your lenses on.
(Source: Reproduced from Guardian Pharmacy’s pamphlet titled ‘Caring for Our Eyes’, with some alterations)

[sindrella1]

OBESITY
Overweight people are more at risk of developing AMD, compared to people with normal body weight. Research shows that those who exercise at least three (3) times weekly have reduced risk of developing AMD.

STEP 8: MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT!
Keeping your weight at a healthy level helps preserve macular pigment density, which also helps protect the retina against AMD.

Colon Care is a mild laxative, prepared with fibre and herbs to gently assist cleansing and functioning of the bowel (colon). Colon Care promotes elimination of waste from the body.

[curryalib]

wow i still got alot to learn 

[clyd3robert]

I love vegetables specially carrot. Carrot is so beneficial in eye care that its virtues are taught to school students also. Carrots contain beta-carotene, which is the precursor of vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is responsible for strengthening the eyes and protecting them from night blindness.

[mariah26]

EYE-CARE for CONTACT LENSE USERS

More on Caring for our Eyes…this short series is for CONTACT LENSE WEARERS!

Contact lenses are convenient to use for people with eye problems. It is a relatively safe & effective way of correcting vision problems, but most people have issues with their lenses because they either:
1/ Don’t follow instructions on wearing time…
or
2/ Don’t know how to wear them properly.

Use these contact lens care tips to make sure your eyes stay healthy with contact lenses!

~STEPS TO PROPERLY WEAR CONTACT LENSES~
•   Wash your hands to remove any bacteria & dry them thoroughly
•   Always apply & remove your lenses one at a time in the same order to avoid mix-ups. For eg: always remove your left lens from the storage case first.
•   Rinse your lense with the recommended solution to remove traced of debris.
•   Place the lens on the tip of your index finger.
•   Use your other hand to hold up your upper lid & hold down your lower lid. This stops you from blinking.
•   Look upwards & gently place the lens on the lower white part of your eyes.
•   Slowly release your eyelids, & shut your eye for a while.
•   Blink a few times to center the lens on your eye.
•   If you feel any sort of discomfort in your eye, remove your lense & inspect it for any scratches or damages. If it is, throw it away. If not, rinse with more solution & reapply.
•   Apply the right lens using the same method as above.

~STEPS TO PROPERLY REMOVING CONTACT LENSES~
•   Clean your hands with soap & dry them thoroughly.
•   Remember that you ALWAYS have to work from left to right to avoid confusion
•   Look upwards & pull down your lower eyelid.
•   Use your index finger to touch the lower eyelid.
•   Slide the lens down to the lower part of the eye.
•   Squeeze the lens gently between your thumb & index finger and remove it.
•   Remove the right lens using the same procedure.

***
PART 2:CONTACT LENS ‘CARE’

There are 3 different types of lenses out there & there are different METHODS to caring for them. Here are some general guidelines to caring for your type of lenses.

~PERMANENT LENSES~
These type of lenses need to be removed at the end of every day. When not in use, they should be cleaned, disinfected & kept in a bacteria-free contact lens case. Make sure they are rinsed & disinfected before applying, otherwise they might cause some irritation or eye infections. Use multipurpose solutions that can clean & disinfect in one step to make it more convenient for you to take care of these lenses.

~CONTINUOUS WEAR LENSES~
These type of lenses can be worn up to 6 nights, even while you are sleeping. If it gets uncomfortable, they can be cleaned & reapplied for extra comfort. If you keep these lenses in a case, they need to be cleaned and disinfected before reapplying, just like daily wear lenses when they start to get dry while you’re wearing them. After the prescribed wearing time, these type of lenses have to be discarded.

~DAILY DISPOSABLE LENSES~
These lenses are convenient, in the sense that you just have to discard of them at the end of the day. They usually come in boxes to last you an entire month.

***
PART 3:Dos & DON’Ts of LENS CARE with MAKE-UP
If you’re used to wearing make-up & you’re starting to wear contact lenses, you need to make a few adjustments to your make-up routine so you don’t accidentally damage your lenses with make-up.
Making yourself look good, whether its your skin, hair or even your eyes, usually just comes down to the basic rule: keep it clean & use common sense. However, there might be some tricks to keeping your eyes and lens clean that you haven’t considered. To find out all about these tricks, read on!!

~DOs~
•   Make sure your lenses are applied before your makeup
•   Thoroughly clean your hands before applying your lenses. Even residue from moisturizers or cleansers can cause various problems for your eyes & lenses, so wash up!
•   Slowly apply your eye shadow & eyeliner. Rushing to do the job might cause you to accidentally damage your lenses.
•   Make sure you use only oil & fragrance-free eye make-up.
•   Prevent your mascara & eyeliner from getting into your lenses by only using water-resistant mascara & eyeliner.
•   Replace your mascara every month & your eyeliner every three months.
•   Always remove your lenses before removing your eye make-up
•   Never leave eye make-up on for more than a day.
•   Use an oil-free hypoallergenic makeup remover.
•   Always disinfect your contact lens after removing them, to prevent bacteria from entering your lenses.
•   Consult your optometrist if you have any problems with your lenses.

~DON’Ts~
•   Wear your lenses or apply make-up on your eyes if they’re swollen, red, or infected.
•   Share your make-up with anyone else
•   Share your contact lenses (EXTREMELY UNHYGIENIC!!)
•   Use water to moisturize dried out mascara
•   Apply eyeliner inside of your lashes
•   Applying mascara from the base of your lashes. You should start from the midpoint & extend to the tips.
•   Wear fake eyelashes when you have contact lenses on
•   Expose your make-up to extreme temperatures.
•   Wear your lenses to the hair stylist (hair spray & fumes can damage your lenses).
•   Sleep with your lenses on (unless they’re made for extended wear)!
•   Swim with your lenses on or let your lenses come into contact with tap water.
***

PART 4: SUMMARY - QUICK TIPS for LENS CARE
Last but not least, Below are some quick tips to caring for your lenses, for those of you in a rush!
A Summary:
•   Thoroughly wash & rinse your hands before handling your contact lenses
•   Always apply & remove your lenses one at a time in the same manner, to avoid mixing up your lenses
•   Never use anything to clean your lenses except the recommended multipurpose solution
•   Never sleep in your lenses (unless you’re wearing continuous lenses)
•   Clean & disinfect your lenses every time you remove them
•   Keep your multipurpose solution bottles tightly capped when not in use.
•   Make sure the tip of your solution bottles never touch any other surface besides the cap (that includes your fingers, eyes, or lenses)
•   Always throw away expired multi-purpose solutions
•   Never try to scrimp on multi-purpose solution by re-using them
•   Never ever share your lenses!
•   Rinse your lens care with multi-purpose solution everyday & let it air-dry.
•   Make sure your toiletries (soap, make-up, moisturizers, sunscreen, etc) never touch your make-up
•   Don’t wear your lenses when you’re going anywhere near irritating fumes or vapours.
•   Never swim or soak in a tub when you have your lenses on.
(Source: Reproduced from Guardian Pharmacy’s pamphlet titled ‘Caring for Our Eyes’, with some alterations)

Thanks for providing such a useful info regarding contact lenses.... I am also using contact lenses instead of spectacles...

[drvolcanoe]

I love vegetables specially carrot. Carrot is so beneficial in eye care that its virtues are taught to school students also. Carrots contain beta-carotene, which is the precursor of vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is responsible for strengthening the eyes and protecting them from night blindness.

Speaking of CARROTS & EYES...do check out my blog's post for today.

http://www.drvolcanoe.com/2009/09/04/fruits-human-bodypart-1/

IF u found that interesting/ enthralling...stay tuned for the next 5 days for more such info! =D