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Countless times my patients have admited to doing the unspeakable with their contact lenses, from not removing them for months, to storing them in fluids other than contact lens solution…my own mother has admitted to wetting her contacts in her mouth when they fall out and there’s no other choice!!

And I know there’s more I don’t know about…

When it comes to not caring for contact lenses properly, there’s petty crimes – which can make your lenses less comfortable and clear. And then there’s capital offenses – which can result in consequences like permanant loss of vision. A recent NPR article cites a study that reveals that only 2% of contact lens wearers follow all quidelines for hygeine while 80% believe they are doing it right. The most common offense is probably wearing the contacts longer than they are approved and sleeping in lenses not intended for extended wear. Although sometimes the only consequence is deposits and build-up on the lens, a serious infection can occur or more frequently, the eye can suffer from lack of oxygen and the immun system responds with a painful, weepy, red eye (CLARE). Giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC) is also common, where a reaction occurs to the lens under the lids, causing the lenses to move around excessively and collect a ‘film’ on the surface.

"CLARE" from www.siliconehydrogel.org

GPC from www.siliconehydrogel.com

Some of the other crimes include showering and swimming in contact lenses. Our tap water and pool water have contamintents such as acanthaneoba, pseudomonas, and E coli which find contact lenses and the cornea (the front surface of the eye) prime breeding ground. These infections take hold fast and and can be very damaging to a person’s vision. These bugs, along with bacteria that is becoming resistant to common antobiotics can be a challenge to treat, even with the best medications at hand.

One of my patients admitted to soaking her lenses in her allergy eye drops when she ran out of solution, and another survey by Bausch and Lomb found that beer, baby oil, petroleum jelly, lemonade, fruit juice, and butter have been used as alternatives! Now that’s honesty! Using the correct contact lens solution, as recommended by your optometrist, is crucial. The solution is not only for wetting the lenses, but also removes bacteria, fungus, and protein deposits. Fresh solution each night (not topping off) and cleaning the case with the solution and air-drying, will keep fun “friends” from growing in there. And don’t forget to replace the case at least every 3 months. Commonly recommended solutions are Clear Care, Optifree PureMoist, BioTrue among others.

To keep from committing punishable contact lens crimes, and to protect your eyes and vision, read over these guidelines, and of course follow all instructions from your eye doctor which may be based on your own eye health. Removing your lenses immediately when you experience any discomfort, redness, discharge or decrease in vision and seeing your eye care professional right away can help prevent any permanent damage to your vision and keep you comfortably in contact lenses.

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Dry eye is a chronic and serious condition that many people are faced with. The causes of dry eye are complex and often there is an underlying condition in the body responsible for the symptoms. Sjogren’s syndrome (pronounced show-grins) is just one of those conditions. Tennis star Venus Williams has been increasing the awareness of Sjogren’s by sharing her battle with the symptoms and her recent diagnosis.

The second most common autoimmune condition, the primary symptoms of Sjogren’s are dry eye and dry mouth. This condition affects the moisture-producing glands in the body. Patients who come to the eye doctor report a burning, gritty feeling in the eyes and blurred vision. An optometrist can examine tear volume and the health of the ocular surface to determine the severity of the dry eye. If a patient also has dry mouth symptoms, general fatigue or joint pain, a visit to the rheumatologist (specializing in autoimmune conditions) is warranted. Further blood testing can be performed to determine if a patient has Sjogren’s syndrome.

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There is no cure for the condition, but treatments coordinated by an optometrist and rheumatologist can relieve many symptoms. Preservative-free artificial tears can be used along with medications like Restasis (TM) to treat dry eye symptoms. Frequent sipping of liquids and lozenges can help provide releif from dry mouth, and precription medications such as Salgen (TM) and Evoxac (TM) can help glands in the mouth and eyes secrete more moisture. Ocassionaly, patients will need long term treatment with Plaquenil (TM).

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Examination of follow up care by your eye doctor and rheumatologist is important if you suspect any of the symptoms of Sjogren’s syndrome. It is an important consideration as it affects 4 million Americas and can take up to 7 years to diagnosis if symptoms are overlooked. (American Optometric Association News)

This information is brought to you by the doctors and staff at Eagle Mountain Family Eye Care. We care for your complete eye health and vision needs, including comprehensive dry eye teting and treatment. Visit us at www.eaglemountainfamilyeyecare.com or on facebook! Call for details or appointments 817-237-7153.

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Will a carrot a day keep the eye doctor away? Well, nothing can replace regular eye health exams by your doctor, but there are many types of food that we can add to our everyday diet to decrease the risk of eye disease.

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Probably the most exciting news is the report the DARK CHOCOLATE has health benefits for the eyes.  Dark chocolate contains flavonols, which one study at the University of Reading in England demonstrated to increase the blood flow in the retina and thus potentially improve vision quality in low light conditions. Other sources of these flavonols include berries, grapes, apples, and oranges.

Vitamins A and C are essential for eye health as well. Natural sources of vitamin A (or beta carotene) include carrots and many other items in the “orange food family” – sweet potatoes, mangoes, and apricots. Even milk is fortified with a healthy dose of vitamin A. We can find vitamin C in oranges, red and green peppers, and strawberries. These vitamins can protect the health of the macula (responsible for our central vision) and even slow down vision loss related to macular degeneration. Vitamin A specifically is used to treat some forms of retinitis pigmentosa. But caution must be taken as people can experience toxicity with too much vitamin A supplementation, your primary care doctor should be consulted when starting extra supplements.

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Anti-oxidants from fresh strawberries, blueberries, and rasberries also protect macular health and may slow cataract progression (and make a great summer smoothie!). Omega 3/fish oil plays an important role in fighting inflammation on the ocular surface and has proven to improve symptoms in many types of dry eye. It’s difficult to get a therapeutic amount of this in our diet through natural sources like salmon, walnuts, and flax seed, so we often look to an Omega 3 supplement.

Through savory foods such as spinach, kale, orange peppers, avacado, and corn (I sense a good salsa recipe here…), we can obtain some of the lutein and zeaxathin needed to protect our eye health from macular degeneration. Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids, or natural pigments, that filter high energy light and protect against free redicals. They have also demonstrated potential benefits for skin, cognitive, and heart health.

Find great tasting recipes HERE that incorporate many of the foods good for your eyes!

This information is brought to you by the doctors and staff at Eagle Mountain Family Eye Care. We care for your complete eye health and vision needs, and we have new screening technology for macular degeneration risk factors (watch video on this technology HERE). Visit us at www.eaglemountainfamilyeyecare.com or on facebook! Call for details or appointments 817-237-7153.

Baseball season is in full swing, the excitement of football is fast-approaching, and the weather may soon allow us to enjoy a round of golf! Back to school means back to the fall sports we love. And September is Sports Injury Prevention Awareness Month. Do you and your family have the right eyewear to enhance your vision and protect your eyes in your favorite sport?

Josh Hamilton was recently interviewed by ESPNDallas – he is trying different ways to enhance his vision at home plate during the daytime. Any sports player will want the best corrected vision AND the best protection for the eyes, and this may include contact lenses or prescription eyewear, sports glasses/goggles, and or sunglasses.

One of the ways to protect the eyes during sports is with “rec specs”, such as those made by Liberty Sports©. These can protect the eyes from rogue fingers and elbows as well as direct contact from balls during play. Everyday prescription glasses can’t provide this protection, and are not as comfortable to wear during sports.

Rec Specs

Most prescriptions can be incorporated into the lenses, or contact lenses can be worn along with the rec specs. It is important that any sports glasses are made from shatter-resistant, most commonly polycarbonate lenses.

For outdoor sports such as golf, baseball and mountain biking, protection from injury is important, as well as good UV protection. A tinted sunglass lens can protect from UV damage to the eye, as well as enhance vision by preventing a player from squinting to straining to see. A “wrapped” sunglass lens can be beneficial to block sun and other environmental elements from the side of the eyes. Polarized sunglasses incorporate special filters that reduce glare and this technology can result in clearer, higher contrast vision for baseball players, golfers, and water sports. Some golfers even find enhanced contrast and vision from yellow tinted or “blue blocking” lenses.

WileyX Sunglasses with Facial Shield

Oakley© offers high quality, wrapped, polarized sunglasses and often a prescription can be incorporated. Particulary made for outdoor sports and work where wind, dust and debris are present, WileyX© has designed a fitted sunglasses safety lens with a removable facial seal.

WileyX Sun/Sport Glasses

This information is brought to you by the doctors and staff at Eagle Mountain Family Eye Care. We care for your eye health and vision needs, as well as eye injuries and emergencies. Visit us at www.eaglemountainfamilyeyecare.com or on facebook! Call for details or appointments 817-237-7153.