History of Eyeglasses Part 1 - The Beginning

How did people see before eyeglasses were invented? Probably not very well. Of course, several thousand years ago, most people didn't need 20/20 vision. They were farmers, shepherds, and laborers. They didn't drive down busy freeways or read the daily newspaper. In fact, most people could't read and write at all.

In places such as ancient Greece and Rome, messengers announced the news out loud in city streets. Noblemen sometimes hired scholars to read books to them. But there weren't many books to read anyway. Printing presses didn't exist. Scholars had to copy books by hand.

Even presbyopia, the failing eyesight of old age, didn't bother all that many people thousands of years ago. Medical knowledge was limited, and most people didn't live much past age 45.

Seneca, a first-century Roman leader and author, knew how to read, but he didn't have good eyesight. So he came up with a trick. He read books while looking through a glass jar filled with water. The jar of water acted like a magnifying lens, enlarging words on the page. Seneca didn't know that a lens made of clear crystal or glass, if cut to the right shape and thickness , would magnify images the same way.

Part 2. Experiments and Observations

Frame of the Day

Check out our frame of the day - the MX926 Titanium Unisex Semi-Rimless Frame. This is a great unisex frame that provides high fashion, light weight and the strength of Titanium. Fully RXable in your prescription. Room for Single Vision, lined bifocals or even a Progressive lens to give you clear vision at all distances. Click (here) for more information. Comes in Brown 54/19 with 140 temples.

Frame of the day

Check out our frame of the day - the ST121 Sunglass Frame. This is a great women's sunglass frame that provides full protection from the sun. Fully RXable in your prescription and available both as a polarized or non polarized lens. Room for Single Vision, lined bifocals or even a Progressive lens to give you clear vision at all distances. Click (here) for more information.

Fashionable and RXable Sun Wear

The bright days of summer are here. Don't forget to protect your eyes with fashionable sun wear. Full UV protection and fully RXable in your prescription.

8 simple steps in maintaining eye health.

We need to protect our eyes from harmful effects of the environment by maintaining eye health. The eyes damage effects occurs when the eyes excessively exposed to wind, dust, sunlight, and other factors. There are 8 simple steps in maintaining eye health. Click link above for the rest of the story.

Millions are put off eye care because of cost

Six million people are risking sight loss by cutting corners to save cash, according to YouGuv research to mark National Eye Health Week (NEHW), which started on Monday. Click link above for full story... Eye wear affordable for everyone at JEMoptical.com Frames as low as $9.95

Check out our new frame styles - over 50 styles added starting at just $9.95

Wow! Check out our new frames styles just added. Over 50 styles just added starting at just $9.95. Click (here) to see new styles.

Don't be blind to the sun's effects on eyes

If you've heeded the health messages to protect your skin by covering up and slathering on the sunblock, you're taking important steps to playing it safe in the sun. But you'll come up short if you don't wear sunglasses and a hat to protect your eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays, health experts say... (click here) for the rest of the report.

Screen addicts are asked to look away now!

Goggle-eyed office workers are being encouraged to take a break during National Eye Health Week (13 – 19 June 2011) after a poll – commissioned by the Eyecare Trust and Simply health – reveals just one in five employees takes regular breaks from their computer, as recommended by eye health professionals... Read full story (here)

Optometrists urging eye exams for children as young as 6 months old

Optometrists say vision development is most dramatic in children between 6 and 12 months old. Regular eye exams are vital to anyone's health, particularly children.

Many optometrists believe eye exams should begin even before a child can read the chart on the wall. Vision has a large impact on a child's health and learning abilities... Click (here) for full story.

Eye implant could benefit diabetes patients

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued draft guidelines recommending a drug-infused eye implant for some patients that suffer from vision loss caused by macular oedema. The findings, which were praised by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), could benefit patients who have problems with diabetic retinopathy and central retinal vein occlusion....

Click (here) for the complete story.

Don't forget to ask your Dr. for your PD

Don't forget to ask your Dr. for your PD (pupil distance) when getting your eye exam. You will need it when you place your order online. Details on your PD and how to measure it yourself can be found (here)

Protecting Your Eyes From The Summer Sun

Summer is here and eye protection from the harmful rays of the summer sun are just as important as sun screen. We offer a full line of great sunwear styles that are fully RXable with your prescription. Check out the sunwear styles at JEMoptical.com (click here)

For more information about protecting your eyes from the sun and the dangers of exposure check out this article from The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary: (click here)

Annual Eye Exams

Don't forget eye health. Annual eye exams protect your sight.

Eye Health & Optometry : How Do Glasses Work?

Vision Test Should be the First Exam Students Take This Year

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - CHICAGO – The start of the school year is right around the corner for most kids. To give their children a head start to a successful school year, parents need to educate themselves on the importance of healthy eyesight in relation to classroom performance.

Since 80 percent of a child’s learning is visual, a child’s ability to clearly see the blackboard and the words on a page is critical. Prevent Blindness America, the nation’s oldest volunteer eye health and safety organization, has declared August as Children’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness month in an effort to encourage parents to learn about ways they can help protect their child’s vision.

Many children do not know they have a problem because they think how they see is how everyone else sees. Unfortunately, some students who are labeled as having a learning disability or behavioral problems may simply have a vision impairment.

“Since one in four school-age children have some form of vision problem, we need to make children’s vision and eye health a priority today, before we begin to see the negative effects,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness America. “A child should not need to start failing in school before we realize there is a problem.”

Kids do the darndest things: vodka eyeballing fad can have 'toxic' effect on eye health

Here's mud in your eye, or at least vodka.

The latest ridiculous (and health-endangering) drinking stunt to gain popularity among college students is called "vodka eyeballing," where buzz-seeking partiers tip back their heads and have a shot of vodka poured directly on the eye.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2010/05/26/2010-05-26_kids_do_the_darndest_things_the_vodka_eyeballing_fad.html#ixzz0p7x4C3RD

WHAT HARM CAN AN INCORRECT PD CAUSE?

WHAT HARM CAN AN INCORRECT PD CAUSE?
Over 90 percent of the sensory information we process is taken in through our eyes. The greatest threat of harm that we’re exposed to in our daily lives connected with vision is driving. During driving, vision is clearly the most important and essential sense that’s required to be performing at its best in order to avoid accidental harm to ourselves and others. As eyecare professionals, it is therefore our desire and mandate to deliver the best possible visual performance to each and every person who walks into our office. The health of both individuals and society is at stake. Although an improperly made PD will rarely cause permanent harm to one’s vision, it certainly can affect depth perception, judgment of distance and contrast sensitivity—all factors known to influence driving safety.

National Eye Institute Shares Tips to Promote Eye Health During Healthy Vision Month 2010

An estimated 14 million Americans are visually impaired. This number is expected to grow significantly as our nation ages and age-related eye diseases become more common. Many blinding eye diseases have no warning signs or symptoms, so people may not notice anything is wrong with their vision. In fact, 11 million people in the United States have uncorrected visual impairment, such as nearsightedness, and could benefit from eyeglasses or contact lenses to improve their vision.

During Healthy Vision Month this May, the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, is encouraging Americans to make vision health a priority and schedule an eye exam to help prevent unnecessary vision loss and blindness. Early detection and timely treatment can help save your sight and ensure that you’re seeing your best.

The National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, leads the federal government’s research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs that result in the development of sight-saving treatments. For more information, visit www.nei.nih.gov.

For vision health, keep an eye on diet

From the DesMoines Register.com

You can eat your way to healthier vision. Certain foods are naturally designed to maintain eye health and may have an important role in keeping your eyes healthy and protecting them from age-related eye diseases. As we live longer, vision-related problems affecting older Americans increase. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects one in three people over age 25 and is the leading cause of blindness in older Americans. Carrots are probably the first food to come to mind when thinking about foods good for your eyes. But there are other vegetables also rich in vision-enhancing nutrients, such as lutein, that top the list.

Spinach: One of the best food sources for lutein is spinach. Lutein and zeaxanthin may slow the progression of and possibly improve AMD and the development of cataracts. Lutein in cooked spinach is absorbed more easily than in raw spinach. Dark leafy green and gold foods, including spinach, kale, corn, collard greens, broccoli, squash and eggs, contain lutein and zeaxanthin.

Kale: Along with being a rich source of vitamin A and lutein, kale provides several other sight-saving nutrients, including vitamins C and B6. Kale is an excellent source of vitamin C, which has been shown to reduce the risk of cataracts and AMD. New studies also have found B vitamins, include B6, may help lower the risk of AMD.

Squash: Another super food for your eyes is winter squash, such as butternut squash. One serving (1 cup) of squash provides 300 percent of the daily value for vitamin A. Vitamin A has been found to help lessen the risk of AMD and cataracts. One study reported up to a 43 percent lower risk for AMD in people who consumed a high intake of vitamin A. Try frozen squash, found in the frozen vegetable section, when squash is not in season.

Sweet potatoes: If you eat sweet potatoes only at Thanksgiving, you might want to consider adding this eye-healthy food to your diet year-round. Sweet potato is one the best foods you can eat to obtain vitamin A. One serving (medium-size sweet potato), gives you 360 percent of the daily value for vitamin A. When sweet potatoes are not an option, try sweet potato fries. Sweet potato fries are available in the frozen food section, and one serving of these tasty fries gives you 100 percent of your daily need for vitamin A.