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.

Eye Health is Impacted by Your Body Health

In our retail practice, yes we really do see patients on a daily basis, we constantly preach the importance of overall health in relationship to our vision. Dr. Daemon Jones has an excellent article on just that relationship - check it out it is a great read. Just click on the title above to be linked to her article or click here: http://www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2010/04/06/eye-health-impacted-your-body-health