Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Les from Pullman asks about some glasses that supposedly help with dyslexia, do they work?
Les, the glasses you are talking about are probably more hype than actual help but they might help make the eyes more comfortable since they have a slight tint to them. One of the theories behind dyslexia is that the nerve impulses coming from the eyes to the brain aren’t of equal speed in each eye. There is some speculation that wearing tinted lenses slows the impulses down allowing the brain to correctly interpret the information it is processing. The proof behind these claims isn’t very solid, but if the reader is fairly light sensitive, perhaps the tint blocks annoying glare off the page or computer, making the images clearer. If the images are clearer, the focusing system isn’t working as hard, making the eyes more comfortable leading to possible improved reading skills. Thanks for the question.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Catherine from Pullman asks is it ok to snorkel with contact lenses on?
Catherine, it is ok to snorkel with your contact lenses on but take a couple extra precautions. First, depending on what kind of water you a snorkeling in, it is a very good idea to clean them when you are done. The top layer of any body of water usually had all kinds of interesting bacteria and protozoa floating in so if that gets into your eye, your contact lens can hang on to, leading to infection. Taking the lenses out and cleaning them well gives your eye a chance to recover from any trauma and makes the contacts safer for continued wear. Second and probably more important, make sure you take at least one extra pair of contacts with you. I’m assuming your aren’t snorkeling in the mighty Palouse River, and that you have planned this snorkeling trip for some time. You wouldn’t want to miss out seeing things due to a wave splashing your contacts out. Usually, common sense rules the day with contact lenses, but it never hurts to plan for a problem and be ready to deal with it. Thanks for the question.
Catherine, it is ok to snorkel with your contact lenses on but take a couple extra precautions. First, depending on what kind of water you a snorkeling in, it is a very good idea to clean them when you are done. The top layer of any body of water usually had all kinds of interesting bacteria and protozoa floating in so if that gets into your eye, your contact lens can hang on to, leading to infection. Taking the lenses out and cleaning them well gives your eye a chance to recover from any trauma and makes the contacts safer for continued wear. Second and probably more important, make sure you take at least one extra pair of contacts with you. I’m assuming your aren’t snorkeling in the mighty Palouse River, and that you have planned this snorkeling trip for some time. You wouldn’t want to miss out seeing things due to a wave splashing your contacts out. Usually, common sense rules the day with contact lenses, but it never hurts to plan for a problem and be ready to deal with it. Thanks for the question.
Mary from Moscow says my son’s glasses are always broken, do they make indestructible frames for kids?
Mary, while practically nothing is indestructible when it comes to active young men, there are frames that withstand all kinds of bumps and bruises, and lenses that are practically bullet proof. Frames made from a titanium alloy, many times called memory metal, will take being twisted around your finger and will still bounce back to their original shape. Yes they are more expensive but replacing lesser quality frames over and over is more expensive, time consuming and can deprive your son of clear vision while the new parts are on order. As far as lenses go, those made of a polycarbonate type material are tremendously impact resistant which protects the eyes from trauma. All sports frame and kids frames should have polycarbonate lenses put in them to protect the wearer from trauma. Talk with your eyecare professional about how to best provide your son with quality, effective eyewear. Thanks for the question.
Mary, while practically nothing is indestructible when it comes to active young men, there are frames that withstand all kinds of bumps and bruises, and lenses that are practically bullet proof. Frames made from a titanium alloy, many times called memory metal, will take being twisted around your finger and will still bounce back to their original shape. Yes they are more expensive but replacing lesser quality frames over and over is more expensive, time consuming and can deprive your son of clear vision while the new parts are on order. As far as lenses go, those made of a polycarbonate type material are tremendously impact resistant which protects the eyes from trauma. All sports frame and kids frames should have polycarbonate lenses put in them to protect the wearer from trauma. Talk with your eyecare professional about how to best provide your son with quality, effective eyewear. Thanks for the question.
Kellon from Pullman asks, why can’t we keep our eyes open when we sneeze?
Kellon, you have probably heard that we close our eyes when we sneeze so our eyes don’t pop out of our head. There are a couple weird musculature issues that cause the eye muscles to be floppy, but short of those, the amount of trauma needed to cause an eye to pop out is much greater than a simple sneeze, so no, even if you could keep your eyes open when you sneeze, they wouldn’t pop out. The reason we close our eyes during a sneeze is probably a protective one. When you have stuff flying out of your nose and possibly mouth and your head is moving quickly, who knows what may fly into your eyes so the brain shuts your lids. This response probably comes from the same area of the brain that keeps our heart beating and breathing regulated. Some instincts we can learn to override, like touching your eye when inserting contact lenses, but sometimes we just have to do what our brain tells us. Thanks for the question.
Kellon, you have probably heard that we close our eyes when we sneeze so our eyes don’t pop out of our head. There are a couple weird musculature issues that cause the eye muscles to be floppy, but short of those, the amount of trauma needed to cause an eye to pop out is much greater than a simple sneeze, so no, even if you could keep your eyes open when you sneeze, they wouldn’t pop out. The reason we close our eyes during a sneeze is probably a protective one. When you have stuff flying out of your nose and possibly mouth and your head is moving quickly, who knows what may fly into your eyes so the brain shuts your lids. This response probably comes from the same area of the brain that keeps our heart beating and breathing regulated. Some instincts we can learn to override, like touching your eye when inserting contact lenses, but sometimes we just have to do what our brain tells us. Thanks for the question.
Wendy from Pullman asks is there a difference between visual field machines?
Wendy, because the field of vision from each eye overlaps, it is very difficult for your brain to realize it is missing some areas and while there are many different types of field machines, they all are used to measure your visual field; what you can or can not see out of each eye. Some have a static spot where you fixate on a spot and respond when you see flashes of light. While in others the fixation point moves so you follow it and respond to the flashes in that way. Sometimes we just a want a screening test, a very quick test and other we want something much more precise which takes longer. While the machines are very important tools that can precisely measure changes in your vision due to glaucoma, brain tumors or toxic effects of medicines, it is still up to your eyecare professional to interpret those results. Thanks for the question.
Wendy, because the field of vision from each eye overlaps, it is very difficult for your brain to realize it is missing some areas and while there are many different types of field machines, they all are used to measure your visual field; what you can or can not see out of each eye. Some have a static spot where you fixate on a spot and respond when you see flashes of light. While in others the fixation point moves so you follow it and respond to the flashes in that way. Sometimes we just a want a screening test, a very quick test and other we want something much more precise which takes longer. While the machines are very important tools that can precisely measure changes in your vision due to glaucoma, brain tumors or toxic effects of medicines, it is still up to your eyecare professional to interpret those results. Thanks for the question.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Dan from Pullman asks why do my eyelids twitch after playing video games?
Dan, your eye lids will twitch when your eyes are tired and stressed out. If they are twitching after you have been working on your computer for long periods of time, even if the work is playing video games, I would suggest you are abusing your eyes a bit. We could talk about computer glasses that would relax the eyes, making them more comfortable when working for extended periods, but probably taking a break a bit more often is the easiest solution. Another idea is get a good night’s rest. The eyes are a muscle and they get tired just like the rest of the body from all the work they do during the day keeping the world around clear and in focus. Resting them thoroughly once in awhile by getting eight hours of shut can do wonders. We all want to protect our world from the evil forces of the Covenant. But remember, sleep can be a weapon too, so make sure your ammo belt is fully loaded with it. Thanks for the question.
Dan, your eye lids will twitch when your eyes are tired and stressed out. If they are twitching after you have been working on your computer for long periods of time, even if the work is playing video games, I would suggest you are abusing your eyes a bit. We could talk about computer glasses that would relax the eyes, making them more comfortable when working for extended periods, but probably taking a break a bit more often is the easiest solution. Another idea is get a good night’s rest. The eyes are a muscle and they get tired just like the rest of the body from all the work they do during the day keeping the world around clear and in focus. Resting them thoroughly once in awhile by getting eight hours of shut can do wonders. We all want to protect our world from the evil forces of the Covenant. But remember, sleep can be a weapon too, so make sure your ammo belt is fully loaded with it. Thanks for the question.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Nancy from Pullman asks is it strange to wake with dry eyes that then get better as the day goes on?
Nancy, tears are made up of three components, a mucus layer on the bottom, the watery layer in the middle and then an oily layer on the top. The mucus holds the watery layer onto the cornea and the oily layer keeps the water from evaporating too quickly. Those layers change as the day goes on. If the eyes are more dry in the morning than the evening probably implies the oily layer is overabundant, due to clogged oil glands draining themselves when you first open your eyes, upsetting the tear balance, leading to uncomfortable, dry eyes. Dry eyes that are always the same or that get worse imply something else. Talk with your eye care professional about how and when your eyes are uncomfortable. He’ll be able to more easily come up with an effective treatment that way. Thanks for the question.
Nancy, tears are made up of three components, a mucus layer on the bottom, the watery layer in the middle and then an oily layer on the top. The mucus holds the watery layer onto the cornea and the oily layer keeps the water from evaporating too quickly. Those layers change as the day goes on. If the eyes are more dry in the morning than the evening probably implies the oily layer is overabundant, due to clogged oil glands draining themselves when you first open your eyes, upsetting the tear balance, leading to uncomfortable, dry eyes. Dry eyes that are always the same or that get worse imply something else. Talk with your eye care professional about how and when your eyes are uncomfortable. He’ll be able to more easily come up with an effective treatment that way. Thanks for the question.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Polarized Sunwear
Valerie from Viola asks about which sunglasses are best to wear around the water.
Valerie, polarized sunwear is best for high glare situations around the lake since they have an extra filter in them that blocks even more glare than just plain tinted lenses do. When light is reflected, the light waves are less scattered and the increased alignment is what we see as glare. A polarizing filter is designed to block that particular alignment, thereby blocking the glare. Even though the tint reduces the amount of light transmitted thru the lens, it does little to eliminate the glare. So when you are headed out to the lake for the last few days of summer vacation, make sure you have your polarized sunwear so your eyes enjoy that vacation as much as the rest of your body does.
Valerie, polarized sunwear is best for high glare situations around the lake since they have an extra filter in them that blocks even more glare than just plain tinted lenses do. When light is reflected, the light waves are less scattered and the increased alignment is what we see as glare. A polarizing filter is designed to block that particular alignment, thereby blocking the glare. Even though the tint reduces the amount of light transmitted thru the lens, it does little to eliminate the glare. So when you are headed out to the lake for the last few days of summer vacation, make sure you have your polarized sunwear so your eyes enjoy that vacation as much as the rest of your body does.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
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