Spring is in the air…and that means so are allergies.

Seasonal allergies affect millions of people every year, and they can be particularly hard on our eyes, leaving them red, itchy, and watery. Why does this happen and what can we do about it?

Why Do We Get Seasonal Allergies?

While there are plenty of allergens that can make our eyes water year round, such as dust and pet dander, seasonal allergies typically flare up twice a year: in the spring and the fall. This can mean long months of congestion, an itchy nose, mouth, eyes, or throat, puffy eyes, sneezing, and coughing for people with allergies.

The reason our allergies act up the most during spring and fall is that trees and grass pollinate throughout the spring, while ragweed pollinates in the fall. Mold will also send out spores around the same time. Allergic reactions, including seasonal allergies, are the result of our immune systems overreacting to these allergens. Unfortunately, much of this overreaction takes place right on the surface of our eyes.

Allergies Versus Our Eyes

Depending on how your body reacts to allergens, you could experience a wide variety of eye-related symptoms during allergy seasons. The most common are the aforementioned itchiness, redness, and watery discharge. These could be accompanied by a burning sensation, contact lens discomfort, swollen eyelids, and a scratchy or gritty feeling. You could also experience adverse side-effects from decongestants, which might dry out your eyes as well as your sinuses, making them even more vulnerable to airborne allergens.

Allergy Prevention And Treatment

Because many allergens are airborne, avoiding allergic reactions can be difficult, but there are a few things you can do to minimize your exposure. It’s best to stay indoors on extra windy days when the most allergens are in the air. You should also wear a pollen mask while doing yard work, and avoid using window fans that could blow pollen and spores into your house. Sunglasses (or regular glasses) can shield your eyes from pollen.

If you do end up having an allergy attack, drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and use eye drops if your eyes are irritated, especially if your allergy medications are drying out your eyes. You might want to swap out your contacts for glasses until you feel better, because contact lenses can make your eyes more vulnerable. And try not to rub your eyes very often, because doing so will only irritate them more!

Fighting Back Against Allergies Together!

If you’re experiencing significant eye irritation, whether as an effect of seasonal allergies or for any other reason, don’t hesitate to come see us! Keeping your eyes healthy is our top priority, and together we can come up with the best plan to beat those allergies.

Thank you for putting your trust in our practice!

Blue Light has many eye doctors concerned about the effects our screen time could have on our vision and our health.

Nearly two decades into the 21st century, most of us have nightly rituals that include checking our smartphones before bed. This might not be the healthiest way to end our days. Many eye doctors are concerned about the effects our screen time could have on our vision and our health, and the main cause of that concern is blue light.

What Is Blue Light?

You might remember from your high school science classes that the electromagnetic spectrum ranges from low-energy radio waves to high-energy gamma waves. The colors and light we see make up a very small sliver of this spectrum. Waves of blue light scatter more easily than the others, which is what makes the sky and large bodies of water appear blue.

Blue Light & Our Brains

The main source of blue light is the sun, and our bodies are programmed to respond to that light. During the day, the blue light in sunlight boosts our attention, memory, energy levels, reaction times, and overall mood. It’s the signal to our brains that we should be up and about. Absence of blue light signals that we should be resting.

The problem in modern times is that we are surrounded by artificial sources of blue light that confuse these signals, particularly LED and fluorescent lights and the screens of our electronic devices. Blue light suppresses the release of melatonin in our brains, which leads to a lower quality of sleep, which in turn can contribute to a variety of negative health effects.

Blue Light And Our Eyes

The visible light with the highest intensity is blue light, and just above it on the spectrum is UV radiation. One concern is that, because blue light is so close to UV radiation in wavelength, it might be similarly harmful, particularly to our vision. The screens on our electronic devices may not emit light anywhere near as bright as sunlight (which contains both blue light and UV radiation), but the time we spend staring at our screens is time we spend exposing our eyes to blue light.

It’s not clear yet how much blue light exposure is enough to cause lasting harm to our vision, but it could be contributing to macular degeneration (loss of central vision), a condition normally associated with advancing age. To be on the safe side, we would be wise to limit our exposure.

Cutting Back On The Blue

To avoid blue light’s adverse effects on our sleep cycles, we should avoid looking at screens in the last hour or two before bed. If that sounds difficult, there are other options, all of which can also help with minimizing the effects of blue light on our vision.

• Use warmer lighting in your home by buying more yellow-tinted LED lightbulbs instead of the bright white ones.
• Wear orange tinted glasses that filter out blue light while working at your office computer, or use a screen protector that does the same without altering your entire field of vision.
• Use screen filters or apps on your devices that eliminate blue light. The colors will be very different, but the screen will be easier on your eyes in the late evening. Download the app Flux to help with digital eye strain.

Get Started With An Eye Exam

If you’re concerned about the effect blue light may be having on your eyes, schedule an eye exam with us. We can determine whether there is any damage and help you come up with a plan to minimize harmful variables such as UV and blue light.

Your healthy vision is our top priority!

Have your eyes ever felt gritty and watery after an outdoor adventure? Maybe you felt a burning sensation and suffered temporary vision loss?

If this sounds familiar to you, you may have been exposed to high levels of UV rays from light reflections while boating, hiking at high elevation, or participating in snow sports like skiing and snowboarding. This condition, formally called photokeratitis, is particularly common in winter, and you might have heard of it by the name “snow blindness.”

Why Snow Blindness?

Photokeratitis is essentially getting a sunburn on the surface of your eye. This can happen in most climates with strong sunlight, particularly when there are reflective surfaces such as white sand, water, or especially snow. You could also get it without any sun at all, from man-made sources of light like welding torches!

The reason photokeratitis is so much more common in winter is that the snow reflects up to 80 percent of the UV rays that hit the ground, so your eyes get almost a double dose of sunlight. The high altitude is a factor as well. One of the dangerous things about photokeratitis is that, like a normal sunburn, it can take hours before the symptoms appear. As a result, you might keep exposing your eyes to harmful UV rays even after the damage has begun, making the condition more severe.

Soothing Snowblind Eyes

If you do get snow blindness as you enjoy winter activities, there are a few simple ways you can treat it to help your eyes recover more quickly. Photokeratitis dries out the eyes, so you’ll want to restore the lost moisture with things like wet cloths, humidifiers, and eyedrops. Remove your contacts if you wear them and avoid rubbing your eyes. If possible, you might also want to cover the affected eye (or eyes) with patches so that they aren’t further irritated by additional light.

Having The Right Eye Protection

Knowing how to treat snow blindness is useful, but it’s even better to avoid getting it in the first place. That’s where protective eye wear comes in, so you can spend as much time as you want shredding moguls on your snowboard or carving slopes on your skis this season. Make sure to get sunglasses — or, preferably, ski goggles — that block 100 percent of UV light. Polarized lenses will also greatly reduce glare and help you see contrast better in the snow.

We’re Here For You

Snow blindness typically heals on its own after a day or two, but if your symptoms are worsening after the first day or aren’t going away after the second day, you should come see us immediately. We hope you have a wonderful time this ski season, but don’t forget to protect your vision!

We love all of our patients!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

It’s always a good idea to schedule regular eye exams, but under certain circumstances, you might need to come see us between those regular appointments.

What do we mean by “regular eye exams?” Well, that varies, largely depending on age. Children should have their first eye exam at six months, their second at three years, and their third before they begin first grade.

From ages six to 60, the American Optometric Academy recommends that people whose vision isn’t considered “at-risk” have an eye exam every other year, and then once every year from age 60 on. For those with “at-risk” vision, the best schedule will be determined by the optometrist.

What Does It Mean To Be “At Risk?”

Several factors can put an individual’s vision at greater risk than the general populace. These include having diabetes or hypertension. These diseases can have a severe impact on vision health. A family history of glaucoma or macular degeneration is also a major risk factor.

Many prescription drugs have eye-related side effects, like dry eye, and we’ll want to carefully monitor your vision health if you’re taking these types of medications. Contact lenses also present an increased risk of eye infection and other complications.

When To Throw Out The Schedule

At-risk or not, as mentioned above, there are several circumstances in which you shouldn’t wait until your next regular eye exams appointment to pay us a visit:

• You Always Have A Headache
• Your Eye Is Infected
• There are Bright Flashes And Floaters Galore
• That Eye Pain Is Becoming A Bit Much
• You’ve Been Squinting For Days
• You Have Diabetes, Or It Runs In Your Family

You’ve Been Squinting More

If you notice that you’ve had to squint to read road signs, that’s a good sign that you’re due for a prescription change—or, if you haven’t needed glasses before now, that you might need to start wearing them. Squinting will only get you so far.

Bright Flashes And Floaters

It’s perfectly normal to have a few floaters hanging around in your eyes. They can be annoying, but they usually aren’t a problem. However, if you suddenly see a bunch of new ones, you should definitely schedule an appointment, particularly if the floaters are accompanied by bright flashes of light or loss of peripheral vision. These are symptoms of retinal detachment, and can cause permanent blindness if not treated quickly enough.

To learn a bit more about floaters, watch the video below:

Frequent Headaches

Headaches aren’t always the result of eye problems, but it isn’t uncommon for optometrists to spot the causes of chronic headaches first. You may be having these headaches because of eye strain caused by your digital screens. If so, there’s no need to continue suffering in silence when we can help.

Eye Infection

Sometimes eye infections clear up on their own, but that isn’t a risk worth taking. If you’re experiencing blurred vision, light sensitivity, unusual discharge from your eye, itchiness, redness, or pain, come see us as soon as you can. Even if you think it’s just dry eye, it’s still important to come see us, because untreated dry eye can open the door to serious infections.

We’re Looking Out For Your Vision Health

Good vision health is crucial to a high quality of life, and we don’t want you to miss out on any opportunities or amazing views. Any reason for concern about your vision health is reason enough to schedule an early appointment.

Thank you for being a part of our practice family!

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Are you ready for the total solar eclipse on August 21?

Safety First – Shield Your Eyes!

It’s never a good idea to look at the sun, and that includes during a solar eclipse. It’s already important to wear UV-blocking sunglasses outside during the brightest hours of the day even when we aren’t looking directly at the sun. The light-sensitive cells that allow us to see are like delicate instruments, and looking at the sun overloads them. You can actually burn your retinas—a condition called solar retinopathy—by looking at the sun, and it doesn’t take long.

Eclipse Glasses Differ From Normal Sunglasses

Eclipse glasses are not the same as ordinary sunglasses, and even the very best polarized UV-blocking sunglasses are not sufficient protection for looking at the sun. In order to be approved by NASA, eclipse glasses can’t let more than 0.00032 percent of the sun’s light through them, they can’t have any bubbles or scratches, and they should include safety instructions printed on the earpieces. Do not risk your vision health by wearing eclipse glasses or using a solar viewer that doesn’t meet ISO 12312-2 international safety standards and please be careful buying eclipse glasses from online vendors. 

Tips for safe use of solar filters/viewers from the American Astronomical Society:

• Always inspect your solar filter before use; if scratched, punctured, torn, or otherwise damaged, discard it.
• Always supervise children using solar filters.
• If you normally wear eyeglasses, keep them on and put your eclipse glasses on over them, or hold your handheld viewer in front of them.
• Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright Sun. After looking at the Sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the Sun.
• Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device.
• Similarly, do not look at the Sun through a camera, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays could damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury.
• Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device; note that solar filters must be attached to the front of any telescope, binoculars, camera lens, or other optics.
• If you are inside the path of totality, remove your solar filter only when the Moon completely covers the Sun’s bright face and it suddenly gets quite dark. Experience totality, then, as soon as the bright Sun begins to reappear, replace your solar viewer to look at the remaining partial phases.
• Outside the path of totality, you must always use a safe solar filter to view the Sun directly.

Click Here for a list of reputable vendors of authentic solar eclipse glasses

What Is A Solar Eclipse?

The sun is about 400 times larger than the moon, but it’s also 400 times farther away from the earth, which is why they look the same size in the sky. When they line up with the earth just right, the moon can block out the sun, resulting in a solar eclipse. Anywhere the moon’s shadow falls, we see the eclipse, but it’s only a partial eclipse unless we’re in what’s called the “path of totality.” No matter how much of the eclipse you see, make sure you’re protecting your eyes.

To learn a bit more about solar eclipses, check out the video below:

Your Eyes’ Health Is Our Top Priority

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Is there anything more American than hot dogs on the grill and fireworks in the sky? We all enjoy a patriotic pyrotechnics display, but fireworks are not without their risks.

Explosives Are Not Toys

To anyone lucky enough to have never been injured by fireworks, they might just seem like exciting lights and sounds, but the fact of the matter is that fireworks—from bottle rockets and Roman candles to mortars and artillery shells—are explosives. Even when they fire in the right direction, they can project tiny pieces of shrapnel toward nearby spectators at high speeds.

Even poppers and sparklers aren’t as safe as they seem. Sparklers burn at temperatures over 1200°F! That’s not something we want anywhere near our eyes. A few good rules for sparklers are to always supervise children under age 12 when they use them, don’t run with them, hold them at arm’s length from the body, and only use one at a time.

Eye Injuries Are Too Common

Every year, thousands of Americans are injured by fireworks. In 2014 alone, 1,300 people went to emergency rooms specifically for eye injuries. More significantly, it was the bystanders who suffered the majority of those injuries, not the operators. In 2015, an estimated 8,000 people were treated for firework-related injuries between June 19 and July 19, of which 42% were younger than 20. The injuries ranged anywhere from burns to more serious problems like cuts, and amputations. In 2015, 11 people died from fireworks accidents. All it takes is one spark or fast-moving piece of shrapnel to cause permanent blindness. Don’t let this happen to you or your loved ones!

Safety First!

The safest thing you can do is avoid home fireworks entirely and only go to professional displays, but if you are doing fireworks at home, make sure you follow these fireworks safety tips:

• Carefully follow all safety instructions on the labels of your fireworks.
• Always use protective eyewear. When shrapnel goes flying, goggles can be the difference between being blinded for life and walking away completely unharmed.
• Supervise young children at all times. Better still, keep children under age 12 away from all fireworks, even sparklers and firecrackers!

Here’s a few more safety tips for using sparklers to celebrate your Independence Day:

If There Is An Injury…

Sometimes accidents happen even when we follow all the rules. If you or anyone else you know sustains an eye injury this 4th of July, here are some steps to follow:

• Do not rub, rinse out, or apply pressure or ointment to the injured eye. Any of these will likely do even more damage.
• Go straight to the emergency room (don’t even pause for pain medication on the way). The sooner the eye receives treatment, the better its chances are for recovery.
• Contact us for follow up treatment or immediate answers and questions.  

Have A Blast (As Long As You’re Safe)!

We want you all to be safe as you celebrate Independence Day, but we also hope you have a great time with family, friends, food, and fireworks.

Wishing all our patients a happy Fourth of July!

Before coming to Levin Eye Care Center’s vision therapy program Karen was struggling to read and concentrate on her schoolwork. Karen would frequently have migraines during and after school that made it difficult to focus.

Before:

• Migraines
• Difficulty concentrating
• Struggles with schoolwork
• Didn’t enjoy reading

Karen was able focus on her schoolwork and concentrate on her studies after completing the vision therapy program at Levin Eye Care Center. She also had a significant decrease in the amount of migraines and is currently working in the medical field and in graduate school. Karen can now finish a book quickly in one sitting and loves to read!

After:

1. Decreased headaches and migraines
2. Increased focus
3. Loves reading
4. Graduate student

“Thank you Dr. Levin! I don’t think I would be where I am today without Vision Therapy”

-Karen Stengler

Watch Karen’s story to learn how vision therapy can change your life!

Contact us today to setup your consultation 

Lucky for you, it may be time for a new pair of shades!

We’re surrounded by things with expiration dates, from the food in our fridge to the moisturizer we put on our face at night. Over time, the lightbulbs in our lamps go out and the paint on our houses fade. But what about your sunglasses? Do they have a shelf life?

Can Sunglasses Expire?

There are two kinds of people in this world: those that buy a new pair of sunglasses every year, maybe even several pairs, and those that find one good pair that they love and try to make them last. If you are part of the second group, you may want to listen up.

A study was recently conducted by researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil to see if sunglasses lost their UV-blocking power over time.

Here are someways that you might be harming your sunglasses:

• everyday wear and tear of sunglasses
• throwing them in your bag without a case
• accidentally dropping them on the ground
• scratches on the lenses that may be gradually diminishing their efficacy

While this is an interesting finding, there is a lot more research needed to fully understand exactly how long sunglasses can last and what their “expiration date” may be. Levin Eye Care Center recommends that you continue to take good care of your sunglasses while you have them, and don’t hesitate to get a new pair every year or two. Not only will you always be in style, but you can be sure your eyes are properly protected from the sun!

Remember These Tips When Buying Sunglasses

Not all sunglasses are created equal. Some look stylish, but may not provide the same amount of protection as another pair. When you do buy a new pair of shades, you want to make sure they are serving their purpose, which is to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays!

Here are some tips to remember when buying sunglasses:

• Make sure they block 99 to 100 percent of UV light or have “UV absorption up to 400nm” on the label.
• Larger frames and wraparound styles are great at protecting your eyes from many different angles.
• Remember that the color and darkness of the lens doesn’t affect how well it protects you from UV rays. However, darker lenses can be more useful in very bright conditions.
• Polarized lenses don’t block UV light, but are great for reducing glare and improving visibility.

We Have Just What You’re Looking For!

The staff at Levin Eye Care Center can help you choose from a variety of different styles and brands of sunglasses at our practice. Come and see for yourself! It would be our pleasure to help you find the perfect pair of shades for your style and personality.

We love to serve you! Thanks for trusting us with your vision health!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

This is a question we love getting: “What does that big, space helmet-looking thing actually do anyway?”

Most patients have wondered what that large, imposing piece of equipment is that they always see at the optometrist’s office. Well, it’s called a phoropter, or a refractor, and it’s an awesome tool we eye docs love to use! Read on to find out more!

A Brief History Of The Phoropter

The phoropter was invented in the early 1900s. One, called the Ski-optometer, was invented by Nathan Shigon and another, called the Phoro-optometer was developed by Henry DeZeng. Later came Bausch and Lomb’s Greens’ Refractor.

The phoropter was unique from the device that was previously being used, the monocular optometer, because the phoropter was able to measure refractive errors as well as traits of binocular vision (meaning how well the eyes work together), among other things.

In today’s world, as technology gets more and more advanced, usually devices get smaller and more streamlined. You may be surprised to hear that with almost every new model that came out, the phoropter kept getting bigger and bigger! Over time, the phoropter continued to improve until it became what it is today in the 1960s, still as big and bold as ever.

Phoropters Help Us Fine-tune Your Prescription

This may sound familiar… you walk into the optometrist’s office and after some initial tests and pleasantries, you’re asked to sit behind the “space helmet” and look at the eye chart through the phoropter lenses. As we change the lenses with different optical powers, we’ll ask you the question we know you all love to answer, “Which is more clear, one or two?”

Based on your answers, we come up with a prescription that gets you as close to seeing 20/20 as possible. The phoropter is an amazing tool that helps us fine-tune your prescription and make sure you have the clearest, most accurate vision possible!

Watch the video below to learn more about what perfect vision is and why glasses are necessary for some people!

Want To Hear More?

If you have been wondering about some of the other equipment you’ve seen at our office, let us know in the comments section of this blog post! We’d be happy to highlight another cool tool that helps us do our job: keeping your eyes healthy and your vision precise.

Helping you see the world clearly is the best job in the world!

Fine works of art, delicious cheeses, and beautiful antiques all take on special qualities as they age. Old eyeglass frames may look stylish, but wear and tear will eventually take its toll.

Whether you’re sporting a pair of vintage specs, or you’ve simply had your frames for a while, we can help you recognize the signs when it’s time to update to a new pair of lenses or frames.

“How Do I Know When It’s Time?”

Of course, the number one sign that you should be considering new lenses and frames is if you’re noticing changes in your vision! How long has it been since you updated your prescription? The American Academy of Optometrists recommends a comprehensive eye exam every two years, or more often if certain risk factors are present.

Most of the time, such vision changes are so gradual that you don’t think about it until it becomes a problem. Come visit with us and let’s check your vision and prescription.

Other signs that you shouldn’t ignore include:

• Frames with stripped screws
• Heavily scratched or worn-down lenses
• Bent frames that just don’t fit right
• A loose fit that’s difficult to keep adjusted
• Headaches more often than usual
• Irritated skin at frame touch points

When It’s Time, Find New Frames That Fit YOU!

You can reduce everyday stress with a new pair of glasses that fit you comfortably and correctly. With properly fitting frames, there will be no more worrying about them sliding off or breaking—or going through the day with a vision-related headache.

While it’s important to find frames that fit you comfortably, you also want to find a pair that compliments your face shape. If you need help identifying your face shape check out the video below or visit us at our practice!

While You’re At It, Get Frames You Really Like!

Yes, the primary purpose for eyeglasses is to help you see better. But in addition, great-looking frames are fun to wear and boost your confidence. We’re experts at recommending frames that both compliment your individual look, face shape, and fit your lifestyle—and we have lots of awesome choices for you to consider!

When It’s Time, We’re Here To Help

Does getting new glasses feel overwhelming? If so, let us help you find the perfect frame with the perfect prescription. Call us to make an appointment soon.

We appreciate having you as our valued patient. Thank you!