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Eyelid Surgery

You’ve probably heard a lot about eyelid surgery, from the double eyelid surgeries that have been all the rage in Korea to the eyelid surgeries we see in the West that help to reduce the appearance of aging and droopy eyelids. These surgeries are not completed by an optometrist; rather, a plastic surgeon will have the expertise needed to perform the procedure, medically known as blepharoplasty. We want to take a holistic approach to Winnipeg eye care, so we decided to give you more details on the surgery and its potential medical consequences.

There are many different types of blepharoplasty that may be performed; sometimes, there’s even a non-cosmetic reason for the procedure. Trichiasis, where the eyelashes point towards the eye, can be caused by a misshapen eyelid, and thus corrected by blepharoplasty. For cosmetic blepharoplasties, the procedure may be accompanied by other cosmetic procedures to change the overall aesthetic of the face. To better understand these changes, speak with your dermatologist or plastic surgeon.

Every surgical procedure has potential consequences, and blepharoplasty is no exception. Surgeries that are done incorrectly can lead to any number of problems from bleeding and infection to damaged eye muscles; folks with particular medical histories may be at greater risk of harm from surgery than those with a clean bill of health. When considering a cosmetic procedure, a full analysis of the pros and cons should be considered; speak with your doctor about the overall risk (in percentages, if possible), versus the potential benefits. You should find a licensed cosmetic surgeon who has done several blepharoplasties; look at their work and make sure it suits what you’re looking for.

Once the surgery is completed, you can expect discomfort for a few days. This discomfort may include swelling, light sensitivity, double vision and watery eyes. To combat these things, your doctor may recommend you apply ice packs regularly to the eye, at first changing ice packs every hour, then using them a few times a day. You may take acetaminophen to alleviate pain, but most other analgesics can cause problems; speak to your doctor about what painkillers you can take. You’ll want to avoid strenuous activity, smoking, wearing contact lenses, and rubbing your eyes; when you go outside, you’ll want to make sure you wear sunglasses to reduce the impact of your light sensitivity. Your doctor will tell you the timeframe in which you can resume regular activity; discomfort in one form or another generally lasts about two weeks.

Anytime cosmetic surgery is being discussed, it’s worth evaluating why you want the surgery. When it’s for medical concerns, the risk/reward is often much easier to calculate; cosmetic concerns are more difficult. Are there any ways you can change the appearance of your eyes without surgery that would be to your satisfaction? While cosmetic surgery has gotten much safer over the years, the age old adage of “do no harm” means alternatives should always be considered.

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Diabetes and Your Eyes

They say the eyes are the gateway to the soul; the truth of that might be left to philosophers and poets, but I can tell you with certainty that the eyes are the gateway to understanding more about the physiology of an individual. While that’s a less flowery statement, it does mean you should visit your Winnipeg optometrist regularly. One of the most important reasons to do this is diabetes prevention and maintenance; an optometrist can tell you a lot about how much the disease is affecting you.

Pre-Diabetic Diagnosis

Comprehensive eye exams are a great preventive tool in the fight against diabetes. The Canadian Association of Optometrists notes that diabetes is one of the leading causes of blindness in Canada, and that regular eye exams can help you catch diabetes in its earliest stages, be it Type 1 or Type 2. These exams can also help you monitor the progression of diabetes, and make sure it’s being managed properly. They can do this because they have tools that allow them to monitor the optic nerve and blood vessels in the eye, both of which can have indicators of potential health problems.

Diabetic Retinopathy

The biggest risk that diabetes has to your eyes is a condition known as diabetic retinopathy. When you have diabetes, the blood vessels in your eyes may weaken or swell; in either case, this can cause lasting damage to the eye. There are a lot of worrisome signs that you might have the condition: loss of central vision, the inability to see colour, or sudden bright flashes of light.

Your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy increases the longer your diabetes goes unchecked; uncontrolled blood sugar for a prolonged period of time can cause serious problems for your eyes.

Comorbidity

Diabetes isn’t just linked to diabetic retinopathy; there’s a wide variety of conditions that can occur as a result of diabetes. Glaucoma rates may be higher in people with diabetes; diabetes is also often coupled with high blood pressure, which can increase the likeliness of developing glaucoma. Excess blood sugar may result in cataracts. Diabetes can also cause macular edema, a condition in which fluid builds up in the retina. In short, there are a lot of problems that are caused by diabetes, and most of them compound upon each other.

One of the key concepts to understand in medicine is comorbidity – the idea that one disease can bring about the onset of other diseases. Those diseases can, in turn, exacerbate the existing disease or bring on totally new conditions. That’s why proper management of your diabetes is so important, and why catching diabetes early is essential to your long-term health.

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Eye Health Tips

March is Nutrition Month! What we put into our bodies has a substantial effect on our quality of life; “you are what you eat”, as they say. We just ran an article about ways to eat healthy for the eyes, and you can look back at that for more ideas about healthy eating and your eyes, but in a nod to Nutrition Month, we thought we’d talk about some general eye health tips and lifestyle choices that can help you keep your vision at it’s best.

Eat Right

The most obvious tip for the month is to pay attention to what you’re consuming. There’s a lot of vitamins and minerals that can seriously help protect your eye health from problems like age related macular degeneration. Opt for foods that are high in vitamin C and antioxidants like lutein. Veggies are perfect here; roast some red peppers and carrots up, or make yourself a nice salad with a healthy amount of kale, and you’ll be getting many healthy nutrients that won’t just help your eyes – they’ll help your whole body!

Don’t Smoke

Smoke is bad for your eyes; ever sit next to a campfire with the wind blowing towards you and your eyes open? Not a pleasant experience. Smoke will dry out your eyes, so whether you’re smoking tobacco or marijuana, sustained use can cause your eyes to become dry and red. Cigarettes in particular are filled with a wide variety of different chemical that can cause problems for your eyes. And your skin. And your lungs. Smoking is really bad for you, and if you want tips on how to quit, ask us or any health care professional; we all want to help you quit.

Visit Your Optometrist

We’re more than just purveyors of high quality Winnipeg eyeglasses. We can help you make lifestyle changes that will keep your eyes healthier, longer. We can also spot a wide variety of diseases that are totally unnoticeable unless you visit us so we can check your eyes – conditions that can make you go blind, or underlying medical conditions that haven’t presented any other symptoms yet. We also love to talk, so if you have any concerns about your vision – dry eye, red eye, excessive tearing, anything – we can go over your concerns with you. We’ll help you figure out what’s causing the problems, if you should treat them, and what types of treatments you should use.

Blink!

Yes, you, right now. Blink. Do it again. You’ve been reading a screen for at least a couple of minutes, and given our computer obsessed society, I’d hazard a guess that it’s been longer than that. You can follow the 20-20-20 rule, you can get up and stretch your legs, you can sit further from screens, but most importantly, be mindful of your screen time, and try to remember to look away every once and awhile. Get up and get a glass of water while you’re at it, move around a bit. You’re worth it.

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Eyelid Twitching

Random muscle spasms have got to be one of the most uncomfortable feelings in the world. Suddenly, you feel a twitch in your body, the motion unbidden, involuntary. The experience is altogether disconcerting, and it can be especially troublesome when it’s your eyelid. Sight is so core to most of our identities; the idea that our eyes would shut or twitch unbidden is a bit disturbing. Of course, our eyes shut unbidden without us realizing all the time; in fact, take a moment right now to take a nice conscious blink. Didn’t that feel nice?

Stress

The leading cause of eye twitching is probably stress; it’s not entirely well known why stress causes your eye to twitch, though it may be a temporary glitch in some of your nervous system cells. Should you suspect that stress is the cause of your eye twitching, try relieving it through a variety of methods; yoga, breathing exercises, a night to yourself – whatever you need.

Fatigue (and it’s opposite)

Not sleeping enough can also cause eye twitching, so if you haven’t been getting enough Zs, try to get to bed earlier, or maybe take an afternoon nap. Coffee is probably the most commonly used drug here in Winnipeg; it gets us through the cold, dark winters, even when we haven’t had enough sleep. Coffee causes eye twitches too, so lack of sleep + a high dose of caffeine is a surefire way to get your eyes twitching. Try to lay off the coffee if twitching has become a problem.

Allergies and Dry Eye

Your eyelids might be hyperactive if you’ve been experiencing a lot of dry eye, or if you’ve got swollen and watery eyes from your allergies. This one is a bit more difficult to deal with solely using lifestyle changes; we’d tell you to avoid the allergens, but it’s often not so easy. Medication is key here; get medicated eye drops for your dry eye, and use antihistamines for those allergies. Dry eye over a long period of time is a medical condition for which there are a few treatments; have an eye exam done and we can find the appropriate medications and lifestyle changes to reduce your dry eye.

Substance Use

Alcohol can cause your eyelids to twitch; so can a variety of stimulants. When you’re using drugs or alcohol, and you notice eyelid twitching, it may be a sign you should ease up or abstain.

More Serious Problems

While eye twitching is mostly benign, it can rarely be a sign of underlying neurological conditions. Eye twitching might be a sign of Tourette’s, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s. These problems are fairly uncommon, but if you’ve experienced eye twitching for weeks, or you feel twitching in other parts of your body, it could be a sign of more serious problems.

One final aside, eyelid twitching is known as blepharospasm in the medical world. Blepharo means eyelid, and spasm we’re pretty sure you understand. That word is a little unwieldy, so eyelid twitch is fine to use!

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Eye Exams Free for Children in Manitoba

Consider this blog a friendly reminder that patients under the age of 19 have their eye exams covered by Manitoba Health. You can have such an exam done once every 2 years. You can also get a rebate on the cost of glasses purchased in Manitoba for children, if you meet certain requirements. These benefits have been put into place by the government; it’s their way of acknowledging the importance of eye exams for children. It’s worth considering why the government considers these exams, and glasses, important enough to cover.

The most obvious reason to cover eye exams is the importance of vision in modern-day learning. A student who is unable to read what the teacher is writing or projecting is less likely to grasp and absorb the material properly. A student who can’t see the words in their book is less likely to develop into an avid reader. You might think your child is struggling to learn, when in actuality, they’re struggling to see. It is to everyone’s advantage to have a well-educated population, a literate population – that may be the primary reason vision care is covered for children in Manitoba.

One reason that’s less apparent but perhaps more important is visual impairments that develop at an early age. Testing for lazy eye and ocular misalignment can be done early; the earlier such issues are noticed, the more readily they can be corrected. The world we live in is hyper-visually oriented, so correcting anomalies as early as possible will help your child thrive.

Children’s eye exams are specifically designed for them; that means that there might be a few adjustments made to make the exam more kid-friendly. In place of a chart full of letters, your optometrist might opt to use a chart of easily recognized symbols. Infants can have eye exams done, and getting your baby’s eyes checked is highly recommended. They, of course, won’t use reading charts, but various tests can be used to check for eye problems that may have developed at this early stage.

When you have a young child, it’s a good idea to talk to your optometrist about different things you can do to help develop hand-eye coordination and other visual skills. What’s nice about most vision skills is that they can be developed through active play and games; in short, your child will be learning without even realizing it!

At Eyes in the Village, we want your child to grow up healthy, so schedule your child’s free eye exam with us. Our team is fun and friendly, so not only will your child get an important medical exam done, they’ll have fun doing it! We hope the experience will be one your child wants to repeat; with Winnipeg eye care this good, we see a bright future ahead for them!

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Cataracts Surgery: What to Expect

Cataracts is one of the most common age related eye diseases; it’s not entirely clear what causes it, but there seems to be some association with UV rays being blocked by the lens. We’ve talked in detail about the condition in previous posts; in short, the lens of your eye becomes cloudy, obscuring vision. Though almost everyone will get cataracts at some point in their lives, there are incredibly practical and effective surgical procedures to replace lenses affected by cataracts that almost never require you to stay in the hospital overnight. Here, we describe some of these procedures, and what you can expect post surgery.

The main method of getting rid of a cloudy lens in a surgery known as phacoemulsification. In this procedure, local anesthetic or general anesthetic is used so that the patient doesn’t feel any pain. A device that emits ultrasonic waves is used to sculpt and emulsify the lens, the pieces of which are sucked up through a small hole in the device. The surgeon then places an intraocular lens implant (IOL) exactly where the old lens was. Other procedures might be used to perform cataracts surgery, including new developments in laser eye technology.

The intraocular lens that is placed can be used to correct refractive errors in the eye; this might include lenses to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. When you have your cataracts surgery, you will be presented with a plethora of different options for lenses, as well as an explanation of the surgical procedure itself, in order to help you make a more informed decision. Discussing the different IOLs with your Winnipeg optometrist is a good way to stay informed and make the right decision for your specific circumstances.

Once the surgery is completed, you’ll be sent home with a pair of sunglasses; your eye will be particularly sensitive to UV rays and bright lights in your post-surgical state. There will be a protective shield placed over your eye; your surgeon will give you instructions on when it is appropriate to remove this shield. They will also discuss tips on recovering from your cataracts surgery; you should not lift heavy objects, engage in strenuous exercise, or expose your eye to dust or other airborne particles. You should also strive to keep water out of your eye.

Having good people around will help you recover much more swiftly. You should have someone to pick you up from the surgery and drive you home; having help around the house so you can relax and recover is of utmost importance. Your surgeon and optometrist will want to do post-surgery check ups at regular intervals until all is clear; while this surgery has a phenomenal success rate, it’s always better to be safe. You might see unusual, distorted or cloudy images when you first remove your protective eye shield; these should pass relatively swiftly, with images remaining distorted for no more than an hour. Should images remain distorted for longer, or if you have any other sudden concerns about your vision, contact your surgeon or optometrist.

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Contact Lens Primer

There’s a lot of options out there to correct your vision. You can, of course, get Winnipeg eyeglasses; glasses are pretty trendy right now, and there are folks who purchase glasses without a prescription just to accessorize. There are also folks who would really rather not wear glasses; they like the look of their faces without accessories, or they’re worried about their glasses breaking, or they just want to draw attention to their eyes. For these people, there are contact lenses, but there’s a lot you need to know; contacts come in many different forms.

Originally, contacts were made out of a substance called polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). You’ve seen PMMA before, under a variety of trade names, among them Plexiglass and Lucite. As you can imagine, putting Plexiglass on your eye is not the most comfortable thing, and many people couldn’t wear them at all; they also didn’t allow any oxygen to reach the eye, which created problems. These “hard contacts” were soon widely replaced by “soft contacts” made of gel-like plastics called hydrogels. Hydrogels and their more advanced cousins, silicone hydrogels, are more flexible, and thus more immediately comfortable on the eye, while PMMAs took time to adjust to. They’re also porous, so oxygen can pass through them easily; silicone hydrogels are especially porous, and are the most commonly prescribed contacts. Gas permeable contacts take a different route; they are hard contacts, very much in the vein of PMMAs, but oxygen can pass through them. These are especially useful for people with astigmatism, because the lack of flexibility means vision can be corrected very precisely; they do take some time to adjust to, though.

Your contacts are only wearable for a certain amount of time, and only useable for a certain amount of time. The wearable time will usually be daily, meaning you have to remove the contact every night, but might be labelled “extended” or “continuous”, meaning you can wear them for a longer period of time without removing them; consult with your optometrist to see how often you should remove your contacts, and how to clean them out (usually soaking them in a cleaning solution overnight). The amount of time contacts are usable for, conversely, tells you how often you need to replace the contact altogether; daily disposable lenses must be discarded after use, while gas permeable lenses may last you months. Soft lenses must be replaced more often than hard lenses. A majority of contacts are either daily use or monthly use; be sure not to mistake how long contacts can be used for how long they can be worn for!

There are contact lenses for all kinds of different vision problems, but there are also contacts used cosmetically to alter the appearance of the eye. When getting contacts, it’s always strongly advised that you get a prescription so they can be properly fitted to your eyes; buying contacts online can be dangerous, as sometimes the provider won’t check your prescription, and there are times when the materials being used might not meet standards of quality.

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Virtual Keys and Visual Impairment

Visual impairment comes in many forms. From colour vision deficiency to total vision loss, the many shapes of visual impairment mean there’s a lot of misinformation; when people here “visually impaired”, they often assume total blindness. This misconception can be harmful; fortunately, knowledge of visual impairment is growing, and more and more manufacturers are creating technologies which can be used by people with all kinds of different vision problems. A perfect example is locks; for years, the only locks you could find were those that could be fitted with a key. For people with myriad different types of visual impairment, this level of hand-eye coordination could be challenging; there are now a plethora of different locking mechanisms that are easier to use.

Electronic door locks are outfitted with keypads, similar to the kind you might use to unlock a safe. Some of these keypads are pretty small, but others are designed with large numbers, black backgrounds and white font, the stark contrast making them easier to see, the lack of colours making them suitable for those with colour vision deficiency. These locks may also come with Braille below the numbers or embossed numbers, making them easier to use by those with total blindness.

The use of digital technology to improve ease-of-use doesn’t stop there. Smart locks are becoming more popular; they come in a wide array of styles while still keeping your premises secure. One type of smart lock, the Kwikset Kevo, detects whether your phone or a key fob paired with the lock is nearby when it’s touched; if your phone or the fob is detected by Bluetooth, it unlocks when you touch it. Other locks react to voice commands; pull out your phone, speak the command words, say a security phrase, and your door is unlocked. These tools are incredibly handy for anyone, but can be especially useful for people with visual impairments.

Online connectivity serves other useful purposes for smart locks. Visual impairment can make it difficult to know whether or not the door is closed properly; it can feel closed, but swing open with the wind. Smart technology can alert you when your door has opened unexpectedly, or when it’s not locked; additionally, smart locks can be programmed to lock automatically at certain times of day, assuaging potential fears of doors left unintentionally unlocked. A well-qualified locksmith will be able to set up smart locks for you; not only that, they’ll be able to review the technology with you, ensuring you know how everything works.

We’re incredibly glad that Winnipeg eye care goes beyond the optometrist in this day and age; more and more people are creating technology and tools to help those with visual impairments. This more connected, compassionate and caring world is something we can all move towards, and we’re proud to play our role in improving vision for all.

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Floater Facts

Here’s a problem with medical jargon: it’s often really hard for patients to understand. Some of the time, this is inevitable; the human body is incredibly complex, and understanding all of the terms means understanding all of the processes. This, of course, takes years of study to accomplish, so most of the time it’s unavoidable that some complex concept will be contained within a jargon-y word. That said, it would be nice if some of the words were a little more user-friendly, and that’s why I love the word floaters. You know what floaters are: the little floaty, stringy, spotty things in your eye. They’re not dangerous in and of themselves, but they can be a sign of danger. To understand them, you need to understand gels.

Gels are, well, like Jell-O. The similarity in name is no coincidence, of course, but the dessert wasn’t named after gels; rather, Jell-O is the trademark name of a gelatin dessert, and gelatin is the gel that gels are named after. Gels are solids, even though by weight, they’re almost entirely liquid. When gels aren’t in motion, they don’t try to occupy all the space available in their container. Now, imagine there were little tiny flecks inside a particularly liquid gelatin dessert. Pick up that dessert, and start shaking it around, and you’ll notice the little flecks moving around inside the dessert; they’ll float in the same direction you moved the dessert in.

That little experiment is basically what’s happening when you see floaters in your eye. Your eye contains a gel called the vitreous humour; it makes up fourth-fifths of the total volume of your eye. Being a gel has many useful properties: the vitreous humour is mostly responsible for the eye’s spherical shape, owing to its solidity, but is 99% water, so light can pass through it without being blocked. The vitreous humour is connected to the lens on one end, and the retina on the other. As we age, strands of collagen begin to solidify within the gel; from there, the strands act like the flecks in our Jell-O, and move in the same direction as your eye movements. They’re suspended there more or less forever; the eye does a good job of self-preserving. Most will settle towards the bottom of the eye. When you see floaters, you’re not actually seeing the object, but it’s shadow; it’s like several little tiny eclipses just for you!

This all means that, for the most part, floaters are nothing to worry about. They can, however, act as a warning sign for something serious. When you see a sudden shower of floaters, often accompanied by a flash of light, it may be a sign of vitreous detachment, which can lead to vision loss. Should you ever experience such a shower, go see an optometrist right away. The same optometrist who you get your prescription for Winnipeg eyeglasses from can diagnose serious medical conditions that might threaten your vision.

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The Shape of Glasses to Come

When choosing new glasses, there’s a lot to consider. There’s the technical stuff, of course; what kind of anti-glare coatings you should get, if you want blue light protection, if you’d prefer photochromic lenses. These things can be discussed at length with your optometrist, who will give you recommendations based on your lifestyle. The more daunting considerations, however, come with matters of taste; how you want to look, and what glasses are right for you. Every person is different, so everyone’s taste is going to differ at least a little; that said, if you’re thinking of getting new glasses, but you’re not sure what you want to wear, there are a few handy tips to help steer you in what might be the right direction.

One important thing to be aware of when selecting new glasses is the shape of your face. Humans generally like symmetry, so your glasses can be used to balance the shape of your face in a way that’s pleasing to the eye. This is done by choosing styles that contrast with your face shape. To illustrate, let’s look at four face types and describe glasses that might suit them well.

Individuals with square faces have prominent jawlines and broad foreheads, and the widths and lengths of the face are about all even. This creates a very strong, angular look; choose thin, circular or oval glasses in order to soften up your face and create contrast.

Those with round shape faces have basically the opposite look of square face; still very proportional, but the lines are all curves with no angles. That means you want something to add strong lines to the face; angular glasses are a very good pick, here, with squares and rectangles making your face look longer and slimmer.

Folks with heart shaped faces have foreheads that are longer than their tapered jaw lines. The astute reader can likely guess where we’re trying to find a balance here; by adding glasses that have thick bottom frames or a wide shape at the bottom will create a balance between the forehead and the jaw.

There are a plethora of other face shapes to consider, but the concept remains the same; find a way to create symmetry and balance in the face. Another factor to consider is the undertones of the skin; you may have warm or cool undertones, and that will affect the types of glasses that may work best for you. For metallics, warm tones work best with gold, while cool tones work best with silver. You can also consider the colours in your eyes when you choose glasses; find a pair with colours that bring out the natural look of your eye.

When you’re looking for new glasses, your Winnipeg eye care professionals can help; while this guide will give you some idea, meeting with someone in person to discuss aesthetics is the best way of finding the perfect pair. Licensed opticians are masters of eyeglass aesthetics, and will be able to consult with you to help find a perfect pair.

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Virtually Real

The emergence of new technology is always creating exciting new experiences, and right now, the audio-visual world is booming, thanks in part to faster processors and better software. While this has a ton of applications for a variety of industries, it seems to be most impactful in the world of entertainment. From the 3D movie craze of the late aughts to you’d-think-it-was-real gaming graphics today, the audiovisual boom shows no sign of slowing. One of the developments I’m most excited about is a new project by the makers of The Real Escape; they’ve created a new facility called Activate Games here in Winnipeg, augmented reality (AR) physical gaming using a variety of audiovisual technologies.

The other development that’s causing a big stir right now is virtual reality, or VR. The distinction between AR and VR aren’t clear to some people; AR games take place in the real world, where a variety of technologies are used to project audio/visual stimuli onto existing structures. VR, conversely, requires a VR helmet; it takes you out of the real world and replaces your auditory and visual stimuli with a whole new reality. This technology is intimately linked with your vision, so it’s worth considering what some of the consequences of using VR technology might be to your eyesight.

First, the downsides. The technologies are relatively new, so there hasn’t been a lot of research as to the possible impacts to your eyes; caution is always a good route when research is sparse. What we do know is that staring at screens for a prolonged period of time can cause digital eye strain, and that VR headsets use two LCD monitors to create the 3D effect, so digital eye strain is a real concern. We also know that motion sickness can be caused by a mismatch of visual information and body position; this mismatch can be prominently felt in VR, in something some are calling “cybersickness”.

The news isn’t all bad, though; VR technologies may open up a whole new world of immersive and therapeutic treatments. Some such treatments are already in development, and may help individuals increase eye coordination, hand-eye coordination, and depth perception. The technology is worth monitoring for these pursuits, as anything that can help patients live better lives is something healthcare professionals will look into developing.

For the time being, treat VR technology with care. Don’t overuse it, and stop using it if you feel sick or dizzy; be mindful of how long you stare at the screens, and remember the 20-20-20 rule. Most VR technology will come with words of caution and indicators of how long it should be used for in one session, so be mindful of these rules. When you feel like you don’t have sufficient information, it’s always good to talk to a professional. Should you experience sickness or other problems while using VR, it’s a good idea to talk to your Winnipeg optometrist before resuming use.

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Higher-Order Aberrations

I love fantasy, I love gaming, and I love Dungeons and Dragons. You’ve probably heard a lot about the game, at this point; it’s embedded itself deep within the culture consciousness because nerds like me started to write television shows. The game has three key pillars on which it’s built: exploration, social interaction and combat. The third pillar is considered by some the most important, and the combat is focused on monsters, which are grouped into various types. There are humanoids, giants, plants, fey, beasts, dragons, and more. Some monsters seem to defy the laws of physics, like the Beholder, a floating sphere of flesh with one large central eye and a bunch of eyestalks. It has a “little brother” type monster, the Spectator, a smaller floating flesh sphere with fewer eyestalks. Spectators serve Beholders, and the strange monsters are classified as “Aberrations”; you might say that Beholders are the higher-order Aberrations.

Higher-order aberrations don’t just exist in the eyes of a Beholder, though; they’re a real ocular problem. You’re already a spectator of lower-order aberrations, even if you didn’t know it; nearsighted and farsighted people have lower-order ocular aberrations, as do people with astigmatism. Any deviation from normal vision can be considered an aberration; the shape of our eyes can distort light in quite a number of different ways. The more complex the distortion of light, the higher order the aberration.

Recent developments have given optometrists access to tools that can measure the waveform of light passing through the eye, making it easier to detect higher-order aberrations. New surgeries and contact lenses that alter the shape of the cornea can improve vision for sufferers of higher-order aberrations. The symptoms of these aberrations can vary pretty wildly, as can the waveform patterns of light, but typical symptoms include halo effects, blurring, starburst, ghost images and other strange optical effects.

Higher-order aberrations can be caused by a variety of conditions. The most obvious is that the curvature of the eye is abnormal; this is due primarily to genetics, and can occur over the course of development. They can also be caused due to trauma of the eye, as well as larger than normal pupils. Now that technology to monitor waveforms of light is available, the medical community will be able to learn a great deal more about higher-order aberrations, their causes, and the best methods to treat them.

You might have glasses that are helping you see better, but if you’re still experiencing blur or other strange optical effects, a higher-order aberration might be the cause. The eyeglasses Winnipeg optometrists can provide will help with lower-order problems, but a more significant aberration may need further treatment. That’s why it’s important to talk to your optometrist if you have any chronic visual abnormalities, and why it’s important to get an eye exam done at least once every two years.

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Blepharitis

My mother has incredibly bad allergies. She’s taken prednisone in order to reduce the symptoms for years – those who know the side-effects of prednisone understand how bad her allergies have been. It’s not a drug that’s prescribed chronically lightly. Some mornings, she wouldn’t be able to go into work because her eyelids were so severely inflamed that she couldn’t open them more than a slit, though the symptoms would mostly subside as the day went on. Now that I’m older, I know that her swollen eyelids were affected by blepharitis, an inflammation of the eyelids.

There are a plethora of things that can cause blepharitis, among them the chronic allergies my mom suffers from. The symptoms of blepharitis are pretty obvious; your eyelids become swollen and red, and skin around them may begin to flake. The eyes themselves may become watery and red, and might be light-sensitive. Your eyelashes might be crusty when you wake up, your eyelids might stick together, you’ll probably need to blink more often, and your eyelashes might start to grow in abnormally. All in all, the condition isn’t pleasant, but it’s not contagious, though if an underlying disease is causing it, that disease might be. Generally speaking, blepharitis won’t cause lasting damage to your eyes, unless abnormal growth of your eyelashes causes them to grow towards your eyelid.

Finding out what is causing your blepharitis is key to tackling the problem. Sometimes, it’s caused by excess oil production in the eyelids, causing the pores to become blocked. Your eyebrows might be producing dandruff, which is irritating the eyelid. Bacterial infections can lead to blepharitis, and some of these are infectious; that’s the exception to the “not contagious” rule. In a similar vein, the condition can also be caused by lice or eyelash mites; these same mites are being investigated as one of the possible causes of rosacea.

There are a few tips for reducing the impact of blepharitis. You can apply a warm washcloth over your eyes to reduce the swelling; be sure to carefully wash your hands before applying it, lest you aggravate symptoms. You might also clean your eyes with a washcloth or cotton swab, running it along the margins of the eyelid and the eyelashes, then changing washcloths and cleaning the other eye. When you clean your eye in this manner at least once a day, it can seriously reduce the impact of blepharitis.

You should get an eye exam done if you’re experiencing blepharitis; obviously, it’s important to figure out what’s causing the condition to occur. When the answer is clear, medications or other treatment should make the symptoms go away over a period of time; sometimes, however, the answer isn’t so clear, and your blepharitis may be a chronic condition. In these cases, following your optometrist’s instructions for cleaning and treating the eye will help you live with the condition. Speaking from experience, my mom got her blepharitis under control pretty quickly after it began to develop; some days were worse than others, but the condition is certainly one you can live and thrive with!

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Eye Candy

Wouldn’t it be lovely if candy provided all of our essential nutrients? Pop a Tic-Tac into your mouth and your body has all the resources it needs for the day; sounds great! Unfortunately, science isn’t quite there yet; as it stands, we still need to eat a wide array of foods in order to live our healthiest lives. Our eyes are no exception to this rule; as one of the most complex organs, they need a wide variety of nutrients to function properly and to stave off degeneration. Discussing the nutrients we need might help select the best foods to eat; when you’re eating a balanced meal, you’re far less likely to need any form of supplement to keep your body as it’s best.

Vitamin A is absolutely essential for your eyes. This vitamin is used in their maintenance and repair; one form of Vitamin A is called Retinol, for the retina in which it is found. Without getting too complicated about it, retinol is processed by rod cells to enable them to change shape. This is especially useful in low-light conditions, where the rods become useful for discerning shapes and depth. One of the first signs of vitamin A deficiency is night blindness. Long-term vitamin A deficiency can cause chronic dry eye and corneal tears, both incredibly unpleasant. At worst, the cornea becomes so misshapen that the eye cannot function, leading to blindness. Vitamin A is found exclusively in animal products; liver, fish, cheese and eggs are all excellent sources of the nutrient. This would be problematic for vegetarians and vegans, but there’s a happy workaround.

One of the most talked about nutrients in the eye health world is beta-Carotene. When it is synthesized by the body, it becomes vitamin A; it is therefore known as a provitamin. You can find it in orange foods, like carrots and sweet potatoes; it’s also available in leafy greens, like kale, collards and shards. You should be careful, and consult an optometrist before taking any supplements designed to stave off age-related macular degeneration; smokers who consume beta-Carotene supplements may be at an increased risk of lung cancer. When possible, get vitamin A through food.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are two more important eye nutrients. They are carotenoids, like beta-Carotene, but they serve a vastly different purpose. These nutrients aren’t made naturally by your body; fortunately, they are found in the aforementioned leafy greens. Kale, chard and spinach are winners here. You can get some lutein and zeaxanthin from eggs, but vegetables are the best source. They help filter high-energy blue light, which we discussed in another blog post; that means they may lower the risk of cataracts.

When you’re considering a new eye related diet, you should speak with your optometrist. Winnipeg eye care professionals will be able to help you figure out what you can eat in order to get enough nutrients. Health is holistic, so we can help you even if you have a number of dietary restrictions; we want what’s best for you!

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A New Year, A Fresh Perspective

2019 is finally here. That means the next decade is next year, and if you squint, you can almost see it; imagining that future, you’ve got 2020 vision.

By the time many of you read this, you’ll have already committed to and, to be honest, probably broken some New Year’s Resolutions. For those of you who don’t have any resolutions, and for those who need new ones, we have a few vision related propositions that you can easily see through. After all, you can’t spell New Year’s with eyes. More obviously, you can’t spell it without ears, but those aren’t our specialty.

Take care of your eyewear. This one is obvious to some, but for those who aren’t cleaning their glasses religiously – there’s a whole new world of vision out there for you. Your glasses are smudged; it’s like having fog around you constantly! Admittedly, at this time of season you’re really just distinguishing between shades of grey, so it might not be the most exciting moment to take up a glasses cleaning routine, but any time is better than no time! Check out our blog post on how to clean your glasses to make sure they’re well taken care of. During the nighttime, put your glasses in a case with a surface that won’t scratch them. Take good care of your glasses, and they’ll take good care of you!

Wear sunglasses every day. This doesn’t mean wear them 24/7; wearing your sunglasses at night stopped being fashionable around the mid 80s. A lot of folks neglect to wear sunglasses in the winter, though, and that’s a big mistake. The light from the sun can reflect off of the snow and into your eyes, potentially leading to their degradation through UV rays. Sunglasses can come with prescription lenses, so you’ll be able to see as clearly as if you had your regular glasses on. The sun will hurt your eyes less, so you’ll be able to see better. Most importantly, sunglasses look rad, and people will think you’re cool.*

Rest your eyes! You’re staring at a computer screen, reading a blog. Blink! Look away! Give your vision a rest and you’ll see a big improvement in your life. You’ll also see less double vision, and feel less eye pain and headaches. Digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome, can cause serious discomfort. The rule to follow is 20/20/20; every 20 minutes, focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. The number can shift a few seconds or a few minutes or a few feet; the 20s are just really catchy.

Visit your Winnipeg optometrist! This resolution is super easy to keep, and it’s especially important if you haven’t been in a while. You might have 20/20 vision, but your optometrist can see things that you can’t, including the first signs of a plethora of diseases and health problems. Schedule an appointment for this year!

*This is not actually the most important thing. Your mileage may vary on how cool people think you are, but if you pick a good pair (we can help) they’ll at least think your sunglasses are cool.

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The Sun is Too UVlicious for Your Eyes

I don’t think you’re ready for this article. Well, okay, I do think you’re ready, but I’d already paraphrased Destiny’s Child in the title, and I didn’t feel like I could stop there. We’ll keep the Bootylicious references at a minimum for the rest of the post. We like to talk about waves of light on the blog because that’s what enables us to see; we’ve already touched on how blue light can affect your mood, vision and more. Today, we want to go into a little bit about ultraviolet radiation, and how it affects your vision.

We touched on this topic a bit when we discussed snow blindness, but here’s what you need to know. UV rays can not only harm your skin, they can harm your eyes. Exposure to UV rays is linked to a whole host of different eye problems, including cataracts, pterygium, pinguecula and macular degeneration. That means you’ve got to be extremely careful about how often you let your eyes be exposed to the sun. As a kid, I heard more than once that “you can’t stare at the sun, or you’ll burn your eye out!”. What I was envisioning was something a little more drastic, but as it turns out you don’t need to stare at the sun to risk exposure.

That’s because ultraviolet radiation doesn’t have to move in a direct line from the sun to your eyes. It bounces around, which is why you can get snow blindness; the rays hit the snow, then your eyes. It’s not just snow that can bounce UV rays, though; concrete, sand, and a plethora of other materials are quite good at spreading UV rays around. The higher the UV index, the more at risk you are, so it’s worth checking the index every day!

It’s important to remember that where you are has a huge effect on UV radiation. In Winnipeg, we’re pretty far from the Equator, so our UV index is usually pretty low; if you go on vacation to a tropical location, you better wear sunglasses pretty much non-stop! Your altitude also has an effect; the higher up you are, the more UV radiation will reach your eyes. The sun being high in the sky will also lead to more UV rays, and certain medications might increase your susceptibility to UV.

For the best protection against UV rays, you’ll want sunglasses that block 100% of UV radiation. Your optician will be able to help you find the right brand; you can get prescription sunglasses that let you see in 20/20 while protecting your eyes! For those who don’t want to buy two pairs of glasses, one for sun and one for none, and who don’t want to wear their sunglasses at night so they can see, there are photochromic eyeglasses Winnipeg optometrists can offer that begin to block UV rays when exposed to the sun. Treat your eyes well, and you’ll save yourself a lot of hardship down the line!

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How to Clean Your Glasses

I’ve got a friend who almost never cleans his glasses; he’ll get rid of the smears and smudges maybe once a month. When asked why, as a nearsighted person who needs glasses to be able to operate at all, he opts not to clean them, he gave an interesting answer. It’s not laziness, he’ll claim; rather, it’s because his eyes adjust to all the smudges, and when he finally cleans his glasses, he has super vision. I think it’s important to note here that changes to subjective experience do NOT, in fact, mean your vision is improved by any measurable metric, and you’re probably better off cleaning your glasses on the regular. Glasses are precision instruments, though, so you need to adopt the right methods for cleaning them.

The first step is creating a somewhat sterile environment; that means washing your hands thoroughly before handling your glasses. After all, your hands are going to pick up dust, grease, grime and all kinds of other glass-smudging substances over the course of your day. Opt to wash with a lotion-free soap; lotions make your hands feel soft, but also kind of oily, and that’s no good for glass. Dry thoroughly, and you can get to work.

The next step is rinsing your glasses under lukewarm water; too hot and you can damage lens coating, too cold and it will be uncomfortable for your hands. Going for room temperature is the best bet. Once the glasses are rinsed off, you have a couple of options for cleaning them. You can use spray on eyeglasses cleaner that you know has been formulated not to damage the coating of the lenses or cause smudges, or you could use lotion-free dish soap. When using soap, use a very small amount to avoid causing damage; a couple of drops on your fingertips will suffice. That’s because dish soap is quite concentrated; some would argue you should dilute every bottle. Gently rub the soap on both sides of the lenses, on the frames, on the nose pads; basically every inch of your glasses.

Once the cleaning portion is done, thoroughly rinse off your glasses in lukewarm water. You want to make sure to get every trace of soap off, lest you end up with soap scum on your glasses; you really don’t want to repeat the cleaning routine again. You can then carefully shake your glasses to remove excess water, then pass over them with a clean, lint-free, soft towel or an eyeglass cloth; make sure the towel isn’t too rough, to avoid scratching the lenses.

And just like that, you can see clearly again! While this might not give you super vision, it does give you consistent vision, which I’ll argue is even more important. If after a thorough cleaning you still can’t see well, it may be time to get new glasses, either because the lenses on yours are too scratched up or because you need a new prescription. Visit your Winnipeg optometrist to find out if you need an adjustment!

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