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Continuing our theme from our last blog post, here are five more eye-opening facts about taking care of your vision.

6. Irritated Eyes Need Attention

Irritated eyes may signal an infection. Home treatment with eye drops may help a very short-term irritation, but do not ignore the problem if it continues past the first dose. Of particular concern is the use of steroid eye drops, which may relieve discomfort and redness but can mask symptoms of a problem that threatens your eyes. Be very careful, take eye discomfort seriously, and call your doctor right away.

Pinkeye is a common eye infection that usually clears up quickly on its own or with appropriate treatment. But be aware that the disease can be bacterial or viral, and the wrong treatment can spell serious problems that damage your vision. A simple test will tell the difference and ensure you receive the proper care.

While we are on the subject of infections, we should mention that sleeping in extended-wear contacts increases your chances of infection tenfold. Take them out before bed!

7. Eyes That Are Not Irritated Need Consideration, Too

Some eye diseases are not accompanied by irritation; some have no symptoms until they reach an advanced stage. A yearly exam by an ophthalmologist is necessary to screen for eye diseases, some of which, including glaucoma and macular degeneration, can blind you. A traumatic blow to your head can also result in vision loss, so if you have been injured, be alert for vision problems that suggest that you need to see a doctor. Some illnesses are associated with higher risk for eye problems. For example, hypertensive retinopathy, which occurs in people with high blood pressure, can cause blindness. This is why your eye doctor may ask you questions about your overall health.

8. Eyeglasses Are Not Addictive

People diagnosed with myopia or other correctable vision problems sometimes hesitate to get glasses out of a fear of becoming dependent upon eyeglasses. This is a misconception. If you need glasses, they help you see better until you take them off, and then you see just as badly as before, but not worse. This holds true for all types of corrective lenses: reading glasses, distance glasses, and glasses for astigmatism.

9. “Don’t Look at the Sun, You’ll Go Blind!”

You have heard this advice, and you have probably noticed that looking naked-eye toward the sun briefly, as happens in the normal course of things (admiring a sunset, or driving west in the evening), won’t blind you. This is because your pupils contract to keep most of the light out. But two ways of looking at the sun can and do cause blindness. The first is with magnification: viewing the sun through binoculars or a telescope is very dangerous, as the lens concentrates the sun’s light. Never look at the sun through a telescope without highly specialized sun filters, and be very careful with binoculars to keep your view away from the sun.

Another sun danger is looking at a partial eclipse through an inadequate filter. People lose their sight by looking at eclipses through dark glass or other materials that seem safe because they screen much of the visible light—but they let in UV light, which you can’t see. NASA warns that sunglasses do not make eclipse viewing safe!

Unsafe filters include color film, some non-silver black and white film, medical x-ray films with images on them, smoked glass, photographic neutral density filters, and polarizing filters. Solar filters designed to thread into eyepieces (which are often sold with inexpensive telescopes) are also dangerous.

NASA’s website advises viewers that only #14 welding glass, and a few other specialized materials, allow safe direct viewing of the sun.

10. Keep Your Specs Spic and Span

The little eyeglass cloth that comes with new eyeglasses is not just handy; it is the best cloth to use. If you do not have it nearby when you need to wipe your glasses clean, by no means use a napkin or paper towel, which will scratch the coatings and potentially the lens itself. Any microfiber cloth will do a great job and avoid scratches. A drop of dish soap with warm running water also works wonders.

 

Shop I Heart Eyewear Today for Great Looking Reading Glasses

At I Heart Eyewear, you’ll find a great selection of eyewear at affordable prices. Most of our reading glasses are under $20, so they fit perfectly into any budget! Check out our latest eyeglass frames for men, women, and children, where you can sort by type, shape/style, and even color and pattern!

You didn't receive an owner’s manual with your eyes, but here are some things your eye doctor would like you to know to take good care of them.

1. Your Eyes and Ultraviolet Light: The Good

A little daily sunlight on your skin is good for your eyes. A few minutes daily of exposure to the ultraviolet (UV) light within sunlight is needed for the body to produce Vitamin D. Vitamin D protects against macular degeneration, a condition that leads to vision impairment. Your eye doctor won’t tell you to stay indoors to protect your eyes (but they will tell you to wear sunglasses)! Natural light is also the best for seeing (and reading), since our eyes have developed to respond to the spectrum in our natural environment. A pair of sun readers can prevent uncomfortable glare off the printed page if you are reading outdoors.

2. Your Eyes and Ultraviolet Light: The Bad

However, UV light on the eyes can indeed harm them. Exposure over the course of years can cause macular degeneration as well as cataracts, another form of vision impairment. For this reason, most eyewear comes with a UV-protective coating. A bespectacled person has better protection outdoors than a person with no glasses; your eyewear isn’t just fashionable, it’s good for your eye health! It’s important to keep in mind that small-framed glasses, whether clear or tinted, allow UV light to reach the eye from the top and sides. The American Optometric Association recommends wraparound sunglasses for those who spend much of the day outdoors. Just as good, and less well known, are contact lenses with an FDA Class 1 UV blocker. No UV light can get around these, because they cover the entire pupil and iris.

3. Your Eyes and Nutrition

Have you wondered why children are told to eat their carrots for better vision? It’s because carrots contain beta-carotene, a nutrient that does in fact protect against macular degeneration. Carrots are also a source of Vitamin A, which protects against night blindness. What you probably weren’t told as a child is that sweet potatoes, winter squash, spinach, and kale are even better sources of beta-carotene. Liver, eggs, and milk are also great sources for Vitamin A.

Furthermore, the list of nutrients that are good for eye health includes:

• Omega-3 fatty acids (think fish and walnuts)
• Bioflavonoids (in berries and beans, for example)
• Vitamin C lutein, zeaxanthin, selenium, zinc, Vitamin E
• Vitamin D, as mentioned above

The message from all of this? Eat a balanced diet with lots of unprocessed foods, and your eyes will benefit. Your visual acuity will not improve, but it will run less risk of being degraded.

4. The Good and the Bad of Polarized Lenses

Oh, the delight of viewing a bright day through polarized sunglasses! By removing glare, polarized lenses increase eye comfort outdoors. However, there are times when you’ll want to take off those polarized glasses and maybe put on a non-polarized pair. LCD and LED displays are often unreadable through polarized glasses. In some specific outdoor sporting situations, glare can actually help you, so polarized glasses aren’t the best choice—under some skiing conditions, for example, glare may be the telltale sign of ice, a hazard you want to see so you can steer clear.

5. Will Reading in Dim Light Damage your Eyesight?

How many times have you been warned not to read in dim light? This advice, as old as it is, is also false. Old eyes do often lose their visual acuity, but this happens regardless of the light the person used for reading (or sewing, or engraving miniatures on a grain of rice). You may find that your eyes are more comfortable, and that you are able to focus longer, if you use brighter light and if you wear reading glasses.

Help Keep Your Eyes Healthy with Our Wide Selection of Eyeglass Frames!

We’ve talked about the good, touched on the bad, but there is no ugly here! Our collection of beautiful glasses will help you take good care of your eyes. Shop www.ihearteyewear.com today to view our fashionable choices of readers, sunglasses, bifocal sunglasses, and eyewear accessories. And stay tuned for the second part of this blog to help keep your eyes in tip top shape.

Spring 2015 is all about playful and dramatic trends bringing in block-color, big frames, texture, and bold prints. Here's what's hot in eyewear this season!

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Reading Eyewear and Sunglasses are Key for Healthy Vision

Those of us who wear glasses spend serious time considering which eyeglass frames will look best on our faces. But how many of us also stop and think about how our habits affect our eye health? Follow these tips for healthy eyes, so that picking out frames is the only difficult eye decision you have to make:

• Wear sunglasses. UV exposure can do damage to your eyes, just as it does your skin. Remember your sunglasses even in the winter when it’s cloudy to protect your eyes from 99% of eye-damaging UV exposure.

• Eat healthy foods. Foods rich in lutein, omega-3s, and vitamin C are great for your eye health. Berries are beneficial for your eyes, as are bright green veggies, avocados, and citrus fruits. Salmon and sardines are known for high levels of omega-3s, and legumes and grass-raised beef can also be a healthy diet staple. Eat these foods to avoid eye conditions like glaucoma and macular degeneration.

• Choose the right power level for reading glasses. Many places have a simple eye chart that can help you determine which level of magnification is right for your eyes. Our reading eye chart is available to print out, so you can check your reading glasses power level from the convenience of your own home. The wrong strength can cause headaches and strain your eyes over time.

• Take a break from technology. Look away from the computer every so often to avoid strain, blurry vision, and dry eyes. Follow the 20/20/20 rule by looking away at something 20 feet away, every 20 minutes, for 20 seconds.

• Don’t skip checkups. Your vision may seem fine to you, but your eye doctor can check your eye health from the inside out. Eye doctors may also see signs of other illnesses, such as diabetes, just from looking at your eyes.

Great Looking Reading Glasses are Just a Click Away

Need great, stylish new reading glasses? Browse the I Heart Eyewear catalogue online, and shop by type, color, style, and shape! Our quality reading glasses are priced for any budget, and most of them are under $20! Shop www.ihearteyewear.com today for all of your eyewear needs.

A Helpful Guide for Men Searching for Designer Reading Glasses

More than 6 out of every 10 people in America wear glasses or contacts, but many of these folks do not wear the most stylish frames – or anything close! Many men report that they appreciate a little help in choosing the right frames for their glasses. Here are three tried and true tips for men choosing designer reading glasses that will meet your aesthetic needs:

• When in doubt, opt for black frames. Thick, black plastic frames have become more and more popular with men, especially after being worn by celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Lebron James, and Johnny Depp. This classic and sophisticated look is perfect for general use or designer reading eyewear.

• Choose the right shape. Round, square, and rectangular glasses can all work; just make sure that whatever style you choose fits your face. If you're buying your first pair of glasses, choose smaller frames. After people get used to seeing you with glasses, you can buy larger frames if you prefer.

• Consider tortoiseshell for some eccentricity. These frames add some color; just make sure they don't include too much yellow or orange in the pattern. The frames of your glasses should accentuate your features, not stand out on their own.

Shop I Heart Eyewear for Great Looking, Quality Reading Glasses

Take a look at eyeglass frames for sale online right here at I Heart Eyewear. You’ll find plenty of inspiration when choosing your next pair of designer inspired frames. Shop by type, shape, style, color, and pattern to find your perfect pair!