Many of us battle eye allergies and it can be a frustrating problem for some. Eye allergies, or allergic conjunctivitis, present themselves in the form of itchy or red eyes and tearing or burning eyes. We often think of treating nasal allergies but ignore our eye allergies.

There are many different allergy triggers, like pollen, grass, pet dander, mold or dust mites. Even cigarette smoke or diesel exhaust can trigger eye allergies. So, when it comes to treating your eye allergies, what can you do?

Tips for managing your eye allergies
  • Keep your windows closed during high pollen periods
  • Use air conditioning in your home and car
  • Wear glasses or sunglasses outdoors to help protect your eyes
  • Use “mite-proof” bedding to help limit exposure to dust mites
  • Wash your hands after petting an animal
  • Use artificial tears, decongestant eye drops and oral antihistamines

If these tips are not able to control your eye allergies, it may be time to see an allergist for a prescription medication. If you have more questions about maintaining your health, contact Marion’s eye doctor. Our team would be happy to speak with you.

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Attention Smyth County residents: Are you or a loved one getting ready to have cataract surgery? One of the keys to a successful surgery is the right pre and post operative care. Dr. Burnop and his team can handle your surgery care and help you get back to normal.

With offices in Marion and Glade Spring, we’re nearby and our practice treats you like family. We will walk you through what you need to do before surgery, what to expect from the surgery and all the care and attention you need afterwards.

If you or a loved one are scheduled for upcoming surgery, please contact our office, we’d love to help.

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

To start off 2017, one of the topics we want to stress to Marion residents is the importance of routine eye exams if you are diabetic. With diabetes, you are four times more likely to suffer from retinopathy than those who do not have diabetes.

Retinopathy is an eye disease where damage is caused to the small blood vessels in the retina and vision loss can occur. Diabetes patients can also suffer from increased chances of glaucoma.

Routine eye exams can help to maintain your eye health and catch retinopathy, as well as many other health symptoms. Make sure you are seeing an optometrist or ophthalmologist for dilated eye exams every 1 to 2 years.

For more questions about eye health and diabetes, contact our team.

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There are some common eye risks that we tend to overlook when it comes to the health of our eyes. It’s understandable, but it is also important that we be on the lookout for these risks.

  • Ignoring regular eye exams – It’s common to feel like eye exams are not important if you can not discern a noticeable change in your eyes, but exams are important in diagnosing issues more than eye sight.
  • Ignoring eye irritation – When you’re eyes are itching and burning, it’s important to determine the cause. Time is of the essence when it comes to eye health. Prolonged symptoms can result in permanent damage.
  • Not going to the eye doctor because of insurance – Insurance is a reason many give as to why they don’t go to the eye doctor. There are many options out there to help you have your eyes routinely checked.
  • Avoiding routine eye exams for your children – They may seem like they can see just fine, but their eyes change a lot in growth and development and undiagnosed issues may interfere with development.
  • Wearing contact lenses too long – Many are guilty of this. You can see out of them, so why change them. It’s a understandable thought, but it’s important for many reasons. Eye infections are the chief culprit of wearing contact lenses too long. It’s important to change them as prescribed.

If you have questions about this list, we’d enjoy to the opportunity to speak with you. We believe in healthy eyes and want to do what we can to help.

Happy Holidays!

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A new study is looking into the idea that some UVB light could be good for the fight against myopia in children and adults. In essence, being outdoors more could help combat nearsightedness.

The study is new and more research is needed, but it appears that it will be interesting to track the progress of this study.

You can read more about the study here: Increased UVB exposure associated with reduced risk of nearsightedness, particularly in teens, young

For more questions about myopia, don’t hesitate to contact the Royal Oak Eye Care team.

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image credit: Ray on flickr

Overexposing your eyes to your contact lenses can create problems. Many of us wear our contact lenses for 10+ hours a day and most contact lenses are designed to be worn that long, but when we stretch into the entire day or multiple days, we are overusing them.

A good rule of thumb to follow is the “18 Hour Rule”. This means that your eyes need at least 18 hours a week without contact lenses in them. If you are not giving your eyes at least 18 hours of rest per week, you are over wearing them. Also, making sure you are using the right contact lens solution and using clean solution each day is important. The solution helps to remove the bacteria other irritants that can damage your eyes.

If you have questions about how to best wear your contact lenses, feel free to contact the Royal Oak Eye Care team. We’re here to keep your eyes healthy.

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Your children’s eyes are important too. It’s one of the reasons why our practice has a commitment to be family friendly. We know that you want to make sure that your children are taken care of and that you want a trusted resource to answer questions you have in an environment where your children are comfortable.

Royal Oak Eye Care is that choice for Marion families. Our desire to help is only exceeded by our commitment to care. If you’re looking for the right eye doctor for your family, we ask that you give us a try!

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As Marion residents, we know the power of community and relationship. At Royal Oak Eye Care we work to bring those same values into our practice. Simply put, we care about your eyes. We care about the concerns and vision needs. We care about the challenges you face with your eye health and we work to create practical and effective ways to help you live your life with the highest quality possible.

We know that you don’t want to be treated as a number or another transaction. You want a doctor who knows you and can help you when you need it. So, if you are looking for a better eye doctor experience, we say give us a chance. We hope that you’ll see that we care.

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If you’ve driven by our office recently, you have noticed our street sign has been transformed. We work with our advertising agency, JASE Group, to design this great looking new sign that we think is eye catching!

Next time you’re in the office, let us know what you think. We’d love your feedback.

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If we could tell the residents of Marion one thing, it would be importance of routine eye exams. Many people across this country go years and years without eye exams because they see little or no change to their vision, but routine eye exams are so much more important that just correcting vision.

Routine eye exams can help us diagnose any vision correction needs, but we can also detect future eye diseases as well as other health conditions. The importance of the eye exams being routine is that we can track these vitals year over year which can help us protect your eye health and overall well being.

Our team will take the necessary time and discuss your vision needs and concerns. Feel free to elaborate on any special visual needs with respect to your occupation, recreational activities, and hobbies. We’re here to help and we hope to see you soon!

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