There are many myths that have advanced throughout the years as it relates to our eyes and their health. Advancements in science have helped us debunk some, but also better understand others. See if you recognize a few of these:

  • Carrots Give You Great Eyesight At Night – While it is true that carrots are loaded with beta carotene, which is a vital nutrient for your eye health, it will not help you see better at night.
  • Children That Squint Will Grow Out Of It – Unfortunately, we have been able to prove that it is not true and actually can be quite dangerous. Children that squint, if left untreated, can develop lazy eye.
  • You Don’t Need Regular Eye Exams – You should have an eye exam at least every other year. Doing so will help to determine glaucoma. It can also help detect age-related macular degeneration among many other issues.
  • Overusing Electronics Can Cause An Astigmatism – Not true. Astigmatism, which is the irregular shape of the eye cannot be caused by viewing electronic screens.

The main takeaway here is that having regular eye exams are critical to your eye health and following old wives tales could have potential serious impacts to your eye health. For more questions about old wives tales, contact our team. We’re here to help!

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

A study, released in the August issue of Neurology, shows researchers in Seoul, Korea have possibly determined a correlation between the thinning of the retina and Parkinson’s disease. The study, which evaluated 50 people with the average age of 69 were able to determine that those with Parkinson’s had an average innermost retina thickness of 35 micrometers while those without had an average thickness of 37 micrometers.

The scan was completed with a high resolution scan that takes light waves of each layer of the retina. From there, they were able to measure the thickness of the retina layer. Larger studies are needed to confirm the finding, but the results are both interesting and promising.

Being able to a long-range test that can determine Parkinson’s would be amazing as it would allow for treatment to slow the progression. As always, your eye health is a critical indicator of your overall health. For more questions about your eyes, contact our team.

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE 

Let’s face it…we’re exposed constantly to our electronic devices. Phones, tablets, PCs, and TVs have taken over our lives and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. With the switch to technology has come a lot of conveniences, but it has also brought about a concern in protecting our eye health.

With constant use of electronics, we are exposing our eyes to harmful blue light that can increase eye strain and dry eye, just to name a few. Often times, we get so wrapped up in browsing social media, shopping online or playing games that we forget we are staring at our screens for so long. So, how do you combat today’s digital environment?

  • Set aside a break time – every 20 to 30 minutes look away for 20-30 seconds. Look off at something far away and give your eyes a rest.
  • Wear glasses that block out blue light – we talked about what blue light can do, investing in a good pair of blue light blocking glasses can help your eyes.
  • Manage distance – How far are away from your face are your devices typically? The general preferred distance is 20-40 inches. A good rule of thumb is arms reach. For larger screens, move farther away.

As always, routine eye exams are critical for maintaining your eye health and allow us to track your digital eye strain. If you have questions about your mobile device usage, contact our team. We’re here to help!

Most people are aware that it is important to protect your eyes from the sun. Especially since, growing up there was a good chance we’re told not to look at the sun. And there is a high likelihood that you own a pair or two of sunglasses and that you wear them frequently, but the decision to wear them during the summer months is vital.

How you protect your eyes throughout your life helps to determine how healthy your eyes will be as you age. So, it is especially important to start early with children protecting their eyes.

Warm weather lends itself to us being outside more than in the cooler months, which means there’s more exposure to sunlight. The harmful UV rays of the sun can burn your eyes and could lead to cataracts, which is the clouding of the eye.

The best tips to combat the suns rays are hats and sunglasses designed to block UV rays. If able, polarized lenses are an even better option.

If you have questions about protecting your eyes or your children’s eyes, contact our team. We’re here for you!

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, one in three Americans will have a vision impairing disease. The leading causes of adult blindness and low vision can be attributed to four diseases: age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts. The problem with all four of these diseases is that they do not cause pain or have other early warning symptoms that would prompt someone to go to the eye doctor.

However, there are several steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing an eye disease:

  • Get a comprehensive medical exam at age 40 – At this age some early symptoms could begin to present.
  • Know your family history – Some diseases can be inherited and knowing your heritage can help the doctor evaluate your risk.
  • Eating healthy foods – Healthy foods, like leafy greens and many fruits and vegetables give your eyes the vitamins and nutrients that they need.
  • Stop smoking – If you’re a smoker, it does increase your chance of developing an eye disease.
  • Wear sunglasses – Wearing sun glasses blocks the harmful UV rays of the sun that can increase risk of eye disease.

Of course, everything is dependent specifically on you and your health factors and family history. Keeping a routine eye exam on the books is important to helping track changes in your eye health. For more questions, contact our team. We’re happy to help!

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

Children posess so much wonder and creativity. They’re smart and intelligent and with the right encouragement and support environment they can achieve anything. But, if they struggle to see well, that can dim their bright future. That’s why routine eye exams are key to your children’s future.

Having your child’s eyes routinely checked can help make sure they are developing correctly as well as helping them to see clearly. When they can see clearly, they are more engaged in the classroom and typically perform better. Also, it can allow us to get a general sense of your child’s overall health as there are many indicators in the eyes.

We cannot stress enough the importance of maintaining routine exams and the proper diet for their eye health. If you have questions, contact our team today!

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

Eating the right types of foods can have great benefit to your overall health, but also, your eyes. Many people focus on eating the right foods for maintaining their overall health or their weight but not many people consider the foods they eat for their eye health.

According to WebMD, these are some foods are the best for your eyes:

  • Raw Red Peppers – Packing the most vitamin C per calorie, these vegetables give the blood vessels in your eyes the vitamins they need. Which is good for helping to prevent cataracts.
  • Sunflower Seeds & Nuts – An ounce of these seeds gives you half of the vitamin E that is recommended for adults per day. Vitamin E can help fight age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  • Dark Leafy Greens – Kale, spinach, collard greens are full of vitamins C & E. Also, they contain carotenoids which are great for your eyes.
  • Salmon – A great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help to protect your eyes from glaucoma and AMD.
  • Sweet Potatoes – Orange colored fruits and vegetables are high in beta-carotene, which helps with your night vision and your eyes ability to adjust to darkness.

To read the complete list, click here.

If you have questions about your eye health and the foods that are best for your eyes, contact our team. We’re here to help you with your eyes.

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT US

Even when you don’t notice a change to your eyesight, you should still have regular eye exams. Many people only resort to having an eye exam when they notice that something in their vision or that something is obviously wrong, however many eye problems can be prevented with routine eye exams.

Having a routine eye exam gives us the ability to diagnose the overall health of your eyes and your overall health in general, but more importantly, it can give us an opportunity to cut problems off at the pass. If you wait until symptoms are present, it could be too late.

So, if it’s been a while since your last exam, contact our team and schedule an appointment today. Your eyes will thank you!

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

Has your eyelid ever “ticked” or “twitched” and you wondered what the cause was? The technical name is “myokymia” and they are contractions of the eye. Generally they are found on the lower eye lid, but they can be found in the upper eyelid as well.

So what causes twitching eyes?

There are many factors, but stress, tiredness, eye strain, caffeine, alcohol, dry eyes, nutritional imbalances, allergies and more can all play a part in myokymia’s presence. To diagnose the cause it is important to pay attention to the levels present in any of these triggers.

There is no significant concern for twitching, but it could take time to resolve itself, especially if the trigger is difficult to locate. To learn more about causes, contact our team today.

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE

Most of us have heard of pink eye and most of us know that it is contagious and easy to spread, but do you know exactly what pink eye is? Do you know how to treat it?

Conjunctivitis, or pink eye, is an irritation or inflammation of the conjunctiva, which covers the white part of the eye. It can be caused by allergies, bacteria or viral infection. It can be highly contagious and is spread by contact with eye secretions from someone who is infected. Symptoms can include redness, itching, and tearing of the eyes. It can also create discharge or crusting around the eyes.

If you find yourself with pink eye, it’s important to stop wearing your contacts. Conjunctivitis can resolve on its own, but allergy triggered pink eye can be treated with antihistamines and bacterial pink eye can be treated with antibiotic eye drops.

To learn more about pink eye contact our team. We’re here to help!

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ROYAL OAK EYE CARE