We’re All Eyes … and Ears
VSP provider Dr. Jeffrey Anshel wrote an article for education.com regarding keeping our kids eyes safe while using digital devices and avoiding Computer Vision Syndrome and tired eyes. Good advice for adults too. Read article.
So how much time do you estimate you or your kids spend per day looking at digital devices (smart phones, video games, tv, computers, etc.)? Leave us a comment.
Photo via education.com
Learn more about the importance of wearing sunglasses – even on cloudy, overcast days – on VSP’s Eyecare Discovery Center and The Vision Council’s Under the Sun Guide.
Make your own customized eyechart!
As the skies turn overcast and the air has a chilly bite to it, many people tuck their sunglasses away for the oncoming winter months. Tsk, tsk, tsk!
Visit VSP Active to learn why UV protection is important – even on overcast and cloudy days.
Patti S. is a member of VSP's Ophthalmic Services team
This is not a treatise on the benefits of the natural feeding of human infants, but rather the first installment of a two-part post containing my ideas of what constitutes optical nirvana when filling your child’s ophthalmic lens prescription. Well, maybe only fools like me achieve anything close to nirvana when considering the composition of the ultimate pair of lenses given the needs of the recipient. Having children of my own and obviously working in this esteemed industry, I have developed a vast array of opinions over the years. I am about to share a few more with you.
Before approaching your optician, bear in mind that lens material is the first consideration you must think about. I was going to say “should,” but I think “must” fits the bill far more accurately in this case. You want to provide an impact resistant (note the italics) material. There are no ophthalmic lens materials, of which I am aware, that are impact proof, just resistant, and that is a relative term. Two readily available materials spring to mind and will do so for nearly anyone concerned with children’s vision and eyewear. These are polycarbonate and Trivex. Both of these materials will not only provide your child with safer lenses than standard plastic (don’t even think about glass), but they will be lighter in weight and possibly thinner, depending on the correction. So, poly (in optical nerd jargon) and Trivex are a done deal. Consider this bit of advice indispensable law.
Patti S. is a member of VSP's Ophthalmic Services division.
Real sunglasses are more than just darkly tinted lenses in a cool frame. Although these types of glasses may serve a function in terms of fashion and diminished light transmission, they are not sufficient, in my opinion, to act as genuine protective sunwear.
Truly protective sunwear should, at a minimum, include a tint with ultra-violet [UV] protection. Many materials, (e.g., polycarbonate), naturally absorb harmful UV rays and don’t require an additional coating. Tinted lenses, however, don’t reduce the disturbing affects of glare—they just reduce light transmission.
Polarized lenses do decrease glare and are an indispensable feature I want when buying my own sunglasses. Glare is created when light bounces off a surface. The more reflective a surface, the more glare is produced. A wet road produces more distracting and interfering glare than a dry one, but both surfaces do reflect light. Glare actually interferes with your vision and can obscure images, like children playing in the street or the rear bumper of the car you’re following.
Polarized lenses can be likened to microscopic venetian blinds for your eyes. They actually contain a filter that’s embedded with iodine crystals stretched so that they are oriented in one direction. When rotated correctly prior to insertion into your frame, they reduce visual interference from glare created from light bouncing off horizontal surfaces by preventing those scattered rays from reaching your eyes. Fishermen love them because they allow them to see into the water, not merely the bright reflection off the water.
There are many lens options you can add to polarized lenses, including anti-reflective coatings, variable tints, and a variety of colors. They are also available in almost any multi-focal or single vision design. Polarized lenses are more expensive than simple tinted lenses, but they serve a vital function in terms of your health and comfort as well as your own and others’ safety.
Well, maybe not literally. But with the 4th of July just around the corner, it’s important to keep eye safety in mind as you celebrate with your friends and family.
Our friends at Prevent Blindness America just released tips and supporting data to keep you and your kids safer this holiday. According to their release, more than 40 percent of all fireworks injuries were to children under the age of 15.
What can you do to protect your kids’ eyes during fireworks season? Check out Prevent Blindness America’s Web site to learn more.
