Eyeliner Tips for Healthy Eyes

Eyeliner Tips to Keep Eyes Healthy

Eyeliner can be applied to create a new look, or enhance natural eye appearance. But our eye doctors want to share some tips and alert eyeliner wearer to watch when and where eyeliner is applied. Three tips for safe application:

When to Apply-If you’re running late to work, school or an appointment, you may be tempted to grab your makeup and apply it in the car. But don’t use eyeliner when the car is moving, you could injure or poke your eye. A better idea is to wait until you are safely parked.

Keep It Clean-Eyeliner pencils periodically need sharpening for easy application. Use a makeup sharpener, not a kitchen or pocket knife, or a sharpener used for pencils or crayons. Prevent spreading germs to your eyes by washing your hands before using eyeliner, and don’t borrow or share eyeliner products with others. This includes liquid and cream eyeliners as well.

Watch the Location-Applying eyeliner along the inside edge of the eyelid, called the waterline, can enhance the look of your eyes. But it also may increase the risk for contamination and vision problems. Studies show that flecks from eyeliner, especially those with glitter, may drop into the eye and collect in tear film. Vision may become blurry, and eyes may become red and irritated. A bacterial infection also may develop. This is a problem, especially for those who wear contacts or have dry, sensitive eyes.

If you or someone you know has a question about how to use eyeliner safely and protect eye health, please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, Google+ or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment. 

Doctor & Associates offices are located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.           

Uncorrected Farsightedness & Children’s Literacy

A study funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has shown that hyperopia in preschool children is associated with significantly worse performance on a test of early literacy. The results of the Vision in Preschoolers–Hyperopia in Preschoolers (VIP–HIP) study, which compared 4 and 5 year old children with uncorrected hyperopia to children with normal vision, found that children with moderate hyperopia-3 to 6 diopters of correction-did significantly worse on the Test of Preschool Early Literacy (TOPEL) than their “normal vision” peers. A diopter is the lens power needed to correct vision to normal. The higher the diopter, the worse the hyperopia. This study suggests that an untreated vision problem in preschool, in this case one that makes it harder for children to see things up close, can create literacy deficits that affect grade school readiness. In most children with hyperopia, the condition is mild and has little impact on vision. A small number of preschool children have high hyperopia-more than 6 diopters-that is corrected with eyeglasses. It’s estimated that 4-14% have moderate hyperopia, which often goes undiagnosed and untreated. The results revealed significantly worse performance on the TOPEL among children with uncorrected moderate hyperopia, especially those who also had reduced near visual function, including clarity of binocular vision and depth perception.

If you or someone you know has a school age child who has not had an eye exam, please make sure they are evaluated for vision problems as this can affect their reading readiness, literacy and overall school performance. Please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, Google+ or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment. 

Doctor & Associates offices are located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.           

Cataract Surgery & Lens Implant Patient Satisfaction

If you have cataracts or are considering cataract surgery and lens implants, if you are a good candidate, it is pretty likely that your cataract surgeon will offer you the option of a multifocal lens implant in addition to the standard monofocal lens implant. The objective of using a multifocal lens implant to correct vision after cataract surgery is to help patients become less dependent or completely independent of glasses after their cataract is removed. A multifocal lens implant allows patients to see at a range of far, arms’ length and near without glasses whereas a monofocal will require the patient to still need glasses for most arms’ length or close vision tasks. Whenever we present or recommend this option to our patients they almost always ask, “Which one is better?” or “Which one will I be most satisfied with?” A multisite clinical trial was conducted and reported on in the Journal of Refractive Surgery that compared outcomes and patient satisfaction of monofocal vs. multifocal lens implants after cataract surgery. 

Results of Cataract Surgery with Monofocal vs. Multifocal Lens Implants

The results showed both monofocal and multifocal IOLs provided good clinical outcomes. More patients receiving multifocal IOLs attained better uncorrected visual acuity at a range of distances and spectacle independence compared with patients who received monofocal IOLs. Patient satisfaction was significantly better in the multifocal group.

If you or some you know suspects they have a cataract or is considering cataract surgery and lens implants and wishes to schedule a cataract and lens implant eye exam, please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, Google+ or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment. 

Doctor & Associates offices are located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.           

Contact Lenses Increase Computer Vision Syndrome

Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is a condition that results from prolonged focusing of your eyes on a computer or other display device for protracted, uninterrupted periods of time. Typical symptoms of CVS include headaches, blurred vision, neck pain, eye redness, fatigue, eye strain, dry eyes, irritated eyes, double vision, vertigo, dizziness and difficulty refocusing the eyes. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, computer vision syndrome affects about 90% of the people who spend three hours or more a day at a computer. We now know that CVS is actually made worse by contact lens wear. According to a study in Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics contact lens wearers are more likely to suffer CVS than non-lens wearers, with a prevalence of 65% for contact lens wearers. In particular, people who wear contact lenses and are exposed to the computer for more than 6 hours per day are more likely to suffer CVS than non-lens wearers working at the computer for the same amount of time.

If you or someone you know suffers from symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) please feel free to contact us for guidelines and help with the uncomfortable effects. Please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, Google+ or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

Doctor & Associates offices are located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.

Free Eye Safety Solar Eclipse Glasses from Willows Opticians

On Monday, August 21, 2017, North America will be treated to an eclipse of the sun, or a “solar eclipse.” During a solar eclipse, the moon will pass between the sun and the earth, actually blocking the sun either partially or completely depending on where you are viewing it from. The blocking of the sun will last for up to three hours from beginning to end depending on your viewing location. The last time the contiguous U.S. saw a total eclipse was in 1979. This event turns day into night and makes the normally hidden solar corona-the sun’s outer atmosphere- visible! Bright stars and planets will become visible as well. This is one of nature’s most awesome sights. In the Fairfield County, Connecticut area, we will have a partial eclipse of about 67%. The start time will be approximately 1:24 pm, the maximum eclipse view will be at approximately 2:45 pm, with the end of the event occurring at 4:00 pm.

How Can You See It & Avoid Eye Safety Risk?

You never want to look directly at the sun without appropriate protection except during totality. “Retinal burns, called “solar retinitis” or “solar retinopathy” can be produced by direct gazing at the sun. This potentially serious problem is caused by the thermal effects of the visible and near infrared rays focused on the pigment layer of the retina. “We almost never see patients with solar retinopathy at other times because the normal eye only tolerates very brief glances at the sun. But, during a solar eclipse it is possible to have prolonged direct viewing of the sun that often results in retinal damage if you don’t take the precaution of wearing proper protective solar filtering glasses,” Dr. Leslie Doctor. 

The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” or hand-held solar viewers. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun. “To be safe to view a solar eclipse, the eclipse gasses must meet the ISO 12312-2 international standard for such products,” explained Dr. Doctor.

You may receive a free pair of eclipse glasses, by visiting any Doctor & Associates or Willows Opticians location including 129 Kings Highway N, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 or 148 East Avenue #3e, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851. 

To learn more, please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor& Associates in Fairfield County or Google+ .