Month: January 2022

You see them at the grocery store, the dollar store, the pharmacy. Packs of glasses that have different numbers on them. It’s hard to know what the numbers mean, and which ones might be right for you. Depending on your needs, you may need stronger or weaker measurements of magnification. These numbers you see on the glasses are called Diopters, or measurements of the magnification level.

There are many factors that drive us to consider reading glasses. Maybe you start having trouble reading your favorite book, or that restaurant menu? Another common reason for thinking about glasses could be frequent headaches or eye strain. This can be contributed to aging eyes or even blue light exposure as we have discussed in the past.

How to know if you need reading glasses

• Do you ever experience headaches while reading?
• Is hard to read small prints?
• Do you hold things closer or farther away to read them clearly?
• Do your eyes feel tired after reading or using a computer?

If you answer yes to any of these questions it may be time to start wearing reading glasses.

How to know what Diopter to get?

There is a basic rule of thumb depending on your age to determine what diopter reading glasses to get. If you are between 35-45 years old start with a +1.00. As you get older you may need to up it, if you are between 45-50 you will probably need at least +1.5 and then once you are into your 50s you will need +2.00. Generally, the older you are, the higher power lends you need.

The absolute best way to find out what power lens you need is to ask your eye doctor. If you are making regular appointments and getting exams on time, your eye doctor will be able to tell from your exams what your eyes will need.

Make sure to be open and honest with your eye doctor to make sure they can help in the best way possible. If you have symptoms of needing reading glasses but you ignore the signs, this can cause your eyes to continue to strain. Over the years if your eyes are constantly straining, it can make your vision worse. While in contrast, if you start wearing reading glasses at the first signs of needing them it can help to keep your vision from being impaired further.

Be Careful

If you are new to using reading glasses, be sure to pay close attention to how your eyes feel using different strength lenses. If you just pick a lens with no advice from a professional and it’s not right for you it can cause worse eye strain and headaches. You want to be sure that you are using the right strength for yourself.

Let us know here at TriCounty Eye Associates if we can help in any way with selecting the right pair of reading glasses for you!

Here at TriCounty Eye Associates, we feel like we can help our customers not only when they are in our office, but also by educating them on the different things that could affect their eye health. One of those things is Preseptal Cellulitis. This one is especially important as the kiddos have been back to school recently and more susceptible to this condition. This condition is most common in children under the age of 10. It can occur at any age though.

What is it?

Preseptal Cellulitis is an infection of the eyelid and can affect the skin around your eyeball. It can cause pain, swelling, and redness around the eye.

How does it happen?

This condition can occur when bacteria enter the eyelid area. Usually, the bacteria will come in contact with the eyelid when someone rubs their eye with their hand. It can also happen if there is a scratch near the eye that gets infected.

Another way this could happen is from a sinus infection. After having a sinus infection or during one you could develop Perceptual Cellulitis.

What to look out for:

• Tiredness
• Redness
• Tenderness
• Fever
• Pain
• Swelling

What do to if you think you or your child may have it:

Call us! Make an appointment with us for an exam. We will be able to assess the situation and diagnose if this in fact what is wrong.

Once diagnosed, antibiotics will be prescribed to treat the infection. In some serious, but rare, situations surgery is needed to correct issues from a serious case of Presptal Cellulitis.

As always, we here at TriCounty Eye associates are here for any of your eye care needs. We are happy to help you through all the possible things that could go wrong as well as be there with you through all the things that go right!

Calling all lovers of that warm cup of happiness! You know that morning cup of coffee feeling?? This blog is for you!

As of 2018 there is a connection between that glorious cup of joe and your long-term eye health. I am here to break it down and give you further justification for that daily caffeine fix!

It’s no secret that a large number of adults in America rely on a daily cup of coffee to gain their motivation and help wake them up in the morning. The National Coffee Association mentions, 7 in 10 Americans drink coffee every week, and 62% drink it every day.

A 2018 study by Cornell University proves that a daily cup can protect against a few different eye problems that can damage your retina.

• Glaucoma
• Diabetic Retinopathy
• Age-related vision loss

Each of these are detailed in other blogs written here. Feel free to brush up on our Eye Care News page!

How does coffee do this?

CLA

The Cornell study used mice, not people. BUT it shows regular use of CLA (Chlorogenic Acid), which is found in coffee, the mice who were pretreated with CLA developed no retinal damage during testing. So, because of that finding, it implies that coffee may attribute to strong retinas in humans.

Caffeine

Another big part of coffee we are all very familiar with is caffeine. That little boost we all crave can help with daily eye problems. According to the same study, as well as many others, caffeine is linked to helping to relieve common issues like Dry Eye. It has even been linked to helping stimulate tear production.

Moderation

While this information is promising and exciting for those of us who love to drink coffee, it is important to always remember to moderate your intake. While it may aid your retina’s long term health there are other bad side effects that excessive intake can cause.

If you are not a usual coffee drinker, we do not recommend forcing yourself to drink it in order to benefit your eye health. For those of us who are regular coffee drinkers, this is just another reason to keep having your magical cup of happiness each morning but remember not to overdo it.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about your eye health please call us here at TriCounty Eyes. We want to be a part of every aspect of your eye health journey!