Month: November 2022

Are you one of the unlucky few who are unable to see the full spectrum of color? Those of us who are not color blind will never understand how frustrating it could be to not get to see the vibrant colors earth has to offer. We wanted to offer a little insight to our patients about color blindness.

What is Color Blindness?

Color blindness is when you see colors differently than the vast majority of people.

Telling the difference between red and green is the most common type of color blindness, which can make learning to drive a little bit trickier. Another type will make it hard to tell the difference between blue and yellow. There is a variation where you cannot see color at all but that is rare.

How do I know if I am?

It is completely possible for someone to not realize they have color blindness in some cases because the symptoms are so mild. Some symptoms include:

• Trouble seeing the difference between colors
• Trouble seeing how bright colors are
• Trouble seeing different shades of colors

What Causes Color Blindness?

Color blindness is most commonly a genetic trait that is passed down in families. Other causes could be some kind of damage to your eye or brain. Also, just like your eyesight, your color vision could start to get worse as you age.

You are more likely to be color blind if you:

• Have a family history of it
• Have glaucoma
• Have age-related macular degeneration
• Take certain medicines

Diagnosis

The fastest way to find out for sure if you are color blind is to ask your eye doctor at your yearly visit. Your doctor will be able to run a test that will tell you if you are able to see color normally or not.

If you think you might be color blind but have not been diagnosed, mention at your next appointment with us! We would be glad to check for you.

Over here at Tri-County Eyes we are big fans of the sunshine, and we are lucky to get to spend so much time in it living here in South Carolina. Sunshine has been proven to be necessary for overall health but there is some new research that points to the sun helping kids possibly prevent nearsightedness.

We wrote a blog about nearsightedness (Myopia) a few weeks ago if you want to check it out for background on this topic.

Myopia is on the rise in children. According to the American Association of Ophthalmology, 40% of children ages 6 to 19 are nearsighted. This high percentage is thought to point to the change in human habits. Since the invention of technology, more and more children are increasing screen time and decreasing their time outdoors. This is a factor that could cause children to develop nearsightedness.

Now, I know this doesn’t sound like new information, we all have heard the old saying not to sit too close to the TV. Now there is some evidence to suggest that spending more time outdoors can help ward off nearsightedness.

It is still a new theory, but considers sunlight can increase the dopamine levels in the eye which in turn helps the growth of the eye. Experts suggest to start as early as possible by monitoring screen time and encouraging more time outside in the sunshine.

We find it especially important to teach good habits involving screen time starting as young as possible. While kids’ eyes are still developing, teach them about the 20/20/20 rule:

For every 20 minutes of screen time, take a break and focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Use device settings to set screen time reminders and actively monitor how long they are using their device. Now with this new information, it is strongly suggested to deliberately schedule some outside time. It could just help ward off eye issues in the future.

While sunshine still can’t be considered a cure-all, this is another bonus to spending time outdoors. Of course, we always want to prioritize safety so don’t forget your sunscreen and sunglasses!

If you have any concerns about your child’s eyesight, make your appointment with TriCounty eyes so we can help!