When you think of the eye doctor, the first thing you think of is probably eye glasses. We have focused on reading glasses. sun glasses. blue light blocking glasses and contacts on our blog before. We thought it would be beneficial to bring a deeper dive into the world of Glasses since that is, after all, our specialty!

It can be so overwhelming once you know you need corrective lenses. There are so many factors that go in to choosing the correct frames and lenses for you. Luckily, you have TriCounty Eye on your side, and we are dedicated to making sure you have the right prescription and frame style for you!

Type of lenses

There are two types of lenses that are the main type used in eye glasses:

Single Vision Glasses – These type of lenses are most widely used because they can help people with various types of focusing issues. These lenses can also be used in the form of reading glasses. People who need reading glasses have good distance vison but have lost some near sighted vision with age. Readers can be purchased at drugs stores or online, but its really always best to get a profesional opinion.

Multifocal Glasses – These type of lenses are used to correct distance vision as well as nearsightedness. Depending on the severity of your diagnosis , the eye doctor will decide what kind of multifocal glasses will work best for you.

Bifocal – these lenses have correction in the top half for seeing at a distance as well as correction in the bottom half to help with reading. Some bifocal lenses can have a portion of the top of the lens specialized for glancing up at objects in the intermediate or near range.

Trifocals – these lenses have three different lens corrections, one for distance, one for intermediate and another for near vison. All in one lens. Pretty impressive!

Progressive lenses – these lenses function the same way as bifocals and trifocals but they do not have any clear division lines between the different types of lens. While these lenses typically do look better than the regular trifocal and bifocal lenses, they do have area that is lost due to lens transition so you may not have as big of a space for each portion as you need or would like.

Computer glasses – these are glasses specifically designed based off of your individual prescrption and your amount of time using a computer screen. They are usually multifocal lenses that will help to reduce eye strain while using a computer for long hours. They also help you to transition from a computer screen, to white boards to printed pages seamlessly.

Lens Material Options

There are four different materials that your eyeglass lenses can be made out of:

• Plastic – these are lighter, more flexible, and less likely to shatter than glass
• Polycarbonate – these are for high impact, usually worn by athletes
• Trivex – a newer plastic material that meets the same standards as polycarbonate
• High Index – this are thin, lightweight and usually recommended for people who need high vision correction.

There are pros and cons to all of them, and its something you can absolutely discuss with your doctor when you have your next exam.

Once you have your eye exam, the doctor will decide which lens is right for you. Its important to understand where your eyes are lacking so you know how to use the glasses that end up getting prescribed to you.

We also offer so many different brands of eye glass frames to choose from. We love to help our customers pick out the best frame for their face shape and for what they will be using the glasses for!

Call us today to get your eye exam scheduled and enjoy the personal attention we give to each and every customer to make sure they end up with the best vision correction option for them!

We have mentioned many times how important it is to wear sunglasses every day. We want to make sure your eyes are protected from UV rays, just like your skin, your eyes can be damaged by too much sunlight.  If you do not protect your eyes from damaging UV rays, over time it can lead to macular degeneration, cataracts, and damage to your cornea and lens.

HOW TO CHOOSE SUNGLASSES

When choosing sunglasses it is important to realize that not all sunglasses are created equal. Some things to keep a lookout for when shopping for sunglasses are:

• A sticker or tag that says the glasses provide 100% UV protection from all UV light.
• The darkest lens does not equate to the most protection. Without a sticker or tag saying it, it doesn’t protect against UV rays.
• Polarized lenses do not protect against UV rays. They are designed to reduce glare that bounces off reflective surfaces. There are polarized lenses that have UV blocking substances in them, but not all polarized lenses do.
• When picking glasses for protective purposes, the bigger the lens the better. Them more of your face the sunglasses cover, the more protection they offer.
• It doesn’t matter what color the lenses are. Regardless of the mirror finish or the color of the lens, its not going to make a difference when it comes to UV protection.

DETERMINING QUALITY LENSES

When trying on non-prescription sunglasses there are a couple tricks you can use to determine how well the lenses are made.

-Start by looking at something that has some straight lines, like a tile ceiling or floor.

-Hold the glasses away from your face and cover one of your eyes. Move the glasses up and down, and side to side while looking through the lenses with your uncovered eye.

-If the lines stay straight, they are most likely quality lenses, if the lines appear wavy they are probably not the best quality.

As always, if you come in to see us, we will make sure to fit you with the highest quality sunglasses whether you need a prescription or not.  We pride ourselves on our customer service and making sure each client gets the attention they need!

Make up is as routine in some women’s lives as waking up and eating breakfast. Make up helps you feel confident in your appearance and can be fun to use!  We wanted to take a minute to detail some safety tips regarding your make up to keep you from potentially hurting yourself while getting ready for the day.

Main Makeup Issues for Eyes

There are a few main issues that come up regularly when it comes to make up around the eyes:

Allergic Reactions – it is important to pay attention to how your skin, eyes and face feel after applying makeup, especially if you are trying a new brand or type. Some ingredients in makeup can irritate your skin if you are allergic to it.

Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) can be passed through make up or make up brushes and applicators if the bacteria has started to grow in the make up or on the applicators.

Cornea Scratch – If you have ever applied eyeliner, eyeshadow or mascara we would be willing to bet you have missed once in a while. We have all been there but accidentally scratching your eye with an eyeliner pencil can cause cornea scratches which can cause pain and even infection

Eyeliner and Eye Shadow

The two types of eye make up that cause the most risk are eyeliner and eye shadow.

Eyeliner – If worn too close to your eye, pieces of eyeliner can get into your eye. These pieces can cause a build up in the eye and create issues like irritation, infections and blurry vision.

Eye Shadow – the biggest danger with this makeup could be the ingredients. Generally most eye shadows are safe. There are some that contain ingredients like Formaldehyde, Aluminum, Parabens and Coal Tar. These ingredients can be harmful to your skin. It is important to check the ingredients in your eye makeup.

Tips for Safe Eye Make up Use

• Use clean makeup applicators
• Apply eyeliner on the outside of the lash line
• Remove your eye make up at the end of each day
• Don’t hang on to make up too long
• Rinse eye’s thoroughly if makeup gets in them
• Don’t apply makeup while driving or in a car
• Replace your make up after an eye infection

All in all the risks of using makeup outweigh the benefits in most cases. We just always like to educate our patients to create good habits to start with so they can avoid bigger issues in the long run.

Thyroid Eye Disease

January is Thyroid Awareness Month. With that in mind we thought it could be a great time to shed some light on thyroid eye disease. This is a disease that is correlated with your thyroid.

What is Thyroid Eye Disease? (or TED)

TED is when the eye muscles, eyelids, tear glands, and fatty tissues behind your eyes become inflamed. It can also be referred to as Graves Orbitopathy or Ophthalmopathy. At its core it is an autoimmune decision, which means the immune system attacks the tissue surrounding the eye.

The same autoimmune system condition that causes TED also affects the thyroid gland. This can result in Graves Disease. Graves Disease causes thyroid over or under activity. It is more common that it will cause thyroid overactivity. TED can occur in people with overactive, underactive or a normal functioning thyroid. People who have TED usually need to be seen by both an ophthalmologist and a thyroid specialist.

Symptoms

• Red eyes
• Swollen Eyes
• Uncomfortable eyes
• Bulging Eyes
• Water eyes
• Feeling grittiness in the eye
• dry eyes
• blurred or double vision

What are the chances you could get TED?

Usually about a quarter of people with Graves disease end up developing TED. Your chances of developing TED increases by eight times if you smoke cigarettes’.

TED can be managed once diagnosed. There are many things you can do to relieve the symptoms ranging from artificial teardrops to surgery.

Our goal is to bring more awareness to this condition so our patients know what to look out for. We want to be able to help our patients with their overall health starting with their eyes!