photo credit: sugarwawa
As summer comes to a close and you get back into the swing of your daily routine, we remind you of 3 easy ways that you can improve and protect your vision.
Rebuild Your Vision
We have covered these points in the past, but, it is easy to forget these simple habits that can have an extremely beneficial effect on the health and well being of your eyesight!
Computer Vision Syndrome
Computer Vision Syndrome is now one of the most common vision problems in America. Blurred vision, headaches, focusing difficulties, burning eyes, red eyes, and neck pain are just a few of the common symptoms.
Put simply, the human eye has difficulty focusing on the pixels of a computer screen. Your eye doesn’t necessarily know where to focus. This causes it to constantly strain and work to maintain a clear image.
There’s no doubt that computers are a way of life. So here are a few tips to help ease the pain.
1. Monitor Position: Repositioning your monitor is an easy and effective way to avoid awkward head or eye movements. It should be squarely in front of you at a distance of 18 to 28 inches, with the top of the monitor (not the screen) level with your eyes. You may also have to adjust the angle of your monitor to allow your eyes to remain in a natural position (straight ahead and slightly down). The ideal viewing angle is 10 to 20 degrees below your eye level.
2. Glare: Adjust blinds or curtains to minimize sunlight. Turn down overhead lights so that the brightness of the screen and the surrounding room are balanced. Do not, however, work in the dark: the contrast between computer-generated light and lack of background light strains the eyes.
3. 10-10-10: Remember, every 10 minutes look at something at least 10 feet away for 10 seconds. Can’t remember to do this? Then you may want to check out our Vision Defense Software click here.
2 Take Your Vitamins -
There’s no doubt that lack of certain nutrients can lead to vision problems. The research behind the beneficial effects of certain vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements to your eyes is endless. Alpha-Lipoic Acid, Bilberry, Chromium, Copper Gluconate, Eyebright, Ginkgo Biloba, Glutathione, Lutein (containing Zeaxanthin), N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), Quercetin, Rutin, Selenium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Zinc all play an important role in vision health.
These nutrients can improve the clarity of your vision, increase blood flow and nutrient delivery to your eyes, and help to prevent potentially blinding conditions like glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts.
3. Protect Your Eyes
Although winter isn’t necessarily the time you think about sunglasses they should still be a part of your daily attire. The sun sits lower in the sky in the winter which may expose you to more ultraviolet light and glare.
Here’s what to look for in a good pair of sunglasses:
Expensive does not always mean protective.
What really counts is the degree to which the lenses filter out UV rays. Make sure your sunglasses have a statement on the label telling you how much UV protection they offer. The American Optometric Association offers a Seal of Acceptance for sunglasses that block 99 percent to 100 percent of UV radiation. Look for this seal to be sure you are getting the maximum protection.
Darker is not always better.
Although it would seem that the darker the sunglasses, the more light they block, in fact dark sunglasses may still allow UV rays to enter the eye. They can even be more harmful than wearing no glasses at all, because they cause the pupil of the eye to dilate, which allows more UV rays to enter. It’s a special coating on the lens that makes them safe, not their darkness.
Choose the special feature that’s right for you.
Polarizing lenses, which reflect glare from snow, water, and roads, are good for skiers, boaters, and cyclists. Photochromic lenses darken or lighten with the amount of light present and may be useful if weather conditions are erratic. Mirror coatings are best for intense glare (snow or water). Wraparound and close-fitting frames block more glare, wind, and debris around the sides of the eyes.
And last but not least, be sure to perform your daily Rebuild Your Vision training sessions!
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, September 9th, 2008 at 4:42 pm and is filed under Vision Therapy.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
As summer comes to a close and you get back into the swing of your daily routine, we remind you of 3 easy ways that you can improve and protect your vision.
Rebuild Your Vision
We have covered these points in the past, but, it is easy to forget these simple habits that can have an extremely beneficial effect on the health and well being of your eyesight!
Computer Vision Syndrome
Computer Vision Syndrome is now one of the most common vision problems in America. Blurred vision, headaches, focusing difficulties, burning eyes, red eyes, and neck pain are just a few of the common symptoms.
Put simply, the human eye has difficulty focusing on the pixels of a computer screen. Your eye doesn’t necessarily know where to focus. This causes it to constantly strain and work to maintain a clear image.
There’s no doubt that computers are a way of life. So here are a few tips to help ease the pain.
1. Monitor Position: Repositioning your monitor is an easy and effective way to avoid awkward head or eye movements. It should be squarely in front of you at a distance of 18 to 28 inches, with the top of the monitor (not the screen) level with your eyes. You may also have to adjust the angle of your monitor to allow your eyes to remain in a natural position (straight ahead and slightly down). The ideal viewing angle is 10 to 20 degrees below your eye level.
2. Glare: Adjust blinds or curtains to minimize sunlight. Turn down overhead lights so that the brightness of the screen and the surrounding room are balanced. Do not, however, work in the dark: the contrast between computer-generated light and lack of background light strains the eyes.
3. 10-10-10: Remember, every 10 minutes look at something at least 10 feet away for 10 seconds. Can’t remember to do this? Then you may want to check out our Vision Defense Software click here.
2 Take Your Vitamins -
There’s no doubt that lack of certain nutrients can lead to vision problems. The research behind the beneficial effects of certain vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements to your eyes is endless. Alpha-Lipoic Acid, Bilberry, Chromium, Copper Gluconate, Eyebright, Ginkgo Biloba, Glutathione, Lutein (containing Zeaxanthin), N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), Quercetin, Rutin, Selenium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Zinc all play an important role in vision health.
These nutrients can improve the clarity of your vision, increase blood flow and nutrient delivery to your eyes, and help to prevent potentially blinding conditions like glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts.
3. Protect Your Eyes
Although winter isn’t necessarily the time you think about sunglasses they should still be a part of your daily attire. The sun sits lower in the sky in the winter which may expose you to more ultraviolet light and glare.
Here’s what to look for in a good pair of sunglasses:
Expensive does not always mean protective.
What really counts is the degree to which the lenses filter out UV rays. Make sure your sunglasses have a statement on the label telling you how much UV protection they offer. The American Optometric Association offers a Seal of Acceptance for sunglasses that block 99 percent to 100 percent of UV radiation. Look for this seal to be sure you are getting the maximum protection.
Darker is not always better.
Although it would seem that the darker the sunglasses, the more light they block, in fact dark sunglasses may still allow UV rays to enter the eye. They can even be more harmful than wearing no glasses at all, because they cause the pupil of the eye to dilate, which allows more UV rays to enter. It’s a special coating on the lens that makes them safe, not their darkness.
Choose the special feature that’s right for you.
Polarizing lenses, which reflect glare from snow, water, and roads, are good for skiers, boaters, and cyclists. Photochromic lenses darken or lighten with the amount of light present and may be useful if weather conditions are erratic. Mirror coatings are best for intense glare (snow or water). Wraparound and close-fitting frames block more glare, wind, and debris around the sides of the eyes.
And last but not least, be sure to perform your daily Rebuild Your Vision training sessions!
This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 9th, 2008 at 4:42 pm and is filed under Vision Therapy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.