Hidden Dangers of Too Much Screen Time

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The number of screens in our lives seems to increase exponentially. No matter where you are, you’ll encounter a screen. They’re used in fast food restaurant menus, drive-thrus, in car parks, banks, supermarkets and more. And that’s not even including the screens you and your family use at work, school and at home. They’re everywhere. It’s becoming impossible to avoid them completely. Still, your optometrist in Jesup, GA wants you to be aware of how important it is to limit screen time as much as you reasonably can. There are too many hidden dangers to take this lightly. They include:

Eye Strain

Did you know that when you’re looking at a screen you blink only a fraction of the amount of times that you normally blink? Staring at a screen for extended periods forces the eyes to work harder, leading to discomfort and fatigue. One of the most immediate effects of too much screen time is digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome. Symptoms include dry eyes, blurred vision, headaches and neck or shoulder pain.

Exposure to Blue Light

Our screens haven’t been around long enough for us to realize the true cost of too much screen time. But we do know that digital screens emit blue light, which has the potential to damage the retina. Furthermore, too much exposure to blue light disrupts the body’s natural sleep systems, blocking the production of melatonin. In turn, too much exposure to blue light leads to insomnia, daytime fatigue and brain fog, so it’s especially important to avoid screens in the hours leading up to bedtime.

Increased Risk of Myopia

There is growing evidence that excessive screen time, especially in children, is linked to the development and progression of myopia, or nearsightedness. Spending long hours focusing on close-up screens can alter the shape of the eye over time, leading to myopia. Encouraging outdoor activities and regular breaks from screens can help reduce the risk.

Impact on Children’s Eye Health

Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of excessive screen time. Their eyes are still developing, and prolonged screen use can interfere with this process.

Regular visits with your optometrist in Jesup, GA can help to catch some of the hidden dangers early. Contact us today to schedule your appointment!

How to Prevent Cataracts Naturally

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There’s nothing more frightening than losing your eyesight. If you have cataracts and don’t get them treated, they can, in fact, cause you to go blind. That’s why it’s so important to see your optometrist in Jessup, GA, annually.

The doctor will monitor your eyesight so they can detect and provide cataract treatment in Jessup, GA, as soon as they begin rather than waiting until those issues have caused irreversible damage. The good news is that there is something you can do to help prevent cataracts naturally.

How to Prevent Cataracts Naturally

Here is what you can do to help keep from getting cataracts.

Quit Smoking

If you smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day, you are at a much greater risk of developing cataracts later in your life. So, if you smoke, it’s to your benefit to try and quit.

Protect Your Eyes from the Sun

There is some correlation between long-term exposure to ultraviolet light and the development of cataracts. So, if you spend a lot of time outdoors, please talk with your eye doctor about the best way to protect your eyes while you’re outside.

Schedule Regular Eye Exams

Your eye doctor will perform a comprehensive eye exam annually. Cataract testing is performed every two years. After the age of 65, you should have a cataract exam each year.

Properly Manage Cataract Causing Medical Conditions

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or are obese, it’s important that you manage those conditions to help avoid cataracts. Make sure you keep your blood sugar under control, eat a healthy diet, exercise, and lose weight.

Consume Antioxidant-Rich Foods

Consuming antioxidant-rich foods like yellow and dark, leafy green vegetables. The lutein and zeaxanthin they contain will lower your risk of developing cataracts.

Increase Your Intake of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Getting enough omega-3 fatty acids will help your body fight inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in seafood, walnuts, and flaxseed. The more omega-3 fatty acids you consume, the lower your chances of developing cataracts are.

Looking for an Optometrist in Jessup, GA?

Follow the steps above to try and keep from getting cataracts. Then, make sure you schedule annual exams so your eye doctor can catch and treat any issues early. Please Contact Vision Source Family Eye Care today. We want to help you keep your eyes shining clear and bright.

The Unfiltered Truth About Aging Eyesight

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As you age, many new health concerns can arise. However, seeking a comprehensive eye exam in Brunswick, GA, is just as important as scheduling a visit to the doctor for a physical checkup. Age does affect your vision and visual health, but this is nothing to fear with a good relationship with your chosen optometrist. Take a look at a few things to know about eye health as you age below.

Presbyopia Demystified: What to Expect as You Age

Presbyopia is an age-related vision change that occurs when the eye’s lens loses flexibility, which in turn affects the ability to focus on close objects. This common condition becomes noticeable as you age, as reading or close work may become more challenging. Understanding presbyopia is crucial for those entering their later years. Therefore, learning about its symptoms and the need for reading glasses or contact lenses is a good idea.

Busting Myths About Declining Night Vision

Older eyes may take longer to adjust to the darkness, which can be to blame for affecting one’s ability to see clearly at night. However, not all people will struggle to see clearly at night as they age. In fact, some individuals may face more issues driving in the bright sunlight than the low light as they get older.

Coping Strategies for Age-Related Vision Changes

Coping with vision changes as you age involves adapting to evolving needs. You may need to discuss your needs with an optometrist and find optical solutions that can help with visual acuity in different circumstances. Follow good lighting practices in your typical environments, utilize magnifying aids for reading, and maintain regular eye checkups to support your eyes as they change. These strategies allow you to navigate and adapt to age-related vision changes for continued visual well-being.

Discuss Your Vision with a Brunswick Eye Doctor

Aging affects vision, but with a trusted Brunswick, GA optometrist, there’s no need to be concerned about your visual health future. Careful monitoring and routine discussions with your eye doctor can make all the difference. If you have concerns about your visual health as you age, be sure to reach out to the team at Vision Source to schedule an appointment.

Can Eye Strain Affect My Eyeglass Prescription?

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Eye strain can manifest in any number of ways, and it’s not always noticeable if it develops exceptionally slowly over time. If you’re wondering if this can affect your eyeglass prescription, it’s important to know how squinting and peering can eventually make a more permanent change to your vision and when it’s time to see an eye doctor in Brunswick, GA.

Eye Strain and Your Vision

For the most part, eye strain causes temporary changes to your vision. The eye muscles become tired, but then they recover. So, if you happen to run across very tiny print or you’re trying to make out a freeway sign from multiple yards away, you don’t necessarily need to worry about what you’re doing to your eyes. These are normal occurrences, but they don’t happen often enough to really compromise your vision.

The problem isn’t occasional eye strain; it’s chronic eye strain in St. Marys, GA, due to uncorrected vision. If the eye is constantly straining, either because it’s under intense conditions (think overworked eyes during a chaotic time period at work) or because your prescription is wrong, it can result in permanent changes to your visit.

So, let’s say that the prescription is at -2.50 at the time of your initial eye exam. After three months, your eyes would benefit more from a -2.75 prescription due to a progression in your near-sightedness. If you spend the next nine months straining your eyes, you could end up needing a -3.0 prescription when a -2.75 might have corrected the problem before. This is something of an uncommon scenario in that most eyes don’t change this quickly, but it illustrates how important it is to pay attention to the quality of your current prescription.

Optometry Offices in Jesup, GA

At Vision Source Family Eye Care, our staff is here to help patients understand how their habits today can impact their vision tomorrow. Eye strain in adults may not be a common cause of vision changes, but the results change drastically when you start discussing the long-term changes of kids who experience eye strain. Whether you just noticed the problem in yourself or you’re noticing a family member struggling, we have three locations in Jesup, St Marys, and Brunswick to serve you.

What’s Happening to My Night Vision?

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Many people have difficulty seeing well at night. However, if your night vision, or lack of it, is getting in the way of essential tasks like driving, it’s time to talk to your eye doctor in Brunswick, GA. Impaired night vision can be caused by a more serious medical condition, so scheduling a routine eye exam should top your to-do list.

Symptoms of Impaired Night Vision

If you’re noticing any of the following symptoms after the sun goes down, it may mean there’s a problem that needs to be addressed:

  • Seeing halos around oncoming headlights
  • Inability to see the stars in the night sky
  • Vision seems blurry or cloudy in low light
  • Eyes feel sensitive to light
  • Difficulty making out small details or recognizing faces in low light

Several medical conditions can cause symptoms such as these, and the sooner you have a diagnosis, the sooner you can begin treatment to save your vision.

Why You May Have Difficulty Seeing at Night

Your eye doctor can perform a series of exams to determine why you’re experiencing difficulty. Results could include a range of chronic conditions that require treatment, including the following:

Cataracts

Cataracts cause a cloudy film to form across the lens of your eye. One of the first symptoms of cataracts may be impaired night vision. Often, cataracts can be treated through simple eye surgery, where the affected lens is removed and replaced by one that’s artificial.

Vitamin Deficiency

Your body needs specific vitamins to perform at its best, and if you’re low on vitamin A, night blindness may result. You can get vitamin A by eating lots of green, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables.

Diabetes

Uncontrolled diabetes may cause abnormal blood vessels to form in the retina. These vessels may leak, leaving blood deposits that make it difficult to see.

Other medical conditions, such as glaucoma or macular degeneration, may also affect your ability to see at night. That’s why it’s important to schedule an appointment with your eye doctor at least once a year.

Help for Impaired Night Vision in Brunswick, GA

If you need help with poor night vision in Brunswick, GA, we encourage you to call Vision Source Signature Eye Care today.

FAQs Regarding Macular Degeneration

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Macular degeneration happens when a part of the eye called the macula becomes compromised. Your macula is actually part of your retina. It’s located near the back of your eye, and its primary purpose is to process color and fine details. As a result, it’s responsible for the acuity of your central vision. If there’s a problem with your macula, you may notice changes to your vision that include blurred or fuzzy vision and blind spots when you look straight ahead. A visit to your eye doctor in Brunswick, GA, can diagnose macular degeneration.

What Causes Macular Degeneration?

Several factors may contribute to macular degeneration. For many, this is an age-related disorder that sometimes affects people over the age of 50. Gradual changes in vision may point to the dry form of this condition that’s caused by the breakdown of the macula’s light-sensitive cells. While doctors aren’t sure exactly why this happens, they do believe it may have genetic or environmental roots.

Severe macular degeneration often happens as a result of the wet form of this disorder. This happens when abnormal blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak blood and fluid that blocks your vision. Lifestyle and diseases such as chronic hypertension may lead to wet macular degeneration.

Who Is Most At-Risk of Developing Macular Degeneration?

Some people are more at-risk than others of developing this debilitation eye condition. They include:

  • Smokers
  • People who eat a lot of saturated fats
  • Those with uncontrolled hypertension
  • People over the age of 50.

Regular eye exams with your vision specialist can help detect macular degeneration in its early stages. This may prevent further loss of vision.

Is It Possible to Prevent Macular Degeneration?

You may decrease the risk of developing macular degeneration by making simple changes to your lifestyle. Stop smoking, eat a healthier, lower-fat diet, get regular exercise, and have regular eye exams. If you’re concerned sudden vision changes may signify macular degeneration in Brunswick, GA, make an appointment with Vision Source Family Eye Care today. Vision Source has convenient locations in Brunswick, St. Mary’s, and Jesup, GA, and our friendly and knowledgeable associates are always happy to schedule an appointment time that works for you.

3 Ways to Deter Eyelash Mites Around Your Eyes

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Eyelash mites, scientifically known as Demodex mites, are microscopic bugs that reside around the hair follicles on your skin. While these mites are common and live on pretty much every human, an overabundance of them generates problems. If you have an overabundance of eyelash mites, you may even be at risk of conditions that require treatment from a Brunswick, GA eye doctor.

1. Steer clear of old cosmetics

It is a good idea to swap out your eye makeup products every few months. As you use these products on your eyes, they pick up dead skin cells, eyelash mites, and the eggs of the insects. This means even if you keep your eyelashes clean, you are essentially bringing back the problem with every swipe of product.

2. Clean your eyes twice a day

Morning and night, take the time to clean your eyes well with water and a washcloth that has a bit of texture. You want to remove any remaining eye makeup, but also dead skin cells, excess skin oil, and eyelash mites and eggs as well. A lot of people make the mistake of cleaning their lashes and lids with only a moistened cotton ball. This may wipe away makeup residue, but it does not do a good job of getting rid of lingering eyelash mites.

3. Keep your bedding and pillows as clean as possible

If you want to thwart issues with eyelash mites, make sure you keep your bedding and pillows clean. Dust that hangs out in bedding is attractive for the mites. They will actually lay their eggs in the dust, which means every time you sleep on the soiled bedding, you could be picking up more mites. Thankfully, all that is required to keep populations at bay by killing off the eggs is a trip through your washing machine.

Keep Your Visual Health in Check with a Brunswick, GA Eye Doctor

Even though eyelash mites sound scary, the issue is common and highly treatable with the help of a Brunswick, GA eye doctor. Plus, a few changes in your everyday routine makes a huge difference. If you suspect you are dealing with eyelash mites due to eye irritation, reach out to us at Vision Source Family Eye Care to schedule an appointment.

What Are the Best Solutions for Dealing with Dry Eye?

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Dry eye is a common condition that develops when your eyes do not produce enough tears to keep them lubricated. While dry eye in Brunswick, Jesup, and St. Marys, Georgia is frustrating and uncomfortable, it is also easy to treat.

The Process of Tear Production

Your eyes contain a film created by a small gland near each eye. The film contains aqueous fluid, fatty oils, and mucus. The eyes normally produce all three substances to ensure that your eye surfaces remain lubricated. Dry eyes occur when the glands fail to produce any of the substances. Common reasons for this interruption include:

  • Allergies
  • Autoimmune disease
  • Decreased or increased tear production
  • Hormonal changes
  • Inflamed eyelid glands

Aging, the use of certain medications, and having certain medical conditions are the most common reasons for decreased tear production. You could have also acquired corneal nerve sensitivity due to contact lens use or laser eyelid surgery. Fortunately, decreased tear production after laser eyelid surgery is temporary. People with increased tear production may have vitamin A deficiency, blink less often than other people, allergies, or structural problems with the eyelids.

Some people with dry eyes go on to develop eye infections or permanent damage to the surface of their eyes. Making specific lifestyle changes is your first line of defense when it comes to eliminating the problem of dry eyes.

How to Prevent Dry Eyes

Here are some commonsense steps you can take to treat or prevent dry eyes:

  • Use artificial tears daily if you have a history of dry eyes.
  • Stop smoking if you are a smoker and avoid contact with secondhand smoke.
  • Position your computer screen below eye level. Taking this step keeps you from opening your eyes widely and slows the evaporation of natural tears between blinks.
  • Take a break from reading, computer use, or anything else that forces you to focus your eyes for long periods.
  • Wear wraparound sunglasses outdoors.
  • Do not blow air into your eyes with a hair dryer, car heater, or any other source that produces hot or cold air.
  • Use a humidifier in the winter to increase moisture in the air.

If you continue to struggle with dry eyes, please contact our eye clinic in Brunswick, Jesup, or St. Marys, Georgia to schedule an appointment and learn more about our treatment options.

Does Everyone Eventually Get Cataracts?

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As you age, you may begin to worry about getting cataracts. If you’re like most people, the thought of getting cataracts may cause many sleepless nights, headaches, and anxiety. You may often ask yourself “Will everyone eventually get cataracts?” Most people will develop cataracts as they get older, but age isn’t the only cause of cataracts in Jesup, GA and other places. Here are the most common reasons why a cataract may form.

Diseases

Many studies suggest that people who suffer from a disease like hypothyroidism, autoimmune disorder, or glaucoma have a much greater chance of getting cataracts. People with diabetes are especially prone to developing cataracts because the part of their eye known as the aqueous humor usually has too much sugar. If your aqueous humor has high levels of sugar, your vision will be significantly affected.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a common condition.

If you have high blood pressure, you’re more likely to experience increased inflammation. When this happens, cataracts may develop.

Eye Trauma

Another common reason why cataracts form is eye trauma, whether it’s chemical, radiation, blunt, or penetrating trauma. Even if the eye trauma occurred several years ago, cataracts can eventually develop.

Congenital Cataracts

Despite common belief, newborns can also get cataracts. Newborns are likely to develop cataracts if they’ve experienced a genetic disposition, measles, trauma, or a reaction to a drug. Newborns who are born with diabetes can also develop cataracts.

Smoking

Do you smoke on a regular basis? You may be surprised to learn that smoking can actually cause cataracts. Many experts believe that smoking can cause cataracts due to the extremely high levels of free radicals in the eye lenses. Over time, these free radicals can result in cell oxidation in the eye lenses, which ultimately contributes to cataract development.

Too Much Alcohol Consumption

Excessive alcohol consumption can drastically increase your chances of getting cataracts. Whenever you drink too much alcohol, you’re inadvertently damaging your eye cells. More often than not, significantly damaged eye cells are vulnerable to cataracts.

Be sure to make an appointment with an eye doctor as soon as possible if you think you’re suffering from cataracts. The condition is usually treatable. Ask an eye doctor in Brunswick, GA if cataract surgery is right for you.

Why Are My Eyelashes Falling Out?

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Eyelashes go through growth cycles just like the hair on the top of your body. These growth cycles happen naturally and you can’t control them. What you do need to know is that it’s also natural for eyelashes to fall out every now and then. Everyone has experienced the occurrence of having an eyelash get in the eye or land on a cheek. This is perfectly normal. But eyelashes aren’t meant to fall out all at once. Each lash is on an independent growth cycle, so they are meant to fall out individually, at different times. If you have eyelashes that seem to be thinning or falling out in groups, here are some reasons why that may be happening.

Use of Fake Eyelashes

Most women enjoy having long eyelashes. Lush eyelashes are equated with beauty and youth. Unfortunately, the long-term use of fake eyelashes can actually lead to thinning lashes or lashes that fall out in clumps. One culprit is the glue that is used to adhere the lashes to the lid. Sometimes inexpensive eyelashes have poor glue that really shouldn’t be used near the eyes. It’s best to only buy superior eyelash brands from a company and name that is trusted in the beauty industry.

Allergies

Sometimes allergies can lead to eyelashes falling out, too. Even if you’ve never experienced allergies in the past, you may have developed a new allergy from a new beauty product. If you have concerns about eye allergies, talk to your eye doctor in Jesup, GA.

Certain Medications

If you are taking certain medications or having certain medical treatments, one of the side effects may be hair loss. If so, it’s quite possible that your eyelashes would be affected, too. Review any medications that you’re taking and see if hair loss is listed as a side effect. If it is, speak to your physician about the possibility of getting an alternative medication.

Excess Eye Rubbing

If you are constantly rubbing your eyes because of eye irritation, this could cause friction on your eyelashes and make them fall out. If your eyes are irritated to this degree, book an appointment with your Jesup, GA eye doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

Eyelashes don’t normally fall out en mass. If this is happening to you, contact us today to figure out the solution.