6 Smart Things College Students Can Do For Their Eyes

6 Smart Things College Students Can Do For Their Eyes

Six Smart Things College Students Should Do for Their Eyes

This fall, a record 21.7 million students will attend a college or university in the United States. Many teens will be living away from home for the first time without mom or dad around to reinforce healthy habits, including how to care for their eyes. Before students head for the dorms, our Ophthalmologist at Scottsdale Eye Physicians would like to provide parents with college eye health tips to ensure their freshmen sons and daughters keep seeing 20/20 during school.

While accurate vision plays a vital role in learning, college students can be susceptible to a host of vision and eye problems such as injury, infection and increased nearsightedness that can complicate life in and out of class. Crowded classes and dorms can serve as a breeding ground for infectious eye disease, while reading and computer use in school has been linked to poorer eyesight. Fortunately, there are many ways to avoid these and other eye issues on campus. Scottsdale Eye Physicians and Surgeons along with the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons, offers the following six tips for protecting eyes during college:

  1. Don’t shower or swim in contact lenses. Acanthamoeba is a parasite that lives in water and can cause a rare but serious eye infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis. According to the CDC, 85 percent of Acanthamoeba eye infections occur in contact lens wearers, one of the main risks being exposure of lenses to water. To avoid this dangerous infection, do not wear contact lenses in showers, hot tubs or when swimming in lakes or pools. Also, never use water to clean or store contact lenses; only use sterile contact lens disinfecting solution and a clean contact lens case.
  1. Go outside. Scholastically-inclined students spend much of their time studying indoors, which can put them at risk of becoming more nearsighted, or myopic. A 2014 study found that more than 50 percent of college graduates are nearsighted, with eyesight worsening for each year in school. Other research shows that spending more time outdoors can protect vision from getting worse. Grab your books and head outside whenever possible.
  1. Wash your hands. Conjunctivitis, often called pink eye, spreads fast in schools and dorms. An outbreak struck more than 1,000 Ivy League college students in 2002. Avoid rubbing the eyes and wash hands with soap to avoid catching and spreading pink eye, not to mention other infections.
  1. Give your eyes a break. Nearly 80 percent of engineering and medical school students experienced symptoms such as dry eyes and redness, according to a study of students at one Indian university. To help avoid eye strain, follow the 20-20-20 rule: look at something 20 feet away every 20 minutes for 20 seconds. Because dry eye can also cause painful corneal ulcers, which are open sores on the front part of the eye, blink regularly and fully to keep eyes moist.
  1. Don’t share makeup. Harmless as it may seem, sharing makeup is a surefire way to spread infection such as herpes keratitis among friends. Infection-causing bacteria grow easily in creamy or liquid eye makeup. Stick to your own makeup and throw it away after three months. If you develop an eye infection, immediately toss all of your eye makeup.
  1. Protect your eyes during the game. Nearly 1 in 18 college athletes will get an eye injury playing sports. Common injuries, like scratches on the eye surface and broken bones near the eye socket, happen most often in high-risk sports such as baseball, basketball and lacrosse. Athletes should consider wearing polycarbonate sports glasses to help keep stray balls and elbows from hitting their eyes.

“For many teens just starting college, taking care of their eye health may be the last thing on their minds,” said Rebecca Taylor, M.D., comprehensive ophthalmologist and clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “But the fact is that an eye injury or condition can affect their grades and social life, causing days or even a lifetime of poor vision. We hope that parents will remind their kids of these risks before they fly the coop this fall.”

Get your kids into the eye doctor before they head off to school! Call 480-994-1872 to make an appointment today!

This article reprinted with permission from the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s EyeSmart® program (www.geteyesmart.org).

Kids Eye Exam: When Should They Be Getting Checked?

Kids Eye Exam: When Should They Be Getting Checked?

Kids Eye Exam: When Should They Be Getting Checked?

kids eye exam

As parents we are always worried about what our child’s eating, how much rest they are getting and if they are behaving properly but we often forget that we need to be keeping an eye on their vision!

Good vision is very important to a child’s physical development, success in school and overall well-being!

 

Did you know that the vision system is not fully formed in babies and young children? Equal input from both eyes is necessary for the brain’s vision centers to develop normally.

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Four Tips to Make Sure Your Kids Vision is ‘Grade A’ This School Year

Four Tips to Make Sure Your Kids Vision is ‘Grade A’ This School Year

Four Tips to Make Sure Your Kids Vision is ‘Grade A’ This School Year

A Kids Vision is the best asset they can have for school With back-to-school upon us, parents will be scrambling to buy new school supplies and clothes. As they tick off their long list of school to-dos, ophthalmologists are reminding moms and dads not to neglect one of the most important learning tools: their children’s eyes!  

Good vision and overall eye health are vital to learning. Scottsdale Eye Physicians & Surgeons, PC joins the American Academy of Ophthalmology in emphasizing the importance of healthy vision to academic success during Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month in August.

 

Because children are still growing, being vigilant about eye health is important. The earlier problems are identified; the sooner they can be addressed. For healthy eyes and vision throughout the school year, here at Scottsdale Eye Physicians we recommend the following four tips:

 

1. Get regular childhood vision screenings – Kids vision changes rapidly, making regular vision screenings an important step in detecting and correcting eye problems early. In addition to screenings for infants, the Academy recommends further vision screening for children when they are:

 

  • Pre-school age, between age 3 and 3 and a half
  • Entering school
  • Experiencing a possible vision problem

 

For school-age children, a vision screening, which is less comprehensive than a dilated eye examination by an ophthalmologist, can be performed by a pediatrician, family physician, nurse or trained technician during regular checkups. If the screening detects a problem, the child may need to see an ophthalmologist — an eye physician and surgeon – or other eye care professional.

 

2. Know and share your family eye health history – Everyone should find out whether eye conditions or diseases run in their family. Parents should share that information with the person performing the screening when possible. Examples of common eye conditions include nearsightedness, crossed eye, known as strabismus, and lazy eye, known as amblyopia. If these are not treated in childhood, they can cause permanent vision loss in one eye.

3. Watch for signals of eye problems – Parents should be alert to symptoms that could indicate an eye or vision problem, such as complaints of eyestrain, headaches and squinting when reading or performing other common activities. Other symptoms to look for include a white or grayish-white coloring in the pupil, one eye that turns in or out, or eyes that do not track in sync together.

4. Wear protective eyewear when playing sports – Eye injuries while playing sports can cause serious damage to your kids vision, whether by getting smacked with an elbow during basketball or hit with a hockey stick. If your child plays racket sports, hockey, field hockey, baseball or basketball, consider having them wear goggles or other certified protective eyewear.

 

Good vision is your child’s best asset for going back to school, make sure and be scheduling regular exams and taking the best steps to ensuring good vision!

 

At Scottsdale Eye our doctors are trained to offer care for children of all ages! Call 480-994-1872 today to make an appointment!

 

Visit the Academy’s website to learn more about common childhood eye conditions and how to care for your kids vision!

 

 

4 Important Back to School Vision Tips

4 Important Back to School Vision Tips

         4 Important Back to School Vision Tips

 

Back to school time is here, and the scramble to get everything done has begun. But have you remembered to make an appointment for your child’s eye exam? Don’t worry you are not alone and we are here to help!

 

Ophthalmologists remind busy parents during back to school season not to neglect one of the most important learning tools: their children’s eyes!! Good vision and overall eye health are vital to learning!

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Vision Problems are Common in Children with Hearing Loss

Vision Problems are Common in Children with Hearing Loss

Vision Problems are Common in Children with Hearing Loss

Did you know? About one-fifth of children who have a particular type of hearing loss also have visual disorders, according to a recent study.

An estimated one to three children out of 1,000 has some degree of sensorineural hearing loss, which occurs as a result of abnormalities in the inner ear or in the auditory center of the brain. Half of all cases in children result from environmental causes and half from genetic causes; one gene accounts for a large proportion of sensorineural hearing loss cases in Caucasian patients.

Because children with hearing loss rely heavily on their other senses, undiscovered visual problems could have further harmful effects on their development and untreated visual problems can become worse.

Since there is a correlation between hearing loss and vision loss in children frequent eye exams are extremely important. Eye examinations for all children with sensorineural hearing loss can lead to early diagnosis and to help minimize visual problems and significantly help children with hearing loss.

If your child has been diagnosed with hearing loss make an appoint now to get your child’s eye’s examined! Call our office at 480-994-1872 to make an appointment today or make an appointment online! 

This article reprinted with permission from the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s EyeSmart™ campaign (www.geteyesmart.org).

Eye Health Tips for High School and College Students

Eye Health Tips for High School and College Students

Eye Health Tips for High School and College Students

Students face special challenges to the eyes when they are under academic performance pressure. Lack of sleep, prolonged computer use and long hours studying make for tired eyes that are dry, scratchy and achy.

Prolonged computer use contributes to eye fatigue because you blink less frequently. Less blinking significantly reduces lubrication in the eye making it feel tired, scratchy and “dry” as a result. Also eyes are not designed for prolonged focus on a single object, such as the computer. Remedy: place a note on the computer screen as a reminder to blink and to look away from the screen and focus on objects in the distance.  Looking out a window (20 – 20 – 20 rule:  for every 20 minutes of computer work, look away for 20 seconds, and focus on a scene or object at least 20 feet away) is a good break for the eyes. The key is to give your eyes a rest.

“Dry eye” is a common feeling from not giving your eyes enough rest while some people just naturally do not produce enough tears to keep their eyes healthy and comfortable. Some common symptoms of dry eye are stinging and burning to the eyes, scratchiness, excessive eye irritation from smoke or wind and excessive tearing. Remedy: If you have occasional symptoms of dry eye, you should try eye drops called artificial tears. These are similar to your own tears and help lubricate the eyes and maintain moisture. For persistent “dry eye,” see your Eye MD.

For more information about contact lenses and proper contact care guidelines please visit http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/glasses-contacts-lasik/contact-lens.cfm.

This article reprinted with permission from the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s EyeSmart® program (www.geteyesmart.org).