Is Too Much Screen Time Bad for Kids?

You check in to say good night to your son only to find he is playing "Fortnite" in bed.

Or your daughter is busy texting when she is supposed to be studying.

Children and their phones are inseparable today, and all that reading and playing games on their handheld devices may be harming their vision.

To reduce screen time, some parents ban phones at the dinner table. This applies to both adults and children. And in some homes, playing games or texting must stop two hours before bedtime.

To put a hard stop on screen time, some moms and dads set time limits on their children's daily device use. For example, when a total of two hours of screen time has been reached, no more texting, game playing or YouTube watching.

Definition of "screen time"

 "Screen time" refers to the amount of time a person spends staring at the digital displays of computers, tablets (iPads, for example) and smartphones.

According to The Vision Council, 72 percent of American parents report their children routinely engage in more than two hours of screen time per day. And it's very likely most kids actually spend significantly more time staring at screens than their parents think they do.

As kids grow, their screen time tends to grow with them. And even very young children these days are spending a significant amount of time each day staring at screens. According to Common Sense Media, young children in the U.S. spend the following amount of time each day using digital devices:

• Kids under 2 years of age: 42 minutes per day
• Kids ages 2 to 4: 2.5 hours per day
• Children ages 5 to 8: nearly 3 hours per day

Read more HERE

 Pearle Vision-Roswell
10775 U.S. Hwy 9
Roswell, GA 30076
770-998-9656 Pearle Vision-Roswell

Eye Twitching: 8 Causes and Remedies

What is eye twitching?

Eye twitching — which actually is twitching of an eyelid — is common and harmless.

Most eye twitching lasts only a few minutes, but sometimes an eyelid twitch can persist for days or longer. If you have an eye twitch that doesn't go away relatively quickly, see an eye doctor.

The medical term for eye twitching is myokymia.

If you experience eye twitching that doesn't go away, this could signal a serious neurological condition affecting the eyelid — such as blepharospasm or hemifacial spasm. These relatively rare conditions are more obvious and severe than common eye twitching and should be evaluated immediately by an eye doctor.

What causes eye twitching?

Triggers of eye twitching include:

• Stress
• Fatigue
• Eye strain
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Dry eyes
• Nutrition problems
• Allergies

If you experience eye twitching, take a close look at this list and note which of these potential triggers might apply to you. Sometimes, making minor changes to your diet and lifestyle can significantly reduce your risk of eye twitching or help make an eyelid twitch disappear.

Read more HERE

Pearle Vision-Roswell
10775 U.S. Hwy 9
Roswell, GA 30076
770-998-9656 
Pearle Vision-Roswell 

How Many Pairs of Glasses Do You Need?

 

How many pairs of eyeglasses do you need? That depends on your vision needs, your vision insurance, your budget – and even your fashion sense.

Most people get prescription eyeglasses to correct their vision, but other specialty eyewear includes computer glasses to reduce digital eye strain, polarized sunglassesto reduce glare and block harmful ultraviolet rays, readers to help you see up close, and ski goggles and sports glasses for when you’re on the slopes or riding your motorcycle.

So, how many glasses do you need?

“There are a lot more options available than there were before,” says Clifford W. Brooks, OD, FAAO, of the Indiana University School of Optometry. “But people don’t consider specialty eyeglasses because they don’t recognize that they would be helped by them.”

Meet some people who have more than one pair of spectacles — and in one case nearly as many glasses as some people have shoes.

Sunglasses

Sunglasses are more than just a fashion accessory. Sunglasses are your first line of defense to protect your eyes against the damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun.

“No matter the season or the location, people should protect their eyes with good quality sunglasses that block out UV light,” says American Optometric AssociationPresident Samuel D. Pierce, OD. “Even prescription glasses can be made with tints and full UV protection.”

But fashion appeal is important, too — because it's often what drives a sunglasses purchase.

Bob Matsuoka of New York City is a sunglasses devotee. “They are like shoes for me!” He stores a couple of dozen non-prescription pairs in a repurposed cigar humidor, ready to pop on over his contact lenses for everyday wear.

“If I see a nice pair of sunglasses, I tend to get them. They’re an expression of personality and fashion — nothing practical about them,” he says.

Matsuoka’s spectacles collection also extends to several more functional pairs of shades for his outdoor activities. Two pair are side-shielded to block the wind when he’s riding his electric skateboard, and he has three sets of snowboarding goggles.

Read more HERE

 Pearle Vision-Roswell
10775 U.S. Hwy 9
Roswell, GA 30076
770-998-9656 Pearle Vision-Roswell

Happy Mother's Day!

 

Pearle Vision-Roswell
10775 U.S. Hwy 9
Roswell, GA 30076
770-998-9656 
Pearle Vision-Roswell

Nutrition For Healthy Eyes

Research suggests that antioxidants and other important nutrients may reduce your risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Specific antioxidants can have additional benefits as well; for example, vitamin A protects against blindness, and vitamin C may play a role in preventing or alleviating glaucoma.

Omega-3 essential fatty acids appear to help the eye in a variety of ways, from alleviating symptoms of dry eye syndrome to guarding against macular
 damage.

Eye Benefits Of Vitamins And Micronutrients

The following vitamins, minerals and other nutrients have been shown to be essential for good vision and may protect your eyes from sight-robbing conditions and diseases.

Incorporating the following foods in your diet will help you get the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of these important eye nutrients. Established by the Institute of Medicine (National Academy of Sciences), the RDA is the average daily dietary intake level of a nutrient sufficient to meet the requirements of nearly all healthy individuals in a specific life stage and gender group.

While the RDA is a useful reference, some eye care practitioners recommend higher daily intakes of certain nutrients for people at risk for eye problems.

Read more HERE

Pearle Vision-Roswell
10775 U.S. Hwy 9
Roswell, GA 30076
770-998-9656 
Pearle Vision-Roswell

Corrective Eye Surgery Basics

Until contact lenses were popularized in the 1950s, eyeglasses for at least the past seven centuries had been the only practical way to correct refractive vision errors.

Now, several modern approaches to corrective eye surgery range from laser reshaping of the eye's surface in procedures such as LASIK and PRK to surgical insertion of artificial lenses to correct eyesight.

In LASIK, PRK, and similar procedures, laser energy reshapes the curvature of the eye's clear front surface (cornea) to alter the way light rays enter the eye. Artificial lenses surgically inserted into the eye also can refocus light rays to sharpen vision.

The Evolution of Corrective Eye Surgery

Over the past 25 years, surgical techniques, tools, and procedures for vision correction have evolved rapidly.

Radial Keratotomy (RK), used in the United States primarily during the 1980s, involved cutting spoke-like incisions to flatten the eye's surface mainly to correct nearsightedness.

But results, especially long-term, created problems for some individuals. Significant glare, regression, fluctuating vision, and other side effects such as night vision problems were common in patients who had RK for higher prescription strengths, while such side effects were less frequent in patients with lower prescriptions.

RK is now virtually obsolete as a primary vision correction procedure for these reasons and because of advances in laser vision correction procedures.

Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) was the first successful laser vision correction procedure used to remove (ablate

) tissue directly from the eye's surface to change the curvature of the cornea. PRK, also known as surface ablation, was performed outside the United States during the 1980s and received FDA
 approval in 1995. PRK is still commonly used, but LASIK (see below) is by far the most popular laser procedure today.

However, PRK has made somewhat of a comeback in recent years because of studies indicating that PRK and LASIK produce similar outcomes. Also, nerve regeneration in the eye's surface appears to take place faster with PRK than with LASIK following a procedure, which could have implications for reducing dry eye and other complications that might occur until the healing process is complete.

Because PRK is a surface procedure, there also is no risk of surgical flap complications. PRK does not involve creating a thin, hinged flap on the eye's surface, as occurs with LASIK. PRK also appears to be a safer procedure in cases when a person's cornea may be too thin for LASIK surgery.

Recent technological advances have given eye surgeons better methods of creating thinner flaps in a predictable way, meaning that people with thin corneas now might be candidates for a LASIK procedure.

However, you probably should consider a different type of vision correction procedure if you have a thin cornea and high degree of myopia that would require extra ablation to reshape the eye.

Read more HERE

Pearle Vision-Roswell
10775 U.S. Hwy 9
Roswell, GA 30076
770-998-9656 
Pearle Vision-Roswell

Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day Tip: Wash your clothes only when necessary, use cold water and line dry.

Let's work together to make the world a better place! 

Pearle Vision-Roswell
10775 U.S. Hwy 9
Roswell, GA 30076
770-998-9656 
Pearle Vision-Roswell