Diabetes can affect the health of your heart, liver and other organs, but did you know diabetes can affect your vision as well? Diabetes can lead to a condition called diabetic retinopathy as well as other eye problems. Diabetic retinopathy is a fancy term meaning “damage to the retina”, or the part of the eye that helps you see.

Have you invested in protective eyewear to keep your eyes safe? The types of eyewear you have will depend on your activities as well as your visual needs. Computer glasses are used to protect the eyes from damaging blue-light rays. Sunglasses protect the eyes from harmful UV rays that can damage your vision and cause cancer. There is even special eyewear for playing sports. When it comes to the eyes, one thing is clear: they must be protected.

You may have heard of nearsightedness and farsightedness before, but what are they really? Both are some of the most common forms of visual problems we encounter in our office and are very common among patients. Nearsightedness means that people can see objects clearly up close, but objects farther away are blurry. Farsightedness is its opposite as objects farther away will be clear, while those close are blurry.

What are progressive lenses and how are they different than normal lenses? Eyes change throughout your life, gradually losing the ability to focus on objects. That’s even if you’ve experienced perfect vision for many years. The most noticeable time period for changes to occur is around age 40. The lenses of the eyes begin to become stiffer and the muscles that control them change. This will cause a gradual yet noticeable change in your ability to focus on objects up close.

A vision type can be as unique to a person as their personality or sense of style. It is different in every single patient, but some visual conditions are quite common. Many of our patients have nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism or near-perfect eyesight. What is the best vision type and what is the worst? At Optical Masters, we perform comprehensive exams that help us keep your eyes healthy.

Glasses and contact lenses are generally worn to improve overall vision in our patients. What about our sunglasses though? We stress the importance of eye protection for a reason, and that reason is to save your eyesight! Proper sunwear can only be obtained through a professional, as not all glasses block out 100% of harmful UV rays. Sunglasses will not only protect your eyes from UV damage, but proper eye protection can protect your eyes from injury during exercise and physical activity. Choosing sunglasses for the sports you participate in can also give you a leg up over the competition.

Glasses and contact lenses are generally worn to improve overall vision in our patients. What about our sunglasses though? We stress the importance of eye protection for a reason, and that reason is to save your eyesight! Proper sunwear can only be obtained through a professional, as not all glasses block out 100% of harmful UV rays. Sunglasses will not only protect your eyes from UV damage, but proper eye protection can protect your eyes from injury during exercise and physical activity. Choosing sunglasses for the sports you participate in can also give you a leg up over the competition.

We all know that keeping a proper diet can work wonders for our body and for our weight. What can good nutrition do for eye health? Carrots are known for their health benefits for healthy vision, but what else helps the vision function and stay healthy? Good nutrition is not the only step to great eye health, but also having frequent eye exams to check for visual changes and problems. Research also backs up the theory that antioxidants and other nutrients aid in the prevention of problems such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

You move water across your vision when you blink to wash away debris, stabilize your visual field, lubricate and protect against infection. What happens when you don’t produce enough tears though? Dry eye can become a serious problem, as damage to the cornea can occur without proper lubrication. We recommend using artificial tears as the primary treatment for dry eye.

Did you know that children's vision can develop all the way until they are 10 years of age? The eyes are ever changing and children’s eyes are no exception. We take special care with infant vision, pre-school vision and school-aged vision for children. The eyes are continually developing at all of these stages, as good vision is not something your child is initially born with.