Staying Safe this Halloween: Leaves, Makeup and Contacts OH MY!

Happy Halloween!

Ohhoohoohoo yes it is time for goblins and ghouls and ghosts, the bite of autumn air in the evening...my favorite time of year! I say that every season but, hey, it's good to be happy with the present.

With the change of season comes a lot of excitement, some of which can involve your eyes, so,
super fast rundown.

• Jumping in leaf piles and get something in your eye? Rinse and call your vision health provider asap.
• Eye-wear winter care: DO NOT leave your eye-wear in the car, window, garage or anywhere else cold (or extremely hot), it will kill them. You won't be happy, neither will your pocket book, so keep 'em comfy.
• With the cold air outside and hot, dry air inside, it is dry eye prime time. Keep an humidifier going if you can, and keep a good, doctor recommended brand of lubricating eye drops to keep you happy and itch free. Not the stuff that gets the red out, that is never good for your eyes, just some tears to counter additional evaporation of your natural tears.

SO, back to Halloween. Dressing up this year? Going all out?? If so there are a few things to look out for.

First, if you are wearing makeup on your face (or hands, which tend to go on your face) make sure you pick the right stuff. Look for hypo-allergenic makeup with color additives that are approved by the FDA (check the label ingredients on the FDA website). There is some nasty stuff out there. If you can, try not to get makeup close to your eyelids, but for makeup near the eyes make sure to use a good quality brand that is only for use around the eyes like eyeliners and shadows. If needed, brands that say "safe for contacts" on the label is always a good thing.

Next, take care to be safe while wearing masks or rough materials that could cause bonks or abrasions on the eye (or other people's eyes). Keep a sharp eye out for flying weapons and other props that could be a tad too sharp up close.

Last, and here's the fun part, Halloween Contacts Lenses! 0_o These guys are a riot, I've had lots of fun wearing them myself. Colored contacts come in many shapes and names. Colored, Halloween, Special-effect, Theatrical or Novelty contact lenses refer to contacts that are dyed and/or custom hand painted to create unusual looks (and reactions) that are the final touch to your costume. Grief, wear a t shirt and blue jeans and you'll still win with these things, they're awesome.

There are a few different types:

Regular Halloween lenses are the most readily available and come in an endless variety of colors and designs. From basic colors, to animal or alien eyes, to patterns or even neon/black light (rave) lenses. They cover the iris (colored part of your eye) and usually have a clear pupil for normal vision.


Circle lenses are larger than the natural iris and produce a doll like, or Anime effect. Almost like doe's eyes. Super cute! :)

Last are Scleral contacts, ones that cover the whole front of your eye, including the white Sclera. These are usually black, red or white though they are often available in dragon, blood shot and other spooky designs. These are particularly unnerving because of how unnatural or inhuman they look. Yiiiikes! These guys are a little less comfortable and a tad more expensive, but they are sure worth it if you can get them. Make sure to take extra precautions in following wear and care instructions.

When wearing decorative contacts there is a certain threat of infection and other risks from improper use, so follow the tips below to enjoy your haunted festivities while wearing them.

Get an Rx: Contact lenses (even Halloween lenses) are considered medical devices by the FDA, and require a valid prescription from a licensed eye care professional. And for good reason! Contact lenses are not one size fits all. If you are not fitted properly for contacts you increase your risk of several health and vision problems including infection, corneal ulcers, damage or even permanent loss of vision (Scary huh?? It is Halloween after all). Therefore, you MUST see your eye doctor and discuss wearing the contacts and receive a prescription to purchase them.

Retailers: For the sake of safety (and the law) you must obtain your contacts from a legitimate source, which means they will ask you for that prescription we talked about earlier. If they don't, they are selling illegally! Online, beauty shop, costume shop...doesn't matter, they must require an Rx. The problem with getting your contacts from those sources is they are not regulated. They could use unsafe plastics, toxic dyes, and un-sterilized (ew) or even expired contacts lenses (here comes that scary stuff again!). Seriously, it is not worth the risk of infection and possible vision loss to cheat the system. Find a legitimate retailer *coughLIKEUScough* and play it safe.

Eye and Lens Care: Once you have those perfectly fitted perfectly legal perfectly awesome special-effect contact lenses, you must take care of them. Your Doc will go over with you how to take care of the lenses, and your eyes when you wear them. This includes washing, storing, correct solutions, as well as lens wearing time. Please follow these directions, they will prolong the life of your contacts and keep your eyes happy and healthy. Following the Doc's orders is usually a good idea, right? Yes indeed! So be careful not to wear them too long, and especially not overnight, that is a big NO unless recommended by your doctor.

Be Selfish: Despite what you were taught in school....DO NOT SHARE YOUR CONTACTS LENSES OR DOOM WILL SURELY BEFALL YOU! Ok, maybe not that fast but it's super sketchy to share you contacts lenses. It can spread bacteria and infection, plus that person does not have an Rx for you contacts (illegal) so keep those things to your own eyeballs. :)

Wear Time: We already mentioned not wearing your contacts overnight (don't do it!!!) but it is worth mentioning again, along with the fact that these are not long wear or long term contacts. Usually it is best to wear them around 4-6 hours (or as directed by our doctor) because they do restrict oxygen and stress your eyes. I can tell you that after a few hours wearing mine I'm smiling and waiving while thinking "Get these razor disks out of my eye sockets!!". Though they are much better now than when I wore them a few years ago, you still need to be careful and listen to your eyes (and the doc).

Take 'em out!: There are a few warning signs that can lead to infection, so keep an EYE out (hehe) for these. If you experience any redness, swelling, crusting or puss (ack!) or discomfort including itchiness, remove your contacts immediately and check with your doctor as soon as possible.

Oh and one more note: These things are not meant to last forever. Though it is super tempting to keep them and wear them next year (guilty) they DO expire, as well as grow bacteria and other stuff you do not want to be in your eye a year later. Keep them for a few uses, usually 1-3 months (per brand/labeling/doc recommendation) and toss them in the bin. They're a blast while it lasts, but all good things must come to an end, folks. Keep it short and swee...er...scary.


SO. Hopefully you should be ready to put the finishing touches on this year's costume. If you have any more questions about eye safe makeup or Halloween contact lenses, or to obtain the lenses (or a prescription for them, which is essential, right? Right?) give us a call at #785-749-2020 or visit our website http://lawrencefamilyvision.com. Or just stop in for a visit, we're always happy to see you!

Be safe this fall season, and have a Happy Halloween!

I got lots if information from this website, along with others I've found in the past while preparing to wear my own theatrical contact lenses.
http://www.allaboutvision.com/contacts/theatrical.htm#news2

LFVC Designer Showcase!

In the coming months we are holding several Trunk Shows for our designer and luxury frame lines Costa, Traction, Rayban, OGI and Seraphin. Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served,
and our optical staff will be present to answer any questions or assist you with orders.
Take a look, we would love to see you there!

Digital Dilemma Directive

Calling all vision health preservers!

I am guessing that you are reading this blog because you want to protect you eye health. Or the health of your kids! Or your parents! Or you’re just curious about eyes, and so I need to convince you to protect yours with this post. Well you’ve found the right place! Today’s post is probably one of the best you could have found because it is about a COMMON vision problem facing us today. Digital Eye Strain! Or Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) as it is medically termed. As stated in Midwest Lens’s tweet and blog post (one of my favorites, check it out! http://www.midwestlens.com/blogger/ ) fewer than 1 in 5 adults have heard of Digital Eye Strain, though today it is the most common repetitive strain injury, beating even tendonitis.
After reading Midwest Lens’ blog blurb a few weeks ago I shared it in a Facebook post. Here I want to expound on what else I found.

SO! What is it? CVS is eye damage primarily caused by our high exposure to digital devices. Smart Phones, Tablets, TVs, Navigation Devices, and of course the big fat screen that most of us stare at all day....the computer. Good grief my eyes are starting to water just thinking about this!



To add insult to injury, this problem is affecting children more than most parents realize! Kids not only spend more time around screens while watching TV, gaming and using phones, but they also regularly use computers and are under harsh florescent lighting while at school for long hours. Many children may not understand symptoms and are unable to explain what they need to you. Look out for little ones rubbing their eyes or any redness, tiredness or headaches. 

 The damage, according to what I found, is three-fold.

#1 Overworked Eyes. When we look at these screens our eyes are constantly having to refocus and reposition to process what we are seeing. Graphics, text, flashes, it’s all changing constantly so our eyes change to keep up. This repetitive refocusing causes A LOT of stress on our eyes, making them fatigued. Pixels are especially hard to focus on. Work 9-5 in front of those bad boys and your eyes are in for a world of hurt!

#2 Blinking! Have you ever been watching a movie you’re super into (There is NO way she is going into that dark room where the scary music is coming from!) then tried to blink and it’s like dragging plastic wrap across a cactus? Bingo. While using these devices we blink ½ to ⅓ the number of times we do normally. That’s dry! Blinking moistens, lubricates, and cleans our eyes. When we stop that...it’s bad news.
 

#3 Not only are eyes taken into account, but other symptoms are caused by the same problem. Neck and back pain, headaches, etc. are all part of the package of overuse and poor ergonomics while using these toys.

In a nutshell: Redness, itchiness, blurred vision, dryness, back/neck pain, headaches, general fatigue....all yours to be had for the low price of a few hours a day on a computer. Sign me up! Not.

So how do we prevent all of this?

Well, besides greatly reducing our usage of these devices (Bhaaahahaha!! Right.) here are a few tips to keep the symptoms to a minimum.

Stay hydrated! Make those few blinks count by drinking lots of water throughout the day, especially at work. Some foods also help to keep our eyes lubricated and healthy. Fatty fish, broccoli, carrots (yes that’s a real one) eggs, garlic blueberries...and an overall balanced diet will keep you feeling better.

Ergonomics is also a big one! Set up your desk/computer position to enhance comfort and ease during usage. Keep your computer screen at eye level or lower, where your eyes naturally rest. Keep your shoulders dropped and forearms roughly level with wrists supported. Have an adjustable chair to keep you high enough and support your feet. Sit up nice and tall, slouching really does make the whole situation worse! Also keep your computer screen flat or close to it. This reduces glare and keeps the images undistorted and easier to process.

Fix up your environment. Have the screen brightness and contrast adjusted for comfort. Increase font size (Yeah, rock that grandma font! No offense to grandma’s :P). Reduce overhead lighting, and shine lamps on the desk but away from your face or screen.

Last but not least, follow the 20-20-20 rule. For every 20 minutes on the computer (TV, tablet...) look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to allow your eyes to unwind. (Betcha just tried it :P) Breathe deeply and blink during this rest period.
 

A few additional things that can help are to ALWAYS get a good Anti-reflective coating (AR) on your lenses. This cuts the glare bouncing off of screens and lights that add to this eye strain. Many computer lenses also have a slight tint, usually yellow, to increase contrast and filter harmful light rays. Consider a pair of computer or occupational lenses, with a slight power increase in the reading zone, such as Midwest’s Perfecta Ease. These give your eyes a little boost, so they don’t have to work so hard.

Some lucky people have no problem, or it’s not severe enough to bother them. But for many others the difference in how they feel at the end of their work day, gaming session, or newest soap opera marathon can be huge! Use these tips to keep those baby blues, browns and greens in tip top shape, no matter what time of day.

OR skip all the hoopla, pitch all your devices, and move outside where there is only natural light and loveliness.......Oh wait, UV rays! >:P Keep wearing those sunshades folks, your macula will thank you later. That’s another day's rant. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macular_degeneration)

Protect those baby blues..or browns

As the warm weather is slowly approaching us (fingers crossed) I want to stress to you the importance of protecting your self from the sun.

You hear it all of the time. The sun is evil and can cause many damages to your skin. In this post I want to share with you some helpful tips to keep you looking young and having glowing skin!

Wearing SPF everyday is not a bad thing. Women can now get tinted moisturizer for part of their make up routine. It gives you a boost of color plus the benefits of SPF 15. You never know when you will end up out in the sun, not planned. And the truth is, it doesn't have to be blazing hot to get affected by the sun. Guys, you may not want to wear tinted moisturizer, but you could dab a little SPF lotion on daily too.

The big one here in the optical world is to wear sunglasses! Not only are they stylish, but they are bigger than regular eye wear, so it will cover more of your face. Think about your future (or present) crows feet. Block those bad boys from the sun and they will be thanking you forever! I always talk about polarization which is fantastic, but as long as you have some sort of protection on your eyes it will help.

If you go tanning indoors, where the tanning goggles! Sure you may not want to because you are trying to get tan and don't it to be obvious that you have been. The goggles can give you tan lines, but it can not be compared to the stress you could be causing your eyes! Even if you close your eyes or put a towel over your eyes, the rays can pass through and be very powerful to the eyes. I understand that you want to look good and not have those "raccoon" tanning eyes, but think about how much you love to see. Without your eyesight you could not see your beautiful, sun kissed self!

Below is a picture that I wanted to share with you. It is of a truck driver who does not wear protective sun wear. As you can see the left side of his face is more damaged than the right side because his driving window is on his left. Now this picture is over time. But that is the thing. We always think about our eye health now and that it is fine, rather than thinking about the future of our health!