New Contact Lens Technology may help those with Age-related macular degeneration

As snow can reflect up to 80 per cent of light compared to normal ground surfaces, it is vital that you choose sunglasses or goggles that are specifically designed for winter sports and absorb at least 95 per cent UV rays.

Sunlight can damage the retina and lens of the eye, increasing the long-term risk of developing conditions such as cataracts and possibly AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration).

• Ask your optometrist for advice on the best type of eye protection for you.
• Choose goggles where possible – sunlight can bounce off the snow and sunglasses may not provide sufficient all round protection, especially if visibility is low

• Wear a hat covering the rim of your glasses to protect your eyes from the rays shining directly above your head.
• Don’t forget your children – They are more vulnerable to UV because of their larger pupils and clearer crystalline lens. UV exposure is cumulative and may not show its effect for many years.
• People who wear glasses can wear sunglasses too – sunglasses can be made up to any prescription: distance, reading, bifocals or varifocal

Have you ever met someone with contacts who didn’t complain about them? Yep, we haven’t, either. A new report in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science found contact lens discomfort affects up to half of contact lens wearers—and there’s reason to believe that number could be even higher.

The report is the culmination of 18 research-packed months conducted by 79 eye experts all talking about those little plastic circles. But beyond the common sense of contact care—like not taking them out when you’re supposed to—contact comfort is way more multifaceted than we ever thought.

“We still really don’t understand the underlying biological mechanisms associated with contact lens discomfort,” says study author Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, who looked at everything from contact lens materials, to patient behavior, to wearing schedules, to how the contact lens actually interacts with your tear glands. Here’s what the team learned:

No amount of actual pain is normal. “Generally speaking, contact lens wearers do not experience the symptom of ‘pain’ unless something is very wrong with the eye,” such as an infection, says Dr. Nichols. Life threatening infections are rare, and are easy to prevent by using the best contact lens materials and caring for yours as recommended by your doctor.

That annoying dryness and discomfort, especially at the end of the day, is. And they often result in you wearing your contacts a lot less than you’d like to. Unfortunately, the experts on board weren’t able to identify any actual causes. The research hints at a possible lead regarding the eyelids, but “the symptoms associated with contact lens discomfort are frequent and real; there is indeed much to be understood about this problem,” says Nichols.

Patients are more apt to stop wearing their contacts all together than actually consult their eye doc. Contact lenses are FDA-regulated medical devices and the second most common vision-correctors in the world. And yet, patients end up taking matters into their own hands. The consequences? Inability to wear them as long as you’d like, inflammation, and even infection (depending on the symptoms).

The bottom line: If your contacts aren’t as comfortable as you’d like them to be, head back to your Optician. Even though scientists still don’t know the cause of many nagging symptoms, your Optician is the most equipped to find the right lens material, rinse, and fit for you. Contact us to make an appointment with Arif Karim, head optometrist and contact lens expert

Myopia isn’t an infectious disease, but it has reached nearly epidemic proportions in parts of Asia. In Taiwan, for example, the percentage of 7-year-old children suffering from nearsightedness increased from 5.8 percent in 1983 to 21 percent in 2000. An incredible 81% of Taiwanese children are myopic. If you think that the consequences of myopia are limited to a lifetime of wearing spectacles—and, let’s be honest, small children look adorable in eyeglasses—you are mistaken. The prevalence of high myopia, an extreme form of the disorder, in Asia has more than doubled since the 1980s, and children who suffer myopia early in life are more likely to progress to high myopia. High myopia is a risk factor for such serious problems as retinal detachment, glaucoma, early-onset cataracts, and blindness.

Researchers believe they are now closing in on a primary culprit: too much time indoors. In 2008 orthoptics professor Kathryn Rose found that only 3.3% of 6- and 7-year-olds of Chinese descent living in Sydney, Australia, suffered myopia, compared with 29.1 percent of those living in Singapore. The usual suspects, reading and time in front of an electronic screen, couldn’t account for the discrepancy. The Australian cohort read a few more books and spent slightly more time in front of the computer, but the Singaporean children watched a little more television. On the whole, the differences were small and probably canceled each other out. The most glaring difference between the groups was that the Australian kids spent 13.75 hours per week outdoors compared with a rather sad 3.05 hours for the children in Singapore.

The unfortunate part is that parents don’t seem inclined to send their children outside like they used to—or, alternatively, computers, video games, and improved television programming have made the indoors too delightful for a child to resist. According to a 2004 study from the University of Michigan, the average child in 2002 spent exactly half as much time participating in outdoor activities as did children in 1981. While myopia hasn’t yet reached the levels seen in much of Asian, prevalence in the United States is rising quickly. A 2009 study showed that the prevalence of myopia among Americans between the ages of 12 and 54 surged from 25 percent in the early 1970s to 42 percent around the turn of the millennium.

taken from the Medical Examiner

The consumption of omega fatty acides has received lots of attention and research due to their potential for numerous health benefits. These essential fatty acids, called omega 3’s and omega-6’s, are necessary for your body to function correctly and must be obtained through diet as your body cannot produce them. Omega-3’s can be obtained primarily from fatty fish, such as salmon, anchovies, tuna, and sardines. Plant-based sources include flaxseeds, soybeans, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and tofu. Omega 6’s come mostly from plant-based oils, for example, those made from corn, soybeans, and sunflowers. Most Americans obtain enough omega-6 fatty acids with a normal diet but may fall short on omega-3 consumption. It is best to obtain these nutrients by incorporating foods rich in essential fatty acids but supplements may be used effectively as well.

The latest research findings with respect to omega fatty acids and dry eye have been largely beneficial. Numerous scientific studies have shown improvement in dry eye symptoms with consumption of these essential fatty acids. One such study, published in the journal Cornea, showed that over a 6-month time period, participants with dry eye who took a proprietary combination of omega fatty acids had reduced levels of ocular irritation, decreased inflammation, and improved corneal surface smoothness.  Dr. Stephen C. Pflugfelder, a co-author of this study, noted that participants in the control group, who did not take the dietary supplement, experienced a worsening of symptoms during the study time frame.

In another study from the November issue of Opthamology patients with dry eye who took omega-3 supplements demonstrated improvement of symptoms in just one month. The trial group had a 71% improvement in tear breakup time in comparison with only 3.3% in the group taking a placebo. Participant scores on the Ocular Surface Disease Index an indicator of symptom levels, decreased by 26% in the trial group yet increased 4% in the placebo group.

Reproduced from the Boston Foundation for Sight

New findings which could help diagnose and track the progression of Alzheimer’s disease were revealed at the US Society for Neuroscience conference this week.

The team found that genetically engineered mice with Alzheimer’s lost thickness in specific cells in the retina. As the retina is a direct extension of the brain, the team concluded that the loss of retinal neurons could be related to the loss of brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease.

It is believed that these findings could one day lead to Alzheimer’s disease being detected in a regular eye test

Answer a few questions for your chance to win a brand new Apple iPad.

Brought to you by Eye Contact Opticians in Partnerhsip with Bausch & Lomb Biotrue One Day contact lenses.

You do not need to have a prescription or wear contact lenses to enter. Just complete a few questions and your name will be entered into the draw.

Winners will be announced by telephone before Christmas and will be invited to an award ceremony for presentation.

To take the very brief survey go to http://www.eye-contact.co.uk/winanipad/

New research into feline vision has revealed the stark differences between cat and human eyesight. A series of images created by Nickolay Lamm show that cats have much better eyesight in some instances compared to humans.

Answer a few questions for your chance to win a brand new Apple iPad.

Brought to you by Eye Contact Opticians in Partnerhsip with Bausch & Lomb Biotrue One Day contact lenses.

You do not need to have a prescription or wear contact lenses to enter. Just complete a few questions and your name will be entered into the draw.

Winners will be announced by telephone before Christmas and will be invited to an award ceremony for presentation.

To take the very brief survey go to http://www.eye-contact.co.uk/winanipad/

Taking to social-networking site Twitter, David Cameron revealed he had been wearing them for three months.

“Thanks to everyone who asked about my new glasses,” he wrote. “I’ve actually had them since June – but today was the first public appearance.”

He had been facing questions from the Commons Liaison Committee, which brings together the chairmen and chairwomen of the main select committees.

The prime minister – once described as the “heir to Blair” – followed in the footsteps of the former Labour leader.

In 1999, a “self-conscious” Tony Blair revealed he had hidden the fact he had needed glasses for months.

Westminster leaders Margaret Thatcher, Neil Kinnock, Paddy Ashdown and John Major all wore glasses while in charge of their parties.

New telescopic contact lens technology may help those with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness among older people.

Researchers have developed a new contact lens that can switch between normal and magnified vision, benefitting those with blurry vision and central vision loss from retina damaged caused by AMD. This technology magnifies incoming light and spreads it to the undamaged parts of the retina so that a person with AMD can see and do things they couldn’t before.

While magnifying aids for people with AMD are already on the market, many are considered clunky and unsightly. This new contact lens technology could provide an opportunity for discreet vision correction that has not been available before.