Summer soirées are back and better than ever this year in New York City. To ensure to you are practicing proper makeup eye safety, we’ve put together a few tips for you to have the summer Megan intended you to have. Here are a few makeup tips for people with sensitive eyes:

Prevent makeup from coming into direct contact with your eye

This can be a challenge with eyeshadow particles flying around and flaky mascaras, but preventing direct contact can save you from eye irritation and dryness down the road. The issues can increase in severity if you wear contact lenses, as the particles can get trapped beneath the contact lens and your eye. Pro tip: don’t apply mascara to the roots of your lashes and don’t apply eyeliner on the inside of your lid. Frosting looks better on the outside of the cake, right?

Remove makeup with products that are sensitive-eye friendly

If you have sensitive eyes or are just looking for eye makeup remover, don’t over complicate things. Grab a cotton pad and some baby shampoo. This is a combination recommended by Ashley Brissette, a New York City-based assistant professor of ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medicine. Pro tip: keep baby shampoo on hand for gently swiping away your eye makeup and for cleaning your brushes. Clean eyes and clean brushes? Double win.

Fight bacteria by regularly cleaning your brushes and applicators

Keep bacteria out of your makeup routine by regularly cleaning your brushes and applicators. This simple practice can reduce sensitivity and prevent unnecessary eye infections. Pro tip: clean brushes and applicators with warm water and baby shampoo once a week.

Remember that makeup has an expiration date

All good things come to an end and your makeup products are no exception. If you’re not good with keeping track of product expirations, a good rule of thumb is to replace your products every three months. Pro tip (because we know makeup is not cheap): when you purchase a new product make an alarm in your phone to remind you of the expiration date so you will know when it’s time to buy a new mascara, eyeliner, etc. or write it on the packaging.

COVID-19 impacted so many and continues to in ways that we are only starting to realize. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, ophthalmologists around the United States of America are noticing an increase in children’s vision problems.

A recent study found that 60 percent of parents reported their children spent no more than three hours on devices in pre-pandemic times. In August 2020, 70 percent of parents estimated their kids spent at least four hours with screens, with the most time spent interacting with games and entertainment platforms such as Youtube and Netflix. Eyepic Eyecare has provided several suggestions for protecting children’s eyes from digital eye strain, which can be found here.

A combination of increased time spent in front of screens and the absence of resources and testing that schools oftentimes provide are likely culprits of the increase in vision problems that we see today in children.

“School provides children with much more than the obvious tools for learning and social and emotional development,” Dr. Hela Barhoush, a pediatrician at One Medical in New York City said. “Additionally, screening tests such as vision testing and scoliosis exams are typically performed on an annual basis by school nurses,” Barhoush added.

As children are getting in for their annual eye examination, there have been common eye problems reported that should be noted.

Reports suggest a possible increase in new cases of nearsightedness, or myopia. Myopia is a refractive condition where the light is focused in front of the retina because the eye is “too long” hence “long vision” is blurry, in short, the patient is nearsighted. Children who were previously nearsighted are now experiencing worsening vision at an unexpected and accelerated rate. Some studies suggest that children who spend long hours in work that requires reading or writing may be more prone to myopia. One factor that is considered to lower the risk of myopia, outside time, was limited by keeping kids indoors during the lockdowns.

Symptoms of myopia can include squinting, rubbing eyes frequently and complaining of blurry vision. Children may not verbalize symptoms, as it is common for kids to “normalize” their vision problems and adapt. It is up to you to keep a watchful eye out for these signs and symptoms. Preventing myopia and early diagnosis and treatment of myopia are important to preventing progression, as myopia can lead to serious eye problems such as cataracts and glaucoma. If you notice any signs, make an appointment with your eye doctor right away.

Childhood is critical for vision development. We encourage all who skipped their annual eye exam to make an appointment and make regular vision screenings part of your new post-COVID routine. Request an appointment by choosing the Eyepic location nearest you. Find your location and request an appointment here.

Get your children’s eyes back on track!

Eyepic is proud to offer the only FDA-approved, cross-linking procedure for treating keratoconus, iLink™. Backed by 20 years of science, iLink™ is a proprietary, minimally invasive procedure that slows or sometimes even halts progressive keratoconus to help preserve vision. Why is this important? If left untreated, one in five people diagnosed with progressive keratoconus may require a corneal transplant. Untreated keratoconus can also lead to higher risk of vision loss and a less than ideal vision quality of life. It is important to also note that more than half of the people who undergo a corneal transplant may need multiple transplants within 20 years thereafter.

The good news is this FDA-approved, cross-linking procedure works to keep that from being your future. Over 400,000 cross-linking procedures have been performed worldwide with the iLink™ equipment, and we hope to help those with progressive keratoconus by adding to that number. As with offering any new service, we expect you to have some questions. We hope these will help, and if you have a question not listed below, feel free to give us a call.

Who backs the iLink™ procedure?

Not only is iLink™ the only FDA-approved, therapeutic treatment for this ocular disease, both the American Academy of Ophthalmology as well as the Cornea Society recommend cross-linking for the treatment of progressive keratoconus, making it the new standard of care.

What’s so special about this procedure?

First, it can reduce or delay the need for more invasive procedures down the road. Second, it can offer you peace of mind knowing this one-time procedure is widely covered by commercial medical insurance (to see if it is covered under your insurance, we recommend you reach out to verify). Third, keratoconus is serious and can lead to vision loss, which is commonly associated with anxiety, depression, and ability to remain independent. iLink™’s goal is to prevent that from happening.

We’re here to be there every step of the way on your keratoconus journey. Schedule an appointment to discuss your options today, by clicking here.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Ulcerative keratitis can occur. Patients should be monitored for resolution of epithelial defects. The most common ocular adverse reaction was corneal opacity (haze). Other ocular side effects include punctate keratitis, corneal striae, dry eye, corneal epithelium defect, eye pain, light sensitivity, reduced visual acuity, and blurred vision. These are not all of the side effects of the corneal collagen cross-linking treatment. For more information, go to http://www.livingwithkeratoconus.com to obtain the FDA-approved product labeling. You are encouraged to report all side effects to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Dubbed Cataracts Awareness Month by the Academy of Ophthalmology, we are going to break down everything you need to know about cataracts, how to slow progression, and more.

What are cataracts?

A cataract clouds the normally clear lens within your eyes. For people with cataracts, seeing through a clouded lens is a bit like looking through a frosted or fogged-up window.

What causes cataracts?

Cataracts are very common and part of the natural aging process, and typically starts happening at age 40 when the proteins in your lens start to break down. At around age 60, people can start to have visible clouding of the lens. This is also when symptoms can increase in severity, but may not happen until years later. There are other risk factors for developing cataracts, such as:

• It is in your DNA (having family members with cataracts)
• Certain medical problems, for example, if you have diabetes
• Smoking
• Previous eye injuries, eye surgeries, or radiation treatments on the upper body area
• Spending excessive time in the sun, subjecting your eyes to harmful UV rays without proper eye protection
• Certain medications such as corticosteroids

What are the symptoms of cataracts?

Cataracts can change your vision. If you notice any of the following symptoms, you may have cataracts:

• Blurry vision
• Seeing double
• Extra light sensitivity
• Difficulty seeing well at night
• Need additional light when you read
• Seeing bright colors as faded or having more of a yellow tone

If you notice any of these cataract symptoms, notify your ophthalmologist.

Can I slow down the development of cataracts?

Studies have shown that you can slow the development of cataracts by simply protecting your eyes from the sun. You can do this by wearing sunglasses that block out ultraviolet (UV) rays. You can talk to your eye doctor, but you may also wear glasses that have a clear coating that blocks UV.

I was diagnosed with cataracts. What do I do now?

If you have been diagnosed with cataracts, we are here to help you each step of the way. Here are a few things to consider:

• If you are older than 65, you should schedule an eye exam every year
• Block UV rays and block out harmful rays by wearing protective sunglasses and a hat (there are sunglasses that block at least 99 percent UV)
• Quit smoking, if you are a smoker. Smoking is a known risk factor for cataracts
• Use bright lights if you read
• Get a magnifying glass (which can be ordered on Amazon or found at your local CVS or Walgreens)
• If night vision, halos, or glare impact your vision, limit driving at night
• Get eyeglasses or contact lenses
• If it gets difficult to continue in your regular/day-to-day activities, consider cataract surgery
• Get informed about cataract surgery. Talk to your ophthalmologist about:
  • the surgery
  • preparing for the surgery
  • recovering after the surgery
  • benefits of the surgery and all possible complications of the surgery
  • other questions you have

If you have any questions about cataracts, symptoms, surgery, or anything else, let us know! Ready to schedule an appointment? You request an eye care appointment by clicking here.

We get asked a lot of questions about eye care, eye appointments, vision issues, and, naturally, everything that relates to your eyes and vision. See below for our top frequently asked questions. We hope this helps if you are wondering the same thing(s) as so many others who come in, call, DM, or email. If you have a question that is not listed here, let us know. We are here for you and are more than happy to try and get all of your eye and vision questions answered!

How often do I need an eye exam?

The frequency of your eye exams depends on your eye health and varies from patient to patient. In addition to ensuring healthy vision, a comprehensive eye exam can detect other health risks such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. We recommend patients who wear corrective lenses or who are over the age of 60 visits us annually. Frequent eye exams or checkups could be needed for patients with certain health conditions (such as diabetes) or certain eye diseases.

How much does an eye exam cost?

During an eye exam, your optometrist can run a variety of tests depending on your symptoms, medical history, and what your eye doctor recommends. Eye exam costs depend on the tests and your insurance coverage. At Eyepic Slope Eye Care, we accept both health insurances and vision plans. We would be happy to give you an estimate before your eye exam.

What are the things that sometimes float across my eyes?

Sometimes, things that look like spots, threads, squiggly lines, or even little cobwebs can come into your line of vision. Chances are they are floaters, which are protein fibers that can clump together and cause the things that look like they are “floating” across your eyes. One or two occasional floaters are nothing to worry about; however, there are times when eye floaters can signal a more serious condition. You should call your eye doctor immediately if you notice a lot of new floaters, a shadow appears in your peripheral, side, vision, and/or a gray curtain covers part of your vision, as these are symptoms of a torn or detached retina.

What is the difference between ophthalmology, optometry, and optical?

Ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians all play important roles in providing eye care to patients, but not everyone knows what each function does. Let us break it down for you.

An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor (MD) who specializes in eye and vision care. Ophthalmologists are licensed to practice medicine and surgery. Advanced training in ophthalmology allows ophthalmologists to diagnose and treat a wider range of conditions compared to an optometrist. An ophthalmologist diagnoses and treats all ocular conditions and performs surgeries.

An optometrist is a doctor who has earned the Doctor of Optometry degree (OD). Optometrists are primary health care specialists, trained to examine defects in vision, ocular injuries, ocular diseases, and problems with general health that may affect the eyes like diabetes and hypertension. Optometrists offer clinical advice and can prescribe for glasses and contacts.

An optician is trained to check and fit optical frames and lenses.  They use the prescriptions written by either the optometrists and ophthalmologists but do not perform the examinations or write prescriptions. At Eyepic, our opticians are highly trained on the most up-to-date innovations in lens technology and eyewear trends to ensure superior vision is achieved.

What other eye care services do you provide?

From comprehensive medical eye exams to specialty eye care such as myopia control, dry eye management, cataracts surgery, and glaucoma treatment, our optometrists and ophthalmologists are always a step ahead to provide our patients with the most complete eye care possible. You can find our services here:  https://www.eyepiceyecare.com/services/.

What insurances do you accept?

Eyepic Eye Care strives to serve our patients with the best eye care experience possible. For this reason, we try to accept as many insurance and vision plans as we can. You can find a list of the current insurance plans we accept here: https://www.eyepiceyecare.com/insurances/

What are my insurance benefits?

Your insurance provider can give you all your insurance coverage. We will review with you your benefits at the time of your visit to make sure you do not leave with an unexpected bill.

What do I need to bring for my appointment?

You should bring a valid government ID such as driver license as well as any medical and/or vision coverage cards you may have. You should also bring anything related to your eye health such as sunglasses, glasses, contact lens box if you have any.

Although many people would agree that men and women view the world differently, not everyone knows that men and women see the world differently because of their actual vision.

A study from Brooklyn College conducted by psychology Professor Israel Abramov found that men and women tend to attribute different shades of colors to the same objects. Researchers have an answer for this; “Across most of the visible spectrum, males require a slightly longer wavelength than do females in order to experience the same hue,” source: Biology of Sex Differences.

Because longer wavelengths are associated with warmer colors, a yellow may appear more orange, or an orange may appear redder to men than to women. For women’s eyes, colder objects such as leaves almost always appear greener to women than men.

It also appears that men are less skilled at distinguishing shades in colors from the center of the spectrum such as (blue, yellow, and greens).

According to National Geographic, vision findings can be attributed to the hunter-gatherer hypothesis. This hypothesis argues that men and women evolved with distinct psychological abilities to fit their prehistoric roles, i.e. because men were hunters and women were gatherers, their vision adapted accordingly.

It was noted that men had “significantly greater sensitivity for fine detail and for rapidly moving stimuli,” researchers wrote. Prehistoric hunters “would have to detect possible predators or prey from afar and also identify and categorize these objects more easily.”

Also noted was that the women, gatherers, were more likely to adapt to recognize close-at-hand, static objects such as wild berries, which could be the reason women have an advantage when it comes to color vision.

The next time you see a couple arguing about paint swatches, try not to judge. They might not see the same color. Men are actually more likely to have red-green colorblindness, according to the National Eye Institute. This is because red-green color blindness is passed down on the X chromosome.

Men have 1 X chromosome, which is from their mother. If the X chromosome has the gene for red-green color blindness, the son will have red-green color blindness.

Women have 2 X chromosomes, one being from their mother and the other being from their father. In order for women to have red-green color blindness, both X chromosomes would need to have the gene, which is less common.

With rising technology use, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents are concerned about their children spending too much time in front of screens. With classes through video conferencing and the number of digital devices readily available to children and teenagers, the probability of limiting time screen time to under two hours is virtually zero, which leads to digital eye strain To monitor your child’s health, you can look for symptoms that can indicate too much time has been spent in front of a screen. Keep an eye out for:

Headaches and pain

After long hours in front of screens, vision headaches can occur. This type of headache is typically located at the front of the head, while headaches related to poor ergonomics typically appear at the back of the head. Headaches that appear after long hours sitting behind a screen are common and come at no surprise.

Sore, tired, burning, itchy eyes

Can lead to difficulty concentrating, sore neck/shoulders/back, and an inability to keep the eyes open and are all common symptoms of digital eye strains due to long hours spent in front of screens.

Blurred or double vision

If your child complains about blurry vision, you should ask if it is constant. If blurry vision is a constant problem for your child, they might have a refractive error such as myopia, astigmatism, hypertropia, or other eye conditions such as dry eye. If your child experiences blurry vision only after having spent long hours in front of screens and it goes away after a night of sleep, they are probably experiencing digital eye strains. In any case, you should consult your optometrist to be sure about your child’s eye health. Blurry vision from refractive errors can lead to difficulty focusing and can impact your child’s ability to learn.

Lack of sleep

Another common symptom of too much exposure to blue light from digital screens is lack of sleep. Blue light disrupts healthy sleeping patterns by obstructing melatonin production, which is vital for a good night’s sleep. If your child is using a computer game or social media to relax before bedtime, the light emitted from the device can disrupt the natural release of melatonin.

What can parents do to prevent these symptoms from happening to their children’s eyes?

The most important thing that you can do is to schedule an eye exam. Having your child’s eyes checked by a professional will ensure you have the most accurate information on their eye sight. During an eye exam, your eye doctor will check your child’s visual acuity and detect symptoms that can be linked to refractive errors and eye conditions. Depending on your child’s eye exam results, your eye doctor could prescribe corrective eyewear, contact lenses, and/or a variety of child-friendly treatments (such as myopic control).

If your child needs prescription glasses, you can add blue light blockers. Blue light blockers are lenses that filter the harmful blue light emitted by computer screens. They can help relieve eye discomfort and help get a good night’s sleep. Blue light has also been linked to Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Blue light lenses could prevent AMD in the long run.

When your child is working on a computer or focusing on close objects for long hours, they should keep the 20/20/20 rule in mind. Every twenty minutes have them look at something twenty feet away for twenty seconds. This helps defocus near vision. Focusing on near objects for a long period of time can contribute to the development of myopia and eye strains.

To set up a successful and healthy workstation at home, screen brightness level should be a top priority. The brightness of the computer screen should match the brightness of the room. This will help with fatigue and digital eye strain.

You should ensure your kids are not in front of screens before bedtime. A good rule thumb is to stop using digital devices at least 90min before bed.