HALLOWEEN SAFETY BASED ON GOOD VISIBILITY

On Halloween, an assortment of ballerinas, clowns, ghosts, and other goblins will have their eyes on just one thing—candy. Roaming dimly lit neighborhoods is part of the fun for children in pursuit of treats, but it can also be dangerous.

Trick-or-treaters and parents need to remember that on Halloween, to be safe, you must be seen. Studies have shown that a child’s risk of injury or death as a result of being hit by a car doubles around Halloween.

Incorporate these simple precautions into the evening’s festivities to ensure Halloween safety:

• Dress children in light-colored costumes or adhere reflective tape to the costume’s fabric and accessories. Make sure children and adults are visible to passing cars.
• Eliminate masks from among the costume’s accessories. Masks can get in the way of clear vision and can increase the chances of tripping or running into objects.
• Hypoallergenic make-up is a safer alternative. Take care in keeping make-up away from the eyes.
• No trick-or-treater should go in search of treats alone. Children move through darkened neighborhoods more safely if accompanied by an adult.
• Approach only doorsteps that have a porch light lit. Similarly, if you plan to pass out treats, be sure to turn on your light.
• Pedestrians think they are more visible to drivers than they actually are, so remind trick-or-treaters to look both ways before crossing streets and to stay with the group.
• If cosmetic contact lenses are part of your costume, make sure you obtain them from your doctor of optometry to ensure that the lenses that fit your eyes properly, and to learn ways to care for them.

Prevent Eye Strain and Eye Injury at Work

Whether using a computer or a sledge hammer to get the job done, POA reports that visual discomfort, eye strain and eye injuries in the workplace are not only common, but cost billions in lost productivity each year. And, research indicates that 2,000 workers each day in the United States sustain job-related eye injuries requiring medical treatment, yet safety experts and doctors of optometry agree that 90 percent of all eye and vision injuries could be prevented with simple safety steps such as wearing properly designed and fitted protective eyewear.

While most people think of construction or manufacturing as high-risk occupations where eye injuries are prevalent, even jobs requiring “smart phones,” laptops and desktop computers can cause vision problems if not used properly.

Go Easy on the PDA
According to the American Optometric Association or,AOA’s, American Eye-Q® survey, nearly half of all Americans (46 percent) spend five or more hours per day using a computer or a PDA (personal digital assistant). And while technology can easily improve the efficiencies of one’s life, prolonged use of electronic devices may lead to symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) such as eye strain, dry eyes, headaches, fatigue, blurred vision and loss of focus.

CVS can be a serious problem for those who spend hours in front of a computer or hand-held electronic device on a daily basis. However, small steps can make big changes to ease vision strain.

The AOA encourages all tech users to follow the recommendations below, which will go a long way in keeping productivity up and discomfort down while surfing the Web, editing a document or sending an e-mail.

* Give It A Rest: Remember the 20-20-20 rule. At least every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away. The Eye-Q® survey found that the majority of Americans don’t follow this rule; more than half (59 percent) take breaks every hour, or less frequently.
* Size Up: Smaller screens on hand-held devices usually favor tiny type that challenges your vision. Instead of bringing the screen closer to the eyes, increase the font size so the device can be used at a distance that is more comfortable for your eyes.
* Sharpen Up: Better resolution offers greater clarity and usually more comfort. Adjust the brightness of the screen to a comfortable intensity, neither too bright nor too dim.
* Reduce Glare: Hand-held devices present challenges in various lighting conditions. When possible, try to make sure lighting is not directly behind the head or in front. Reducing glare may ease reading and can make a bigger difference than increasing the font size.
* Look Down: It’s easier on the eyes to focus on reading material that is below eye level; therefore, position a computer monitor or hand-held device slightly below eye level.

Safer Sight On-Site
Many professions – from auto repair to health care – require protective eyewear to help reduce the risk of eye injuries. AOA advises that with proper eye protection, like safety glasses, goggles, face shields and helmets, thousands of injuries could be prevented. Yet the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that in approximately 60 percent of eye injury cases, workers failed to wear proper protective eyewear.

While working around the house, it seems an even greater percentage fail to protect their sight. The Eye-Q® survey found that nearly two-thirds of Americans do not wear safety glasses or goggles when working on home improvement projects.

Eye safety – whether at home or in the work place – is proven to prevent vision loss. The two main reasons workers experience eye injuries are either because they are not wearing eye protection or they are wearing the wrong kind of protection for the job.

The AOA recommends four key elements to protect eyes from injury:

* Know the eye safety dangers.
* Eliminate hazards before starting work such as using machine guards, work screens or other engineering controls.
* Wear the proper eye protection and make sure it is correctly fitted.
* Keep safety eyewear in good condition and replace it if it is damaged.

Visit Your Optometrist
While it’s important to practice good eye health habits at work, the best line of defense is to visit a doctor of optometry on a regular basis for comprehensive eye exams to help ensure healthy vision.

AOA recommends adults age 60 and under have a comprehensive eye exam every two years and then annually thereafter. Based on an individual’s eye health, the eye doctor may recommend more frequent visits.

3-D Movies: Not Everyone Can ‘See’ What All the Hype is About

As Hollywood prepares for a summer filled with 3-D blockbuster hopefuls and cable networks launch 3-D networks and programming for newly-released 3-D televisions, the trend towards this new technology is hard to miss—except for the millions of Americans who literally can’t see it.

Movies including “Avatar” and “Alice in Wonderland” have already left their impression on the 3-D screen and new movies using the technology are making their way into theaters across the country. Meanwhile, ESPN and the Discovery Channel are preparing to broadcast in 3-D. This new technology is catching the eyes of fans nationwide, but some people may not be able to enjoy the 3-D experience because of vision problems.

“Quite simply, people who have even a small vision misalignment or those who don’t have equal vision in both eyes may not be able to see 3-D images properly,” said Dr. Leonard Press, chair of the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) Pediatrics and Binocular Vision Committee. “Individuals with unstable focusing or difficulty in coordinating vision with other senses can experience headaches and other uncomfortable side effects from viewing 3-D movies.”

According to the American Optometric Association, anywhere from three to nine million people have problems with binocular vision prohibiting them from watching 3-D TV and movies. Binocular vision is the ability to align both eyes accurately on an object and combine the visual images from each eye into a single, in-depth perception. The problem comes from fatigue caused when 3-D technology forces the eyes to make adjustments to focus simultaneously on images that are near and far away.

Symptoms indicating a potential problem with the ability to see images in 3-D vary from person to person. According to the results of the AOA’s American Eye-Q® survey, the majority of individuals who suffer from 3-D vision complications most often experience headaches (13 percent), blurred vision (12 percent) and dizziness (11 percent).
The AOA recommends seeing a doctor of optometry for further evaluation if consumers answer yes to any of the following questions:

* Is the 3-D viewing experience not as vivid as it is for others watching the same picture?
* Do you experience eyestrain or headaches during or after viewing?
* Do you feel nauseous or dizzy during or after viewing?
* Are you more comfortable viewing 2-D TV or movies instead of 3-D TV/movies?
* Is it difficult for your eyes to adjust back to normal after watching 3-D TV/movies?

“Watching 3-D programming can unmask issues such as lazy eye, convergence insufficiency, poor focusing skills and other visual problems consumers might not have previously known existed,” said Dr. Dominick Maino, a Professor of Pediatrics/Binocular Vision at the Illinois College of Optometry’s Illinois Eye Institute. “Research shows that up to 56 percent of those ages 18 to 38 have symptoms related to a binocular vision problem. It is important to know that studies also show optometric vision therapy can help alleviate these problems and make the experience of watching these movies more enjoyable.”

Optometric vision therapy is a sequence of therapeutic procedures individually prescribed and monitored by an optometrist to develop efficient visual skills and processing. Following a comprehensive eye examination, the optometrist may prescribe vision therapy if the results of the exam indicate a need and if it is determined an appropriate treatment option for the patient. The vision therapy program is based on the results of standardized tests, the needs of the patient, and the patient's signs and symptoms. Optometric vision therapy re-educates the brain to achieve single, clear, comfortable, two-eyed vision that improves eye coordination, focusing and eye movement, ultimately enhancing the 3-D viewing experience.

The AOA also recommends visiting a doctor of optometry on a regular basis for comprehensive eye exams to help ensure healthy vision overall. The AOA guidelines suggest adults age 60 and under have a comprehensive eye exam every two years and then annually thereafter. Children should be evaluated every year as long as they are in school. Based on an individual’s eye health or the presence of certain risk factors, your optometrist may recommend more frequent visits.

Prevent Macular Degeneration by Eating Your Valentine's Day Chocolates

As Valentine's Day approaches those heart shaped boxes filled with chocolate are often thought of as guilty pleasures. However, those chocolates may actually good for you.

Dark Chocolate is high both in polyphenols and antioxidants, together these may prove to be beneficial in preventing macular degeneration. The darker the chocolate the better. Dark chocolate is proving to be good for for many health conditions including diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol and may reduce the risk of blood clots, strokes and heart attacks. Polyphenols from Dark Chocolate may also exhibit some anti-vegf properties and may prove to be beneficial for macular degeneration. Try to eat the Dark chocolate with the highest percent of Cocoa and the least amount of sugar.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported on the effects of cocoa and dark chocolate on a study done on 23 healthy Americans. The published results were:

Cocoa powder and dark chocolate may favorably affect cardiovascular disease risk status by:

1) modestly reducing LDL oxidation susceptibility,

2) increasing serum total antioxidant capacity and

3) increasing HDL-cholesterol concentrations, and

4) not adversely affecting prostaglandins

Antioxidants combat and neutralize free radicals which cause damage to our cells, and in particular the macula where lots of oxidation takes place.

"Almost every single one of the risk factors we have for macular degeneration can be linked to free radicals."

Dr. Lylas G. Mogk, M. D., Visual Rehabilitation and Research Center of Michigan.

Dark chocolate has many more antioxidants than milk chocolate. Milk chocolate has the least amount of total antioxidant capacity. It is recommended that you select chocolates with at least 70% cocoa content. Natural cocoa powders contain the highest amount of total antioxidant capacity.

Avoid consuming your dark chocolate with a glass of cold milk since the milk interferes with absorption.

"Eating a little bit of chocolate or having a drink of hot cocoa as part of a regular diet is probably good for personal health, so long as people don't eat too much of it, and too much of the kind with lots of butter and sugar," said Diane Becker, the lead researcher of an 18 month study at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.


References:

http://www.fortifeye.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=20

http://www.webrn-maculardegeneration.com/antioxidants-in-chocolate.html