It is best to wear sunglasses that have protection from UV A and UV B rays all year round and from an early age. Polarized and photochromic lenses are great for reducing glare. Lens tints in any color should block about 80% of the light that is being transmitted through the lens. Frames that cover large areas can be helpful in protecting you from skin cancers on the lids, pterygiums, Cataracts, Macular Degeneration, and photokeratitis(corneal sunburn). Wide brimmed hats in combination with the sunglasses are also helpful.

Health History is one of the most important parts of an eye examination. Dry eyes, Diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, and strokes are just a few issues that we can be suffering from that can have a huge impact on our vision and our visual health. It is extremely important to share all of your current health status and medications with your Optometrist. This helps us create a list of possible issues that a patient can be suffering from as well as a comprehensive treatment plan. More and more, we are treating our bodies from a more holistic approach as opposed to individual specialized systems. Family health history is also a helpful factor to share with your optometrist.

Contemporary Optometry best practices take a holistic view of physical health and eyes are not treated as a separates specialized sub-system. Hence, it is extremely important to share all of your current health status, medications, your medical history and specific family health history with your Optometrist. Conditions such as Diabetes, Hypertension, Arthritis, and Strokes are just a few major health conditions that one could have, which impact vision and the overall visual health, affecting the anatomy of the eye. The status of one’s overall health plays a major part in developing a good eye health regimen.