eyeglasses

Sports Sunglasses: Enhance Performance, Control Light

Sports sunglasses can provide athletes at every level with an edge, including those “weekend warrior” amateurs who are constantly searching for ways to make improvements to their performance while playing the sports that they love.

However, in their big rush to try out the latest and best gear, like new shoes or tennis racquets, there are many sports enthusiasts who have a tendency to forget about one of the key factors in making sure that their sports performance is optimized – which is their vision.

Light Is Managed By Sports Sunglasses To Enhance Performance

Of course, vision is all about the way we process light in order to make the images that we see.

Light, which includes outdoor sunlight, is all comprised of an array of electromagnetic rays in various colors, which are determined by the specific wavelengths. Rays of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet light all have their specific wavelengths, depending on what color they are. When these color rays are combined, white light is created.

When certain wavelengths are transmitted to the eyes and selectively reduced, the sunglasses tinted performance may enhance contrast sensitivity and diminish glare.

This capability to see with greater comfort, clarity, accuracy, and speed, gives the athlete a potentially key advantage over the competition.

Sports sunglasses provide an extra edge of improved vision may be manifested in various ways, depending on the specific sport that is involved. For example, in golf, tinted lenses may enhance the contrasts between dark and light patterns of grass on the putting green, which can help you “read the greens much better to result in more accurate putting.

More examples:

– In baseball, softball, and tennis, tinted lenses may help you with seeing ball rotation more clearly to make much better contact with a bat or racquet.

– For biking, sunglasses that have the right lenses can help you see down a trail or road better that results in a safer ride, particularly when traveling at high speeds downhill.

How To Select A Sunglass Tint

Choosing a tint mostly comes down to your personal preference. However, there are certain tints that do provide advantages for specific environments and visual tasks.

If it is key to have 100 percent accurate color perception, then the best choice is a neutral gray tint.

Contrast enhancement for a majority of athletes is the feature that is most desired for activities like seeing moguls coming up on a ski slope, fish underneath the water, a ball in the sky, or various other sports-specific activities. In order for contrast to be enhanced, often the best tints are copper-colored and brown ones.

Depending on what the specific lighting conditions are, other good contrast enhancement options include red, orange, amber and yellow (for overcast and low-light conditions).

UV Protection And Lens Tints

If you like sports, then most likely you spend a lot more time out in the sun compared to the average individual. So make sure that 100 percent UV protection is offered by your sunglasses. Developing cataracts later on in life has been linked to lifelong ultraviolet (UV) ray overexposure.

How much UV protection is provided by sunglass lenses depends on what lens material they are made out of along with the additives or coating that are applied to their lenses.

Therefore, a sunglass tint’s darkness and color are not reliable indicators of how well they protect your eyes against ultraviolet (UV) radiation. A light yellow lens can potentially provide 100 percent UV protection while a dark gray lens might offer no or little protection, depending on the quality of the lens.

Polycarbonate lenses are a good option for sports sunglasses. The lenses are shatter-resistant and lightweight. They block out 100 percent of the harmful UV rays of the sun without any extra coatings or additives.

It is also suggested by recent research that wearing sunglasses that are able to block the sun’s high energy visible (HEV) radiation – or “blue light” as it is sometimes called – is a good idea. It is believed by some researchers that being exposed to HEV light over the long term might contribute to eye problems such as macular degeneration.

Many “blue-blocker” sunglasses brands are available in the market. There is one highly effective version in particular that includes a synthetic type of melanin, which is a kind of natural light-absorbing pigment that is contained in the retinas of the eyes and the skin.

Ask your eye doctor for help in choosing sports sunglasses that are able to block both HEV and 100 percent UV light.

Hunting Eyewear And Shooting Glasses

It is essential for anyone who is using a firearm to have eye protection, whether they are in a field, a forest or at a shooting range.

There is always some amount of recoil with every firearm, and numerous shooting activities occur outdoors where dust, sun, and wind can lead to vision and eye issues.

Handguns are only an arm’s length away, while rifles and shotguns are held on one’s shoulder. All of these various shooting activities take place very near the face, meaning that you need to take every precaution to protect your eyes from being harmed.

It makes sense to have good eye protection and frequently it is required at a shooting range or during an organized match. Shooters are allowed to wear any type of eyewear they want to by some range masters. However, certain standards may be required sometimes.

It is acceptable to wear contoured, generic non-prescription sports goggles if you are wearing contact lenses or do not need vision correction. Those goggles wrap slightly around your face in order to keep out dust and wind.

If you do need to wear prescription lenses to see clearly, or you just want to have the best available shooting eyewear, then there are popular styles of shooting glasses that similar to the style of aviator glasses.

However, eyewear that has been designed for shooters has a couple of added features to provide you with more comfort while you are using your firearm:

– Their frames have a rounded shape so that sharp corners are avoided that could potentially jab you in the face.

– There are some brands that come with special padding around on the eyes on the frame. This padding helps to cushion the frame on your face in the event there is too much recoil on the gun. It also helps to keep dust and wind out.

Additional Frame Features For Shooting Glasses

The temples on shooting glasses frequently have spring hinges on them that enable the frame to flex when recoil occurs instead of breaking. The temples wrap around the ears as well in “cable” style. This helps to keep the frame in place. To further enhance comfort, the temple tips might have rounded ends.

There are adjustable nose pads to all the frame to rest in the optimal position. For additional comfort, soft silicone pads frequently are used.

There are some shooting glasses that have bridges that can adjust to several different locking positions. This allows the glasses to have the right position for whatever shot is being taken.

The frames are made out of various ophthalmic materials, which include tough and regular plastic polycarbonate, as well as metals such as titanium.

Best Shooting Glasses Lenses

For many years now, the leading shooting glasses lens choice has been polycarbonate lenses with built-in ultraviolet protection and a scratch-resistant hard coat. It is a highly impact-resistant lens material that provides maximum “bounce-back” and “blow-back” protection.

Many of the nonprescription shooting glasses provide you with several different pairs of interchangeable lenses to use under various atmospheric and lighting conditions. Prescription lenses may be made in whatever color you feel is the most appropriate for you. For more information, speak with your optician.

Lens tints may also be a factor in shooting glasses performance. Many shooters are most comfortable with lenses that are orange or yellow. Lenses in those hues block blue light and haze and also usually help to enhance the contrast between the background and a target. The brighter yellow that a lens is, the better it is to use in near-dark and low contrast conditions.

Gray is a “true” or neutral color that allows you to see colors as they actually are. The target is not enhanced by gray shooting lenses, but in bright sunlight, they do help to reduce glare.

Polarized shooting glasses may be made in practically any color. Glare is reduced by polarized lenses that are caused by light that reflects off of water as well as other types of flat surfaces. Therefore, they enhance outdoor vision.

Photochromic lenses are another great option. The light-sensitive lenses are automatically darkened as a response to sunlight. They come in various colors, including neutral green and gray, as well as contrast-enhancing brown.

Whatever color of lens you decide to use on your shooting glasses, you should strongly consider adding an anti-reflective (AR) coating to the lenses’ back surface. That eliminates the potential glare coming from the light that is reflected off of the back of the lenses whenever the sun is in back of you.

How To Keep Eyes Healthy

You must never take your eyes for granted. Follow the simple steps below to ensure that your eyes stay healthy.

Eat Right

Proper eye health starts with what you eat. Nutrients like lutein, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin C and vitamin E can help in the prevention of age-related vision issues such as cataracts and macular degeneration. To get these nutrients, fill your plate with:

– Pork and oysters

– Oranges and other citrus fruits or juices

– Beans, nuts, eggs, and other non-meat protein sources

– Tuna, salmon, and other oily fish

– Green leafy vegetables such as collards, kale, and spinach

A balanced diet is also important for helping you maintain a healthy weight, which in turn lowers your risk of developing obesity and other related diseases such as type 2 diabetes – the number 1 cause of adult blindness.

Stop Smoking

Smoking makes you more likely to get cataracts, causes macular degeneration, and damages the optic nerve. If you have tried to quit smoking without much success, keep trying. The higher the number of times you try to quit, the higher your chances of success. You can ask your doctor for help with this.

Wearing Sunglasses

The right pair of sunglasses can help protect the eyes from the ultraviolet (UV) from the sun. Too much exposure to UV rays increases your chances of macular degeneration and cataracts.

A good pair of sunglasses is one that blocks between 99 and 100 percent of the UVA & UVB rays. To protect the eyes from the side, wear wraparound lenses. Wear polarized lenses to help reduce glare while driving.

It is also important to find contact lenses that offer UV protection. However, you still need to wear sunglasses for additional protection.

Using Safety Eyewear

If you use airborne or hazardous materials either at home or on the job, it is always advisable to wear protective goggles or safety glasses.

Sports such as lacrosse, racquetball, and ice hockey can lead to eye injuries. Always wear protective eye gear such as ports glasses with polycarbonate lenses or helmets that have protective face masks to help shield the eyes.

Stop Staring at the Computer Screen

If you stare at your phone or computer screen for too long, you can suffer from:

– Headaches

– Dry eyes

– Trouble focusing at a distance

– Shoulder, back, and neck pain

– Blurry vision

– Eyestrain

To ensure that your eyes are adequately protected:

– Blink more if your eyes are dry

– Invest in a comfortable, supportive chair and position it such that your feet are flat on the floor

– Try avoiding glare from lights and windows. You can use an anti-glare screen if necessary

– Move your computer monitor so that the eyes are level with the top of the screen. This will let you look slightly down at your screen

– If eye strain doesn’t go away on its own, talk to your doctor about getting computer glasses

– Ensure that your contacts or glasses prescription is up to date and good for looking at computer screens

– Rest the eyes every 20 minutes. Look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Get up at least once every 2 hours and take a 15-minute break.

Visit the Eye Doctor Regularly

Everybody requires eye exams regularly, even young children. It lets you see your best and helps protect your sight.

Eye exams are also critical to finding diseases such as glaucoma, which have no symptoms. It is important to ensure that they are spotted early on when they are easier to treat.

Contact Lenses Vs. Eyeglasses: Which Option Is Best For You?

Your choice of whether to wear contact lenses or eyeglasses to correct your vision primarily depends on your personal preferences. Comfort, lifestyle, aesthetics, convenience, budget, and lifestyle are all critical considerations in your decision-making process.

Before you choose between glasses and contacts, you should remember that one option isn’t necessarily always going to be better than the other. After all, each option has its advantages and disadvantages in regards to ease of use, eye health and of course vision.

Eyeglasses provide numerous advantages over the more popular option of contact lenses. They don’t require much maintenance and cleaning, you don’t have to touch the eyes when wearing them, and they tend to be cheaper than contact lenses in the long run because they don’t require regular replacement.

Eyeglasses are also capable of doing something that contact lenses are unable to: they can regulate the amount of light that enters the eye to ensure optimal vision and comfort. Photochromic lenses specifically are clear in the nighttime and indoors but automatically darken in sunlight for clear, comfortable vision in any lighting conditions. While some contact lenses are capable of blocking some UV light from reaching the eye, photochromic lenses can block 100 percent of the UV light and protect both the interior of the eye from the UV light as well as the eyelids and exterior of the eye too.

Eyeglasses also make a great fashion statement and can act as an extension of your personality.

Having said that, contact lenses also offer numerous advantages over glasses. Contact lenses sit on the eye directly, which means that vision, and in particular peripheral vision, isn’t obstructed. It is possible to participate in outdoor activities and sports without having to worry about eyeglasses breaking, falling off, or simply getting in the way. It is even possible to use color contact lenses to change the color of your eyes.

So, which option is better for your specific lifestyle and needs – contact lenses or glasses? The following is a breakdown of all the pros and cons of each type of eyewear to help you make an informed decision.

Contact Lenses: Pros

– Contacts never clash with what you wear

– Contacts never get in the way when exercising or playing sports

– Contacts conform to the natural curvature of the eyes, provide a wider field of view, and cause fewer vision distortions and obstructions compared to eyeglasses.

Contact Lenses: Cons

– Contacts limit the amount of oxygen that reaches the eye and can either cause dry eye syndrome or increase its severity.

– Contacts require much more care than eyeglasses. Contacts sit directly on your eye so they need to be cleaned and cared for.

– Some people have reported experiencing problems applying contacts to their eye even though using the right technique and enough practice should correct this in most instances.

– If you are a frequent user of the computer, wearing contact lenses can contribute to the symptoms of computer vision syndrome.

Eyeglasses: Pros

– Eyeglasses won’t worsen the problem of dry or sensitive eyes as contact lenses do.

– With eyeglasses, you never have to touch the eyes, which means that the likelihood of irritating them or even developing an eye infection is reduced.

– Eyeglasses generally cost less than contacts in the long run. You don’t have to replace them as often, and if the prescription changes over time, you can replace the lenses but keep the current frames.

Eyeglasses: Cons

– If your prescription is strong, the edges of the lenses might be thick and unappealing, or the glasses might make the eyes appear unnaturally magnified or minified.

– You might not like the way you look in glasses, and you might feel that they either hide your features or detracts from your facial aesthetics.

– Eyeglasses typically sit about half an inch from the eyes, which means that it is possible for peripheral vision to be distorted. People also often report having a hard time focusing on objects and having blurry vision when they wear eyeglasses for the first time, or they change prescriptions.

Eyeglasses, Contact Lenses, or Both?

The advanced in contact lens technology has allowed many people to wear contacts successfully even if they prefer wearing glasses as the primary method of vision correction.

The decision to wear either contacts or eyeglasses as well as when to wear them is thus a matter of personal preference.

However, it is important to remember that if you choose to be wearing contacts full-time, you also need an up-to-date pair of sunglasses in case you ever need to stop wearing the contact lenses due to an irritation or an eye infection, or you simply wish to give the eyes a break.

Computer Glasses: Relieving Eye Strain From Computers

Eye strain, red eyes, blurring vision and other symptoms of computer vision syndrome are often felt when you work at a computer for prolonged periods of time. This is due to the visual demands of computer work which is not associated with most other activities. If you are under the age of 40, blurred vision and eye strain during computer-based work may be due to the eye’s inability to remain properly focused on the screen or your eyes having trouble changing focus from the screen to the keyboard over prolonged periods of time. These focusing problems are often associated with CVS.

If you are over the age of 40, eye problems associated with computer work may be linked to an onset of presbyopia which is a normal age-related near focusing ability loss. This can also be a cause of the CVS symptoms.

The question that many people ask is what they can do about this. The first step will be to have a comprehensive eye test done to rule out any major vision problems and to update your eyeglass prescription. Small inaccuracies in your prescription lenses can contribute significantly to your computer vision problems. If your prescription eyewear is up to date and you continue to have problems, you should consider getting customized computer glasses. These are special glasses that are prescribed to reduce eye strain and give you the most comfortable vision possible while you work at the computer.

Why Choose Computer Glasses?

Regular eyeglasses and computer glasses are different in a number of ways because they are optimizing your eyesight for computer screens. Computer screens are generally 20 to 26 inches away from the eyes. This is considered to be the intermediate area of vision as it is closer than distance vision but farther than near vision.

When young adults and children are prescribed eyeglasses, they will generally be given single vision lenses. These are used to correct nearsightedness, astigmatism or farsightedness. The shape of the eye lens will also adjust when these glasses are used to provide the magnification needed for computer vision and near vision.

When near vision becomes less clear with presbyopia, this age-related loss of focusing powers will affect your ability to read and see computer screens and phone screens comfortably and clearly. Bifocal lenses can be used to get clear near and far vision, but intermediate vision will generally remain a problem. Trifocal and progressive lenses can be used as they will offer help for intermediate vision, but the intermediate zone that they have will generally not be large enough for comfortable computer work.

Without the use of computer glasses, many users will have blurred vision, headaches and eye strain which are the symptoms of CVS. To compensate for the blurred vision, there are many people who will lean forward or tip their head to look through the bottom part of their glasses. Both of these actions can result in sore shoulders, necks, and backs.

Computer glasses are often called computer reading glasses and are specific eyewear that has been created to help with computer use. It is important that these glasses are distinguished from traditional reading glasses.

Tips For Cleaning Your Glasses

eyeglasses in Raleigh NC If you want to ensure that your eyeglasses look great and provide you with a clear image, it’s an absolute must that you make sure that you keep them well cleaned.

However, you must understand the right way to do it, and avoid the multitude of wrong ways that can actually damage your eyeglass lenses!

Step By Step Process For Cleaning Your Glasses

If you follow these guidelines, you should be able to clean the lenses of your glasses, along with the frames, without causing any damage. You can use these same steps for your sunglasses, sporting eyewear, and safety goggles.

Wash your hands. In order to clean your glasses, your hands must be free from grime, personal care products, dead skin cells or anything else that could negatively impact the cleaning process. Make sure that the soap you use doesn’t contain any lotions or moisturizers which might leave traces on your hands. After thorough rinsing, use a lint-free towel to completely dry your hands.

Rinse glasses under running tap water. Set the faucet to room temperature with enough gentle pressure to remove dust and debris particles from your glasses to prevent scratches. Some lens coatings can be damaged by hot water, so always err on the side of caution.

Put a tiny drop of dishwashing liquid on each lens. Choose a lotion-free product and stick with a minuscule amount of soap due to the high concentration. Alternatively, place a tiny drop onto your fingertip. Read the label to make sure your soap doesn’t contain any kind of moisturizer or lotion.

Carefully rub on all parts of the glasses for several seconds. Make sure you get both sides of the lenses, including where they meet the frame. This juncture can collect dead skin cells, oils, dust and debris that must be regularly removed. Don’t forget about the nose pads and the ends of both arms.

Now you need to rinse the entire piece with lukewarm water to remove all traces of the soap and debris. Even a tiny amount can cause smears.

Lightly shake the water off of the glasses. Look at them to be sure that the lenses are completely clean.

Using a clean, lint-free towel, you should absorb the remaining water. Never use a dirty dish towel or one with fabric softening products in the fibers. The towels used for fine glassware are a suitable choice. It must be impeccably clean to avoid scratched lenses from debris. Also, traces of oils and lotions can cause smudges and smears.

Inspect the lenses. Hold the glasses up to the light where you can see through the lenses. Use a clean microfiber cloth to remove any streaks or smears that you can see. You can find these lint-free cloths at optical shops and in some displays for sunglasses or reading glasses.

Of course, you might not always have the time and supplies to go through that entire process. In that case, use the packaged lens cleaning wipes found in the same places mentioned above. These single-use cloths are pre-moistened and individually packaged for fast, easy use. Make sure that you are using ones designed for glasses, not baby wipes or any other type of moistened fiber wipe.

If you have any questions about how to clean your glasses or if you feel your glasses still don’t appear clear after you try to clean them, then please schedule a visit with our highly trained eye doctor here at Fusion Eye Care by calling (919) 977-7480. And if you’re looking for a great pair of eyeglasses in Raleigh NC, be sure to contact the optometrists here at Fusion Eye Care.

How Can I Tell If My Child Needs Glasses?

Eye Doctors Share 6 Warning Signs

Every parent wants their child to make the most of his or her potential – both in and out of school. That doesn’t always mean you need to hire extra tutors and enroll your kid in daily after-school enrichment courses. In fact, one of the most effective ways to help children maximize their abilities is much less time-consuming and less costly. So what’s this secret method for helping kids to excel?… Schedule a pediatric eye exam to see if they need glasses!

Optimal vision is required to develop basic learning and socializing skills, such as reading, writing and forming new friendships. As you make a list of all the essentials your child needs for school, remember to include “eye exam”. Fortunately, it’s easy to cross that task off the list with a visit to our friendly eye doctors.

While only a thorough eye exam by our optometrist can diagnose if your child needs (or doesn’t need) eyeglasses, there are telltale warnings signs for parents to be aware of. The following 6 signs may point to your child’s need to wear prescription eyeglasses:

1. Squinting

studying reading boy This can indicate the presence of a refractive error, which affects the eyes ability to focus on an image. Squinting can temporarily bring objects into focus.

2. Head tilting or covering one eye

By angling his head or covering one eye, your child may be able to enhance the clarity of an object or to eliminate double vision. This trick works best when eyes are misaligned, or when your child has the common condition of a lazy eye (amblyopia).

3. Holding digital devices close to the eyes or sitting close to the screen

If your kid always sits right next to the TV screen or brings handheld devices up to her nose to see them, it may be a sign of nearsightedness.

4. Eye rubbing

Eyestrain or fatigue may lead to excessive eye rubbing. This can be a red flag for a variety of vision conditions, including eye allergies.

5. Headaches and/or eye pain

If your child goes to bed each night complaining about a headache, it could indicate that he spent the day overexerting his eyes to see clearly.

6. Trouble concentrating and/or weak reading comprehension

When learning in a classroom, kids need to constantly adapt their visual focus from near to far and back again. They are always shifting their eyes between the board, computer, notebook and textbook. If their eye teaming or focusing skills (accommodation) aren’t up to par, they won’t be able to maintain the necessary concentration.

Problems in school are often misdiagnosed as ADD or ADHD, when poor vision is really to blame. Think about it- if your child cannot see the board crisp and clear, her mind will likely wander to more interesting things. This will make it very hard for her to keep up in class and very easy to fall behind.

To protect your child from a medical misdiagnosis or being labeled with a behavioral problem, we encourage you to reserve an eye exam as soon as possible. It’s very possible that a precise vision prescription and a pair of designer eyeglasses is all the treatment your child needs!