How often do you think about your eyes? Most of us only remember them when we look in the mirror, if we are putting on makeup, or when we feel an itch. It is said that ‘Our eyes are the windows to the world.’ They are our own personal cameras, capturing every moment. The sense of sight is one of the most important senses that we have as humans beings. So, it is of upmost importance to take care of our eyes! The same way we take care of our skin and teeth, our eyes need attention and care too. From daily routines to monthly and yearly checkups, we must ensure that we adhere to a strict care guideline.
Here are Dr. Punzal’s Top 5 Eye Care Tips to ensure that our eyes are in tip-top shape:
As much as we love to get a good tan while hanging out on the beach, we all know that too much sunlight can not only damage our skin but more importantly damage our eyes! The sun emits Ultraviolet rays (UV) and too much of this can cause cataracts and macular degeneration.
A good pair of sunglasses and a broad-brimmed hat will take care of this. Choosing a good pair is important. You need sunglasses that block nearly 100% of the UV rays. Sunglasses come in all shapes and sizes and each pair has its own advantages. We consider sunglasses the best way to take care of your eyes, and look good doing it! Visit our eyewear retail location in the Hokulei Village and we will get you fitted with the perfect pair.
From young children to adults and even the elderly, we all need constant eye checkups. Eye checkups help to protect your sight and also scan for eye-related diseases such as glaucoma that are not yet showing visible symptoms. It is important to detect this early as early detection makes it easier to treat.
When you visit an eye doctor, the following steps will be performed:
If you are someone who wears contact lenses, then this is for you! Contacts are perfectly safe and great when you don’t want to wear glasses, but they lead to eye damage if;
Contact lenses are designed to directly rest on your eyes, covering your cornea entirely. This interferes with oxygen that is required to reach your eyes from the environment, by decreasing it. A good amount of oxygen is essential for healthy eyes. Therefore, it is important to avoid wearing your contact lenses for too long and to make sure that you discard and replace them as directed by your eye doctor.
You should also adhere to the wearing schedule recommended by your eye doctor, and choose modern silicone hydrogen contact lenses which are soft and transmit more oxygen than other types of contact lenses because of the material they are made of.
Finally, ensure you clean and disinfect your contact lenses after each use, as bacteria and other agents which cause infection accumulate easily on them. The older the lenses, the more the bacteria they carry.
A red-eye may sometimes feel itchy, and nothing feels better than scratching an itchy eye, but this only makes things worse. Red eyes occur in one or both eyes and are normally accompanied by pain, discharge, itching, swollen eyes or blurry vision.
The causes of a red eye will include the following (we shall use some medical terms here and then explain them):
Red eyes can also be caused by eye fatigue, allergies, common eye infections such as pink eye (conjunctivitis) or over-wearing contact lenses.
It is however recommended that if you experience any of the above symptoms to consult your eye doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment as it can be a signal for more serious eye conditions and diseases.
Most of us believe that we should only see a doctor if we have an infection, pain or problem, we think that only children need regular check-ups and not adults. This is a common misconceptions that many of us have, regarding primary health care medicine. It is very important to regularly visit your PCP, as research has shown that most people with a PCP are able to manage chronic diseases, receive satisfaction in their healthcare, detect diseases that would otherwise take a longer time to detect e.g. cancer, high blood pressure, etc., and lower their overall health care costs.
A PCP will help in management of chronic illnesses such as asthma, provide preventive care such as regular screening for disease, and provide care for symptoms such as coughs, fevers, and stomach pains.
A PCP can also detect an eye condition and recommend a visit to your eye doctor during one of your routine visits. Visiting your PCP regularly will enable you to have a clear medical history that may be beneficial in your later years to diagnose different conditions. The most important benefit of having a healthcare team behind your with your medical history is to be able to analyze patterns in your health and lifestyle in order to recommend changes. By making adjustments to your lifestyle now, you may prevent complications later on in life and also detect what would otherwise not be so easily detectable.
In conclusion, neglecting our eyes can lead to serious conditions including blindness, so it is important to follow a strict schedule when it comes to taking care of your eyes. Visit your doctor regularly, as he can detect small problems before they have the potential to become big problems. Also as a precaution – due to the new digital world, avoid staring at your computers or phone screens for too long as it can cause eye strains, dry eyes, headaches, neck and shoulder pains, etc., In general, be careful and protect your eyes!
We want to see you in the best of health and with a clear vision of your life. Punzal Vision is dedicated to providing you with the best quality care and highest standard in premium and designer eyewear!
Give us a call if you have any questions: 808-278-8383!
We hope to SEE you soon!
