Would you be able to match your glasses to your personality?

Match your eye glasses to your personality

In this competitive world of ours, image is everything. And even if you don't think of yourself as being 'image-oriented' deeper insight into your personality might lead to startling revelations. Either way, when it comes to choosing eyeglasses, it'll be worth your time to look for a style that fits your personality.

That's not to say that if you're feeling blue, you should opt for blue-colored frames or lenses. What it means is that before you head over to the 'discounted frame' section, you need to stop and think about who you are and how you live.

Are you older, younger or somewhere in between? Do you consider yourself to be trendy or conservative? Do you have a career or are you a student? What is your career or your area of study? Are you driven by name brands or do names not impress you? Do you look at eyeglasses as a fashion accessory or a necessary evil?

If you've answered these questions, you might wonder, 'Now what? So what if I'm days away from becoming a Baby Boomer and I work a desk job? How is this going to help me choose an eyeglass style?'

Well, one solution is to discuss these self-analysis results with your optician so that together you can work towards finding a suitable pair. A good optician will know which styles are 'in' and which are finally on their way 'out'. He or she may also be familiar with matching eyeglass shapes, styles and coloring to face shapes, much in the same way as a hairdresser can usually recommend a flattering hairstyle.

Plus an experienced optician will know the inventory well. He or she will know how long a particular pair will take to order, about the materials used in each of the various manufacturing processes and whether they're durable or delicate, about the total costs involved from start to finish for the various styles, and other types of useful information that you may not have thought about.

But if you're still confused as to which eyeglass style will best match your personality, here are a few more tips.

If you run in conservative circles, stick with conservative styles and colors. Neutral colors including brown, gray and silver and standard lens shapes such as rectangles and ovals are good choices.

If you prefer to be the center of attention, then choose eye glass styles that will get noticed. Look for unusual shapes and bold colors. If the price is right, get several pairs so you can mix and match with your wardrobe and other accessories.

If you like trends but want a style that has staying power, look at the newest materials being used for eyeglasses such as titanium, stainless steel and memory-metal.

Students and those with a creative or artistic flair look best in styles that help express their individuality. There are no rules here except to steer clear of 'traditional' styles.

Choose specialty styles if you need eyeglasses for a specific purpose such as working at a computer, eye protection, sports and hobbies or driving.

Information on Cataracts and Cataract Surgery.

Eye Care– Cataracts and Cataract Surgery

More than 60 million individuals around the world have cataracts. Cataracts are the #1 cause of blindness but fortunately, cataracts are highly treatable with cataract surgery.

What is Cataract?

Over time the eye's lens, which is transparent in a healthy eye, starts to become cloudy or opaque. As individuals age, protein levels in the eye begin to decrease which is why there is no way to effectively prevent cataract from developing. Other factors can cause cataract such as head injury and certain diseases, but their appearance is primarily due to age.

There are 3 different types of cataracts and each type affects a different part of the eye. At the center of the lens is the nucleus and the most common of the cataracts affects this region. Cortical cataract and subcapsular cataract are more common in individuals who have diabetes.

Symptoms of Cataract

Vision that is cloudy or blurred is the most obvious symptom of a cataract. Nearsightedness can increase and images that were once clear can appear distorted when cataract is present. Less noticeable symptoms include the need for more and brighter light when reading, sensitivity to light, trouble seeing at night, double vision and colors that fade or seem 'yellow'. These symptoms develop because the cloudiness on the lens prevents it from refracting light properly.

Who is at risk?

Everyone is at risk of developing cataract and the likelihood that this type of eye problem will develop increases with each passing year. Simply stated, anyone fortunate to reach old age will likely develop cataract.

Risks increase if there is a family history of cataract. Steroids and some medications can also increase the chances of developing cataract as can eye injury or previous eye surgery. Those with diabetes also have an increased risk.

Early detection/treatment

A routine eye examination is the most effective way of detecting the presence or development of cataract. Because blurred vision can be caused by a number of factors, proper diagnosis is important.

It used to be that a person with cataract in one or both eyes would have to endure painful surgery to remedy the situation. But today, cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure that involves replacing the cloudy lens with an intraocular lens (IOL). The success rate of cataract surgery is extremely high. And surgery is the only option.

Cataract surgery is not recommended until the loss of vision becomes troublesome and impacts quality of life. Cataract generally develops gradually so in many cases, vision in the early stages can be corrected with prescription eyeglasses. An ophthalmologist can determine the stage at which cataract surgery is necessary.

It's important to note that some people with cataract also have other types of eye problems. For them, cataract surgery may not restore vision. Again, an ophthalmologist can help with this determination.

When cataract surgery is performed, an amazing 95% of the surgeries involve no complications whatsoever. Local anesthesia, tiny instruments and a microscope are generally all that is needed to perform successful cataract surgery.

What causes Blepharitis?

Eye Problems – Blepharitis

What is Blepharitis?

When the eyelids can become inflamed, the problem in most cases is a chronic eye disease called Blepharitis. Similar in nature to the skin condition called eczema, in case of Blepharitis, the eyelids become red, scaly and irritated.

There are two basic types of Blepharitis: Seborrheic Blepharitis and Staph Blepharitis. The most notable symptom of either type is inflammation on and around the eyelids that can be accompanied by irritation and painful itching. In some cases, tiny ulcers develop along the eyelid margins which are the areas that touch one another once the eyelid closes.

Symptoms of Seborrheic Blepharitis

Individuals suffering from Seborrheic Blepharitis generally also suffer from skin conditions that affect other parts of the body including the scalp, chest and back.

With Seborrheic Blepharitis, there is a problem with the tear film that the body produces to help protect and lubricate the eyes. It can be either a problem with the quality or the quantity but regardless, the resulting tear film causes greasy scales to form at the base of the eyelashes. These scales flake off easily and cause irritation. When insufficient quantities of tear film are produced, usually because the glands are blocked, the eye does not get lubricated properly. The dry spots cause the eyes to feel gritty.

Symptoms of Staph Blepharitis

Staph Blepharitis is actually a childhood eye disease that is caused by a bacterial infection. This condition generally does not go away. Its symptoms include the development and accumulation of crusty material at the base of the eyelashes. The crust often affects a person's ability to open their eyes after sleep. Sometimes, after the crusty matter is removed, tiny ulcers remain that begin to bleed or otherwise ooze. Sties can develop, as can red eye, and the eyelashes can become weak and break. If the infection is not treated properly, over time, the cornea can become scarred.

Who is at risk?

Both adults and children can develop Blepharitis however it is more prevalent in adults. There is an increased risk in children diagnosed with Down's syndrome.  

Early detection/treatment of this eye problem

As with other diseases of the eye, Blepharitis is typically diagnosed during a routine eye exam. Since one cause of this condition is poor hygiene, the most effective treatment for Blepharitis involves keeping the eyelid margin area super clean. To prevent irritation from excessive cleaning, it is often recommended that this area be cleaned with a shampoo that is formulated for babies. A washcloth can also be used to help remove the scaly deposits.

A hot pack or warm compress applied to the affected areas is effective at reducing pain and swelling. When ulcers are present, a hot pack can also help speed the healing process.

When the condition is caused by dry eyes, lubricants are effective treatments. If necessary, antibiotic ointments and creams can be applied to affected areas. Some people are prescribed steroids to help reduce the inflammation however their use should only be a short-term treatment option.  

The proper wear of contact lenses.

How To Wear Contact Lenses

Contact lenses in decades past were hard, uncomfortable and prone to breaking or getting lost. None of that is true today, provided you use them properly.

The first step, obviously, is to get ones that are just right for you, after an exam by your eye care professional. He or she will write you a prescription, taking into account the wear characteristics you want, such as disposable, extended wear and more. Contemporary equipment and experience allow eye doctors to fit everyone with contacts that are individually perfect for them and that fit exactly.

Note that word 'exactly'. While certain lenses require a break in or adjustment period, they should not be uncomfortable for very long. RGP lenses, for example, are firmer than soft contacts. They will take a few days longer than soft lenses to feel right.

During that period, you're getting used to something that is new and your eyes are conforming to the lens and vice-versa. Soft lenses should feel comfortable within a day or two at most. You should adjust to any contact lens by the period described by your doctor. Any longer than that and it's time to take them back.

Before deciding that the lenses are not right for you, though, make sure you're using them correctly.

Toric lenses for example, used by those who have certain types of astigmatism, can only go in correctly one way. Because they combine multiple shapes to correct the condition, if they are rotated upside down, they won't fit right, nor correct your vision appropriately. Similar comments apply to bifocals or progressives, which are often designed to be worn only one way.

Further, for most people, contact lenses differ between left and right. Getting them backwards will, it should be obvious, not give you optimal correction. It should be obvious, but it isn't always. The reason is that your eyes may differ only by a small amount and other things can interfere with optimal vision, such as cloudiness on the lens from improper cleaning.

The solutions here are simple.

Make sure you clean your hands and the lens properly before use. Small contaminants make a big difference when it comes to something as carefully crafted as your contacts. Protein buildup and bacteria buildup are much more likely, much quicker on lenses that aren't prepared correctly.

Also, make sure you put them in correctly. With eyes that only differ a little, it's easy to get them backwards and not know it. Some designs simplify the issue by actually imprinting a tiny L and R on the lens. Others rely on you to see that the left and right are correct after they're inserted, and reverse them if they're not. Toric lenses make clear which way they are to go - follow that.

Wear according to designed use. That is, if you have daily wear lenses, don't treat them like extended wear models. Take them out before bed. If you fall asleep with the lenses in, even during the day, use eye drops and allow the eye to get moisturized before removing them. Ironically, closed eyelids during sleep can cause them to dry out, since you produce less tear solution then. Allow your eyes time to adjust.

Some soft lenses can accidentally flip inside out. But even single vision lenses are designed to only be worn one way. Before inserting, ensure they look like a slice of a sphere with no ridges. If there's a tiny lip, they likely have gotten turned inside out. Firmer lenses, such as RGP models, show this more prominently, but it should be visible on others, too. Yes, it can be hard to see without your contacts in. Have a pair of glasses handy or get used to feeling for the small ridge.

With proper care and use, your lenses should not be irritating. That can lead to eye health problems. If they bother you, consult your eye doctor and ensure that your prescription and practices are both what the doctor ordered.

Contact Lenses and How The Eye Works

Contact Lenses and How The Eye Works

The human visual system is both simple and complex. Complex, because there are so many parts that have to work together to make sight possible. Simple, because those parts and the process can really be explained without in-depth knowledge of anatomy and biology.

An ordinary glass lens, such as a magnifying glass, focuses the light that moves through it by bending the rays toward a focal point. That's the bright spot you see when you hold one over a newspaper, for example. Something similar happens when light enters the eye through an opening called the pupil, behind a clear protective portion called the cornea.

The pupil is surrounded by the iris, the colored portion of the eye. The pupil can narrow or widen to regulate the amount of light admitted, from as small as about 2mm to as much as approximately 8mm. The iris contains the muscles that change the diameter of the opening. Just behind the pupil is the lens, the part that focuses the light rays similar to the magnifying glass.

But there's an important difference between a magnifying glass and the eye. The magnifying glass's focal point is fixed. The eye, by contrast, contains muscles that help shape the lens and that shaping process performs a number of important tasks. Most importantly, it makes it possible for the focal point to change.

A camera lens is a good analogy. Because the camera lens contains multiple pieces of glass that can be moved by turning the barrel, objects at different distances can be brought into focus on the film. The muscles attached to the lens perform a similar function in order to focus light onto the retina, which is like the film.

Focused light rays strike the cells of the retina, the cones and rods. The names come from the shapes of the cells. The cones - 7 million cells in the central part of the retina, called the macula - are responsible for sharp, detailed vision and color vision. The approximately 100 million rods around them help us see in dim light and provide peripheral vision.

When those focused light rays hit the cells chemical reactions occur that stimulate the optic nerve attached to the back of the retina to produce electrical impulses. Those impulses are then transmitted to the visual cortex, the part of the brain that organizes them. Many parts of the brain cooperate to cause the mind to conclude: 'Ah, a car.' But the visual cortex does the initial heavy lifting.

When the parts and process of vision work correctly, you see sharp, colored entities out in the world. When things go wrong, the need for contact lenses or eye glasses arises.

Toric Contact Lenses

Toric Contact Lenses

For many years after their introduction contact lenses were able to easily correct nearsightedness or farsightedness, but nothing else. Changing the point at which light rays focus is a fairly straightforward task, though it does require careful crafting of the lens. But correcting some forms of astigmatism still required wearing glasses. Toric contact lenses ultimately solved that problem.

Nearsightedness causes light rays to focus in front of the retina. Farsightedness causes light rays to focus behind the retina. But, astigmatism denotes a condition in which the cornea, lens or the eyeball as a whole is misshapen. The effect is subtle, but small differences in the eye produce a large effect. Light rays get scattered in different directions, not just ahead of or behind the retina. Blurred vision results.

That multiple direction effect makes it more difficult to produce contact lenses (or even glasses) that will correct the condition. Toric lenses solve the problem by combining shapes. Regular contacts are shaped like a portion of a sphere. Toric lenses combine a spherical surface with a toroidal surface. A donut for example is a toroid, so is a cylinder when it wraps around to touch itself.

Though shaped differently, toric lenses are made of the same materials as other contact lens types. So, they can be soft, RGP or hard. But because they are a combination of shapes they can't be allowed to rotate around the eye like ordinary contacts. Also, all toric lenses are designed with multiple powers to tackle more than one vision problem at the same time, such as astigmatism and farsightedness together. Those features make them more difficult to manufacture correctly and eye exams and fitting are more complicated.

As a consequence, toric lenses tend to be more expensive and so are doctor visits to prescribe them. For some with only a mild astigmatism the extra expense can be avoided by using regular contact lenses. To a degree, the cornea will tend to conform to the shape of the lens. If the astigmatism is mild enough toric lenses may not be necessary. Only your eye care professional can say for sure, after an exam.

For those who do need toric lenses, the full range of choices is available and they work very well. Often, those with an astigmatism require contacts that achieve multiple goals. Multifocal lenses are an option. Toric lenses are available in disposable lens types, whether 2-day or 7-day or even 30-day. Many extended wear lenses come in a toric option, too.

For those who want to add a bit of color to their contact lens, toric styles also provide that range of options. Visibility tints make lenses easier to see, making them easier to handle and harder to lose. Enhanced or full color tints can subtly influence eye color or change it entirely. Colored toric lenses are available for that, too.

Check out the full catalog of choices in toric contact lenses and you're sure to find one just right for you.

How To Impress With Colored Contact Lenses

colored prescription contacts

Toric contact lenses are a great way to sharpen and enhance the look of your eyes.  Unlike traditional contacts, colored lenses are a great way to show off your contacts, with colors that are completely fun.  Wearing color contacts are all about having some fun every once in a while.

All around the world, thousands and thousands of people wear colored lenses.  Contact lenses themselves are the best alternative to glasses, with color contacts for dark eyes being the next best thing.  Colors add flair and personality to contact lenses, giving people the chance to be different.  When you add color to your lenses - you are telling the world that you are different.

You can always find colored lenses that match what you are looking for no matter what color interests you.  There are hundreds of different styles available, from kids to adults.  You’ll also have several different manufacturers to choose from as well, which makes it easier than ever to get a pair of colored lenses that you can depend on.

Although there is a large popularity over colored lenses, there is also a group of individuals who feel that they may cause damage to the eyes.  Colored lenses work exactly the same as traditional contacts, and won’t damage your eyes as long as you clean them and take care of them.  If you clean them like you should and soak them in solution for a few hours when you take them out, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

Each and every colored contact has the color or design coded on the contact itself.  When you wear a pair of these lenses, it is actually the color that has been coded into the contact that projects the colored image everyone sees when they look in your eyes.  The color of the contact shines through, making it appear that your eyes are indeed the exact same color as your contacts.

Colored contacts work the same as other types of contacts.  You simply use your prescription for contacts and select the color you want.  If you are ordering them online, you’ll find hundreds and hundreds of different colors and images.  There are more colors and selections available online - making it the best way to invest in your contact lenses.

A nice pair of "leopard looking" lenses will add some flair if you looking for something different.  They will give you the vision you need, along with different colored “eyes” that can really mess with someone’s head.  Kids love them as well, as they give them the chance to express themselves.  From kids to adults - colored contact lenses are the ideal way to be different - and improve your vision at the same time.