Eye Exams

It’s no secret that smoking is bad for your health. Plenty of warning signs illustrate the adverse effects of smoking on your respiratory system, including your mouth, throat, and lungs. And while those body parts are essential to keep healthy and functioning, your eyes are just as susceptible to the consequences of smoking.

The Negative Effects Smoke Has on Your Eyes

It’s a fact that is often overlooked, but your airways aren’t the only systems being attacked when cigarette smoke enters your body. Smokers also put the health of their eyes and vision at risk. Smoking increases your risk of developing various eye conditions, including:

• Cataracts 

Cataracts occur when the lens of your eye becomes cloudy, leading to blurred vision and eventual vision loss. 

• Macular Degeneration 

Macular degeneration is an eye disease that affects the part of your eye responsible for central vision and can cause blindness.

• Dry Eye Syndrome 

 Dry eye syndrome happens when your eyes can’t produce tears, leading to discomfort, redness, and even blurred vision.

Short-Term Effects Of Smoking on Eyes

Even short-term exposure to smoke can impact your overall eye health. Any kind of smoke can harm your eyes, but we tend to come into contact with cigarette smoke more often than we smoke from a fire. Even if you’re not a smoker, Secondhand smoke, or chemical smoke, can be just as damaging to your eyes as smoking.  One of the most dangerous aspects of smoking is the chemicals it releases into the air. Secondhand smoke can irritate the eyes and cause them to become red, itchy, and watery. It can also exacerbate existing eye conditions such as allergies and conjunctivitis.

Make Healthy Choices for Your Eyes

Smoking is one of the most dangerous things you can do for your overall health, and your eyes aren’t spared from those adverse effects. Smoking increases your risk of developing a range of eye conditions in the short and long term. If you’re a smoker, Choosing to quit is the best thing you can do to protect your eyes, lungs, heart, and every other organ in your body. And if you’re not a smoker, make sure to avoid exposure to secondhand smoke and take steps to keep your eyes healthy. Your eyes will thank you for it!

Call the Eye Experts

If you’re having vision problems due to smoking, quitting should be the first step you should take to prevent more damage to your eyes. At Eyes of Lubbock, we care about our patients’ overall health, but we specialize in helping you maintain your vision, and we can find ways to help your eyes continue to stay strong and healthy. Give us a call today to schedule an eye exam to get you on the road to long-lasting eyesight. 

The older we get, the more maintenance our bodies seem to require. Our efforts to maintain a simple balance of health and enjoyment from life become less straightforward. We find ourselves giving in to the advice we previously ignored and seeking easy solutions to nagging issues. Our joints hurt. Our muscles ache. We can’t hear. We can’t see. 

At Eyes of Lubbock, we can help with at least one of those matters, and with regular eye exams, we can address potential problems before they become an issue. 

What is Glaucoma? 

The leading cause of Blindness in adults over 60, glaucoma is a disease associated with damage to your eye’s optic nerve caused by a buildup of fluid in the front part of your eye. The fluid creates pressure that pushes back on the optic nerve, killing the fibers and creating gradual “blindspots” within the eye that are irreparable. 

There are two types of Glaucoma, rather than a solitary condition, that define the disease. 

OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA

Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of the disease. With this type of glaucoma, vision is lost gradually due to fluid buildup over time. There is usually no pain associated with open-angle glaucoma, and vision loss may not be perceived until later on. Due to the gradual loss of vision deterioration, it’s essential to have regular eye exams that monitor eye pressure. These exams will help to maintain healthy vision and prevent extraneous optic nerve damage caused by prolonged fluid pressure. 

ANGLE-CLOSURE GLAUCOMA

Angle-closure glaucoma or closed-angle/narrow-angle glaucoma can lead to an emergency and needs to be addressed immediately. This type of glaucoma occurs when a person’s iris is too close to the drainage angle in their eye, blocking the drainage angle and causing fluid pressure to rise quickly. An acute attack like this needs immediate treatment, or blindness can occur. 

Who is at Risk of Glaucoma? 

While almost anyone over 60 is susceptible to glaucoma, The following groups of people have a higher risk and should consider regular eye exams to be proactive against the onset of glaucoma. 

• People over 40 who are of African, Asian, or Hispanic heritage
• People who use long-term steroid medications
• People with high blood pressure or diabetes
• People with poor circulation or have frequent migraines
• People with a family history of glaucoma

If you fall within any of the above categories, consider calling an eye expert today to get an eye exam. Glaucoma is not a curable disease, but catching symptoms early can help you slow and, in some cases, prevent vision loss. 

How Do I Prevent Glaucoma? 

Even though there isn’t a cure for glaucoma, your sight can still be preserved, and vision loss can be prevented or even slowed if the symptoms are found early enough. You should tell your doctor if you are at higher risk of glaucoma to make sure a complete eye exam is administered. During this exam, the ophthalmologist will check your eye pressure, inspect drainage angles, check for optic nerve damage, and test blindspots in your vision. 

While the test is a good indicator of whether or not you have or are susceptible to glaucoma, the effectiveness of treatment depends on how well you communicate with your doctor and how well you follow their treatment plan. 

Most treatment plans consist of eye drops and frequent visits to your ophthalmologist. The eye drops are medicated to reduce eye pressure and relieve strain on the optic nerve. Other treatment plans include laser surgery to treat the disease. In these cases, the surgery helps to correct the drainage angle so that fluid can flow out more efficiently. When the pressure is relieved, so is potential damage to the optic nerve. 

These treatments can bring back any amount of vision that has already been lost, but they can prevent further sight deterioration. The sooner that symptoms are identified, the sooner treatment can begin. 

Eyes of Lubbock know how vital your vision is to you. Glaucoma is a silent sight killer, and it’s essential to be diagnosed before it affects your ability to perform everyday tasks. If you are worried about the possibility of glaucoma affecting you, call Eyes of Lubbock today to get a complete eye exam scheduled today!

Eye health is more holistic than you think. Eyes are affected by what you eat, what activities you choose, your habits, and even how you dress. It’s important you make good choices throughout your daily life to keep this body part functioning in top shape! Here are 17 tips to protect your eyesight and keep your eyes healthy in the long run.

Watching What You Ingest

While our eyes aren’t always the first parts of our body we think of when sticking to a healthy diet, they are profoundly affected by what we eat. Your eyes need a wide variety of nutrients to function at their best.

If you suffer from dry eyes, you may try eating:   

• fatty fish like oysters and salmon  
• vegetarian options like fruits, nuts, and seeds 
• Eyes need lots of vitamins for cell protection and anti-aging effects. Examples of brightly colored foods that have positive eye health benefits include: 
• Berries 
• Kale 
• Carrots
• Mangoes
• Broccoli 

Ingesting smoke can have a great negative effect on your eye health. Smoking should always be avoided when caring for your eye health. 

How an Active Lifestyle Benefits Your Eyes 

Protecting your eyes isn’t just about eating healthy. Having an active lifestyle prevents the progression of diabetes and other diseases that directly affect vision and ocular wellness.

How you take part in these activities is also a factor in how healthy your eyes will remain. Even though spending time outside in the sun prevents nearsightedness in children, it’s important to follow these extra steps:

When outdoors, protect your eyes from the sun with a shady hat and sunglasses that protect you from UV rays. These rays can lead to a wide variety of eye health issues down the line.

Wear goggles and other protective eyewear when you take part in sports and lawncare activities that involve contact and flying debris. An extra bit of safety now can save you from severe eye damage.

How to Protect Your Eyes When Indoors 

Just like the outdoors, it is immensely important that people be mindful of their eye safety when indoors. Interacting with digital screens and electronics contributes directly to eye strain when not used properly. Some symptoms of eye strain include: 

• Dry eyes 
• Watery eyes 
• Headaches 
• Burning eyes 
• Sensitivity to light
• Blurred vision 

While these symptoms are not pleasant, they are usually temporary and not related to more serious conditions. However, many of these symptoms can be prevented altogether by following recommended indoor procedures to protect your eyes.  

• A good rule of thumb when spending a lot of time indoors is the 20/20/20 rule: for every 20 minutes you spend in front of a screen, spend 20 seconds staring at something 20 feet away.  
• Try not to stare up at screens or directly into screens. If possible, have the top of your monitor align with your natural gaze while seated.  
• Every 2 hours of screen time, take a 15-minute break to rest your eyes. This could also be a great time to get some fresh air or go for a short walk.

Communicate with Your Optometrist 

When it comes to your eye health, your optometrist can be an incredible resource. Make sure you and your eye doctor have as much information about your family health history as your own health history.  

• If members of your family have diabetes, glaucoma, cataracts, or other vision-related concerns, your doctor needs to know so they can keep an eye out.  
• Your doctor also needs a comprehensive list of the medications that you take, both prescribed and over the counter including vitamins.  
• Let your doctor know about eye injuries, surgeries, and allergies that you have. 

The more information your optometrist has about your medical history, the better service they will be able to provide.  

Take care of your eyes now to prevent problems from developing in the future. Contact the award-winning professionals at Eyes of Lubbock today to schedule an appointment and learn how you can protect your eyesight!