HealthyLife Articles

Tag: Eye Conditions

Cataract

Eye Conditions

A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye.

Get regular eye and physical exams to help detect when cataracts are forming.

Imagine a thick cloud covering the lens of one or both eyes. This is what it is like to have cataracts. You may see glare from lamps or the sun and halos around lights. It is also harder to see at night. Let your doctor know if you have these problems.

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness around the world. Vision can be restored, in most cases, with cataract surgery, one of the safest and most common surgeries done.

Consider cataract surgery when a cataract keeps you from doing the things you want to do. Find out more from the American Academy of Ophthalmology ataao.org.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Eye-Popping Facts

WELL-BEING

Kids (and adults) are spending hours using electronics such as iPads, video games, computers, and smartphones. How much is too much for your eyes when it comes to digital device use?

Eye strain or Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is a serious condition that can cause back and neck pain, dry eye, and even headaches. Statistics show that 80% of what we learn is through our eyes, which means that digital eyestrain and CVS can have a major impact on productivity and success.

VSP optometrist, Dr. Nate Bonilla-Warford suggests these eye-easing ways to avoid digital eye strain:

*Blink often:When looking at a computer or hand-held digital device, it’s common for you to blink 2 to 3 times less than you normally would. This can lead to “dry eye.” Blinking bathes your eyes in tears, and tears are naturally helpful for the eyes.

*Follow the 20/20/20 rule:When spending long periods in front of a digital device, every 20 minutes, spend 20 seconds looking at something 20 feet away to allow your eyes to rest.

*Ensure proper lighting:Poor lighting often causes eye strain. To help ease the strain on your eyes, keep bright lighting overhead to a minimum and position your desk lamp to shine on your desk, and not at you.

*Wear it:If you or your child wears prescription glasses-for digital use or otherwise-make sure to have them on.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Cataract 2

Eye Conditions

A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens or lens capsule of the eye. A cataract blocks or distorts light entering the eye. Vision gradually becomes dull and fuzzy, even in daylight. Most of the time, cataracts occur in both eyes, but only one eye may be affected. If they form in both eyes, one eye can be worse than the other, because each cataract develops at a different rate.

Signs & Symptoms

* Cloudy, fuzzy, foggy, or filmy vision.

* Pupils (normally black) appear milky white.

* Frequent changes in eyeglass prescriptions. Better near vision for a while, but only in far-sighted people.

* Sensitivity to light and glazed nighttime vision. This can cause problems when driving at night.

* Blurred or double vision. Changes in the way you see colors.

* Seeing glare from lamps or the sun. Halos may appear around lights.

Causes

* The most common form of cataracts come with aging due to changes in the chemical state of lens proteins. More than half of Americans age 65 and older have a cataract.

* Cataracts can also result from damage to the lens capsule due to trauma; from ionizing radiation or infrared rays; from taking corticosteroid medicines for a long time; and from chemical toxins. Smokers have an increased risk for cataracts. So do persons with diabetes and glaucoma.

Treatment

Treatment includes eye exams, corrective lenses, cataract glasses, and cataract surgery, when needed.

A person who has cataract surgery usually gets an artificial lens at the same time. A plastic disc called an intraocular lens (IOL) is placed in the lens capsule inside the eye.

It takes a couple of months for an eye to heal after cataract surgery. Experts say it is best to wait until your first eye heals before you have surgery on the second eye if it, too, has a cataract.

Questions to Ask

Self-Care / Prevention

To Help Prevent Cataracts

* Limit exposing your eyes to X-rays, microwaves, and infrared radiation.

* Avoid overexposure to sunlight. While outdoors, wear sunglasses with UV block and wear a hat with a brim.

* Wear glasses or goggles that protect your eyes whenever you use strong chemicals, power tools, or other instruments that could result in eye injury.

* Don’t smoke. Avoid heavy drinking.

* Keep other illnesses, such as diabetes, under control.

* Eat foods high in beta-carotene and/or vitamin C, which may help to prevent or delay cataracts. Examples are carrots, cantaloupes, oranges, and broccoli.

To Treat Cataracts

* Be careful about driving at night. Let someone else drive if you can’t see well.

* Wear sunglasses with UV block.

* When indoors, don’t have lighting too bright or pointed directly at you. Install dimmer switches so you can lower the light level. Use table lamps, not ceiling fixtures.

* Use soft, white (not clear) light bulbs.

* Arrange to have light reflect off walls and ceilings.

* Read large print items. Use magnifying glasses, if needed.

* Schedule eye exams as advised by your doctor.

* Wear your prescribed glasses.

Resources

National Eye Institute (NEI)

www.nei.nih.gov

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
How To Put In Eyedrops

SELF-CARE CORNER

* Wash your hands with soap and water.

* Shake the eyedrop container gently. Make sure the prescription is for you. Check to see how many drops you are to put in and when.

* Remove the cap. Set it aside. Do not touch the dropper tip with your hand.

* Tilt your head back. With both eyes open, look at a point on the ceiling.

* Pull your lower lid down gently to form a pocket for the drop. Position the tip of the bottle less than an inch above your lower lid.

* Squeeze the bottle lightly to allow the drop to fall into the pocket.

* Close your eyes without squeezing them. Keep eyes closed for 30 seconds. Gently blot with a clean tissue.

* Replace the cap on the eyedrop bottle.

* Keep eyedrops out of sunlight.

Other tips:

* Do not wear contact lenses while using eyedrops or ointments.

* If you have eyedrops and eye ointment, put in the eyedrops before the ointment.

* You may find this easier to do in front of a mirror or lying flat on your back.

* Check the bottle’s expiration date. Throw it away if outdated.

Source: National Institutes of Health

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Eye Health At Work

Eye Conditions

Follow your workplace’s safety rules to protect your eyes. Wear safety glasses, goggles, face shields, etc. Keep your safety eyewear clean and in good condition.

More than 700,000 persons in the U.S. have eye injuries at work a year. Most of these could have been prevented.

Find out if and what type of eyewear is required for your job. Ask loved ones if they wear required safety eyewear at work.

Persons who walk through work areas that have eye hazard areas need to wear protective eyewear.

When you visit a worksite that poses a risk of eye injuries, ask for protective eyewear if it is not provided.

Glasses and contact lenses used for other activities may not be effective when working with computer screens.

Let your eye doctor know if you work at a computer so they can prescribe the proper eyewear for you to use.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Look Cool & Protect Your Eyes

SELF-CARE CORNER

Sunglasses are a great fashion item, but their most important job is to protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Prolonged exposure to the sun can damage the surface tissues, cornea, and lens of the eye. It has also been linked to cataract, macular degeneration, and temporary vision loss.

Through its EyeSmart® UV Safety campaign, the American Academy of Ophthalmology offers tips to keep your eyes safe:

Wear sunglasses that protect your eyes from both UVA and UVB rays.

* When you purchase sunglasses, look for either UV400 or 100% UV protection on the label. Frames with a close-fitting wraparound style give the best protection.

* Wear sunglasses even if you wear UV-blocking contact lenses. Contacts do not cover enough eye area.

* Wear sunglasses on cloudy days, too. The sun’s rays can pass through haze and clouds.

Wear a hatalong with your sunglasses. Hats with a wide brim are best.

Protect your children’s eyes.

* Keep children out of direct sunlight during the middle of the day.

* Have them wear sunglasses and hats whenever they are in the sun.

Be extra careful in UV-intense conditions:

* Mid-day to early afternoon, when sunlight is strongest

* At higher altitudes

* Places where the sun is reflected off of water, ice or snow

Learn more about UV eye safety and tips to protect the eyes from the sun atwww.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/living/sun.cfm

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Eyestrain From Computer Use

Eye Conditions

Persons who use computer video display terminals (VDTs) at work and/or at home may notice eyestrain.

Signs & Symptoms

* Eye discomfort or irritation. This includes dry, red, and/or watery eyes.

* Eye fatigue.

* Having a hard time focusing.

* Back pain, shoulder pain, and headaches may also occur.

Causes

The cause of eyestrain is most likely from conditions that surround the VDT, not the VDT itself. These include improper positioning of the VDT and supplies, poor lighting, and/or poor posture.

A pre-existing eye problem may also be the cause.

Treatment

Self-care measures prevent and treat eyestrain when using VDTs.

Questions to Ask

Self-Care / Prevention

* Place the screen so that your line of sight is 10 to 15 degrees (about one-third of a 45-degree angle) below horizontal.

* Position the VDT screen about 2 feet away from your eyes. This is a little farther away than normal reading distance.

* Dust the screen often.

* Reduce glare. Place the VDT at right angles to a window. Turn off or shield overhead lights. Wear a visor to block them, if needed.

* Place your paperwork close enough that you don’t have to keep refocusing when switching from the screen to the paper. Use a paper document holder placed at the same height as the VDT screen.

* Blink often to keep your eyes from getting dry. Use “artificial tear” eyedrops, if needed.

* Tell your eye specialist that you use a VDT. Glasses and contacts worn for other activities may not be good for VDT work. With bifocals, the near-vision part of the lens is good for looking down, as when you read, but not for looking straight ahead, as when you look at a video display screen. You may need single-vision lenses for VDT work.

* If the image on the VDT screen is blurred, dull, or flickers, have it serviced right away.

Resources

Prevent Blindness America

www.preventblindness.org

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Pop The Cork, Not Your Eye

WELL-BEING

Americans will consume more than a billion glasses of champagne during holiday and New Year celebrations. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the careless handling of champagne is one of the most common causes for holiday-related eye injuries. These injuries are often caused by improperly opening the bottle, as a champagne cork is just less than 90 pounds of pressure-3 times the pressure inside a car tire.

The Korbel Champagne authorities offer this advice:

* The recommended way to properly open a bottle is to ease the cork out slowly, with the sound of a gentle sigh-not a pop, which wastes champagne.

* Make sure your champagne is chilled and unshaken. Chill the bottle for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator (a warm bottle is more likely to pop).

* Remove the foil cap covering the top of the bottle, exposing a wire hood.

* Undo the wire hood with 6 half-turns of the knob.

* Hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle while holding the cork firmly with one hand and the base of the bottle with the other. Be sure to point the bottle away from your guests.

* Do not twist the cork. Rather, turn the bottle slowly while letting the cork glide out gently, emitting a gentle sigh.

* In the did-you-know department: There are more than 50 million bubbles in a standard bottle of champagne.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Floaters & Flashes

Eye Conditions

Signs & Symptoms

* Floaters are specks, dots, cobwebs, or wavy lines that seem to fall within the line of sight. They rarely affect eyesight. They are more visible against a plain or dark background.

* Flashes are streaks of light that “flash” across the field of vision. They can occur when the eyes are closed or in extreme darkness.

Causes

With aging, the middle portion of the eye, called the vitreous, becomes less solid and more liquid. This allows particles (floaters), which have always been in the eye, to begin to move around. Flashes can occur when the vitreous shrinks and pulls on the retina of the eye. This is common. On rare occasions, when the vitreous detaches from the retina, it can rip or tear the retina. This may lead to a detached retina. The retina peels away from the eye wall causing sight loss.

Risk Factors for Floaters and Flashes

* Eye diseases or injuries.

* A tear in the retina. Aging and cataract surgery increase the risk for this.

* High blood pressure.

* Migraine headaches.

* Nearsightedness.

Treatment

Self-care is enough to treat floaters and flashes unless they are due to another medical condition.

Questions to Ask

Self-Care / Prevention

* Move your eyes up and down (not side to side) several times.

* Don’t focus on or stare at plain, light backgrounds, such as a blank pastel wall or the light blue sky.

* You may notice flashes less if you avoid moving suddenly, don’t bend over, and don’t get up quickly from sitting or lying down.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Prevent Vision Loss

SELF-CARE CORNER

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness. When glaucoma is treated in its early stages, vision loss can be prevented. Yet studies show that more than half of people with glaucoma don’t use their medications properly.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology offers this advice:

*Be honest with your eye doctor about your medication difficulties.Missed a dose? It may not seem to matter much, but research shows that skipping doses can cause your glaucoma to become more severe. Ask about the best way to make up for a missed dose and how to manage your medications.

*Use memory aids.The most common reason for not taking eye drops is forgetfulness. Try simple memory aids like linking your eye drop schedule to other things you do routinely such as brushing your teeth. Mark times you take your medication on a calendar. Set an alarm on your smartphone.

*Perfect the “pocket.”Giving yourself eye drops can be challenging. In fact, research has shown that nearly 30% of people taking glaucoma medication are not properly applying their eye drops. Gently pull and pinch the lower lid to make a pocket to catch your drops. Once the drops are in, close your eyes (do not blink) and apply pressure to the point where the lids meet the nose for 2 to 3 minutes. Maybe a loved one can help you apply the drops at home.

Who’s at risk for developing glaucoma?

Risk factors include age, family history of glaucoma, African-American and Hispanic-American ancestry, diabetes, and past eye injuries. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that all people get an eye exam by age 40, especially those who have a higher risk of glaucoma.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026