Tag: Glaucoma

Posted on

How to Maintain Your Eyeglasses

Though many of us wear glasses, very few of us realize the maintenance they actually need to keep our vision clear. Maintaining your eyewear isn’t difficult, but it does require special care. Read some of our tips for taking care of your eyeglasses

Tips for Maintaining Your Glasses

Avoid Chemical Contact

Your glasses can be very fragile depending on how they were made. Some lenses have films on them to provide UV protection, scratch or shatter resistance, or even to enhance your prescription. These films are the most fragile part of your glasses, and they can easily be destroyed by contact with certain abrasive chemicals.

While it’s obvious that you shouldn’t scrub your glasses with, say, bathroom cleaner, it’s much less obvious that everyday things we put on our skin, like lotions and sunscreen, can be nearly as bad for our sensitive glasses as the bathroom cleaner we all know we should never use.

These products can contain mild abrasives that do not harm (and sometimes can even help!) our skin but may harm the film on our glasses, especially with exposure over time.

Wash Your Hands

The only way to be certain that you are avoiding any chemical contact with your glasses is to wash your hands before handling them. Lotions and sunscreens are just two of the many things we can have on our hands; often our hands have all sorts of random things on them that we don’t notice or can’t see.

A simple hand washing before you handle your glasses can help to keep the abrasives from getting onto your lenses and can help keep everything clean.

Rinse Your Lenses

While you’re at the sink, run your glasses under a gentle stream of warm water. This will help to carefully remove any loose dirt or other debris that could scratch the lenses when you wipe your lenses.

If you were to omit this step, you might end up scratching your lenses with invisible debris. While the damage might not be visible immediately, it will degrade your lenses more quickly.

Use a Lens Cloth

Once your hands are clean and you’ve run your glasses under warm water, you can wipe the lenses off to remove any leftover oils and grime. Back away from that T-shirt and put down the paper towels! You should only use a cloth specially designed for lenses. Your local Eyeglass World will sell these as either lens cloths or microfiber cloths. Using a material that was not intended to clean glasses can and will do more damage than the little bits of dirt you’re trying to remove. 

Use a Cleaning Solution

Usually, a simple rinse and wipe is enough to get your frames back to top condition. However, there are always cases where we end up with grime that just won’t come off easily.

In these cases, you should only use a cleaning solution that you get from your optometrist. These cleaners are specially formulated to be very gentle on your glasses, whereas cleaners that might work on other forms of glass could be harsh and cause damage.

Store Them Correctly

Remember, when you’ve cleaned your eyeglasses, you need to be sure to store them properly to avoid having them collect more dirt, causing you to have to repeat the process more often than necessary.

Use the case your eyewear came in to store them. Hard cases generally provide more protection than soft cases. Even though they tend to be bulkier – they’re the safer choice.

If you have any questions, stop by any of our branches

Posted on

Don’t let glaucoma steal your vision

Overview

Open-angle glaucomaOpen-angle glaucomaOpen pop-up dialog box

Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, the health of which is vital for good vision. This damage is often caused by an abnormally high pressure in your eye.

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness for people over the age of 60. It can occur at any age but is more common in older adults.

Many forms of glaucoma have no warning signs. The effect is so gradual that you may not notice a change in vision until the condition is at an advanced stage.

Because vision loss due to glaucoma can’t be recovered, it’s important to have regular eye exams that include measurements of your eye pressure so a diagnosis can be made in its early stages and treated appropriately. If glaucoma is recognized early, vision loss can be slowed or prevented. If you have the condition, you’ll generally need treatment for the rest of your life.

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of glaucoma vary depending on the type and stage of your condition. For example:

Open-angle glaucoma

  • Patchy blind spots in your side (peripheral) or central vision, frequently in both eyes
  • Tunnel vision in the advanced stages

Acute angle-closure glaucoma

  • Severe headache
  • Eye pain
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Blurred vision
  • Halos around lights
  • Eye redness

If left untreated, glaucoma will eventually cause blindness. Even with treatment, about 15 percent of people with glaucoma become blind in at least one eye within 20 years.

REQUEST AN EYE EXAMINATION AT EYEUPDATE CLINIC

When to see a doctor

Promptly go to an emergency room or an eye doctor’s (ophthalmologist’s) office if you experience some of the symptoms of acute angle-closure glaucoma, such as severe headache, eye pain and blurred vision.

Causes

Glaucoma is the result of damage to the optic nerve. As this nerve gradually deteriorates, blind spots develop in your visual field. For reasons that doctors don’t fully understand, this nerve damage is usually related to increased pressure in the eye.

Elevated eye pressure is due to a buildup of a fluid (aqueous humor) that flows throughout the inside of your eye. This internal fluid normally drains out through a tissue called the trabecular meshwork at the angle where the iris and cornea meet. When fluid is overproduced or the drainage system doesn’t work properly, the fluid can’t flow out at its normal rate and eye pressure increases.

Glaucoma tends to run in families. In some people, scientists have identified genes related to high eye pressure and optic nerve damage.

Types of glaucoma include:

Open-angle glaucoma

Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of the disease. The drainage angle formed by the cornea and iris remains open, but the trabecular meshwork is partially blocked. This causes pressure in the eye to gradually increase. This pressure damages the optic nerve. It happens so slowly that you may lose vision before you’re even aware of a problem.

Angle-closure glaucoma

Angle-closure glaucoma, also called closed-angle glaucoma, occurs when the iris bulges forward to narrow or block the drainage angle formed by the cornea and iris. As a result, fluid can’t circulate through the eye and pressure increases. Some people have narrow drainage angles, putting them at increased risk of angle-closure glaucoma.

Angle-closure glaucoma may occur suddenly (acute angle-closure glaucoma) or gradually (chronic angle-closure glaucoma). Acute angle-closure glaucoma is a medical emergency.

Normal-tension glaucoma

In normal-tension glaucoma, your optic nerve becomes damaged even though your eye pressure is within the normal range. No one knows the exact reason for this. You may have a sensitive optic nerve, or you may have less blood being supplied to your optic nerve. This limited blood flow could be caused by atherosclerosis — the buildup of fatty deposits (plaque) in the arteries — or other conditions that impair circulation.

Glaucoma in children

It’s possible for infants and children to have glaucoma. It may be present from birth or develop in the first few years of life. The optic nerve damage may be caused by drainage blockages or an underlying medical condition.

Pigmentary glaucoma

In pigmentary glaucoma, pigment granules from your iris build up in the drainage channels, slowing or blocking fluid exiting your eye. Activities such as jogging sometimes stir up the pigment granules, depositing them on the trabecular meshwork and causing intermittent pressure elevations.

REQUEST AN EYE EXAMINATION AT EYEUPDATE CLINIC

Risk factors

Because chronic forms of glaucoma can destroy vision before any signs or symptoms are apparent, be aware of these risk factors:

  • Having high internal eye pressure (intraocular pressure)
  • Being over age 60
  • Being black, Asian or Hispanic
  • Having a family history of glaucoma
  • Having certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and sickle cell anemia
  • Having corneas that are thin in the center
  • Being extremely nearsighted or farsighted
  • Having had an eye injury or certain types of eye surgery
  • Taking corticosteroid medications, especially eyedrops, for a long time

Prevention

These self-care steps can help you detect glaucoma in its early stages, which is important in preventing vision loss or slowing its progress.

  • Get regular dilated eye examinations. Regular comprehensive eye exams can help detect glaucoma in its early stages, before significant damage occurs. As a general rule, the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends having a comprehensive eye exam every five to 10 years if you’re under 40 years old; every two to four years if you’re 40 to 54 years old; every one to three years if you’re 55 to 64 years old; and every one to two years if you’re older than 65. If you’re at risk of glaucoma, you’ll need more frequent screening. Ask your doctor to recommend the right screening schedule for you.
  • Know your family’s eye health history. Glaucoma tends to run in families. If you’re at increased risk, you may need more frequent screening.
  • Exercise safely. Regular, moderate exercise may help prevent glaucoma by reducing eye pressure. Talk with your doctor about an appropriate exercise program.
  • Take prescribed eyedrops regularly. Glaucoma eyedrops can significantly reduce the risk that high eye pressure will progress to glaucoma. To be effective, eyedrops prescribed by your doctor need to be used regularly even if you have no symptoms.
  • Wear eye protection. Serious eye injuries can lead to glaucoma. Wear eye protection when using power tools or playing high-speed racket sports in enclosed courts.

About Us

 

Our Mission

To Be the Region’s Leading Eye Care Provider, Delivering the Most Advanced, Specialized Eye Care Services in a Compassionate, Patient-Centered Approach.

Our Commitment

Above all other principles, we affirm patients are the basis for our existence as an organization. We continuously strive to exceed the expectations and needs of each patient at every visit, or encounter. Our commitment to our patients is reflected in our employee’s attitude and respect towards others. We are committed to providing the highest quality of service and meeting our patients’ needs with the utmost care and courtesy. This commitment must be reflected in our behavior.

The Team

Eyes are among our most precious tools. Much of our quality of life depends on these windows to the world. Eyupdate Eye clinic lives by our mission by providing the newest technologies, treatments and surgical techniques as a team.

Eyeupdate Clinic is the region’s leading eye care center with experienced Eye-Doctors improving the quality of life for people like you. Our Board certified Eye-Doctors are among the most highly educated and trained specialists practicing in the World today. Our Ophthalmologists and Optometrists at Eyeupdate Eye Clinic are committed to delivering expert eye care to patients including general vision and specialty eye care, disease diagnosis, treatment, and surgical options.

At Eyeupdate Eye Clinic, we focus on quality, patient-centered eye care and are able to triage and treat many urgent and emergency situations right in the clinic.

Our Pediatric Ophthalmologists/Optometrists have the tremendous privilege of caring for kids to help them achieve their best vision. We understand, as parents, nothing is more important to you than your children, and like you, we want them to have a lifetime of excellent vision. Working with you, in a patient-centered approach, we treat your child’s eyes all the way from infancy through high school.

Outpatient surgical procedures, corrective lenses, and diagnostic and surgical treatment of eye diseases are available onsite. In addition, we offer a full-service Optical shop and Contact Lens department at each location.

To schedule an appointment, call: 07030000001

 

LOCATIONS

Eyeupdate Clinic & Optical Supplies, 01, Ajuwon junction, Ajuwon bus stop, Akute/Ajuwon Road, beside BPNL Filling Station, Ajuwon, Ifo, Ogun State. Tel: 07030000001.

 

Eyeupdate Clinic & Optical Supplies 222 Iju road, Balogun bus stop, Iju-Ishaga, Lagos, Nigeria. Tel: 08107531046

Eyeupdate Clinic & Optical Supplies, 20 Akute/Ajuwon Road, Akute, Ifo, Ogun State.Tel: 08034971582