Competitive Advantage: Know Your Dominant Eye

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Whether you're running at top speed and catching a football, or precisely aiming a golf shot, knowing which eye is dominant will help you in any sport.

An athlete can interpret fast action and achieve better head and eye positioning by knowing which eye is dominant. A dominant eye can process visual information more accurately than the non-dominant eye.

Quick Test for Eye Dominance
Use both hands to form a small triangle between the thumbs and first knuckles of your forefingers. With both eyes open and your arms outstretched, move your "triangle" until you have a distant object such as a light switch within the center. Shut your left eye. If the object stays centered, you are right-eye dominant. If the object moves out-of-center, you are left-eye dominant. Interestingly, eye-dominance is not related to if you are right-handed or left-handed.

*Images found here and here.

 

Book your next eye exam in Sherwood Park with an optometrist at eye-bar optometrist, opticians & eyewear specialists

Is it safe to share eye makeup?

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Sharing eye makeup is even more dangerous than sharing lipstick and other makeup.  Besides the risk of using the wrong colour (oh no!) you have a huge risk of spreading viruses via your makeup.  The most common viral infection of the eye is conjunctivitis (also known as pinkeye), which is extremely contagious.  Sharing can also lead to increased risk of warts, cold sores, styes, and bacterial infections.
 
Mascara, eyeshadow and eyeliner, eyelash curlers, and even Latisse - used to stimulate eyelash growth -  can lead to a bad eye infection. Makeup cannot be cleaned of bacteria and viruses from previous use and bacteria are carried from applicators back to the product itself, so using a clean applicator does not decrease the risk.  In fact, the items can be contaminated for weeks unless they are cleaned and disinfected. This is why it's a good idea to discard items such as mascara brushes and other eye makeup if you've had infectious conjunctivitis, even if your eyes have cleared up.
 
The bottom line is: be selfish with your eye makeup! 

*Images found here and here

Book your next eye exam in Sherwood Park with an optometrist at eye-bar optometrist, opticians & eyewear specialists

What is the harm in extending the life of my contact lenses?

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Extending the life of your contact lenses is kind of like driving a car at 250 km per hour.  For a while, if everything goes smoothly, there is no indication of trouble.  However, if something starts to go wrong, it can go wrong in a major way very quickly. 

Some complications that can occur are:

  • Allergic Reaction – protein build-up on the lens can cause discomfort, itchiness, dry eyes and intolerance to contact lens wear.
  • Conjunctivitis – accumulated protein attracts bacteria which can easily lead to conjunctivitis.  Symptoms include redness, burning, itching, tearing, light sensitivity, blurred vision and mucous discharge.
  • Corneal Edema (swelling) – Extended contact lens wear decreases the oxygen supply to the cornea and can cause increased fluid in the cornea. It can cause blurred vision and halos around lights.
  • Neovascularization – The cornea normally doesn’t have any blood vessels. When it is deprived of oxygen (by over wearing contact lenses), the body responds by growing new blood vessels, hoping to increase oxygen to the cornea. This abnormal blood vessel growth can interfere with vision. The new vessels are also weak and can hemorrhage and cause blindness.
  • Corneal Abrasion/Corneal Ulcer – Again, due to the lack of oxygen, the surface cells on the cornea become weak and easily damaged.  Corneal abrasions or corneal ulcers can form causing very serious infection and complications that can lead to blindness.

These complications can be caused both by wearing a contact lens too long in a day (or overnight) or by not replacing your lenses according to your optometrist's recommendations.  Either way, the eye is subject to less oxygen and more irritation and bacterial growth.  The blurred vision, pain, light sensitivity and potential scarring can be greatly reduced or eliminated by responsible contact lens wear.  If any of these symptoms occur, remove your contact lenses immediately and get checked by your optometrist.

*Image found here

Prevent vision loss with Vitamin E

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Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant for the body. In particular, it plays an important role in eye health by preventing age related macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness in people over 55 years old). Studies show that it can reduce the progression for those who have AMD, and also prevents the formation of cataracts. 

Delicious sources of Vitamin E include nuts, vegetable oils, sweet potatoes, and salads.

*Image credits: salad, sweet potatoes, nuts.

Vitamin C for Healthy Eyes

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Vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid) is a major player in eye health. It maintains lens transparency, prevents cataracts, and fights against age-related macular degeneration. The retina needs to be surrounded by vitamin C to protect itself from free radicals and promote healing if damaged. Our bodies do not naturally create vitamin C when needed, so including this in your diet is a critical part of keeping your eyes (and virtually all cells in your body) functioning properly.

Excellent sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits, peppers, cantaloupe, tomatoes, and broccoli. There are many tasty vitamin C supplements available from the drug store, too.

*Image credits: broccoli, tomatoes, citrus fruits.