Eye Allergies: What They Are and How To Treat Them

Having allergies can mean more than the sniffling and sneezing that most people associate with it. It’s Red, swollen, itchy eyes may also be a significant sign of allergies that can come whether you are sneezing uncontrollably or not.

Allergic conjunctivitis is the scientific name for this condition. It is caused, like any allergic reaction, by a mistaken triggering of your body’s immune system. Allergens cause your immune system “panic” causing it to react negatively to things which actually pose no harm to the body at all. Allergens such as pet dander, pollen and dust can trigger this reaction. This allergic reaction releases a chemical called histamine, which makes your eyes dry out and produce more tears. This reaction is meant to flush out foreign objects. The blood vessels in your eyes also become inflamed, which is what gives your eyes their bloodshot look.

Symptoms of an allergic reaction can be quite varied. You may find that your eyes are red and irritated or itchy, that your eyes are sensitive to light or that your eyelids are swollen. In more severe cases, you may even notice a painful, sore or burning feeling in your eyes or suffer from excessive tearing or a runny nose. You may also experience sneezing and stuffy nose.

Many things may cause an allergic reaction. Grass, weed and tree pollen, as well as dust and pet dander are among the best known allergens. Less well known is that it is also possible for a person to be allergic to everyday items such as makeup or perfume, and even contact lenses. Also not well know is that, while it is very common for allergic symptoms to come out immediately upon contact with the allergen, it is also possible for an allergic reaction to present itself as much as four days after original contact with an allergen.

Although allergies usually stop once the allergen is removed, and the eyes return to normal, this is not always possible with allergens such as dust and pollen, since they are just about everywhere. For these and other allergies, eye doctors recommend eye drops either over the counter or prescription. These eye drops should help to minimize the effects of the allergens in your environment. Many of these eye drops are formulated as anti-histamines, meaning that they block histamine from the body. There are also a number of other ways that these eye drops will work to relieve or prevent allergic symptoms.

Artificial tears are also an excellent option to relieve dry eye symptoms caused by allergens. These eye drops are specially formulated to imitate the tears that the allergic reaction has dried up. Artificial tears are mostly by prescription and have proven to perform better in some cases than over the counter eye drops.

Several other ways to reduce or relieve symptoms exist as well. Wearing sunglasses when stepping outside helps block pollen, dust and other outdoor allergens from getting in your eyes. Contact lenses may also irritate your eyes, so try taking those out if nothing else works. Finally, never rub your eyes while experiencing an allergic reaction. No matter how much they itch, rubbing will irritating your eyes further and make things worse.

Lucent Family Eye Care is a member of Eye Recommend, Canada’s Vision Care Professionals, helping doctors help their patients since 1997. We are proud to be able to help Canadians attain optimal eye health.

From the practice of:
Lucent Family Eye Care – Optometrists
Dr. Linda Yee, O.D.
7578 6th Street, Burnaby, BC V3N 3M3
Tel: (604) 777-7577
Email: info@lfec.ca
Web: http://www.lfec.ca

Vitamins and Your Eyes

Eat carrots for your eyes? Well, it’s not quite as simple as that, though nutrition and vitamins play an important role in your vision and eye health. In a recent study, scientists found that people who ate at least three daily servings of bananas, oranges and other fruits had a 36% lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) than people who ate fewer than one and a half servings. The more fruit people ate, the less likely they seemed to develop AMD.

But are you one of those busy people on the run who don’t eat as many fruits and vegetables as you should? Consider taking nutritional supplements that contribute to healthy eyes. Look for ingredients such as beta-carotene, lutein, zinc, selenium and vitamins B, C and E for extra protection from conditions such as glaucoma and AMD.

Lucent Family Eye Care is a member of Eye Recommend, Canada’s Vision Care Professionals, helping doctors help their patients since 1997. We are proud to be able to help Canadians attain optimal eye health.

From the practice of:
Lucent Family Eye Care – Optometrists
Dr. Linda Yee, O.D.
7578 6th Street, Burnaby, BC V3N 3M3
Tel: (604) 777-7577
Email: info@lfec.ca
Web: http://www.lfec.ca

Try Progressive Lenses Today!

Few of us like to advertise our age, especially once we reach 40 and have trouble reading fine print. Lucky for us, today’s progressive lenses make it impossible for others to tell when we’ve reached the “bifocal age.”

Bifocal lenses have only two powers – one for seeing across the room and the other for seeing up close. But what about those objects in between, like your computer screen or groceries on a store shelf?

Progressive lenses will help you see at all distances, including close-up for reading and computer use.  Today’s advanced technologies deliver a smooth, seamless progression of lens powers for clear vision – at every distance. Progressive lenses provide a more natural depth of focus, offering enhanced comfort and no “image jump.”

Progressives are available in the latest lens materials, making them thinner, lighter and more comfortable than ever. High-index plastic lenses can be up to 50% thinner than standard plastic bifocals.

For safety eyewear, many brands of progressives are available in lightweight and impact-resistant polycarbonate.

Crystal-clear performance

Many progressives have compact designs specially made for smaller frames. With these new designs, wearers with small faces or anyone who wants a trim, fashion-forward frame can enjoy all the benefits of progressive lenses.

More options: for the ultimate in vision, comfort and appearance, request an anti-reflective (AR) coating to eliminate distracting reflections that cause glare when driving. For outdoor wear, progressives are available in photochromic tints for greater comfort when going inside and out. Lenses are also available as polarized sunwear, giving you deeper colours, better contrast and protection from UV rays, glare and intense light.

Let your eyecare professionals recommend a truly customized progressive lens solution – for your unique lifestyle and visual needs.

Lucent Family Eye Care is a member of Eye Recommend, Canada’s Vision Care Professionals, helping doctors help their patients since 1997. We are proud to be able to help Canadians attain optimal eye health.

From the practice of:
Lucent Family Eye Care – Optometrists
Dr. Linda Yee, O.D.
7578 6th Street, Burnaby, BC V3N 3M3
Tel: (604) 777-7577
Email: info@lfec.ca
Web: http://www.lfec.ca

Back To School Time!

New adventures of a new school year bring excitement to many children. A new school year can also bring challenges.
“Roughly one in four children has a visually related learning difficulty,” says Dr. Brent Neufeld of Calgary Vision Therapy, who specializes in finding solutions for visual processing problems. “When working efficiently, vision helps a child to process and understand information. When not working properly, that visual system can contribute to learning problems.”
Vision is often missed as a roadblock to a child’s ability to learn, since sight is different than vision. Sight (20/20) is what the eyes see whereas vision relates to how we draw meaning from what we see.
How can you tell if your child needs help in building this visual ability? There are many signs: reversing words when writing or copying, confusing the same word in the same sentence and failing to visualize what is read, to name a few.
Fortunately, vision is developed in a sequence of stages, which means that vision can be trained and improved. Talk to your optometrist to find out how visual training can turn your child’s challenges into successes this school year.

Lucent Family Eye Care is a member of Eye Recommend, Canada’s Vision Care Professionals, helping doctors help their patients since 1997. We are proud to be able to help Canadians attain optimal eye health.

Trunk Show 2014 | Ray Ban Versace Coach

Mark your calendars! We are having our 1st annual Sunglasses & Ophthalmic frames trunk show featuring Ray Ban, Versace, and Coach this year! Come by for a chance to see the entire line from these lines. It will be held at our clinic on Saturday, May 3rd, 2014 from 11am-4pm. Don’t miss your chance!

Allergies? Don’t let them affect your eyes. Get Relief!

Itchy and puffy eyes are commonly caused by an allergy to something in your environment. Mild itching can be helped with lubricating eye drops. Cool compresses or ice packs can also help reduce the symptoms.

Eye knew that: Avoid rubbing your eyes, which releases chemicals called histamines that increase the itchiness. Also, keep your car windows rolled up when pollen counts are high.

More severe itching may need extra help, such as prescription allergy eye drops or oral antihistamines.

Although itchy eyes aren’t an emergency, let us know. We can help.

Lucent Family Eye Care is a member of Eye Recommend, Canada’s Vision Care Professionals, helping doctors help their patients since 1997. We are proud to be able to help Canadians attain optimal eye health.

From the practice of:
Lucent Family Eye Care – Optometrists
Dr. Linda Yee, O.D.
7578 6th Street, Burnaby, BC V3N 3M3
Tel: (604) 777-7577
Email: info@lfec.ca
Web: http://www.lfec.ca

Are dry eyes a challenge?

Do your eyes burn?  You may be suffering from Dry Eye Syndrome.  You don’t have to live with discomfort and irritation.  There are simple environmental and dietary solutions:

• Use moisturizing drops – artificial tears, or lubricating eye drops, will help your dry eyes feel better.  * Don’t confuse artificial tears with formulas that “get the red out.”
• Improve indoor air quality – an air cleaner filters out dust and other particles from the air, while a humidifier adds moisture to air that’s dry because of air conditioning or heating.
• Wear well-fitted sunwear – when outdoors, always wear sunglasses to reduce exposure to sun, wind and dust.
• Choose styles with a snug seal, to prevent irritants from getting to your eyes at the top, bottom and sides.
• Consider punctal plugs – temporary or permanent silicone plugs in the tear ducts help retain moisture on your eyes by keeping tears from draining away too quickly.  They can be inserted painlessly while you’re in the Optometrist’s office and are normally not felt once in place.
• Drink more liquids – mild dehydration can make dry eye problems worse.  Experts agree that about 20% of the water your body needs comes from the food you eat, while the rest originates from the liquids you drink.  The best choices are water, 100% fruit and vegetable juices, and milk.
• Add supplements and boost your diet – studies have found that nutritional supplements with certain essential fatty acids can decrease dry eye symptoms.  Eat more cold-water fish such as sardines, cod, herring and salmon, which contain omega-3 fatty acids.

Pop in and see us about the many changes that will turn your desert into an oasis!

Lucent Family Eye Care is a member of Eye Recommend, Canada’s Vision Care Professionals, helping doctors help their patients since 1997. We are proud to be able to help Canadians attain optimal eye health.

From the practice of:
Lucent Family Eye Care – Optometrists
Dr. Linda Yee, O.D.
7578 6th Street, Burnaby, BC V3N 3M3
Tel: (604) 777-7577
Email: info@lfec.ca
Web: http://www.lfec.ca

New Year’s Checklist

It’s the start of a new year and we would like you to make a resolution to include eye health as part of your family’s health plan. A few things to keep in mind:

1. Make sure your children receive their 1st eye exam at the age of 6 months, and then every year after that. Children’s eye exams are 100% covered every year (or every 6 months if necessary) up to the age of 18 by your BC MSP Care Card at Lucent Family Eye Care. Since they are growing so fast, so are their eyes. Let’s ensure they stay healthy from year to year.

2. Seniors over the age of 65 should also include an eye exam in their schedule every year. The majority of eye diseases give out no warning signs or symptoms and often times can be prevented or treated if discovered early on. Senior’s eye exams (65+) are 100% covered every year by your BC MSP Care Card at Lucent Family Eye Care.

3. Have your eyes examined without delay if you experience any visual changes, red eyes, pain, flashes of light, or injuries. Diabetics should have more frequent examinations. African-Canadians & Asians are at a higher risk for glaucoma and also require closer monitoring. Some of these exams are covered by your BC MSP Care Card as well depending on the nature of the condition.

4. Protective eye wear should always be worn when playing sports or working with mechanical tools or dangerous chemicals. Over 90% of eye injuries can be preventable this way!

5. Contact lens wearers should always have a proper contact lens fitting from your BC Doctor of Optometry. Contact lenses that fit too loosely will cause them to be uncomfortable and blurry with every blink. Lenses that fit too tightly will cause your eyes to be deprived of oxygen which could lead to short term damage such as eye infections that could leave permanent scars, and/or long-term damage which could cause permanent blurred vision when you get older.

6. Finally, just remember that each of us only has TWO eyes and they cannot be replaced. There isn’t a cure or treatment for every sort of eye disease or problem, so prevention is the key! Just imagine doing the same everyday activities with your eyes closed… pretty difficulty? Or even with just one eye closed…

Sometimes when you notice there is a problem, it’s already too late.

If you ever experience anything out of the ordinary, don’t hesitate to give us a call and we will try our best to answer your questions!

 

From the practice of:

Lucent Family Eye Care – Optometrists

Dr. Linda Yee, O.D.

7578 6th Street, Burnaby, BC V3N 3M3

Tel: (604) 777-7577

Email: info@lfec.ca

Web: http://www.lfec.ca

 

Hanging out at the Canadian Diabetes Association conference

The 15th annual Canadian Diabetes Association conference took place this past week at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The BC Association of Optometrists along with the Canadian Association of Optometrists also participated in this conference by educating other Health Care Providers on how diabetes can affect a person’s eyes. Pacific Medical was kind enough to set up a retinal camera at our booth to demonstrate how BC Doctors of Optometry can look into a patient’s eyes and detect diabetes and other disease in our retina and also document it via a photograph. Dr. Linda Yee and other optometrists were present at this conference and helped to educate other practitioners including nurses, pharmacists and diabetic educators on how to care for their eyes and educate the public.

Here are some photographs from our booth! We had so much fun taking photos of everyone’s eyes and almost 80% of these professionals have never even seen the inside of their eyes before! Have you?

From the practice of:

Lucent Family Eye Care – Optometrists

Dr. Linda Yee, O.D.

7578 6th Street, Burnaby, BC V3N 3M3

Tel: (604) 777-7577

Email: info@lfec.ca

Web: http://www.lfec.ca

October is National Eye Health Month – Children’s Vision

The theme of National Eye Health Month this year is children’s vision:

• More than 80 per cent of a child’s learning is based on vision.
• Identifying eye health issues at this age is critical, as they can begin to affect children’s academic and social development.
• One in five children has a vision disorder. Not knowing any differently, many of these children accept poor vision and other eye problems as normal.
• Not all children’s eye conditions have obvious symptoms. The best way to protect your child’s eye health is with regular eye exams.
• BC Doctors of Optometry recommend children have their first eye exam at six months of age, again at age three, again before entering school and annually thereafter.

Has your child had their 1st eye exam yet? If not, schedule one now during children’s vision month to make sure your child does not have a vision disorder. Eye exams at Lucent Family Eye Care are fast, fun, and painless! Don’t worry if your child doesn’t know their A-B-C’s or doesn’t even talk yet, our doctors have other ways of determining what your child can see.

From the practice of:

Lucent Family Eye Care – Optometrists

Dr. Linda Yee, O.D.

7578 6th Street, Burnaby, BC V3N 3M3

Tel: (604) 777-7577

Email: info@lfec.ca

Web: http://www.lfec.ca