FitSugar

Tips For Summer Contact Lens Wearers

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:11:00 PDT

I wore bright magenta glasses from fourth grade until my 13th birthday when my dad took me to get my first pair of contact lenses. It felt so liberating not to have anything on my face and to still be able to see. I quickly realized that there's a lot of extra care that comes with being a contact lens wearer. Now that Summer has arrived, here are some helpful tips to keep your eyes protected and happy.

Choose sunscreen wisely. It's a no-brainer for contact lens wearers to use waterproof sunscreen on their faces so when they sweat or swim, it doesn't drip into their eyes (youch!). But make sure the sunscreen you slather on the rest of your body is waterproof as well, so when you accidentally touch your face or wipe the sweat off your forehead with your arm, you won't risk that painful sting.
Wear UV protecting sunglasses. They not only protect your eyes from damaging rays, but sunglasses also prevent debris from blowing into your eyes. I also found wearing sunglasses prevents dry eyes caused by warm wind.
Invest in some UV blocking contacts. I didn't even know they made these until I looked on my box of Acuvue Oasys contacts. Look for ones that say Class 1. This is the highest protection available in contacts and it means they block up to 96 percent of UVA and 100 percent of UVB rays.

For more must-know tips, keep reading.

6 Tips For Contact Lens Wearers

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:00:00 PDT

Just like me, about 34 million other people in the US are contact lens wearers, and 100 billion wear them around the world. Since contacts are so popular and our eyes are so precious, it's important to take good care of both. Here are some things to keep in mind if you sport contact lenses.

Always wash your hands before inserting or removing your lenses. Touching your eye with germy fingers is a great way to get a cold or nasty eye infection such as pink eye.
If you suffer from allergies, wearing contacts can make your symptoms worse since allergens can stick to the lenses. Wear glasses if your symptoms are really bad, and if you can't part from your contacts (I don't blame you), be sure to clean them thoroughly or replace disposable lenses more often.

Want to hear the other tips? Then

Keep eye drops in your purse or desk at all times, especially if you work at a computer. Not only are dry lenses uncomfortable and difficult to see out of, but they could potentially scratch your eye. Use those drops as often as you need. If you have watery or itchy eyes caused by allergies, look for drops containing antihistamines.
Only wear your lenses as long as you are directed to. Lenses meant to be worn for only two to four weeks should not be worn for two months. Dirt and protein deposits accumulate on the lenses and can cause irritation, eye infections, or permanent damage your eyes.
Give your eyes a rest from contacts. I know it's difficult to break the habit if you wear them every waking moment of every day, but your eyes need a chance to breathe. Choose lenses that are highly breathable, such as Acuvue Oasys, and wear your glasses a few hours a day instead, so oxygen can reach your corneas.
Be good about keeping yearly appointments with your eye doctor to have your eyes checked, and to see if you need a change to your prescription. Not only will you not be able to purchase contacts without an up-to-date prescription, but if your eyes become weaker, you won't be able to see as well with your old contacts, which isn't safe and can cause headaches.

Wear Contact Lenses? Keep These in Mind

FitSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:00:00 PDT

If your vision isn't perfect, and you're an active person, contact lenses are essential in my book. Contacts don't fog up when you're running, or fall off when you're biking. And you can wear them when swimming, you just have to wear goggles or keep your eyes shut. If you're a contact lens wearer like me, here are some things you should keep in mind.

Always wash your hands before inserting or removing your lenses. Touching your eye with germy fingers is a great way to get sick or contract an eye infection.
If you suffer from allergies, wearing contacts can make your symptoms worse since allergens can stick to the lenses. Wear glasses if your symptoms are really bad, and if you can't part with your contacts (I don't blame you), be sure to clean them thoroughly or replace disposable lenses more often. Also, look for drops containing antihistamines that may help relieve watery or itchy eyes.

For more tips and to see what that photo is all about keep reading

Your Contact Lenses Could Make You Blind

FitSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:00:00 PDT

Many of you rely on your contact lenses in order to help you see, but your lenses could end up taking away your vision. What an ugly irony. The problem starts with a simple single cell microorganism - acanthamoeba.

Acanthamoeba is one of the most common types of protozoan that live in soil and fresh water. They can be found in city tap water, so if you rinse your lens case in water from the sink, this amoeba can be transferred to your contact lenses and then to your eye. These protozoan can live and multiply in both your contact case and your eyes, and can go back and forth between the two because commercial contact lens solution can't kill them. Once they're in your eyes, they can cause a painful infection known as amoebic keratitis, which can lead to blindness. The prevalence of this infection has increased because so many people wear contact lenses now.

The lenses that you wear for a year or two were found to contain the most pathogenic (disease-causing) strains of acanthamoeba. The ones that you keep for a month or two weeks contained fewer, and the daily lenses contained no acanthamoeba. Talk to your eye doctor about the kinds of contact lenses you wear to see which would be the healthiest for your eyes. Scientists are on the move trying to develop a contact lens solution that can kill this nasty amoeba, but for now, it's recommended that you don't rinse your lens case in tap water.

Source

Health Tip for Contact Lens Wearers

FitSugar — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:00:00 PST

If you wear contact lenses, you want to make sure you are doing all you can to keep your eyes healthy. I thought I was doing right by closing my contact lens case every morning after putting in my lenses. I guess I was wrong. I didn't realize that a dark and moist closed case is the perfect breeding ground for mold and bacteria to grow. Two things you definitely don't want in your eyes since they could cause major discomfort, or even worse an infection.

So if you wear contact lenses, after putting them in your eyes be sure to leave your case open and dump out the old solution so it can dry fully between uses. It's also a good idea to boil your case in water for ten minutes once every couple of weeks to get rid of any gross stuff that may be growing in the case. Many solutions come with new cases, so when you go through a bottle of solution, use the new case that comes with it and toss your old one.

Let me know if you already do this in the comment section below.

Source

Nike Maxsight Contact Lenses

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 03:30:00 PDT

When you go outside in the summer, you've got to protect your eyes from the harmful rays of the sun. Sunglasses are great, but with some fast-paced sports and activities, you don't want to worry about them flying off or having them break. Working out in the hot sun makes my face get really hot and sweaty, and I hate when the lenses get all fogged up, don't you? Plus, the really good sunglasses are so expensive, and I'm always worried about losing them.

The solution? Nike Maxsight is an innovative, fully tinted soft contact lens, so you can wear your sunglasses without the frames.

They provide distortion-free sight, for both prescription and non-prescription contact lens wearers. They cover your entire pupil and iris (the black and colored parts), eliminating glare and enhancing contrast. They filter out more than 90% of harmful blue light and 95% of UVA and UVB.

You can get Nike Maxsight contact lenses in 2 colors: Grey-Green for running or training, and Amber for fast-paced sports like soccer and tennis.

Fit's Tips: Call your eye doctor and ask them about Nike Vision. I did and Nike actually sent me a FREE trial pair. Want to see what they look like? Then

They just look like really dark contact lenses, like ones you'd get for Halloween or something. I put a Nike Maxsight contact lens next to my regular contact lens so you can see the difference. With normal lighting, my eyes didn't turn into alien eyes - they just looked really dark. These are the grey-green color, although they look kind of brown in my eyes.
I have to say I LOVED them. It did take a few minutes for my eyes to adjust, but it felt like I was wearing polarized sunglasses. They blocked out the sun and I had crystal clear vision.
If you love to be outdoors, and hate having to deal with wearing sunglasses, I would definitely recommend getting a pair of Nike Maxsight contact lenses. That way, you'll be protected completely and never have to worry about losing your sunglasses again.

5 Ways to Beat Dry Eyes

Prevention — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 04:03:25 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Stay bright-eyed with these simple strategies to stop eye itching and redness
By The Editors of Prevention

Are You Seeing Red? If you find yourself frequently dealing with the itching and burning of dry eyes, you’re certainly not alone. But allergies, pollution, and an overheated office are not the only causes of red, burning eyes: your age may be the real culprit. After age 40, women see a significant reduction in tear production along with eye-drying hormonal changes, the two major reasons why most women over 40 experience dry eyes. And if you wear contacts, expect the itch and irritation to start even sooner. With a few simple lifestyle tweaks and a little help from artificial tears, you can get quick relief from aging’s annoying little side effect.

1. Use Tears Liberally
Use artificial tears as often as you like; doctors say that most people underuse artificial tears. "You can use them as often as needed. From once or twice a day to every 20 minutes," says Dr. Monica. These over-the-counter drops will cleanse your eyes and restore the right kind of tears.

2. Moisten your eyes before blow-drying your hair
To keep from drying your eyes along with your tresses, use artificial tears before and after you blow-dry, says Dr. Monica. For extra measure, moisten your eyes halfway through too.

9 Tips to Healthier, Younger Hair

Learn more ways to beat dry eyes after the break.

8 Ideas to Use Up Your FSA Before the Year-End

Emily Co — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:15 PST

Now that it's nearing the end of the year, there are some money chores you need to take care of, such as making sure you've spent the money in your Flexible Spending Account because it will expire before the New Year. You're actually allowed to file an extension if you haven't used up all your FSA dollars, but you need to check your company policy to see if they allow that. Don't fret if you can't extend, here are some last-minute ideas to use your FSA money:

Over-the-counter items: We're not allowed to spend our FSA dollars on over-the-counter medicines without prescriptions but there are plenty of nonmedicinal products that we can still use the FSA money for. For example, band aids, crutches, first aid kits, and rubbing alcohol.
Acupuncture: Acupuncture is covered by your FSA, so if you have a condition such as pain, consider acupuncture.
Chiropractic: Your FSA also covers chiropractic visits, so now may be the time to schedule an appointment with your chiropractor.
Birth control: Contraceptives are covered by the FSA, although some require prescription.
Glasses and contact lens: Schedule a vision exam and use your FSA dollars to buy a new pair of glasses or supplies of contact lenses.
Prescription medicine: Buy prescription medicine if it makes sense for you to do so. Most insurance policies will only let you buy a month's supply at a time, so you can't exactly stock up on medicine.
Doctor's visit: Your FSA will cover the copay so if you're due for a doctor's visit, try to go before the end of the year.
Medical monitoring and testing devices: If you need a gadget to measure and monitor your blood pressure or ovulation, perhaps it's time to buy one now. Pregnancy and glucose test kits also qualify.

FSA is best used when it covers items that your health insurance doesn't generally pay for. Remember to use them or you'll lose them before the year's up!

6 Surprising Health Mistakes Even Smart Women Make

Prevention — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 04:05:18 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

When was the last time you got 8 hours of sleep or lifted weights at the gym? You're not alone if you can't remember: Even some of the most savvy women didn't get the memo about these health-wrecking habits. Find out if you're among them.
From the Editors of Prevention

You're supposed to watch saturated fat and eat lots of vegetables — that's why you usually pick up a salad for lunch and dinner (even when the kids get burgers). But you're not obsessed with the scale like some women you know. You brush your teeth twice a day, and you last flossed, oh, maybe two weeks ago. You exercise but avoid lifting so you don't bulk up. The tummy pains you got last week? Must have been gas — nothing serious. And hey, you'd like to get 8 hours of sleep, but the days are short, and it's hard to get everything done. Sound familiar? These so-called "good" habits may actually be derailing your health. Here, experts share the surprising things you're doing wrong — and how to recover.

1. You Always Order a Salad
Don't assume that bowl of lettuce is always the healthiest menu pick.

Truth is, a lot of take-out and restaurant salads are basically a burger in a bowl, says Brie Turner-McGrievy, RD, clinical research coordinator for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in Washington, DC. That's because add-ons like fried chicken, croutons, and full-fat dressing pack major calories, fat, sodium, and other unhealthy nutrients. One example: McDonald's Bacon Ranch Salad with Crispy Chicken and Newman's Own Ranch Dressing has 540 calories and 35 grams of fat; a Big Mac has 540 calories and 29 grams.

The fix: Don't scratch take-out salad off your menu; just use a few common sense rules before you order. Avoid high-fat add-ons such as sour cream, extra cheese, croutons, bacon bits, and creamy dressings like Caesar and ranch. Opt for salads that aren't just a fiber-free mound of iceberg lettuce dotted with a few carrot and red cabbage shavings. And plan ahead: Most fast-food chains supply nutritional info online so you can scout out the best options before you leave.

Avoid These Surprisingly Unhealthy Salads

2. You Rock Out While You Work Out
Do your ears ring after a long iPod-powered workout?

Check the volume on your iPod or MP3 player, advises Andrew Cheng, MD, an otolaryngologist at New York Medical College. The normal range of an MP3 player is 60 to 120 decibels; persistent exposures above 85 may cause hearing loss. If you're concerned, ask a friend to stand next to you while you listen: If she can hear your music, it's too loud.

Learn the fix and four more other common mistakes, when you read more.

4 Ways to Prevent Frightful Beauty Mishaps on Halloween

Jaime Richards — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 06:05:13 PDT

Growing up, your loved ones probably told you to check the apples for razors and beware of strangers while trick-or-treating. Now that you're an adult, there are a whole other set of Halloween-related mishaps just waiting to happen. Sure, you have to be careful with the amount of mulled cider consumed in an evening, but there are beauty hazards to be cognizant of as well. From irritated skin to sore feet, find out how you can prevent Halloween horrors when you read more.