FitSugar

Don't Be Shady! How to Choose the Right Sunglasses For Eye Health

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 24 May 2012 01:19:22 PDT

Sunglasses aren't just for complementing your bikini while you lounge on the beach. They're a must for protecting your eyes from UV damage. Sunglasses also shield the eyelids and the skin around your eyes, helping to prevent wrinkles and skin cancer. But before you run out and drop a small fortune on a pair, here are some things to consider.

UV protection is most important: UV rays can damage the eyes causing cataracts, benign growths on the eye's surface, and snow blindness, a temporary and painful sunburn of the eye. As mentioned above, it can also lead to skin cancer around the eye, so make sure your pair guarantees 100 percent UV protection.
Polarized lenses have nothing to do with UV protection: Polarized lenses act as a filter to absorb light waves, which helps to reduce glare that bounces off smooth surfaces like pavement or water. While they're great for offering clearer vision in extreme sun, being labeled "polarized" has nothing to do with how well they protect the eyes.

Keep reading to find out what else to think about when buying sunglasses.

10 Ways to Reduce Swollen, Puffy Eyes

Anna Monette Roberts — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 02:24:58 PDT

Have you ever woken up with your eyes feeling heavy and are shocked to discover they're twice their normal size? Allergies, too much salt or alcohol, lack of sleep, crying, and even makeup can attribute to swollen, puffy, and red eyes. While it may take hours or even a few days for them to return back to normal, take these 10 steps to help shrink the swell. Remember, even though it's tempting, don't rub your eyes! It will only make the irritation and redness worse.

Don't underestimate water. Splash your face with cold water as you wake up to help calm puffiness, then drink a few glasses to hydrate yourself.
Remove any and all eye makeup using cotton swabs and eye makeup remover. Makeup caught in the tear ducts and waterlines will continue to cause inflammation and potentially infection unless you remove it.
Dip a cold rag or cotton balls into an ice bath. Apply to the face for five-10 minutes.
If you can think ahead, keep an ice pack or gel face mask in the freezer. Place on your eyes for 10 minutes.
Chilled chamomile, mint, ginseng, or black teabags sooth and tighten up the skin around the eyes. Set them over the eyes until the teabags are at room temperature.

Click here to read more.

Vision Quest: The Facts About Kids' Eyes

LilSugar — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 05:35:47 PDT

If the eyes are the window to the soul, then it's important to keep those windows in the best possible condition. Kids who aren't seeing clearly often have academic and behavioral issues that can impact their school experience, leaving tots, teachers, and parents frustrated and confused. Luckily, most vision problems are easily rectified with regular vision screenings and eye care. Are you up to date on your facts about kids' vision? Take our quiz to find out.

Take the Quiz

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.

Do You Get Your Eyes Checked If You Don't Wear Glasses or Contacts?

Leta Shy — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:40:10 PST

Every year I dutifully go see my optometrist to make sure my eyes are healthy, sure, but mostly because I need to renew my contact prescription. If you're one of the 150 million in the United States who also wear glasses or contacts, you're probably the same.

For the rest of the population, the American Optometric Association recommends getting your eyes checked every two years in order to find any potential problems early. Regular checkups can catch vision disorders like glaucoma and macular degeneration early, as well as detect more general health issues like diabetes and high blood pressure. But I know many people with perfect vision who've barely set foot in an optometrist's office. How about you?

Time Out For Mac Reminds You to Take a Break

Leta Shy — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 03:05:51 PST

Many of us spend all day sitting at an office desk, and we know how unhealthy that can potentially be. If you find yourself forgetting to do those important desk exercises or even getting out of your office chair altogether, you'll want to check out the Time Out download from the Mac App Store.

Time Out is a free app for your Mac computer that fades out your screen after a specified interval so you can stretch, rest your eyes, or grab a glass of water. Time Out offers two types of breaks: a micro break to remind you to quickly combat tension and a normal break so you can relax and get moving. The time limits come preset at every 10 minutes for a 15-second micro break and every 50 minutes for a normal 10-minute break. If you find these are too intrusive, too frequent, or not long enough, changing preferences, from opacity and color of the screen lockout to length and frequency of breaks, is simple to do.

Find out what I thought about the app and if it helped me during my daily office grind after the break.

Start a Healthy Eye Routine to Combat Office Environs

Leta Shy — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 05:50:12 PDT

You work out every day and have a dental hygiene routine that would make any DDS proud, but are you proactive about your eye health? Since a lot of us spend countless hours a week on sitting at desks and staring into computers, maintaining a healthy eye routine is essential. From the glare of the monitor to the dry office air, it seems that our workhorse eyeballs never get any respect. So with all the abuse they take, why not be proactive to make sure you keep your eyes healthy? Learn important tips to babying those baby blues (or browns, or greens) after the break.

5 Reasons to Wear Sunglasses

FitSugar — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:30:13 PDT

We're finally enjoying some warm, sunny weather here in San Francisco, but even when it's not Summer or incredibly sunny, sunglasses are a must-have accessory for your health. Here are five reasons you should absolutely wear sunglasses.

Avoiding sunburn. It is possible to sunburn your eyes, resulting in redness, irritation, and a gritty feeling similar to sand in the eyes. Ouch!
Maintaining long-term eye health. Overexposure to UV rays can lead to cataracts and glaucoma. Choose sunglasses that screen out 75 to 90 percent of light and block at least 95 percent of UVA and 99 percent UVB radiation. Wearing a hat doesn't hurt either.

For three more reasons to get shady,

Preventing wrinkles. Sunglasses keep you from squinting, and squinting can increase the wrinkles around your eyes .
Avoiding skin cancer. Sunglasses shield you from potential skin cancer of the eyelids. Just remember, the sun is even stronger in early morning and late afternoon.
Looking cool. Do you really need another reason?

Would You Risk Your Health For Fashion?

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:30:24 PDT

High heels, over-sized purses, skinny jeans, and heavy hoop earrings aren't the kindest to our bodies, but many women don them in the name of fashion.

These days, the dangerous cutting edge fashion trend is all about the eyes, a la Lady Gaga's enlarged pupils in her "Bad Romance" video. Even though Gaga's eyes in the video are mostly computer-generated, many woman aim for that big-eyed effect with circle lenses. These eye-altering contact lenses are all the range in Asia, and also made popular by makeup artist Michelle Phan, allow you to change the size and color of your eyes, creating huge doe-like eyes. Ranging in price from $20 to $30 a pair, the lenses, which are made overseas, are illegal to sell in the US because they're not FDA-approved. Doctors are worried that between the lack of safety regulations and customers not being fitted properly, sporting circle lenses could result in eye infections, cornea damage, and even loss of eyesight. Watch this clip from CBS for more details.

Being a contact lens wearer myself, I know the importance of wearing quality brand lenses fitted by a licensed optometrist. This new fad seems like bad news to me, but what do you think. Would you?

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.