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As our bodies grow and change over time, we start finding and feeling those creaks, cracks, and gray hairs. On top of all the things we can feel changing, we need to be aware of the changes that could be happening inside of our eyes. 

Hello everyone! It looks like many things are starting to head back to normal. We are very excited about that! We will still be following all safety protocols to help keep our staff and patients safe and healthy.  We have enjoyed talking about our youngest patients over the last few blogs, but we are going to shift our focus to our adult patients. In our office, we welcome patients of all ages. We are dedicated to helping them on their eye care journey. Over the next three blogs, we are going to talk about common eye conditions found in adults, and how you can begin preventing them now.  

The eyes are such delicate organs, and how they change and evolve is as unique as you are. As our bodies change, we start to focus on keeping it in as good health as possible. There are many changes that can happen in our bodies that we can’t see or feel until these issues have progressed. Many conditions can be prevented and cared for if detected and caught early on. To stay on top of your optic health, don’t ignore any symptoms and report them to your doctor right away. Today, we are going to begin our blog series with cataracts. 

• CATARACTS 

A cataract is caused by injury to the eye or aging. They change the actual makeup of your eye’s lens. The lens lives right behind the colored part of your eye (or, the iris!) and it focuses the light that passes through your eye and creates the sharp images that you see. Over time, your lenses are no longer as flexible as they used to be. The lenses become more transparent, and they begin to grow thicker. Age, certain medical conditions, and injury can cause the tissue inside of your eye’s lens to break down. This broken-down tissue clumps together and causes a clouding effect in the lens. These clumps will continue to grow over time, blocking the light that comes into your eyes, making your vision very blurry. Thankfully, cataracts are known to grow very slowly. Cataracts can lead to blindness if they are not taken care of. Glasses can help in the beginning stages of cataracts, along with the use of brighter lights in your daily activity. Surgery is a very safe option to help correct the issue. 

• SYMPTOMS

If your vision ever changes drastically and without any warning, contact us right away. If the symptoms are linked to cataracts or not, you still need to get the situation checked out. You could be helping prevent a multitude of other issues. Some symptoms you could experience in the beginning stages of cataracts are:

• Double vision in one of your eyes
• The fading of colors in your vision, or yellowing to them
• The need to change your glasses or contact prescription often 
• You begin to see halos around lights
• You need brighter light to read and do everyday tasks
• Your eyes have a new sensitivity to light 
• You begin having excessive difficulty seeing at night 
• Your vision is constantly blurred or clouded 

There are a handful of things you can begin doing now to help prevent cataracts. We recommend that everyone follow these preventative steps to keep you and your eyes as healthy as possible. 

• PREVENTATIVE STEPS
  • Visit us regularly. Even if you’ve always had healthy eyes and you’ve never needed glasses or contacts, continue to get regular checkups. 
  • If your health allows it, try and avoid taking oral steroids for long periods. Discuss this with your physician and try and find other options. 
  • Maintain your blood sugar as best you can. Take the healthy steps to avoid developing diabetes. If you already have diabetes, do you best to keep it under control. It is more likely for you to develop cataracts if you have diabetes. 
  • Limit your alcohol consumption. 
  • Limit your smoking habit, or never start in the first place. 
  • Protect your eyes from the sun, and always wear sunglasses.
  • Eat a healthy and balanced diet, maintain a healthy weight, and exercise regularly! 

These tips are geared towards keeping your eyes healthy and to prevent cataracts. They are also wonderful tips to implement into your daily life, period! Helping with the prevention of cataracts can help your health from head to toe. If you’re concerned that you might be developing cataracts, contact us right away. As always, we are here to keep your eyes healthy and happy. Until next time, stay safe and be well! 

A child’s first appointment with the optometrist can be a scary one, but it doesn’t have to be! We are dedicated to make every visit for your child a pleasant experience to help them see their best! 

As we discussed in our last blog, we are very proud to partner with INFANTsee to help parents with children under the age of one receive free eye exams to catch any early signs of vision impairments, troubles, or conditions. All of which can be cared for, taken care of, or managed without impairing your child’s eyesight later in life. Introducing them to an optometry visit at an early age introduces them to the idea that these visits aren’t scary, and how important eye care will be throughout their whole lives. 

What do these early exams look like and what will your optometrist be looking for when you visit us? 

• Nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and crossed eyes or focusing issues. A lot of the time these exist with no symptoms. 
• Amblyopia, or lazy eye. 
• Retinoblastoma, the 7th most common form of childhood cancer. 
• Congenital glaucoma, diabetes, hypertension, and other ocular conditions.
• We are very proud to offer the Optos Retinal Imaging Device, allowing us to see a wide range of the retina without dilating your child’s eyes. 
• Convergence Insufficiency. This can cause eye discomfort, headaches, sleepiness while reading, and blurred vision while working at their school desks. The symptoms can lead your child to struggle in school and be mistaken for acting out, poor behavior, or label your child as a poor student, all because they can’t see and don’t quite have the words to explain what’s wrong. Not being able to see will make it difficult for your child to complete simple tasks at school. It can seriously get in the way of their education and their joy for education. 

Coming to the optometrist or any doctor’s appointment can be scary for your little ones. How can you ease their fears and anxiety, and help them enjoy their appointments as much as possible? Well, we have a few ideas and suggestions on the topic and we hope you take them to heart. We promote a healthy lifestyle for your child’s eyes from a very early age, and want their experiences with us to be a very positive one. But a new place filled with new people, sights, and sounds can be very overwhelming to our little ones. Following these suggestions can make these appointments easier on them, and you. 

• Know that we are expertly trained to help your children have the best eye care possible and will keep them safe and comfortable. 
• If you’re nervous during or about your child’s appointment, they will be too. Follow by example by being calm and collected to help them stay calm and comfortable during their appointments! 
• Keep their favorite stuffed animal or toy nearby to help make them feel comfortable, or to help distract them during difficult moments. 
• Stay with your child throughout the exam to comfort, have them sit on your lap, or hold your hand. 
• Speak to them in calming and encouraging ways. Keep your tone upbeat and light. 
• Don’t surprise them with the appointment. Tell them about it beforehand, and talk about what is going to happen. Talk about it often as time leads up to the appointment so they become more and more comfortable with the idea that they are going somewhere new and going to experience something new. 
• Show them pictures of the doctors and nurses who will be there at their appointment. Use teaching examples or tools to show them what is going to happen at their appointment that is age-appropriate. 
• Ask them if they have any questions or fears, and truthfully answer their questions and walk them through their fears. See if you can find out why they feel this way and if you can eliminate them before you even step foot into the appointment. 
• Play make-believe and create a doctor’s visit with them. Walk through the steps of what the appointment will be like during play. Cover their eyes, use a flashlight to shine on their eyes (carefully), and so on. 
• Read stories to them about children getting their eyes examed or going to the eye doctor. 
• Talk about how and when the doctors will touch their face, look at their eyes, put in eye drops, and how that might feel and how it could sting a little bit. 
• Let your child talk to their optometrist and ask any questions they might have. 
• Make sure they aren’t hungry or sleepy before their appointments. Make sure it’s after a meal and a nap! 
• These appointments could last a while, please be prepared for that. Don’t rush or push for the appointment to be over. 

We love to help our youngest patients on their healthy eye journey. We are here to help parents teach their children and to prove the best optic care to everyone in your family and at every age. Please take each of these tips to heart. If you have any more questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out and talk to us. We are here for you. We can’t wait to see you soon! 

In our debut blog, we are excited to get to know our customers better, and for you to get to know us better. We are excited to get right to work and talk about how to keep your eyes healthy and happy for your whole life! 

Hello Charleston! We are so excited about our very first flagship blog post, and we are even more excited about being on this journey with you. Ocean Eye is the Lowcountry’s leading optometry office, with three different locations. We provide Charleston with great service and impeccable product quality. Our goal is to become the optometry practice for you and your family. We are waiting to give you and your family the best care for a lifetime! 

We love everything about your eyes. It’s what we are passionate about from the moment you walk into our doors for the very first time. We are here to care for our eyes from the very beginning through every step of your optical journey. We thought the best place to start in our inaugural blog post is with the basics. In the next few blogs we will be discussing the care of your eyes, glasses, and contacts on a day to day basis and over a lifetime of wear and tear. What better to start from the beginning with important information that is near and dear to our hearts? In our blogs you will learn about important and interesting eye related topics, answers to questions, learning a little bit more about our beautiful city, and much much more. So sit back and enjoy the ride! 

• Eye Care

There are so many ways to take care of your eyes. They are delicate, unique, and powerful once in a lifetime organ. Giving them every chance to stay healthy and work at optimal health should be at the top of your priorities. Just like brushing your teeth and showering, your eyes need daily care and attention, and should never be looked over! 

• Good Health Keeping 

Your eyes are a part of your body. Anything you decide to do or put into your body will affect your eyes, just like it would any other part. There are a few different things you can start doing right away to help promote healthy eyes from the inside out.

• Eating a balanced and healthy diet is a great place to start. Having a balanced diet rich in vitamins, leafy vegetables, fish, fruits, and proteins can help you avoid vision problems that come with age like muscular degeneration. It can also avoid getting type two diabetes which is the leading cause of blindness in adults. 
• Quit smoking! This can help you avoid optic nerve damage and muscular degeneration. 
• Limit your coffee intake. 
• Getting enough rest is crucial to your eyes, as is it to your whole body. 
• Washing your hands before coming into contact with your eye. 
• Stay hydrated! 

• Lifetime Warranty 

Adding little changes into your everyday life can be a huge help in keeping your eyes healthy. One of these changes can be a fashionable one, always wear your sunglasses! Keep them at hand, and protect your eyes from ultraviolet rays. If you’re exposed to too much ultraviolet it can boost the chance of harm done to your eyes. If you wear glasses or contacts, make sure your eyes are also protected. If you are doing any kind of home maintenance, repair, or work in dangerous or hazardous situations always wear the proper protective eye wear. Make sure they fit you properly and offer protection and ventilation to your whole eye. This goes for athletes as well. If you work on the computer or spend a lot of time reading for your job or fun, be mindful of how long you spend doing these activities and give yourself breaks. Don’t sit too far away from your screen, and try to avoid reading small print for long periods. Make sure your glasses or contact prescription is up to date, and keep your eyes lubricated. Giving yourself blinking breaks and fresh air can rejuvenate your eyes.  

• Doctors Care 

There are so many things that you can personally do to keep your eyes healthy. Then there are things that only we, as professionals, can give you. Regular eye exams are very important and should never be overlooked. Introducing your family to checkups from an early age can help them learn to care for their own eyes. Your eyes are some of the most delicate organs in your body, and they will always need the best delicate care. Many issues that could appear or are hereditary can only be spotted by a trained eye. Having an eye exam at least once a year is recommended. For our young patients who are under a year, they will receive complimentary visits. When it comes to issues, pay attention. Pay attention to any changes that occur to your vision and how your eyes look or feel. Always make sure to let your doctor know about any changes right away. Be aware of your family’s optical history, and watch for signs of anything that might have been passed onto you. 

• A Little Extra
  • Avoid rubbing your eyes
  • Wear high-quality makeup 
  • Keep your glasses and contacts clean 
  • Keep makeup brushes clean and replace when needed
  • Avoid dry air 
  • Don’t share towels 

Eye care is what we do best, and what we love to share with you. We are so excited to keep sharing more information, tips, and other bits of wisdom with you as we continue with our blogs. Please take all of this information to heart, it’s a great place to begin your optical journey and is a great place to come back to when you stray off the path. Keep your eyes, body, and mind healthy and happy. You have so much to see and we want to help you keep seeing it!