Have you ever heard the expression about looking a gift horse in the mouth? That expression originated because some health issues first revealed through symptoms in the teeth. When you go in for an eye exam in Jacksonville, Florida, your eye doctor may actually be the first line of defense against many chronic conditions. Like conditions that manifest first in the teeth, some of the worst possible health issues present symptoms that a qualified eye doctor in Jacksonville, Florida will be likely to notice during a routine exam.

More than Clear Vision

Having clear vision means much more than being able to read street signs from a long way away. In fact, for children, it is particularly important.

Children sometimes have a difficult time of it determining for themselves whether or not they have good vision. They may not be able to see the board that their teachers are writing on, they may have trouble reading or they may develop eyestrain when working on computers and all of these problems can emanate from poor vision. Read more »

If you wear glasses, you’re probably all too familiar with the experience of having them fog up, get stained with grease and become dirty with other contaminants. When you clean off your eyeglasses, you want to make certain that you’re not shortening their lifespan by scratching at the lenses and causing damage to the frames. Here are some ways that you can clean up your lenses when you are out and about and do minimal damage to the lenses and to the glasses frames themselves.

Water

It’s always best to clean off your glasses with water whenever you can. Water removes dust and, if there is dust on the lenses when you start rubbing them, you’re going to grind that dust into the plastic, causing scratches.

Assuming that you’re away from home and you don’t have your cleaning kit, you can use dish soap to clean off your lenses. Dish soap is a degreaser, which will remove deposits from your skin and sweat.

Put a small amount of dish soap on your fingers and put the glasses under warm running water. Rub in a gentle circular motion with the soap to remove grease. As you clean off the lenses, you’ll notice that the water adheres to them less and less. Once the water more or less runs off of the surface on its own, the lenses are clean. Read more »

Eyeglasses have been around for a very long time and throughout that time, they have evolved very little, or so it would seem. The truth is actually quite the opposite, there have been many changes to eyeglasses and the technology behind them.  This is particularly true in the last few years. What new innovations in eyeglasses should you know about?

Going Green

Going green is very important to many consumers today. Now, there’s a way to go green even with your eyeglasses. There are types of glasses available that are made with 95% recycled material, which helps to alleviate the load placed on our landfills, as well as reducing emissions from new plastics manufacture.

Unique Styles

Once upon a time, eyeglasses were pretty utilitarian. Today, that’s not the case at all. You’ll find styles to fit any personality or activity, from sportswear to those that have lacework edging around the lenses. Adding your own sense of style or fun is simple and easy today.

Temple Designs

Most eyeglasses have plain temples – they’re just there to help hold your glasses on your head. However, modern options offer a variety of styles, designs and details. If you want a bit of bling, there are options with rhinestones and crystals. If you want something a bit more pop culture, you’ll find printed designs like skulls and flowers as well.

Colors

Eyeglasses were once pretty dull when it came to colors. Browns, blues, beiges, and blacks were the extent of your options. Not so today – you’ll find every color imaginable, and many more you thought unimaginable in eyeglasses. Translucent, transparent, lattice styles and many other options await you with some of today’s eyeglass designers.

Always Try Them On

A new pair of frames are worthless unless they fit your face and compliment your features. It doesn’t matter how good your new frames help you see if they are constantly falling off your face or even worse if they just flat out look terrible on you. Don’t commit online and deal with shipping and returns, stop in one of our locations and try on multiple selections to find your right pair.

If you want to explore all the new innovations in modern eyeglasses, contact Valuvision today for a free consultation with an optometrist and to learn more about your options in glasses and prescription sunglasses.

Through a simple process, you can apply your eye makeup to your eyes without causing damage to your contact lenses. Repeatedly cleaning your hands, and blinking, will reduce any problems you will have with your contact lenses while you apply your makeup.

Many women wear contact lenses as a simple alternative to using glasses or having eye surgery. As a temporary solution for an eye condition, they can be worn during many everyday activities. However, without proper instruction, contact lenses can often get in the way when applying eye makeup and stifle the process. The following tips will help maximize your efforts of applying makeup without hurting your appearance or eyes.

• Put Your Contacts in First – Putting in your contact lens first is important. You will need to see exactly what you are doing when applying your makeup, which might be better to perform without glasses on. Be sure to wash your hands and dry each one completely before inserting a contact lens in your traditional way.
• Apply Your Eye Shadow – By gently closing your eye you can hold your eyelash down using your finger. Avoid getting your eyelashes in the way of your contact lens. By gently laying a single finger over the eyelid you can apply the eye shadow using the other hand. Always use sweeping motions across your eye so you will not wrinkle or tear the contact lens that resides underneath the eyelid. Once completed, repeat the process on the other eye.
• Apply Your Mascara – Mascara should be applied when the eyes are open wide. Remember to blink repeatedly before starting the process. Mascara should also be applied slowly and from the middle of the lashes. In a sweeping motion, move the eyelash wand up from the center. Any mascara applied closer to the eye runs the risk of dotting the contact lens. Make sure you repeatedly blink your eyes to wet your contact lens.
• Apply Your Eyeliner – By propping your arms and elbows on a steady flat surface, your eyeliner can easily be applied. It is important to remain steady as you place a sharp pencil close to your eye. Keeping your eyes calm, it is important not to blink during the process of eyeliner applications. Remember to look up through the process. Looking down could cause severe damage the contact lens, or run the risk of poking yourself in the eye.

Additional Tips

It is important to remember that you need to blink through the entire process of applying eye makeup to your eyes. Eyes that dry out tend to make the contact lens feel uncomfortable and can possibly drop out. Always clean your contact lenses and your hands before putting them in.

Allergy sufferers can experience a reaction to pollen nearly any month of the year. However, there are ways to protect an individual’s eyes by listening to pollen reports, avoiding gardening and wooded areas, and using HEPA filters inside an enclosed environment.

Allergy season can be brutal on individuals that suffer from a reaction to pollen in the air that is released from grass, flowers and trees. Part of the symptoms include red itchy eyes that often sting and burn, whether they are indoors or out. Many individuals that suffer from allergies can experience their symptoms almost year round, with only a few months of relief.

Protect Your Eyes

Generally, seasonal allergies are often triggered by various plant life that naturally releases their pollen into the air. For an allergy sufferer, it is nearly impossible to avoid coming into contact with the pollen. However, there are proactive approaches you can take that will significantly reduce your symptoms to allergies and help to protect your eyes. They include:

• Pollen Reports – You can usually find a pollen report in the newspaper or on the local news. Any Internet weather site will have pollen counts for your specific region. Anytime the pollen count is indicated to be high, you need to restrict all activities you perform outdoors.
• Avoid Outdoor Gardening – By restricting your outdoor gardening and mowing grass, you can diminish your reaction to allergies.
• Avoid Wooded Areas – Staying away from wooded areas, forest, and tall grasses will diminish your exposure to pollen.
• Close All Windows and Doors – Consider using air-conditioning in warmer climate and heated air in the wintertime. Remember that allergens tend to spread pollen through the air that can easily be circulated through the house. By using a proper air-conditioning filter, you can eliminate severe reactions to seasonal pollen. Without changing the filters you might exacerbate your allergic condition.
• Use Only HEPA Filters – Using a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter you can effectively remove nearly all allergens floating around in the interior of your home. Remember when using HEPA filters that it is imperative to keep the windows and doors closed at all times.

Following preventative measures is really just your initial step to control your allergies during the season. It is also important to discuss your allergic reactions with your physician, so he or she can provide medications and effective eye solutions to relieve your symptoms.

Over-the-counter allergy relief medications might also reduce your allergic symptoms to make your contact lenses easier to wear. Often less expensive than traditional medicines, many of these solutions can clear up a mild reaction with minimal irritation. Eye drops that contain decongestants and antihistamines also tend to calm down allergies that affect the eyes.

If you are traveling for necessity or fun, it is important to take along extra eyeglasses and contact lenses so you do not become stranded without your vision. Additionally, with a copy of an updated prescription with your doctor’s contact information you will be prepared in the event that you lose or damage your eyewear.

Anytime you travel, it is important to think ahead about how you will transport your corrective eyeglasses and contact lenses. Any trip can quickly turn into a disaster whenever your eyewear has become broken or lost. Nothing could be more disconcerting than having to navigate your way in an unknown city, a crowded airport or unfamiliar territory. Instead of putting yourself in a position where you cannot see anything in front of your face, these few tips can assure you that your trip will be comfortable, enjoyable, and viewable.

Your Eyeglasses

• As a sure guarantee, it is always important to bring along a backup pair of your eyeglasses. Even if they are old, and from a prescription you no longer use, you will at least have something you can use to make your way through an unfamiliar environment.
•  Take along an effective cleaning solution. Traveling often creates smudged glasses.
• Always have a small eyeglass repair kit in your travel bag just in case your glasses require minimal adjusting. Additionally, make sure you have a few extra nose pads. They can be obtained at your local drugstore or at your eye doctor office.
•  If you will be wearing contact lenses during your trip, bring along your eyeglasses anyway. Often times, sightseeing in a strange environment can produce allergies that make wearing contact lenses uncomfortable.

Your Contact Lenses

• It is important to always pack a few extra contact lenses along with the contact case.
• Never travel anywhere without your eyeglasses as a backup. If you experience an eye infection or other eye illness on your trip, it may be impossible to wear your contact lenses.
• Make sure to bring re-wetting solution for your contact lenses. You will find that traveling in airplanes and walking through airports tend to dry out your eyes, often making it nearly impossible to wear your contact lenses. By adding a few eye drops to your eye and contact lenses, each hour when traveling, can keep your eyes comfortable and moist.

Bring your doctor’s contact information along with you. Any type of eye inflammation or infection you experience on your travels might require additional medication that you can pick up at a pharmacy while out of town.

Finally, it is important to always have the latest contact lens and eyeglass prescription with you. This will allow you to purchase any additional lenses or eyeglasses as needed, in your travels.

The new fall trends in women’s eye accessories are available in a variety of sizes and shapes, and frames to fit any modern, conservative, retro, bold or delicate look. Many of the frames are designed for an “all day” look, while others are strictly for going out on the town. New designer labels for the fall season are offered in a variety of colors to match skin tones and hair color as well.

More than just a quality fall trend, eyeglass frames need to fit well in order to be comfortable, right? So say you select the best looking frames for your face but they simply slide off your nose, you will spend more time adjusting the fit instead of enjoying the look. Often times, individuals choose frames that are too wide, and not a good fit for their face shape. The optician might be able to order that specific frame in a smaller (or larger) size. So never settle for an uncomfortable fit.

Many manufacturers have now released a variety of “petite” collections to fit the smaller face. Sometimes the design frame has an uncomfortable nose pad to the specific wearer’s nose, although quite often the pad can be changed as well. Style with durability is in fashion this season, built with top-quality materials that will not bend out of shape or scratch easily.

The eye accessory fashion trends in season this fall include:

A Retro Glam – From dramatic cat eyes to sassy animal prints, these Retro Glam frames have that old flair look with glitzy dazzle that adds its own sense of chic style.

Mod Persuasion – With round frames that represent 1960s modern persuasion, these spicy colors and tortoise look add a certain geek modish style to the frame.

Military Chic – Not for the faint of heart, military chic eyeglass frames provide that edgy look with its studded details and “metallic”. Offering their own level of toughness, these frames work well for the hard rocker look.

Victorian Dandy – Today’s modern man shows off his own sense of style with round plastic or metal frames. Adding a brow-line sophisticated retro look, the Victorian Dandy collection is a must-have for any guy wanting to display their own well-bred classic style.

American Vintage – As a fall back to the 1970s, these idyllic American Vintage style frames have an old charm wood detail that is the envy of anyone that desires a geek chic look.

This year’s fall trend in eyewear is a look back at yesteryear for any individual moving forward into their future. Men and women emulating the old-style look will be chic and in fashion this season.

The new fall trends in women’s eye accessories are available in a variety of sizes and shapes, and frames to fit any modern, conservative, retro, bold or delicate look. Many of the frames are designed for an “all day” look, while others are strictly for going out on the town. New designer labels for the fall season are offered in a variety of colors to match skin tones and hair color as well.

More than just a quality fall trend, eyeglass frames need to fit well in order to be comfortable, right? So say you select the best looking frames for your face but they simply slide off your nose, you will spend more time adjusting the fit instead of enjoying the look. Often times, individuals choose frames that are too wide, and not a good fit for their face shape. The optician might be able to order that specific frame in a smaller (or larger) size. So never settle for an uncomfortable fit.

Many manufacturers have now released a variety of “petite” collections to fit the smaller face. Sometimes the design frame has an uncomfortable nose pad to the specific wearer’s nose, although quite often the pad can be changed as well. Style with durability is in fashion this season, built with top-quality materials that will not bend out of shape or scratch easily.

The eye accessory fashion trends in season this fall include:

A Retro Glam – From dramatic cat eyes to sassy animal prints, these Retro Glam frames have that old flair look with glitzy dazzle that adds its own sense of chic style.

Mod Persuasion – With round frames that represent 1960s modern persuasion, these spicy colors and tortoise look add a certain geek modish style to the frame.

Military Chic – Not for the faint of heart, military chic eyeglass frames provide that edgy look with its studded details and “metallic”. Offering their own level of toughness, these frames work well for the hard rocker look.

Victorian Dandy – Today’s modern man shows off his own sense of style with round plastic or metal frames. Adding a brow-line sophisticated retro look, the Victorian Dandy collection is a must-have for any guy wanting to display their own well-bred classic style.

American Vintage – As a fall back to the 1970s, these idyllic American Vintage style frames have an old charm wood detail that is the envy of anyone that desires a geek chic look.

This year’s fall trend in eyewear is a look back at yesteryear for any individual moving forward into their future. Men and women emulating the old-style look will be chic and in fashion this season.

Eye floaters can be both amusing and a cause for concern. Eye floaters are also mysterious. Most of us can remember trying to center in on some unknown particle floating around in our vision, which avoids scrutiny every time you try to focus on it. They’re usually so small that someone else looking will never be able to see them. They most often look like a regular spec of dirt, or a flash of light. Sometimes they have a tail, and look like a small tadpole swimming around in your field of vision.

Eye floaters are usually not a cause for concern. There are different causes for floaters. Sometimes microscopic pieces of dirt or debris that get caught in the vitreous fluid in the eyeball, or sometimes clumps of cells that are set adrift on the vitreous humor. Not big enough to be seen, they are amplified by the light and cause shadows that we do see. Also, changes in the vitreous humor as we age can cause floaters to appear. These are, by and large, harmless as well.

Floaters are by far the most common reason people go to see an optometrist. Even though the prognosis when seeing floaters is pretty good, if this is an unusual experience for you then you should make an appointment to get it checked out. If these appear more frequently, or if you see many at a time, it could signal a separation of the vitreous humor from the retina, which sometimes occurs with aging. The eyes often show symptoms of other conditions in the body, as well as the effects of wear and tear over the years. It may take a medical professional to tell if what you see is related to the eyes themselves.

Sometimes light flashes and other symptoms are grouped in an all-encompassing category called floaters, but these are actually very different and can signal other eye problems. Usually floaters are visible against a white or light colored wall, and not so much against a dark background. If you see them against a dark background, there may be an issue. As with most medical questions when in doubt, check it out.

If you’re concerned about eye floaters, contact Valuvision to schedule an eye exam at your nearest location.

Poor eyesight affects millions, and a large percentage of these individuals wear glasses in order to compensate. While some wearers are not confident in their glasses, there are a variety of cute summer styles that are classy and allow the wearer to display their unique sense of fashion.

Standard Black Rimmed Eyeglasses Popular in Hollywood
A growing number of eyeglass wearers are following the Hollywood trend of wearing black rimmed glasses. This style gives the wearer an intelligent and chic look with little investment. The summer style is one that screams sophistication while implying a fun side that is hidden beneath the lenses.

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