Beyond Style: Why Sunglasses Are Essential for Diabetes and Dry Eye Relief

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Undoubtedly, the right pair of sunglasses adds a touch of style to any look, but are they more than just a fashion accessory? The sunglasses you get from your optometrist in Champaign, IL, are key if you have conditions such as diabetes or dry eye.

The Impact of Sun Exposure on Eyes

You have been hearing for decades about the dangers of the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation on skin, but they talk less about how it impacts eye health. UV rays wreak havoc on critical parts of the eye such as the cornea, lens, and retina.

Prolonged sun exposure plays a significant role in the formation of cataracts and increases a person’s risk of macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of blindness. The sun’s harmful UV rays also worsen the impact of underlying conditions such as diabetes.

Diabetes and the Eyes

Diabetes can affect the body’s blood vessels, including those in the eye. That can lead to serious complications such as:

  • Diabetic retinopathy—Damage to the blood vessels in the retina
  • Macular edema—Inflammation of the part of the retina responsible for sharp, central vision.
  • Glaucoma—Elevated pressure inside the eye globe.
  • Cataracts—Clouding of the lens of the eyes

Sunglasses can protect the eyes from the sun’s UV radiation, lowering the risk of these complications or slowing the progression of these diseases.

Dry Eye Syndrome and Light Sensitivity

Dry eye syndrome can lead to a destabilized tear film that helps to lubricate the eye. Wearing sunglasses assists in keeping the eyes lubricated by protecting them from wind and debris. They can also help manage the light sensitivity that tends to come with dry eye syndrome.

Not all sunglasses will protect your eyes. Make an appointment today for an eye exam in Champaign, IL, and get sunglasses that look great and provide protection from dangerous UV rays.

3 Facts about Diabetic Eye Exams

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Diabetes can wreak havoc all over your body, including in your eyes. This is because diabetes can damage nerves and blood vessels, including the ones that feed and operate your eyes. At Champaign Eye Professionals, your Optometrist in Champaign, IL provides patients with a diabetes diagnosis with special diabetic eye exams that check for vision impairments and eye damage unique to this disease. Here are three things to know about diabetic eye exams:

1. How is a Diabetic Eye Exam Different from a Regular Eye Exam?

During the routine annual eye exam that everyone should have, your eye doctor will check for any irregularities, vision impairments, and eye conditions that you might have. If you need a new or updated prescription for glasses, contacts, eye drops, etc., your optometrist will provide those. During routine eye exams, your optometrist may even detect eye-specific symptoms of diabetes. It is not unusual for eye doctors to be the first ones to detect undiagnosed diabetes. Since diabetes can damage the eyes’ blood vessels and nerves more quickly, however, diabetic eye exams need to happen more often than once a year and focus on diabetes-specific eye damage to monitor the progression of the disease and protect vision for as long as possible.

2. What is the Optometrist Looking For?

Some of the conditions your Champaign optometrist will look for during a diabetic eye exam include:

  • Diabetic retinopathy—damage to the blood vessels that feed the light-sensing retina.
  • Diabetic macular edema—inflammation and swelling in the central part of the retina (the macula) that allows fine-detail vision.
  • Glaucoma—Too much pressure buildup inside of the eye, which can impair the optic nerve

All of these conditions can cause vision loss, so it is important to work with your primary care physician and your eye doctor to get diabetes under control and monitor for anything that could harm your vision.

3. What Can I Expect at a Diabetic Eye Exam?

As with most standard eye exams, we still monitor visual acuity with eye reading charts and refraction testing to monitor for astigmatism. We will also dilate the eyes so that we can observe any changes in the back of your eyes with the ophthalmoscope. A diabetic eye exam also includes fluorescein angiography testing by injecting a fluorescent dye into the veins that will appear in the blood vessels in the back of the eye to monitor for macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Finally, check for glaucoma. Although glaucoma cannot be reversed, it can be slowed or halted, so catching it early is critical.

Visit the Optometrist Champaign, IL Trusts for Diabetic Eye Exams

Your Champaign Eye Professionals team can help you catch and manage eye conditions specific to diabetes, so make sure to schedule your eye exam today.

What to Expect With Cataract Surgery

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Each year, millions of people have cataract surgery. The method has been proven to be effective and safe both by scientific studies and by practice. Yet, when it’s you who needs cataract surgery in Champaign, IL, it can feel scary. The more you know about what to expect, the better off you’ll feel. Here is some helpful information about cataract surgery.

Pre-surgery

Your cataract surgery will be scheduled for a particular future date. You’ll be given time to prepare for the surgery and provided with some helpful tips to help get you ready. You should try to eat nutritiously and avoid excessive drinking and smoking. The better condition you’re in physically, the speedier your recovery time will be. You may be asked to stop taking certain medications that could affect the surgery or recovery. You may also be prescribed eye drops that may be used before or after the procedure.

During Surgery

You can expect the surgery to take about an hour. However, you should clear your day because it’s unlikely you’ll want to resume regular activities afterward. You should also plan to have someone drive you home after the surgery. You will be given a sedative to help you relax, and a local anesthetic and a numbing agent will be applied around the eye. During the actual surgery, you’ll be aware of the activity, but you won’t be able to see what the eye doctor in Champaign, IL, is doing.

After Surgery

You’ll have time to rest post-surgery, and you’ll be watched to make sure you’re comfortable. After about 30 minutes, you’ll be fitted with an eye patch over the treated eye and a pair of special sunglasses to wear over the next several weeks. You’ll also be given at-home instructions and given a follow-up appointment.

To learn more about the details of having cataract surgery or to book your appointment, please contact us today.

3 Tips to Find Better Sunglasses

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All sunglasses in Champaign, IL, offer some degree of protection from the rays above, but that doesn’t mean that all brands and models are created equally. We’ll look at what the differences are and what you should look for when you’re selecting your next pair.

Look for UV Protection

If it’s a reputable brand, it’s going to say what you can expect in terms of UV protection. Choose a pair that protects against UVA and UVB light. If you’re concerned about your current sunglasses (maybe you want to keep them for variety), there are optical shops with light meters that will test just how much of a barrier the sunglasses provide. Bigger sunglasses do not necessarily offer better protection from UV rays.

Don’t Choose Based on Lens Color

It’s worth noting that lens color is not necessarily a factor here. Just because you choose the darkest lenses that you can find doesn’t mean that you’ll be guaranteed better protection. Checking the label, assuming it’s from a trustworthy source, is the best way to ensure your eyes are covered. In addition, polarized lenses may or may not offer UV protection (you’ll have to look for a brand that guarantees UV filtering in addition to polarization).

Talk to an Optometrist in Champaign, IL

The right optometrist in Champaign can tell you more about what kinds of sunglasses will be best for your eyes. At Champaign Eye Professionals, we help each patient choose based on more than just how well the frames complement their sense of style. While different patients will be more at risk for sun damage, the reality is that the adverse effects of the rays above will accumulate over time. If you don’t want to take chances, schedule an appointment with us today.