You rely heavily on your vision, so it is extremely important to ensure that you protect your eyes and ensure that they remain healthy. There are many steps that can help you to accomplish this task. Many people are aware of a few things they can do to protect their eyes, such as wear protective gear, but it is important to do everything you can to protect your vision. At Wolcott Optical, our experienced team is passionate about providing you with the various services to keep your eyes healthy over time.

Obtain Regular Eye Exams

While many people regularly see their general doctor, fewer are aware of how important it is to obtain regular eye exams. It is critical to do this in order to provide the appropriate protection for your vision. These regular eye exams will enable your optometrist to identify potential health issues that may be impacting your vision. These eye exams can ensure that you take the appropriate steps to care for your eyes and are aware of any potential issues that may otherwise impact your vision.

Know your Family History

Your family history is likely to have a much larger impact on the health of your eyes than you may think. Take some time to do your research and learn your family history when it comes to eye health. If your family has a history of vision issues, you may well be at bigger risk of developing these issues yourself. By learning your family history, you can help to take precautions to protect your eyes.

Eat Healthily

Not only are there many vitamins and nutrients that can improve your vision and the health of your eyes, but there are other reasons to ensure that you eat healthily. There are many potential issues that can arise from an unhealthy diet. For example, obesity often increases your risk of developing diabetes. Diabetes, when uncontrolled and allowed to escalate, can result in the loss of vision. Due to this, it is essential to be careful about what you eat and help to keep your eyes in good condition. This can both improve your overall health and minimize potential long-term problems.

Use Protective Eyewear

It is important to ensure that you wear protective eyewear whenever it becomes necessary. For example, many sports require the use of protective gear. It is critical to ensure that you use this eyewear in order to protect your vision. If you are ever uncertain what scenarios require the use of protective eyewear, you should consult with our experienced team. This can go a long way toward preventing issues and protecting your eyes.

Quit Smoking

If you smoke, try to quit. If you don’t smoke, don’t start smoking in the first place. While this may not seem totally intuitive, it is important to note that smoking can have a substantial impact on the health of your eyes. Smoking has been shown to increase your risk of developing macular degeneration, optic nerve damage, and cataracts. Any of these things can lead to blindness, which can be potentially devastating. When you quit smoking, you reduce the likelihood that these harmful diseases will develop.

Wear Sunglasses

UV rays can easily cause damage to the health of your eyes. Due to this, it is important to ensure that you wear sunglasses when your eyes would otherwise be exposed to the sun. When you take this precaution, you can minimize the likelihood that issues will occur with the health of your eyes. This also helps to ensure that you remain far more comfortable while you are outside.

Rest your Eyes

Many people spend their workdays staring at a computer screen. This can easily cause your eyes to become tired or strained. Ensure that you take small breaks to rest your eyes when you are looking at a computer screen. Many experts recommend that you follow what is known as the 20-20-20 rule. With this rule, for every 20 minutes that you look at a computer screen, you should take 20 seconds to fix your eyes on a spot that is 20 feet away. This helps them to refocus and rest, which can be beneficial when you protect your vision.  

Protect your Eyes from Bacteria

Bacteria can be especially dangerous for your eyes. It is important to ensure that you take the steps to protect your eyes from potentially harmful bacteria. Take care to wash your hands before you put in nor take out your contact lenses. You also need to ensure that you take care of your contact lenses. Ensure that you keep them clean and disinfected as recommended by your optometrist. This can help to keep your eyes far healthier. You should also avoid wearing the contacts longer than recommended and ensure that they are replaced as necessary.

When you take the steps to protect your vision, you will be able to keep your eyes healthy and in good condition. If you need to schedule your regular eye appointment, we are happy to provide the services to meet your needs. To schedule your eye exam with us or to learn more about the best steps to take to protect your vision, contact us at Wolcott Optical for more information.

It can be confusing for the average person to understand the differences between optometrists, opticians, and ophthalmologists. However, understanding the key differences can help you to make the ideal decisions for the health of your eyes. Deciding on the right services is important in protect the health of your eyes and protecting your vision. If you are concerned about the health of your eyes, you should contact our experts at Wolcott Optical for more information. Here are a few of the differences between optometrists, opticians, and ophthalmologists.  

Optometrists

An optometrist is an individual that has obtained a Doctor of Optometry degree. These individuals are able to examine your eyes for various vision and health problems. It is critical to ensure that you obtain regular eye exams in order to protect the health of your eyes. Optometrists are also able to prescribe glasses or contact lenses for an individual in order to enhance their vision. These vision correction methods can go a long way toward improving your comfort and quality of life.

The actual scope of the medical care that an optometrist can provide depends on a large part on the specific laws in the state. For example, optometrists are sometimes able to prescribe medications to help protect the eyes and handle diseases of the eyes. It is important to note that most professionals in the optical field are required to regularly have ongoing training and education in order to stay current.

Ophthalmologists

Ophthalmologists are individuals that have obtained a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. They specialize in eye and vision care. If you compare an optometrist to a dentist, an ophthalmologist is similar to an oral surgeon. Like an optometrist, they are able to complete eye exams and prescribe contact lenses or eyeglasses. They may also diagnose and treat diseases. One of the major differences is that ophthalmologists are able to perform eye surgery and can almost always prescribe medications to help with the treatment of eye disease. However, it is also important to note that optometrists may work along with ophthalmologists to provide the appropriate treatment before or after eye surgery.  

Opticians

Opticians are often required to be licensed, depending on the laws of the state. These individuals don’t perform eye exams or prescribe eyeglasses, but they still provide a vital role in the optical field. Opticians generally use the prescriptions from your optometrist or ophthalmologist in order to fit and sell eyeglasses or contact lenses. By ensuring that you work with a professional, you provide the best possible protection for your eyes and vision. Opticians are skilled professionals that help you to obtain the vision correction method to improve your life. Our skilled employees at Wolcott Optical can help you to identify the best solution to meet all of your specific needs.  

How to Choose

When you require optical services, it is important to understand these differences. This will allow you to make the best decision to improve your vision and protect the health of your eyes. You will want to take several things under consideration when you make this decision. For one thing, you should consider the health of your eyes. If you have a special condition, you may want to ensure that you see someone that is experienced specifically in treating that condition. This will go a long way toward eliminating issues and protecting the health of your eyes. You will also want to learn about what your insurance covers. This will help you to make the best financial decision for your particular situation. If you don’t have vision insurance, you will want to consider the prices that differ between optical professionals.

Visit Us

At Wolcott Optical, our experienced team is passionate about providing you with the various services that are necessary in improving your vision and correcting your optical health. Our team of eye care professionals can help to ensure that your prescription is filled according to your satisfaction. To learn more about the differences between opticians, optometrists, and ophthalmologists, contact us at Wolcott Optical today!

When you need to wear glasses, it can be difficult to know what to do when you play sports. On one hand, you likely need to be able to see to perform well in sports. However, glasses can also be dangerous for you and others on the field. It is important to understand the various aspects of sports and glasses so that you can make the best decision to meet all of your requirements. Consulting with your optometrist, like our experts here at Wolcott Optical, can help to minimize problems and ensure that you can find the perfect solution for your sport-related needs.

Contact Sports

There are some sports that it may be okay to wear glasses while playing. Contact sports, unfortunately, do not make the cut. Contact sports, such as soccer, hockey, rugby, and football should not be played while wearing glasses. These contact sports ultimately provide far too many opportunities for your eyeglasses to break. It may be more beneficial to use contact lenses when you play contact sports. This can help to reduce the likelihood of substantial issues and protect the health of your eyes while on the field.

Non-Contact Sports

You may be able to wear glasses while playing certain non-contact sports. This is often because the glasses are likely able to stay on. These sports also minimize the likelihood of your glasses breaking. Some sports that are often okay to wear glasses while playing include cycling, golf, and tennis. It is important to keep in mind that while a sport may not necessarily involve contact, your glasses can still fall off and become broken. Glasses are expensive to replace, so it is important to take the appropriate care of your eyeglasses. Consulting with our professional team can help you to make the best decisions for your glasses.

Dangerous for you and Others

Wearing glasses while playing contact sports can be dangerous for both yourself and others. For example, your glasses can break while you are wearing them. This can cause substantial damage to your eyes. In addition, the broken glass can impact other people, as well. Your teammates or people on the other team can become injured when your glasses break while playing sports. Due to the danger for both yourself and others, it is important to carefully consider your vision correction method to protect your health.

Sports Specific Glasses

It may be beneficial to obtain sports specific glasses to meet all of your needs when playing sports. When it comes to sports and glasses, your everyday pair of glasses may just not cut it. When you choose a pair of glasses for your sports, you will likely want to ensure that you obtain a different style of frames in order to keep the glasses more firmly in place. This can help to prevent them from falling off and becoming damaged while you are playing sports.

In addition, it is important to ensure that your sports specific glasses have lenses that are made of strong glass that will help to hold up to damage. This can prevent them from breaking. It is crucial to ensure that you obtain durable glasses for your sport use. This can minimize damage and prevent you from having to pay to replace them regularly. You may also be able to obtain certain accessories to help keep the glasses fixed more firmly to your face.

Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are often a much better option to correct your vision while you are playing sports. This is especially applicable to contact sports because glasses can cause damage to your eyes. However, it is also important to avoid wearing contact lenses when you are participating in water sports. Water may contain bacterial agents that can cause damage to your vision. Some of these agents can even result in blindness. When you play water sports, you need to consider different alternatives for vision correction to help prevent damage to your eyes.

Watersports

You should use different vision corrective methods during watersports than sports in general. Avoid the use of contact lenses to prevent bacterial agents from becoming trapped beneath the surface of the lens. This can result in severe issues with your eyes. Glasses or prescription goggles may be better alternatives during watersports. You can use specific attachments or accessories with your glasses. This can help to ensure that they stay on during your sports participation. Some of these accessories can also help to ensure that your glasses will float if they happen to fall in the water. This can help to prevent them from becoming lost while you are participating in the sports you love. These accessories are often much more cost-effective than replacing your glasses if they become lost.

When it comes to sports and glasses, it is important to ensure that you take the steps to protect your vision while optimizing your performance. Because every situation is somewhat different, you should consult with our optical professionals to identify the best solution for your specific needs. This can go a long way toward ensuring that you obtain the vision correction method that will meet the requirements for participating in your favorite sports. To learn more about sports and glasses, as well as how to protect your eyesight, contact our professional team at Wolcott Optical today!