Take Care Of Your Eyes

20/20 Eyeglass Superstore is Central Florida’s premier eye care provider with three locations in Winter Park, Melbourne, and Orange City.

20/20 Eyeglass Superstore location features its own independent doctor of optometry as well as an in-house lab to ensure you receive your new customized glasses in as little as one hour.  Our technicians maintain the highest standards of technical skills with the latest in eye care technology.

This article will provide some tips as to how you can improve your "vision". This can come in handy in many situations, from the practical (driving at night on a poorly lit road) to the fantastical (like being a ninja).

1. Consume more Vitamin A. Because vitamin A helps protect the surface of the eye (cornea), it is essential for good vision. One of the first signs of Vitamin A deficiency is night blindness. In Ancient Egypt, it was discovered that night blindness could be cured by eating liver, which was later found to be a rich source of Vitamin A. A lack of Vitamin A also causes the cornea to become very dry, leading to the clouding of the front of the eye, corneal ulcers and vision loss. Vitamin A deficiency also causes damage to the retina, which also contributes to blindness
2. Practice using your peripheral vision. The human eye has 'rod' cells and 'cone' cells on the retina, which is the sensory layer at the back of the eye. Rod cells and cone cells are distributed evenly throughout the retina except for the fovea, which is a small area on the back of the eye opposite the pupil. At the fovea, there are only cone cells.This is an important thing to know because the cone cells are more proficient at color detection, whereas rod cells are better for low light and detecting movement.Therefore, when trying to see in low light, try not to look directly at the places you are trying to see. By using your peripheral vision you are using more rod cells, which work much better in low light. This takes a great deal of practice for most people.
   
3. Wear dark sunglasses during the day. Just 2 to 3 hours of exposure to bright light can reduce your ability to adjust to darkness by 10 minutes, and 10 consecutive days of unfiltered sunlight exposure can cause a 50% loss in night vision. However, don’t wear glasses that are too dark, as depriving your eyes of sufficient light will also weaken them; for best results, wear glasses that transmit 15% of visible light. Be sure that they have a neutral, gray tint; to adapt both your cones and your rods to darkened conditions, you must reduce light in the entire visible spectrum, not just portions of it^.
   
4. Stay in perfect darkness for 20 to 30 minutes. Before going into a dark area, wear a sleep mask or (at least close and cover your eyes) to give your eyes a chance to adjust. 20 to 30 minutes is usually enough to adjust.
   
5. Wear red-tinted glasses or goggles for 20 to 30 minutes. Red-tinted lenses block everything in the visible spectrum except red, and since the rods in your eyes aren’t sensitive to red, the glasses will allow your rods to adjust to “darkness” of a sort before you head out. This is what aviators do when they don’t have time to sit in perfect darkness before night-flying.
   
6. Close your eyes tightly and apply slight pressure with your palms to both eyes. After about 5 or 10 seconds, instead of seeing black, your vision will turn white behind your eyes for a few seconds. This is like a resetting of your eyes. When the white goes away and the black comes back, open your eyes, and your vision will be significantly better in the dark, until you see light that is.
   
   • Special Forces use the technique of squeezing their eyes shut tightly for ten seconds - once they are in the dark. While the technique can seem effective, scientific studies have not proved it works. This may be a case where the brain and belief override normal physical reactions.
7. Practice using your night vision in safe areas. This can be as simple as shutting out the lights in a room and closing all portals. When moving around in the dark, it is safer to move slowly and slide your feet, using your toes to sense obstacles in front of you. You're most stable when you have both feet on the ground, and are less likely to trip and sprain, or even worse, break something. Also, if you put your arms out to feel where you're going, cross them at your wrists and form a circle with your elbows out to the sides, thus helping you to keep your balance while avoiding walking into a post, tree trunk or edge of an open door.
   
8. Look for contrast. While the rods in your eyes are far more light-sensitive than the cones, they can only discriminate between black and white and provide low-quality images (which is why the different colors in a flower bed become almost indistinguishable at dusk).In tall grass, for example, look for horizontal lines that stand out against the vertical grass.
   

   
   
9. Avoid looking directly at light sources while navigating in the dark. Light sources diminish night vision – plus it takes longer to adjust back for the dark than it does for your eyes to adjust for the light you just looked at. If you can’t avoid looking at a light source, cover or close one eye until it passes. If, for example, you’re driving at night and someone comes around the bend with their high-beams on, protecting one eye will prevent you from getting “flash blindness” in both eyes, allowing you to more easily adjust back to the darkness.
   

   
   
   • Dim your dash lights to a low but safe level to help your vision while driving at night.
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10. If you do need to use a light, place a red lens over the light source. This will allow the cones of your eyes to see whatever is being illuminated without affecting the rods. Stargazing programs, for example, often have an option to make their display screens red because red does not affect your rod cells, allowing you to still see in the dark well.
    

    Read the original article on wikihow.com.

    
    

    The most important thing you can do to keep your eyes healthy is to get an annual eye examination. You may need to go more often if you have an eye disease such as Glaucoma. Many degenerative eye diseases such as Glaucoma, Cataracts and Retinal Disorders need to be caught early as it’s often too late once you get symptoms. If you notice symptoms such as pain, changes in vision or flashes of light, visit your local Optometrist right away. Early treatment from an Optometrist can prevent vision loss.

     

    Each 20/20 Eyeglass Superstore has an Independent Optometrist. Walk-ins are welcome. All we ask is that you come 20 minutes early so we can complete all of the required paperwork. Contact us for more information.