Fouad Melamed, OD Los Angeles Eye Doctor

Don’t hesitate to see your optometrist for red eyes. There are many causes for red eyes, some very minor and some severe. If your eyes are painful and red or if you have any vision disturbances, you will need to see your eye care professional without delay.

The summertime seems to be hard on our eyes with all the blooming trees, flowers and grasses. Depending upon the allergen, irritation can start in early spring and continue on through the first really cold weather in fall. Your optometrist can provide the medication to make allergy season bearable.

Dry eyes are also a cause for red eyes. You may have tried several treatments at home without much success for dry eyes. Some patients think this is really not a problem that is serious enough to go see the optometrist for. However, the truth is, your optometrist can prescribe the correct lubricating drops that will finally provide relief.

Pink eye is a highly contagious disease that may need antibiotic treatment to be resolved. Pink eye is commonly seen in children and spreads rapidly as it is hard to keep kids from sharing the bacteria. However, adults can also have pink eye, especially if they have been exposed to a child who has the disease. Viral infections can also cause eyes to be red. Your optometrist can make a proper diagnosis and start the proper treatment

Another cause of red eyes is blepharitits. This is an infection of the skin around the eye lashes. Lashes may be crusty or you may notice little white specks at the base of the lashes. Some patients complain of greasy lashes. Your optometrist can help you get rid of this problem which can be especially troublesome if you wear contact lenses.

Eye redness can also be caused by sunburn to the face and eyes. This can be very painful. Foreign substances in the eye at the beach can also cause a whole myriad of problems. From misplaced sunscreen, especially from the spray bottles to abrasions from sand, there are lots of reasons for eyes to be red. If you have any question about the cause of the redness of the eyes or how to handle an issue, call your optometrist. It is much easier to prevent an issue from getting out of hand, than trying to resolve the problem after the fact.

Contact lens over use can cause eyes to be red. Changing contact lens solutions can also cause red eyes. Usually these are easy to treat but there can also be more serious conditions that occur with contact lens over use. If your symptoms persist for more than a day or two, see your eye care professional.

Rarely does glaucoma come on quickly, but when it does it is a true emergency. Symptoms include eye redness, pain and visual disturbances. If you have any of these symptoms call your optometrist immediately.

Seeing your optometrist for red eyes can save you time and money. Trying over the counter treatments can be expensive, especially if the treatment does not work. Let your eye care professional treat the cause of the problem and resolve the issue. Prompt treatment is key to keeping your eyes healthy.

Summer is just around the corner, which means it is time to think about UV protection for your eyes. The American public has gotten very good about applying sunscreen to protect skin against harmful UV rays. In fact we have gotten so good at protecting our skin that there is a real issue with Vitamin D deficiency. Our bodies synthesize Vitamin D from skin exposure to the sun.

However, we often neglect protecting our eyes from the bright rays of the sun. We should be wearing protective eyewear from the sun year around and summertime is a great reminder of that fact.  Those strong summer rays tend to make people more aware of the need for sunglasses. Now is the time to see your eye care professional and get a new pair of sun glasses.

Why is eye protection from the sun so important? Aside from seeing things better with polarizing lenses, why should you go to the trouble of making that appointment? First of all, it sunglasses help prevent facial wrinkles. There are also several conditions that have been strongly linked to eyes that are exposed to the sun without any protection.

Cataracts affect over 22 million Americans. Reducing the eyes exposure to the sun can help prevent cataract formation. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye that progress slowly. Left untreated blindness may be the end result. There are several treatments for cataracts, but the best cure is prevention.

The cornea of the eye can actually be sun burned. Just like a burn that occurs on the skin, this is very painful and can leave permanent damage. At the very least, this will make for a pretty miserable day or two. A pair of good fitting sunglasses with adequate tinting is the best prevention especially when paired with a wide brimmed hat.

The eye and the skin around the eye can also be damaged by the sun’s rays to the point that skin cancer develops. The most serious of these cancers is melanoma. This cancer can be deadly and is the one most associated with UV exposure. This serious condition needs to be treated immediately. Here is a link to help identify the warning sings of melanoma of the eye. 

Pterygium is another growth that affects the eyes. This condition is usually non-cancerous but can be severe enough to require treatment. The cause is not absolutely known, but there does seem to be a correlation between sun and wind exposure to the eye. Again, sunglasses will help prevent this condition with both sun protection and also as a wind block for the eyes.

There is also speculation the macular degeneration may be caused by excessive sun exposure. There are still studies that need to be done before the sun’s rays can be totally implicated, but until those studies are completed, erring on the side of caution seems prudent. Wear good eye protection is so important for so many reasons.

All sun glasses are not created equal. Sunglasses need to be big enough to protect the eyes from the UV light. Wide arms on the ear pieces will protect against list that spills around the sides of the glasses. Lenses need to have protective coating to protect against UVA/UVB rays. Also get sunglass lenses with UV 400 protection. This will protect against most UV rays.  Lastly, remember that sunglasses can not protect your eyes parked on the top of your head, or sitting on the car dash board. Did you know the early Ray-Ban Wayfarer was almost impossible to park on the top of the head? Sunglasses are a very effective way to protect the eyes from the sun’s rays. Get ‘em, wear’em, feel the protection from ‘em.

For more information on UV Protection for your eyes, get a consultation with a Los Angeles Eye Doctor.

Caring for your eyeglass or sunglass lenses is something that any good Los Angeles Eye Doctor tries to teach as part of their overall patient education plan. Afterall, glasses can be expensive, if they are constantly being replaced do to poor care.  And you definitely don’t want to be replacing your new Prada eyewear or Ray Ban frames every couple months. That could break any bank. So, I wanted to share some tips on caring for your eyeglass or sunglass lenses. I will discuss frame care in another edition of my blog.

One of the simplest and easiest ways to take better care of your lenses is by making use of the eyeglass case you are given, when you get new eyeglasses or sunglasses. This is especially true with sunglasses, which tend to get left lying around, or crambed into the glovebox of a car.  The case is lined with material that doesn’t scratch lenses, and therefore helps to prevent your eyewear from coming into contact with items that can scratch the lenses. I amazed me, however, how few people remember to use them.

Another simple plan for lense care is to not touch the lenses.  Once you smudge your lense, you have to get them clean again to see well, and this is wear we all can be guilty of grabbing whatever is available to clean the smudge. Folks, the napkins at McDonald’s, or any other such place, were not made for cleaning your eyeglass or sunglass lenses.  Keep a scratch resistant cloth with you to clean them.  In addition, the acids and chemicals on our hands can also lead to premature deterioration of the protective substances we  place on our lenses. Substances like gasoline, kerosene, and other petroleum products are murder on lenses.

Another simple plan is to buy the best pair of lenses you can at the time. There is such a thing as quality among the types of components used to design eyeglass or sunglass lenses.  For kids, you also want lenses that are more scratch resistance and durable. Polycarbonate and hi-index eyeglass lenses are good options for helping to protect the investment you make in the lenses of your eyewear.  I typically recommend Crizal Avance or Sapphire with Scotchgaurd technology Anti-Glare (or Non-Glare) Lenses, which provide the maximum scratch proof, smudge proof, and now dust/oil resistant surface. At Melamed Eye Care, all Crizal Avance of Sapphire Lenses have a 1 year warranty on scratches or peeling.

One last point today about caring for your eyeglass and sunglass lenses. Stay away from scratch repair kits. They do not work well at removing large, vision changing scratches from your lenses. Instead, they will typically cause issues with vision changes on the lenses. So remember the next time you purchase a pair of eyeglasses, invest in premium non-glare lenses, which will give you sharper vision and a long life on your lenses.

We’ll talk again soon,

Dr. Fouad Melamed