The Magic and Miracle of Service Dogs

01/21/2016

Dogs have a huge and meaningful impact in the lives of humans. Dogs are always glad to see us which makes us feel good, wanted and needed. They encourage us to go outside and exercise by bringing us their leash or begging us to play with them.  They nuzzle up against us when we’re feeling blue, and petting them keeps us calm and relaxed.  Amazingly, dogs are not just wonderful as pets and friends –they are also good for our health.  People with physical limitations and diseases in hospitals and homes all over the world; depend on service and therapy dogs for their health and well-being. Dogs have been trained to help out people living with visual, hearing or physical impairments as well as autism, diabetes and neurological disorders like PTSD.     Dogs’ unconditional love, eagerness to please, happy … Read More

Your Eyes Speak Volumes – Why Visiting your Eye Doctor could save your Life!

01/21/2016

You could imagine a visit to the eye doctor improving your vision but you probably never pictured it could save your life. Well, it can! Your eyes hold amazing cues to your overall health which your eye doctor can easily see and interpret. These cues can be a tell-tale of hypertension, high cholesterol, melanoma or high blood sugar. Your eye doctor could detect a serious health problem such as high cholesterol if he notices yellowish plaques within the retinal blood vessels or he could suspect high blood pressure if your eyes arteries are showing  a silver or copper coloring. If not caught early, blood vessels in the retina and throughout the body may harden, increasing your risk for heart attack or stroke. Leaky blood vessels might be a sign of diabetes. High blood sugar can clog and damage retinal blood … Read More

3 Awesome Things to Try in 2016 – That are really good for you!

01/21/2016

  Boba Tea There’s a big drink craze going on – Boba Tea! And you should definitely try it. Boba Tea has been very popular in the Asian communities for many years and it has finally made its way west. It is made with milk, flavored tea and tapioca pearls.  Boba Tea is a feast for the senses. For your eyes, there’s a nice mixture of colors and shapes: milky pastel colored liquid with black tapioca pearls at the bottom of the glass.  For your taste buds: The yummy sweetness of tea and creamy milk with fun and surprising gummy tapioca pearls. And for your sense of smell: a sweet almost floral aroma.  Heavenly! TSA Pre-Check With a TSA Pre Check status you get a few perks as a traveler. You get to go through a shorter security line and … Read More

Snow Blindness Prevention

12/03/2015

Many people will be heading to the mountains this winter to enjoy hiking, snow shoeing, sledding, skiing and cross country skiing and other outdoor activities and without proper eye protection, they could be at danger of experiencing snow blindness. Just like a skin sun burn, snow blindness may not be noticed for several hours after sun exposure so it is extremely important to protect your eyes when outdoors in the snow or high altitudes. Snow blindness is caused by overexposure to the sun’s rays in snow covered terrain. Snow blindness is literally sunburn of the eyes.  It is painful and dangerous Snow Blindness Symptoms Snow blindness may indeed be as bad as its name implies and lead to temporary and even permanent loss of eyesight, but symptoms may include tearing or watering of the eyes, bloodshot eyes, twitching of the … Read More

Fabulous and Easy Recipes for Healthy Eyes

11/10/2015

What you eat is what you are. Want healthy eyes? Try these eye-healthy recipes. A serving of this recipe contains a balance of eye nutrients such as lutein, zeaxanthin, omega 3 fatty acids, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, beta- carotene and/or zinc. Stuffed Orange Peppers Ingredients 8-10 orange peppers 2 tbsp canola or olive oil 1 package ground turkey or extra lean ground beef (500g) 2 carrots, chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped ½ onion, chopped 100 g frozen chopped spinach (8 nuggets) (1/2 cup) 2-3 cloves garlic 2 tsp Italian seasoning 2 tsp sage 2 cups cooked barley (just over ½ cup raw barley) 2 omega-3 eggs 1 litre tomato sauce 1 1/2 cups chicken stock Salt and pepper Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Barley Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add barley. Bring water back … Read More

Eye Fatigue Symptoms | Eye Strain Symptoms

10/27/2015

  Here are some simple tips you can use to reduce computer eye strain symptoms, eye fatigue and other symptoms of computer vision syndrome (CVS). Tips to Prevent and Reduce Eye Fatigue & Eye Strain Most of us use computers at work and/or at home so it is no surprise eye strain and eye fatigue are so common.  Studies show that eye strain occurs in 50 to 90 percent of computer users. Eye fatigue and strain can range from physical fatigue, headaches, decreased productivity and increased numbers of work errors, eye twitching, blurred vision, dry eyes and red eyes. Here are some simple tips you can use to reduce computer eye strain symptoms, eye fatigue and other symptoms of computer vision syndrome (CVS). Adjust your Computer Screen Place the computer screen 20-26 inches away from your eyes and at eye … Read More

Yoga for your Eyes – Exercises to Improve Your Vision

10/27/2015

Exercising your body makes it stronger. So can exercising your eyes make your vision stronger, too? The need for glasses is based on the shape of the eye, the size of the pupil, and the ability to shift focus, which declines as we age. However, there are those who swear eye conditions are related to faulty ocular muscles caused by chronic mental and emotional tension. Yoga-like exercises can help improve the condition of eye muscles and even help  improve disorders such as myopia and hypermetropia. Practicing these eye exercises regularly for a few months could help improve functioning of our eyes. Tip: Keep the head and spine straight throughout the exercises. Palming  – relaxes and soothes Close your eyes Take several deep breaths Rub your palms vigorously until warm Place your palms on your eyes Repeat 5 times Blinking – … Read More

Do you really need Sunglasses after Cataract Surgery?

09/25/2015

  Yes!! After cataract eye surgery, protecting your eyes from harmful UV rays is more important than ever as your retina may be less able to protect you from those rays. 1 Prevent- A number of scientific studies indicate that spending long hours in the sun without eye protection can damage your eyes by contributing to cataracts and growths in the eye, including cancer. Based on these studies, ophthalmologists  recommend wearing  99 percent and higher UV (ultraviolet radiation)-absorbent sunglasses and a brimmed hat outdoors.   Protect- Proper sunglasses are key to protecting your eyes from sun-related damage and should always be worn outdoors particularly by individuals who have just had cataract surgery, LASIK or photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). More than two million Americans have cataract surgery each year. During this procedure, the eye’s lens is removed and … Read More

Is Smoking Making you Blind?

07/13/2015

Is it possible smokers delay quitting because the damage to their arteries, lungs and heart is not readily visible? Perhaps seeing (or more accurately, not seeing) the detrimental effects of smoking would make more people quit smoking sooner. If you need visible (or rather not visible…as in blinding) proof smoking has appalling effects on your health, you don’t need to go further than your eyes. As with the rest of your body, smoking has an appalling effect on your vision. If you smoke and need a few more reasons still to quit smoking, here are 5 reasons: Smokers have double the chances of getting cataracts, a clouding of the eye’s lens, and have triple the chances of developing macular degeneration, a blind spot in the center of our vision. The more you smoke, the greater your chances of forming cataracts … Read More

Allergy Season is Here! Read these Tips to Keep Allergies at Bay!

05/08/2015

This year, we’ve had particularly bad weather on the East coast and in the Midwest of the U.S., so it is no wonder we are fervently looking forward to spring. The snow, heavy layers of clothing, rain and cold get old after a while and we long for sunshine, light clothes and color! I am looking forward to all that spring brings except pollen and allergies! I spend a good part of spring sneezing, wiping watery eyes, treating my nose congestion, sucking on cough drops for my itchy throat and coughing, thanks to allergies. I love the flower-making power of pollen but not what it does to my body. Over the years, I’ve learned how to keep pollen out of my life. I fill in the space created by open doors and windows with HEPA filters, exercise outdoors in the … Read More