Good eye hygiene is important for many reasons, particularly since your eyes are the part of your body people usually notice and look at the most. Here are a few tips everyone can follow to keep these windows on the soul looking as good as possible.

As the second most complex organ in the human body (after the brain), eyes need the same things as people, such as regular cleaning and plentiful sleep. Washing your face regularly dislodges oil and dirt from nearby skin that could irritate the eyes, and make-up should always be removed before going to bed, to prevent eyelids and lashes being caked in chemicals overnight.

Our eyes have their own in-built cleaning systems - eyelids are designed to sweep impurities off the surface of our eyes, and tears naturally remove toxins and irritants. Although we never think about blinking, doing so regularly keeps the eyes hydrated, which is especially important for contact lens wearers; eye drops can improve comfort if dryness is a problem. It's vital to follow any
contact lenses cleaning programmes recommended by your optometrist, including the use of in-date solutions, and to handle lenses with clean hands to prevent bacterial infection.

Finally, prevention is always better than cure. Smoking doesn't just cause irritation to the eye surface and a gritty sensation, it damages vision in many other ways, such as increasing the risks of age-related macular degeneration and cataract. A vitamin-rich diet can help preserve your
vision and regular physical exercise helps maintain good eye health. UV-filtering lenses are also highly recommended to prevent harmful ultraviolet rays from damaging the eyes. Most importantly of all, visit your optometrist regularly - a qualified expert can identify potential hygiene problems much earlier, and many common eye-related conditions can be easily treated.

To book an appointment simply call us on 01268 544646

I just want to wish all the readers and all our patients a Happy Christmas.

Have a great festive time..I hope you've been good!!

This Christmas when you are planning your meals, or enjoying them, think about how they are affecting your eyes. Don't leave it until New Years Day to start eating healthy because you can be naughty and nice!

We frequently take our eyes for granted, but these are highly specialised organs that require careful maintenance to operate at their optimal capacity. While eye tests and vision correction
products play key roles In this process, the foods we eat can also be greatly beneficial.

Studies around the world have emphasised that a healthy lifestyle combined with healthy eating can reduce the prevalence of cataracts, while carbohydrate-high, vitamin-low diets directly increase this risk.

Similarly, a carefully balanced diet helps to counteract age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. This is the leading cause of registered blindness in the western world, but can be halted and even partly reversed through prompt diagnosis and positive lifestyle choices. Research has established that obesity can double the risk of developing some common causes of blindness, including AMD. Although our retinas naturally weaken over time excess body weight can dramatically speed up the onset of AMD, giving us yet another reason to consider what we eat and how it might affect our bodies.

For many years, the focus on diet and its impact on our vision have concentrated on vitamins A, C and E. Numerous scientific studies and clinical trials have shown that these three ingredients help to maintain healthy cells and tissues in our eyes, even assisting with our tear functions and reducing the symptoms of dry eyes. Should your diet not lend itself to a regular intake of fresh produce, nutritional supplements can top up many missing vitamins and minerals although use of these supplements should ideally be approved by your GP.

So when you have the turkey add lots of vegetables to the mix and start protecting your eyes now!

Spectacles arc an integral component of daily life for many people. While contact lenses are an increasingly popular and user-friendly alternative, the simplicity and convenience of spectacles ensures they're still the default option for vision correction.

Lens technology has evolved greatly in recent years and it's now easy to buy spectacles that can block UV light, or prevent the build-up of grease and dirt with oil-resistant films. Much of
this sophistication involves transparent chemical coatings applied to the lens and performing specialised duties such as preventing reflections. This concept was developed from the late 19th century onwards, with a major breakthrough occurring in the 1930s when scientists began combining thin layers of film that refract light at different angles, virtually eliminating reflectiveness.

The attendant benefits are particularly pertinent today with glare being alleviated from computer screens and mobile devices, while motorists benefit by avoiding dazzle from oncoming vehicles or street lights when travelling at night.

Nowadays, anti-reflective coatings are fairly standard on spectacles, and they are increasingly being augmented by scratch-resistant technology. It is worth noting that lens materials are far more robust nowadays, and the plastic commonly used in their manufacture has intrinsic
scratch-resistant properties. Sporting or shatter-proof lenses typically utilise polycarbonate materials, whose softer composition relies on scratch-resistant coatings for durability.

As many spectacle wearers will testify, acute fogging can be caused by rapid changes in temperature or ambient conditions. Using technology pioneered by NASA and now available at Templeman Opticians Laindon, anti-fog systems prevent the build-up of condensation.

You can speak to our Dispensing Optician about these coatings following your appointment. Call the practice on 01268 544646 to book yourself in.

Computer use has become so commonplace nowadays that we barely notice It. Millions of people spend their working day viewing a monitor, while most of us rely on our desktops and laptops for leisure, communications, shopping and academic study. However, the human eye was never designed to focus for long periods of time on brightly illuminated, motionless objects, so a little common-sense and pragmatism is required.

The most common monitor-based sight issues include headaches, dry eyes, fatigue and a gradual loss of sharp vision.A good tip for relaxing eye muscles is to take a brief break every 20 minutes. Regular blinking should prevent uncomfortable dryness, but we blink much less when gazing at
computer screens, so moistening drops might be a wise purchase.

Ergonomic monitor positioning is another vital component in preventing eye strain. The screen
should be two feet away and at normal eye level, without any strong lights behind or beside
it. Brightness settings should be reasonably low, with font sizes large enough to read without squinting. Anti-reflective coatings and screen filters can soften harsh strip lights or dazzling sunshine, and LCD/LED monitors are far less reflective than the chunky old cathode-ray units of
yesteryear. Always keep screens as clean as possible, because your eyes will rapidly tire of trying to focus through a layer of dust or grime.

Finally, eye examinations are always important and regular check-ups can help to identify possible VDU-related issues and keep your eyes in good condition to cope with the demands of today's screen work.
For more information, or to make an appointment, please call us 01268 544646