Search Results for: blog eye health fact and fiction

Sensitive Eyes

Sensitive Eyes sounds like a good title for a dreamy romance novel… but I was thinking more of your actual eyes being sensitive to things. Maybe I’ll write that romance someday, though! You may already know if you have sensitive eyes. Symptoms can include: Bloodshot eyes Excessive tearing or watering A generally uncomfortable feeling Basically, sensitive eyes are easily irritated by things that don’t bother most other people. You may find your eyes easily irritated by smoke, dry air, wind, chemical fumes, and more. A number of different things can lead to sensitive eyes. A healthy, normal eye has a … Continue reading →

Where Do Eye Boogers Come From?

Sleepies. Crusties. Eye boogers. They’re a common (if minor) part of just about everybody’s day. So where do they come from? My parents always told me that the Sandman came around and helped people fall asleep… and the stuff attached to your eyelashes the next morning was extra sand. Thank goodness I never tried to save Sandman sand up for sleepless nights! One official name for eye boogers is rheum. Rheum is the natural discharge of the eye, formed from a combination of mucus, tears, dust, and even skin cells from the eyelids. The eye produces rheum all day… so … Continue reading →

Treating a Black Eye

Most of the time, a black eye doesn’t need a whole lot of help. Here are some things you can do to help ease pain and swelling. Apply cold. Use an ice pack for ten minutes every two to four hours — especially if your eye is swollen shut. Cold will help reduce swelling and decrease internal bleeding from damaged blood vessels (this is what causes the colorful bruising). Try putting crushed ice or frozen veggies in a small plastic bag. Tape the bag to your forehead so you don’t put pressure on the injured eye. You can even use … Continue reading →

Soothing Dry Eyes

Dry eye syndrome (also known as DES) is surprisingly common; it is one of the top reasons Americans visit the eye doctor! Symptoms of dry eye syndrome include: Stinging red eyes Blurry vision Sensitivity to light If you suffer from dry eye syndrome, your eyes aren’t producing enough tears to keep your eyes lubricated. Over the counter eye drops (also called artificial tears) can help bring relief, but it can be a pain to always be reaching for the eye drops! Your eye doctor may also provide a topical steroid eye drop or cream that can help your eyes retain … Continue reading →

More Ele-Facts

Elephants are fascinating animals! From physiology to psychology, these giants are full of surprises. Here are some more facts about Asian elephants. Elephants can hear infrasonic sound — sound below the human audible range — and ultrasonic sound — sound above the human audible range. Studies have shown that they can hear thunder several miles away. Elephants have great hearing and a great sense of smell but see relatively poorly. They can recognize people by smell, even after years apart. Fanning their ears helps elephants cool their bodies. The blood cycles through the ear to help regulate body temperature — … Continue reading →

Shopping For “Healthy” Sunglasses

A while back I wrote about my struggle to find the perfect sunglasses. Back then any pair of shades that didn’t make me look like a bug would make it to the check out counter. Then I went to the ophthalmologist and got a major wake up call. If you base your choice in outdoor eyewear on comfort or fashion you may be putting your eyes at risk. Many of us look at sunglasses as an accessory or simply a way to avoid squinting on a sunny day. Rarely do we consider how they protect our eyes and the skin … Continue reading →

How to Pluck Your Eyebrows

Just the phrase — “plucking your eyebrows” — makes some people cringe. But it doesn’t have to be painful self torture. Really! Wash your face with warm water. You don’t have to scrub or wash roughly, just a gentle wash will do. Pat your face dry. Put some lotion on your forehead and eyebrows to help keep the skin soft. Check the direction of hair growth. Generally, the eyebrow hair grows outward from the nose to the hairline. You can use eyeliner or an eyebrow pencil to mark out where you want to pluck and where you want to leave … Continue reading →

Fun Health Myths

My six year old son was doing a research project. He wanted to find out more about poisonous ladybugs. How he decided ladybugs were poisonous is beyond me. When we looked it up, it turns out that they are. The catch is you’d have to eat several hundred of them to even feel sick. While we were researching ladybugs I ran across a piece of folk lore from France: If you are ill and a ladybug lands on you, when it flies away it will take the illness with it. Where’s a ladybug when you need one? This little tidbit … Continue reading →

Age and Driving

How old is too old to drive? Getting older doesn’t necessarily mean you have to give up your license and independence; your health and mental state are more important to your ability to drive than the number of candles on your cake. General effects of aging include muscle weakness, joint stiffness, and reduced flexibility. Your reflexes start to slow down, too. All these things together may give you trouble turning the steering wheel or using the brakes. Severe arthritis may make it hard for you to grip the wheel or look over your shoulder to check for oncoming traffic. Night … Continue reading →

Don’t Believe Everything You See on Facebook

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It has become really popular for people to “share” images that have text on them on their Facebook pages. Don’t assume that these eye-catching images contain factual information. The one going around that states that Medicare premiums are going to increase due to the Affordable Care Act is false. You may have heard the phrase: “a picture paints a thousand words”. People today are busy, and most are not interested in taking the time to sit down and read those thousand words. It only takes a second to look at a picture. This is probably why it has become so … Continue reading →