Several months ago while I was still wearing my Ciba Vision Dailies (non-toric) I looked into the mirror and noticed more veins were prominent in my eyes and furthermore, there was a small white bump in my right eye. The bump was between the iris and the white portion of the eye. I was a bit alarmed and decided to seek the advice of my optometrist. He informed me that it was 'pinguecula'.
What exactly is pinguecula? It's basically a stye or a bump that forms on your eye. There aren't any symptoms or known reasons as to why it occurs but it does seem to be more prevalent in individuals whose eyes are exposed to UV light or live in sunnier climates.
According to the articles I've read and the opinions of my optometrist, there is a consensus that there is no cause of alarm and there is not much you can do except wear sunglasses when your eyes are exposed to the elements. He states that pinguecula is common for people that live in California. As for the veins in my eyes, the eye doctor states I am simply more prone to veins than most other individuals.
Great article on Pinguecula.
August 27, 2013
Toric Lenses
It have been while since I've had any update on my contact lenses/eyes. For the past several years I've been doing fine with wearing the Ciba Vision Dailies but after my yearly exam, it turns out that I have astigmatism. It's not as bad as most individuals and I could definitely stick to the Dailies but I decided to give Toric lenses a try to see if I could benefit any. My optometrist fitted me in Dailies Toric and the 1-Day Acuvue Moist with Lacreon.
Dailies
The material in these lenses are 31% nelfilcon A, 69% water, same as my previous Dailies AquaComfort Plus. Comfort-wise they are the same. I do notice the contacts floating around in my eyes here and there but definitely doesn't bother me. If a fan is blowing or wind is blowing in my face, it does dry out my eyes with these contacts. Toric lenses are 'weighted' so it is not uncommon for them to move around; you have to blink to get them back into focus. However, your optometrist should have the ability to fit you in the correct toric lense. After 8 or 9 hours the comfort started to diminish for me and one one occasion, a noticed a red ring around my eye after taking these contacts out. However, I did happen to just hop out of the shower (you shouldn't shower with contacts, I'm sure you all know this). All in all, still not a bad lense.
Acuvue Moist
The Acuvue Moist with Lacreon for Astigmatism did surprisingly well seeing as how I'm not a huge Acuvue fan. Since all of issues that people have had with the Acuvue Oasys lenses over the past few years I decided to stray from this brand but figured it was time to give the Moist lenses a try. The material here is etafilcon A, 58% water. Both etafilcon A & nelfilcon A are 'hydrogel lenses' as opposed to 'silicone hydrogel lenses'. This was important to me when making my transition to Torics. Both have pro's and con's and you can read more about them through google. Back to my Acuvue Moist review, I must say these are FLIMSY lenses. When you take them out of the package, it is not uncommon for the lense to fold onto itself. They are very soft. However, they have a certain comfort that the Dailies could not produce for me. My eyes seemed to stay moist and comfortable all day. According to Acuvue's website, the Lacreon technology makes it so there is less friction in your eyes and the wetness doesn't go away. This time around I had to choose Acuvue Moist over the Dailies since the difference was so noticeable. *As a side note, as long as you are gentle with these lenses they will not rip as you are inserting them into your eyes. Be cautious.
Dailies
The material in these lenses are 31% nelfilcon A, 69% water, same as my previous Dailies AquaComfort Plus. Comfort-wise they are the same. I do notice the contacts floating around in my eyes here and there but definitely doesn't bother me. If a fan is blowing or wind is blowing in my face, it does dry out my eyes with these contacts. Toric lenses are 'weighted' so it is not uncommon for them to move around; you have to blink to get them back into focus. However, your optometrist should have the ability to fit you in the correct toric lense. After 8 or 9 hours the comfort started to diminish for me and one one occasion, a noticed a red ring around my eye after taking these contacts out. However, I did happen to just hop out of the shower (you shouldn't shower with contacts, I'm sure you all know this). All in all, still not a bad lense.
Acuvue Moist
The Acuvue Moist with Lacreon for Astigmatism did surprisingly well seeing as how I'm not a huge Acuvue fan. Since all of issues that people have had with the Acuvue Oasys lenses over the past few years I decided to stray from this brand but figured it was time to give the Moist lenses a try. The material here is etafilcon A, 58% water. Both etafilcon A & nelfilcon A are 'hydrogel lenses' as opposed to 'silicone hydrogel lenses'. This was important to me when making my transition to Torics. Both have pro's and con's and you can read more about them through google. Back to my Acuvue Moist review, I must say these are FLIMSY lenses. When you take them out of the package, it is not uncommon for the lense to fold onto itself. They are very soft. However, they have a certain comfort that the Dailies could not produce for me. My eyes seemed to stay moist and comfortable all day. According to Acuvue's website, the Lacreon technology makes it so there is less friction in your eyes and the wetness doesn't go away. This time around I had to choose Acuvue Moist over the Dailies since the difference was so noticeable. *As a side note, as long as you are gentle with these lenses they will not rip as you are inserting them into your eyes. Be cautious.
August 26, 2011
DAILIES AquaComfort Plus
For quite some time, I've been using Ciba Vision's Dailies AquaComfort contact lenses. I have to say, it is convenient when you do not have to worry about the calcium build up that comes with 2 week or monthly contacts. There is no problems when I need to wear them on the go to do daily exercises and such but I find that they do dry out quickly especially after the 8 hour mark. One thing that I decided to try was to drop in some TheraTears eye drops into my eyes before hand and my eyes actually feel better throughout the day. I would recommend Dailies to others for the convenience; pricing isn't too bad either.May 08, 2011
Bio True
Recently purchased some contacts and was given a sample of Bausch and Lomb's Bio true contact solution. At first glance, one notices the simplicity of the bottle and the clean design of it. It is the first solution that I've seen to have a clear bottle. Very attractive to consumers. However, I was quite reluctant to use it. Why you might ask? Well if you recall, in 2005 Bausch and Lomb had to recall their ReNu contact solution which you can read about here. Furthermore, in January of 2011, they recalled their Soothe Xtra Hydration eyedrops for developing mold.They are now trying to bounce back by rebranding themselves. That being said, I have used that solution a few times and so far, it seems to be fine. No problems, redness in the eyes or irritation. But has it convinced me to switch from Opti-Free? Short answer is no. Why switch to a new brand when your current solution that you've used for years works fairly well?
February 24, 2011
Transitioning to Contact Lenses / Dry Eyes Gone?
A little over a year ago I decided to cease the use of contact lenses and strictly use glasses. However, now that a year has passed I decided that it would be the opportune time to visit an optometrist and get fitted for new contact lenses. I was set on getting CooperVision Proclear 1-Day Contact Lenses as I recall my previous optometrist saying how you needn't have to worry about cleaning them since they are daily disposables. Even though daily disposables are a bit more expensive than 2 week or monthly contacts I wanted to give them a try.
When I arrived at my appointment and spoke to this new optometrist, I learned quite a bit. After a comprehensive eye exam, he stated that my eyes were quite healthy (which was great to hear from a professional) and that he saw no symptoms of dry eye. It was a bit of a shock to say the least, especially since I use eye drops everyday. He did state that I had mild blepharitis which didn't come as a surprise to me and said that I should just clean my eyelashes with baby shampoo twice daily to help alleviate the problem. I mentioned how I still get occasional 'string' in my eyes and asked his opinion of it. The optometrist stated that it is most likely because of the blepharitis and I find it odd because I've never read of 'stringy discharge' being a symptom of blepharitis but it is something to think about.
With that being said, I now had the option of getting either daily disposables, 2 week or monthly contacts and I opted for the 2 weeks. Today has been the first day of trying CooperVision's Avaira contacts; I notice they aren't very popular with contact wearer's but needless to say they feel fresh in the eyes so far. As for contact solution, this time around, I am trying out ClearCare.
With that being said, I now had the option of getting either daily disposables, 2 week or monthly contacts and I opted for the 2 weeks. Today has been the first day of trying CooperVision's Avaira contacts; I notice they aren't very popular with contact wearer's but needless to say they feel fresh in the eyes so far. As for contact solution, this time around, I am trying out ClearCare.
January 29, 2011
Mucus Fishing Syndrome
Suffering from strings of mucus on a daily basis? If the severity of the mucus is abundant where you insist on constantly wiping it from your eyes you might just have 'Mucus Fishing Syndrome (MFS)'. MFS includes increased mucus production through ocular irritation. However, when you reach into your eyes to remove the mucus you could be further irritating your eyes. This condition can last for years. Some times it can be embarrassing to admit to your peers let alone your optometrist but if they are not informed of this condition, the road to recovery will cease to exist.
If you think you might have MFS, pinpointing the problem is key. Are you allergic to certain things you eat but are unaware of it? Have you been neglecting your eyes through overuse of contact lenses? Make sure you know the side effects of any medications you may take as they may agitate the eyes. There is no one answer fix here but for more information please visit the websites below.
January 26, 2011
Dr. Oz: Omega's
Omega's are important for great health and could prove useful in individuals with dry eyes. The 3 essential forms of omega 3's include:
- Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
- Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
- Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
According to Dr. Oz, DHA and EPA come primarily from fish and what fish eat. ALA (walnuts, flaxseed, soybean, etc.) is everything else and does not get converted as easily by our bodies.
Exactly how many milligrams of omega 3's should our bodies take in?
Dr. Oz states that 600mg of DHA/EPA a day is essential to our health.
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