Summer days come with much anticipation and bring tons of joy. But, if you are not careful, the precious holidays can turn into a nightmare of many eye doctor visits. Our Pediatric Optician in Livingston deals with many conditions that are more easily developed over the summer, which are also incredibly easy to prevent. So, let us share with you the 4 simple ways in which you can protect your and your loved ones’ eye health this summer!

Wear glasses with complete Ultraviolet (UV) Protection

In our last article we thoroughly explain what UV radiation is and how it affects our health. In a nutshell, excessive exposure to UV rays without protection can not only damage your skin cells’ DNA, leading to different types of cancer, but also it can severely damage your eyes and vision.

UV rays contribute to the development of many eye-related illnesses, including:

• Photo conjunctivitis, also known as snow blindness
• Macular Degeneration
• Cataracts
• Pterygium – a non-cancerous growth over the cornea
• Skin cancer of the eyelids

These conditions usually occur from excessive, unprotected exposure to sunlight. Therefore, if you keep yourself sufficiently protected, you will drastically reduce your chances of developing those conditions.

There are two easy ways in which you can keep your eyes protected. One is to always wear 100% UV Protection sunglasses when outdoors. Talk to our Livingston Pediatric Optician about what frames we have available to suit your child’s lifestyle. Alternatively, check out our optical shop to browse through our collection and get guidance from our expert advisers. The other form of protection is wearing a wide brimmed hat. This will give shade to your face and head, whilst helping your sunglasses protect your eyes by covering the areas uncovered by your eyewear.

Wear goggles at the pool, lake, ocean, or river

The heat during the summer days doesn’t only affect us, it also affects pools, lakes, oceans, rivers and all waters. The chlorine in man-made pools, or the saltwater in naturally occurring water will sting your eyes. Moreover, as the temperatures get higher, and more sunlight penetrates the surface of the water, more organisms develop inside it – some may be more harmful than others. Also, with more people entering the water, more chemicals from sunscreen float in it too – not even mentioning the pee!

All of these can be incredibly harmful to the eyes of your little ones. Therefore, we recommend that even if your children do not plan on dipping their head it, put well-fitted swimming goggles, or snorkels on them. This way you can make sure your loved ones are making the most out of the precious summer days. 

HOWEVER, if you notice that your children are swimming without sufficient eye protection, once they return, thoroughly rinse their eyes with clean water and keep an eye out for any symptoms developing later on. Our kids eye doctor emphasises the importance of early detection and treatment! 

Your children’s eyes are not only at danger in the water! UV rays reflect off the surface of the water and sand, and especially on beaches, your children are at risk of sustaining an eye injury from playing in the sand. Therefore, make sure that you and your loved ones are wearing eye protection at all times.

Frequently wash your hands

Frequently washing your hands is a healthy habit to develop regardless of the season, or place as it protects you from the spread of communicable diseases. Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, is a highly contagious disease that can be contracted by rubbing your eyes after touching a surface that was previously touched by an infected person. Also, as the days get warmer and longer, children spend more time exploring the outdoors and we know that they rarely pay attention to dirt. If they rub their eyes with dirty hands, they can sustain an injury, or a serious eye disease. 

Therefore, it is important to make sure that your children do not develop the habit of rubbing their eyes, and they wash their hands before starting a new activity.

Eat healthy and drink more water

The Center for Vision Loss recommends keeping a healthy, balanced diet and drinking more water to protect yourself from eye related illnesses. They explain that specific nutrients found in food can prevent the development of long-term diseases, more specifically:

• Lutein and Zeaxanthin – antioxidants that help prevent cataracts and macular degeneration
• Vitamins C, E and zinc – reduce symptoms of age-related macular degeneration

Drinking plenty of water is also crucial as it allows the eyes to tear and lubricate properly. Indoor fans and air conditioning can promote eye dryness as they reduce humidity, hence increasing tear evaporation. Other factors that contribute to eye dryness include low moisture places and windy conditions. 

Eye dryness can be particularly dangerous for people with already existing eye lubrication problems. The symptoms of eye dryness to look out for in your young ones include eye discomfort, itching and redness. These symptoms can be indicative of other, more serious eye and vision problems, so once they appear contact us immediately.

About our Pediatric Optician in Livingston!

Our exceptional doctors, Amy Lambert, MD, and Rachel Bloom, MD, are both board certified pediatric ophthalmologists. Dr. Lambert, the founder of Pediatric Eye Associates, LLc, is also a board certified strabismus surgeon, and Dr. Bloom is additionally fellowship trained. 

Our child eye doctors are experts at meeting your children’s eye and visual needs. We pride ourselves with the results we achieve with our patients and we believe the key is not just our medical expertise, but also attitude and patience with the children. Our motto is “to provide the highest quality eye care for children in a setting that is comfortable and reassuring.”

We understand that you will have many questions about our Livingston ophthalmologist, so if any of them are still unanswered, please refer to our FAQs page, or contact us. You can get in touch with us by:

1. Visiting our practice

22 Old Short Hills Rd. Lower Level-1,Livingston, New Jersey 07039

Open hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 – 17:00

2.Calling us on 973-422-1230

3.Submitting the enquiry form on our contact us page

4. Checking our facebook page – Pediatric Eye Associates, LLC

The material contained on this site is for informational purposes only and DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PROVIDING OF MEDICAL ADVICE, and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.  Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health.