UV Protection: Why Sunglasses Are Important

We’ve all heard that wearing sunglasses protects our eyes from the sun, but what exactly does that mean? In this post, we’ll discuss how exposure to sunlight can cause damage to your eyes, and how sunglasses can help.

How UV Rays Affect Your Eye Health

The sun can affect our eyes in many different ways, and different types of UV rays can affect the eyes and other parts of the body. UV-B is the type of UV ray that’s responsible for sunburns and skin damage, and UV-A affects cells deep within the body, playing a role in aging and eye health. When choosing sunglasses, it’s important to select a pair that has built-in protection against both UV-A and UV-B radiation to ensure your eyes are properly protected.

There are several ways that too much exposure to UV rays can affect your eyes. These include:

Photokeratitis: This is essentially a sunburn on the eyes caused by UV-B rays. It can happen when you’re exposed to intense UV radiation. Photokeratitis is temporary and can result in blurred vision, light sensitivity, and pain. It most often occurs as a result of snow reflection/snow blindness, especially at high altitudes, from water reflections, or from exposure to artificial UV radiation resulting from tanning beds or welders arcs.
Cataracts: Cataracts cause clouding in the lens of the eye. Many factors contribute to the likelihood of developing cataracts, including aging, genetics, diabetes, and previous eye surgeries. That said, sunlight has been shown to contribute to cataract development, and while sunglasses won’t directly prevent this condition, they can prevent cumulative UV damage to the eyes and prolong cataract development.
Eye cancers: Ocular melanoma is the most common type of eye cancer. It occurs most commonly in the iris, choroid, or ciliary body, but it can also appear on the conjunctiva or the eye socket. While eye cancers are rare, UV radiation is considered to be a risk factor by some medical professionals. Eye cancers can lead to long-term vision loss.
Pinguecula and Pterygium: These non-cancerous growths occur on the conjunctiva as a result of UV exposure. A pinguecula is a raised white or yellow growth that can cause dryness, while a pterygium is a wedge-shaped growth that starts in the conjunctiva and grows into the cornea, potentially affecting the vision due to the resulting change in the cornea’s shape.

How Sunglasses Can Help

The best way to protect your eyes from potential damage and serious eye conditions is to wear sunglasses.

There are two types of sunglasses: tinted and polarized. While both offer UV protection, tinting doesn’t do as good a job at eliminating glare, especially when it’s coming off of water or snow. When light hits non-metallic surfaces like snow, water, and asphalt, the reflection vibrates in two directions-polarization eliminates these horizontal waves and stops them from entering your eyes. This makes it particularly important to wear sunglasses year-round.

The Benefits of Different Lens Colours

If you’re shopping for sunglasses in Red Deer, you’ll notice that polarized sunglasses are available in an array of colours and tints.

Grey: Grey helps to reduce glare, especially for individuals who have light sensitivity. It shields from bright light, making it helpful for sunny days. Grey is a great choice when selecting all-purpose sunglasses.
Green: Green can filter out some blue light, and golfers and tennis players often prefer green sunglasses when seeking to filter bright sunlight.
Brown: Brown tint increases contrast, making it ideal for cloudy days. Its ability to brighten dull landscapes may also help improve depth perception while driving.

Protect Your Eyes: Shop for Polarized Sunglasses in Red Deer

Sunglasses are a great way to keep your eyes safe year-round, offering protection from potentially harmful UV-A and UV-B rays. They’re available in many styles, tints, and colours, each with varying benefits and functionalities.

To learn more about what type of sunglasses best suit your needs, visit Eyewear Experts in Downtown Red Deer or Gasoline Alley. Our experts can help you select a style and tint that you’ll love! Contact us today or visit us in-store.

Does Eye Strain Mean You Need Prescription Lenses?

As common as it is, eye strain is never a good experience. It can cause your vision to blur, your eyes to feel fatigued, and headaches. While eye strain is rarely serious, frequent occurrences could indicate that you’re in need of prescription lenses. In this post, we’ll explore what you need to know about eye strain, including how to prevent it and when you need to schedule an eye exam.

Eye Strain Explained

Eye strain is a common issue that nearly everyone experiences at some point. In today’s world, the prevalence of this condition is much higher thanks to the ever-increasing use of screens for work, education, and entertainment purposes.

While eye strain can often be easily treated at home, ongoing occurrences or prolonged episodes of strain are best investigated by an eye care professional.

Eye Strain Symptoms

Blurred vision
Tired or sore eyes
Dry, watery eyes
Increased light sensitivity
Headaches
Difficulty concentrating

Why Eye Strain Happens

If you spend a long period of time focusing, especially on digital devices, you may suffer from eyestrain as a result of overusing your eyes. That said, there are several other reasons you may experience eye staring, including exposure to bright light, attempting to focus in low light, fatigue, dry eye, and of course, struggling to focus without proper vision correction.

Treating Eye Strain with Prescription Lenses

While eye strain can often be treated with drops and rest, some cases require vision correction. Frequent eye strain is often the first sign that a person requires prescription lenses, so when it occurs consistently, it’s important to schedule an eye exam.

While corrective lenses can help reduce eye strain, those who work on computers or frequently use screens may also want to consider blue-light-blocking glasses to prevent strain further. An optician can conduct a thorough eye exam to help you determine the right prescription lenses to suit your needs and lifestyle.

Shop for Prescription Lenses in Red Deer

If you’re suffering from frequent eye strain, Eyewear Experts can help. Schedule an appointment with our optician to check the health of your eye and determine the underlying causes of eye strain. If vision correction is needed, visit our team to find prescription lenses in Gasoline Alley or downtown Red Deer.

Reduce Eye Strain with Blue Light Glasses

The average Canadian spends about six hours per day using computers, tablets, and smartphones. Unfortunately, the blue light emitted by these devices can cause strain and fatigue in the eyes, leading to blurred vision, difficulty focusing, and even headaches. Blue-light glasses can reduce these symptoms and help you enjoy screens without discomfort.

What is Blue Light?

Blue light is part of the visible light spectrum, which means it can be seen by the human eye. It has a shorter wavelength and higher energy than other colours in the spectrum, ranging from about 380 to 500 nanometers.

While blue light is naturally emitted by the sun, it’s also produced by artificial light sources, such as LED lights, fluorescent lights, and digital screens, like those on smartphones, tablets, televisions, and computers. It plays an essential role in regulating our natural sleep and wake cycles, which is one reason excessive exposure can be harmful. Additionally, frequent, prolonged exposure to blue light can also be detrimental to eye health.

The Benefit of Blue Light Glasses

If you’re spending significant amounts of time in front of a computer screen or other blue light sources, blue light glasses can help reduce the negative effects associated with exposure. These specialized glasses are designed with lenses that filter out a portion of blue light to reduce the amount that reaches the eyes, helping to lessen eye strain and discomfort associated with long hours of screen use, known commonly as digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome.

Wearing blue light glasses offers an array of benefits, including:

Reduced eye strain
Reduced risk of eye disease
Improved sleep
Reduced dry eye

Furthermore, wearing blue light glasses can help you work longer and increase your productivity while working on screens.

Blue Light Prescription Glasses in Red Deer

Using blue light glasses is a great way to ensure your eyes remain healthy, even with excessive exposure to blue light-emitting digital devices.

Whether you require prescription glasses with blue light blockers or simple non-prescription blue light glasses, Eyewear Experts can help you find a pair that works. Visit us today or contact us to schedule your appointment.

Contact Lens Tips for First-Time Wearers

Contact lenses are a great way to ensure optimal vision without the inconvenience of wearing glasses everywhere. That said, if you’re new to using contact lenses, they can come with their own set of challenges. Understanding proper care and maintenance, as well as potential risks and challenges associated with wearing contact lenses, is important.

Use the tips in this article as a guide to help you get acquainted with your new contact lenses.

Put Your Contact Lenses Carefully

Putting contact lenses in your eyes can feel overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s actually quite simple.

Relax – If you’re shaking or stressed, getting the contact lenses to sit where you need them to can be difficult.
Wash your hands – It’s important to ensure your hands are clean so you’re not introducing harmful bacteria to your eyes.
Hold your eyelids open – Using your thumb and index finger on one hand, hold your eyelids open to prevent yourself from blinking.
Place the contact lens on your other index finger – Be sure to handle the lens carefully.
Look away from the lens – Avoid looking directly at the contact lens – instead, look upwards and place the contact lens near the bottom of your pupil.
Let go of your eyelids – Once the lens is securely sitting on your eye, let go of your eyelids and close your eyes to enable the contact to settle.

Keep Your Contacts Clean

Your contact lenses should be cleaned between every wear. You can do this by storing them in contact lens solution when you’re not wearing them—always ensure they’re stored in a case designed for contact lenses.

Additionally, you can use saline solution to rinse the solution and debris off your contact lenses before inserting them into your eyes.

Keep Your Contacts Hydrated

In addition to ensuring your contact lenses are clean, it’s just as important to keep them moist. While storing them in solution between wears does keep them moist when they’re not in your eyes, using contact lens eyedrops while wearing them, especially when working on screens or watching television, can ensure they don’t dry out during the day.

Change Contacts According to the Recommended Schedule

Your optician will recommend either continuous, daily or monthly contact lenses, and it’s important to ensure you’re changing them out as necessary. Daily contact lenses can be disposed of after each wear while monthly lenses should be stored in solution as outlined above.

If you’re prescribed continuous-wear contact lenses, it’s best to discuss recommendations with your optician to determine when they should be replaced and how long they can be worn.

Keep Glasses On-Hand

There may be times when your eyes become dry, irritated, or fatigued with contact lenses. When this happens, it’s important to take breaks from wearing them and stick with glasses for a day or two.

In the event that irritation, dryness, or blurred vision continues after taking a short break from wear, be sure to speak to an optician or optometrist.

Schedule a Contact Lens Specific Eye Exam

If you’re planning on making the switch from full-time glasses wearer to contact lens wearer, it’s important to schedule an eye exam specifically for contact lenses. While your prescription will be similar to your glasses, your optician will need to take measurements to ensure the right fit for your contact lens.

Contact Eyewear Experts to schedule an exam for contact lenses in Red Deer.

Prescription Safety Eyewear: Choosing the Right Pair for Work

The significance of protecting your eyes can’t be overstated—especially if you’re in an industry with a high risk of eye injuries. Prescription safety eyewear is a must when it comes to safeguarding your vision against potential hazards. Choosing the right pair of safety glasses or goggles can help you ensure you’re protected without sacrificing clear vision.

This guide will help you select the right prescription safety glasses for your job.

The Importance of Safety Eyewear

The workplace can pose various risks to eye health, including exposure to chemicals, dust, and even radiation, depending on your industry. The right safety eyewear acts as a barrier against these hazards, preventing injuries to your eye and ensuring that you’re able to perform your duties without the risk of vision loss. If you require prescription lenses, integrating vision correction into safety eyewear is essential to ensure your vision is clear and your eyes are protected.

Features to Consider

Finding safety eyewear with the right features is important. Here’s what to look for:

Material: The lenses should be made of a durable material that’s resistant to scratches and breaking. Polycarbonate is popular due to its high impact resistance and lightweight properties.
Design: The design you select should be comfortable and provide adequate protection around the eyes. Consider wrap-around styles or side shields for additional protection.
Lens Coatings: Anti-fog, anti-scratch, and UV protection coatings can enhance the functionality and longevity of your safety eyewear.
Compliance: It’s important to choose eyewear that meets the safety standards of Occupational Health and Safety, as well as your employer.
Customization: You may require custom lenses to suit specific vision needs—ensure the pair you choose can be customized accordingly.

Trust Eyewear Experts for Safety Eyewear in Red Deer

Choosing the right prescription safety eyewear is necessary to ensure your vision is protected at work. By considering factors such as the material, design, and lens coatings, you can ensure you find a pair that keeps your eyes safe and your vision clear.

For a selection of safety glasses and comprehensive eye exams, contact Eyewear Experts.

Switching to Contact Lenses? Keep Your Eyes Healthy With a Contact Lens Eye Exam

If you’ve decided to start wearing contact lenses, it’s important to schedule a contact lens eye exam with your optician. These exams help you ensure a comfortable fit and effective vision correction.

What’s Different About Contact Lens Eye Exams?

Many elements of a contact lens-specific eye exam are the same as a traditional eye exam; however, the addition of measurements to help determine the shape and size of your eye make the contact lens eye exam a necessity – especially for first-time wearers.

Measurements Taken in a Contact Lens Eye Exam

During your exam, your optician will take several measurements:

Cornea: Your cornea is measured using a keratometer, which analyzes light reflections from your cornea and helps to determine the curvature of the front surface of your eye.
Pupil: The optician will measure your pupil to determine the shape and size, which helps them choose which type of contact lenses you should wear.
Iris: Once the iris is measured, this number is used along with the pupil measurement to help determine the type of coloured lenses you could wear, should that be something you choose.

At Eyewear Experts, each of these measurements are taken using the state-of-the-art Vision R-700 digital eye testing system.

Other Elements of Your Contact Lens Eye Exam

During a contact lens eye exam, your optician will also analyze your ability to produce tears to ensure that your eyes can keep contact lenses moist, as well as the overall health of your cornea. These tests are conducted to ensure you’re able to safely wear contact lenses without damaging your eyes.

Additional Benefits of a Contact Lens Eye Exam

In addition to ensuring your eyes are healthy enough for contact lenses and obtaining eye measurements, a contact lens eye exam helps you and your optician select the right type and brand of contact lenses for your eyes.

For children and seniors aged 65 and older, it’s best to have a contact lens eye exam annually, while adults aged 19 to 64 with healthy eyes can get away with a contact lens eye exam every two years.

To schedule your contact lens eye exam in Red Deer, contact us today.

The Benefits of Progressive Lenses and How They Can Protect Your Vision

As we age, it can become more difficult to see objects clearly. In fact, after age 50, most people notice a mild decline in vision, with difficulties focusing while reading or viewing objects in close range. Thankfully, progressive lenses can make it easier to focus on objects both close up and far away.

What Are Progressive Lenses?

Progressive lenses are designed to help individuals with presbyopia— the gradual loss of one’s ability to focus on nearby objects. Similar to bifocal lenses, progressives help wearers view objects that are near and far away without having to change glasses. However, these lenses don’t have visible lines and instead feature three focal distances: far, intermediate, and near.

Progressives vs. Bifocals: What’s the Difference?

The primary difference between progressive lenses and bifocals is the focal points. While bifocals typically have two visibly marked focal points within a single lens, progressives include three unique focal points: distance vision at the top, intermediate vision in the middle, and near vision at the bottom. This helps to reduce vision issues and symptoms of presbyopia, leading to a more comfortable field of vision.

The Benefits of Wearing Progressive Lenses

Progressive lenses are the best choice when it comes to maintaining optimal vision at various distances. They provide a seamless transition between different prescriptions, ensuring that even when one is both nearsighted and living with presbyopia, they’re able to see using only one pair of lenses. Furthermore, they reduce the chances of image jump, which occurs when an object appears displaced while viewing through bifocal lenses.

Thanks to the convenience of wearing just one pair of glasses to manage multiple vision problems, users are less likely to experience eye strain. Ultimately, this protects the eyes from rapid deterioration and delays the need for prescription changes.

Progressive Lenses in Red Deer, Alberta

Aging eyes may require more than just a single eyeglass prescription. Progressive lenses make it easier for those with multiple vision needs, such as nearsightedness and presbyopia, to view objects at varying distances with a single pair of glasses.

At Eyewear Experts, our opticians provide comprehensive eye examinations with prescriptions ready in as little as one hour. Trust our team to help you find the perfect pair of progressive lenses so you can see clearly. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.

Diabetic Eye Disease Month: Prioritizing Eye Exams to Reduce Risk

Over 3 million Canadians have diabetes, and while regular diabetic eye exams are an important part of managing their illness, eye exams can also play a pivotal role in the early detection of diabetes for those who haven’t been diagnosed.

Why Diabetic Eye Exams are Important

When a person has diabetes, they often experience changes in the retina—a layer of cells at the back of the eye that’s responsible for processing images and sending signals to the brain, helping it interpret what the eye sees. When these changes in the retina occur, it’s called diabetic retinopathy—a condition that can cause issues such as blurred vision, splotchy vision, or even blindness.

Regular diabetic eye exams can help detect vision issues early and prevent escalation.

Signs of Diabetic Retinopathy

According to Diabetes Canada, 23% of people with type 1 diabetes experience diabetic retinopathy. When it first develops, people often don’t experience any symptoms, which is why it’s important to schedule regular diabetic eye exams.

As the condition progresses, a person may experience:

Blurry vision
Sudden vision loss
Spotty or blotchy vision
Flashes or spots of light in their field of vision

Preventing Retinopathy

While diabetic retinopathy isn’t curable, it can be prevented or delayed with the right approach to treatment. The most important factor in prevention and early detection is regular diabetic eye exams. Diabetes Canada recommends yearly exams for diagnosed individuals; however, your optician may recommend a different schedule depending on the health of your eyes.

In addition to visiting an optician regularly, you can prevent retinopathy by carefully monitoring and maintaining safe blood-glucose levels.

Schedule a Diabetic Eye Exam

As a diabetic, the health of your eyes requires consistent monitoring. Regular eye exams are an important part of diabetes maintenance to help ensure your vision and eye health remain optimal.

Clearer Vision in Just an Hour: Benefits of Our Onsite 1-Hour Lab

If you’re like most people, convenience is high on your list of priorities. Whether you’re a busy professional, a parent on the go, or a hard-working student, making time for a long appointment isn’t just inconvenient—it’s impractical.

At Eyewear Experts, our 1 hour eye lab is here to solve that problem. With a state-of-the-art onsite eyewear lab, our opticians can help you prioritize your eye health without sacrificing convenience.

Why Visit Our 1-Hour Eye Lab?

While eyewear providers often take days or even weeks to process your prescription and deliver your new glasses, our 1-hour eye lab can complete and deliver most eyewear prescriptions in an hour.

The benefits of visiting Eyewear Experts for your next eye exam include:

Convenience: Skip the long waits and follow-up appointments by visiting our team of experienced opticians for your next eye exam and 1-hour lenses.
Quality: Our lab is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and staffed by experienced professionals who produce high-quality eyewear onsite.
Flexibility: Forgot your eyewear while traveling? Need a quick replacement for broken or scratched lenses? Our 1-hour eye lab can meet your needs without the wait.
Affordability: Our in-house eye lab eliminates the need for a middleman and extra expenses. Those costs savings are passed on to our customers, giving you access to quality lenses at a more affordable price.

What to Expect at Your 1-Hour Eye Lab Appointment

Your appointment at Eyewear Experts is a simple process that’ll have you in and out in a little over an hour, letting you get on with your day quickly. Your appointment includes:

A comprehensive eye exam: Your optician will conduct a range of tests to evaluate your overall eye health and visual acuity.
Precription assessment: Using cutting-edge technology, our optical team will evaluate your vision and provide you with an accurate prescription if one is needed.
1-hour lens crafting: Your new glasses will be created onsite in our 1-hour eye lab, ensuring you walk out with an accurate prescription, usually within an hour.

Book Your Appointment Today

Ready to experience the convenience of 1-hour lenses? Visit Eyewear Experts in Red Deer for your next appointment.

Eye Health Matters: What to Expect in an Eye Exam

The health of your eyes is important. While maintaining good vision is an important factor in your quality of life, regular eye exams can also help your optician detect deeper eye issues, including cataracts and glaucoma, as well as identify potential problems with your overall health, such as diabetes, tumours, and heart disease.

Whether you’ve never had your eyes checked or you’re on a first-name basis with your optician, knowing what to expect at an appointment can make the process much less stressful.

Here’s what to expect at your next visit to our Red Deer optical centre.

Preparing for Your Appointment

Prior to visiting Eyewear Experts, prepare a list of your current medications, vitamins, and natural health supplements. It’s also helpful to write down any questions you have about your vision and eye health and bring them with you.

Be sure to also bring your current glasses and/or contact lenses.

During Your Eye Exam

At your appointment, your optician will start by reviewing your medical history and discussing any concerns you may have about your vision or eye health. They’ll perform several tests and assessments to determine the health of your eyes and vision.

Tests may include:

Visual acuity: Your optician will have you read or describe a chart with letters, numbers, or shapes to determine how well you can see and read at a distance.
Eye health: Using a variety of instruments, your optician will check the physical health of your eye, looking at factors such as muscle function, coordination, and general appearance of the cornea, lens, and retina.
Refraction: A tool called a phoropter will be gently placed in front of your eyes, enabling your optician to measure your eye’s movements and near-distance focal ability.

In addition to these tests, your optician may perform other exams depending on your age, your concerns, and the date of your most recent eye exam. This may include testing your visual field or colour vision, pupil dilation, and tonometry to determine your intraocular pressure.

After the Exam

Once your optician has completed your exam, they’ll explain your results and let you know if you require a new prescription or changes to your current one. Depending on the health of your eyes and the prescription strength, you may be able to order contact lenses in addition to your glasses.

If glasses or contacts are prescribed, our optometry assistants will help you select a style of lenses and take measurements to ensure a comfortable fit.

If necessary, you’ll then schedule treatment or follow-up visits.

Receiving Your Lenses

In most cases, your glasses prescription can be filled within one hour at our in-house eye lab using industry-leading eyewear technology to ensure accuracy and comfort.

Schedule an Eye Exam Today

Trust your eye health to Eyewear Experts. We offer eye exams for:

Children of all ages
Adults
Seniors aged 65+
Diabetics