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What Is Blepharitis?

Have you ever woken up with eyelids stuck together? Do your eyelids seem to have greasy flakes around the eyelashes on waking up? If you are experiencing these symptoms, you might be suffering from blepharitis.

Blepharitis refers to the eye health condition that causes inflamed eyelids. The portion of the eyelid that generally gets inflamed is the area around the eyelashes. The inflammation causes the eyelashes to become ingrown or fall out. Blepharitis is not a transferable condition and the causes of the disease include bacterial infection or excessive oil gland production near the eyelids where the eyelashes grow. Blepharitis is of two forms:

Anterior Blepharitis: Anterior Blepharitis adversely affects the outside of the front eyelid where the eyelashes are attached.

Posterior Blepharitis: This is a kind of blepharitis that is linked to the dysfunction of Meibomian glands within the eyelid that secrete oil to assist the lubrication of the eyes.

Blepharitis Symptoms:

The condition of blepharitis can be present in both eyes and can affect both children and adults. The symptoms of Blepharitis are as follows:

  • Red, dry, itchy and blurry eyes.
  • Light sensitivity and crusting of eyelashes.
  • Excessive tears and gritty sensation in the eyes.

Maintaining good eye health is the crucial key to keeping blepharitis under control.  If you undergo any of the above symptoms, do consult an eye specialist. Some of the complications that are associated with blepharitis are dry eye syndrome, permanent scarring of the eyelids and pink eye. Typically, the treatment of blepharitis includes:

  • Eyelid scrubbing: Removing the build-up of excessive bacteria from the lid margin is essential for successful blepharitis treatment. On visiting the doctor, it is recommended to take a daily regimen of warm compresses and lid scrub to clean the eyelid and reduce the build-up of bacteria. Cleaning agents which must be used include prescription eyelid cleanser(Avenova) and non-prescription eyelid cleansing pad (Ocusoft; Systane).
  • Medicated ointments or eye drops: The doctor might prescribe topical medicines like ointment or eye drop to remove excessive blepharitis causing bacteria or microbes on eyelids.

What is Blepharitis

GKB Opticals recommends that if you experience any such symptom listed above, immediately schedule an eye examination with an experienced Ophthalmologist for immediate treatment.

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Food habits can Impact Eye Health

If you’re a normal person, chances are you don’t even spare more than 5 minutes a day caring for your eyes. But those eyes provide you with vision; help you perceive the world around you. The eyes need some care from your daily routine and this can be easily done with the use of good nutrition. We all live in a fast moving world with easy access to packaged and processed food, with too much sugar and salty foods making way into the daily diet, it’s crucial that you spend good amount of time for the daily nutritional needs. Otherwise, your eyes will feel the lack of nutrition and may succumb to early eye problems.

Various researchers have provided the information about the ideal foods that can help maintain good eye health. The first step is to add a good number of dark green vegetables in the diet. The dark green vegetables that you can easily add are spinach, kale, broccoli etc. These veggies are great for the eyes, and can be incorporated into lunch and dinner easily.

Also, adding some animal proteins like Fish or chicken is great for the body. The daily consumption of eggs and chicken can fulfill the needed quota of proteins and minerals in the body. These can be incorporated daily or on alternative days and can be made in so many ways. Recent studies have also suggested that eggs are not a bad effect on the body and do not significantly increase the cholesterol levels in the body.

The most impotent part of the daily diet should be the inclusion of fruits, especially colorful fruits like grapefruit, citrus, pomelo, oranges and limes. Also you can add apples to your diet and this can help you see better in future. Citrus fruits have been proven to delay the appearance of cataracts which can help keep eyes healthier for longer.

There is also the need to include various nuts like almonds and walnuts into the diet. This can help you get the needed nutrition to the body and you can get them easily with a handful of nuts in your diet. You can definitely replace the potato chips or fast food in your diet to plain roasted nuts or a handful of nuts. Incorporating fresh food and high quality food is important to the health of the eyes and one must understand the value of the food they eat on their whole body.

Also taking care of the eyes with the effort to purchase prescription glasses online and by using branded eyeglasses in India, one can keep their eyes safer. If you don’t need vision correction, you can still get reading glasses or computer glasses online and use the when you are doing near work or using the digital devices. Also there is a need to use stylish sunglasses online, especially with UV protection. Today, it’s easy to buy them with much option to go for online sunglasses shopping.

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How to Treat Eye Stye at Home with easy DIY techniques

There are some eye problems that are usually harmless and get cured without much effort but when they seem to hurt and don’t seem to go away even after weeks, then there can be various problems that might be causing it. Eye stye can be an eye problem which becomes a trouble for you if you do not control it in time. A style is usually an oil gland which is infected with bacteria and fills up with pus and caused generally by staphylococcus bacteria.

If you have been facing problems with eye stye, then you should definitely check out these home remedies that can help you feel better.

Tip 1: Warm Cloth Compress

If your eye stye is not leaving or its returning over and over we suggest you try this tried and tested home remedy which uses simple technique to soothe your eyes. One of the best thing that happens when you use the warm compress technique is that the inflammation slowly starts to reduce, the circulation speeds up and rupture is believed to occur faster. The best technique to achieve this is to take a bowl of hot water and a clean hand towel or clean washcloth. Now, dip the towel or washcloth in hot water and wring out the excess. Now place the washcloth or towel over the infected eye. And repeat when the towel becomes cold again. You can continue this until the stye ruptures and pus starts coming out. Keep applying the compress to help all the pus to come out .

Tip 2: Use Coriander Seed Water

Coriander Seed water is one of the most common and age old technique to rescue and eliminate bacteria that cause eye styes. The trick is to make sure that you take a spoon of the coriander leaves and add it to boiling water. Once boiled for 5-10 minutes, drain the seeds and use the water to clean and wash the eyes every day three times until you see an improvement in the eye stye. In cases where there are two stye in eyes, use separate washcloth.

These tips along with proper eye care and proper hygiene ensure that eyes are not subjected to infections and styles in the future. If you continue getting stye over time, you must find out it you have blepharitis where your eyelids are inflamed and there are inflammation of the follicles in the eyelash.

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The effects of viewing 3d Movies

Kids and even adults enjoy 3d movies which surely answer why there are thousands of 3D movies launched every year throughout the world. The experience of viewing a movie or video in 3D is definitely more exciting than viewing it in plain 2D.In the recent years more and more movies have been made with the 3D technology but are these anyway harmful for the eyes? The answers are debatable, since no long term studies have been able to determine the effects of 3d glasses on the eyes. Most 3d movie theatres and even home 3d televisions come with glasses specially designed to create the 3d effect.

For normal people watching 3d movies can be an easy task but for people wearing eyeglasses it can become a tough work. Fitting the 3d eyeglasses over their existing eyeglasses becomes a tough work and even after fitting it many people complain of headaches, lightheadedness, eye strain, motion sickness and more. But even though these problems might exist for some, most symptoms go away moments after people stop wearing these glasses or stop watching these movies.

Lots of people find that these glasses are really disturbing to keep on their noses and for people who already wear eyeglasses, fitting the 3d glasses over their existing ones seem ridiculous. Most 3d games and even theatres issue safety notices to their users. 3d games suggest kids and especially kids below the age of 6 years to not indulge in too much viewing of 3d images and videos.

But there is still debate over whether it’s OK to indulge in 3d videos and images on a regular basis. For most people watching 3d videos and indulging in 3d games will not give them any trouble at all. If your kid complains of eye problems, vision loss or complains of blurry vision, take them to a trained eye doctor or ophthalmologist and get their eyes checked.

For most people watching a 3d movie using a 3d glass will have no more effect than – tired eyes, eye straining, motion sickness, lightheadedness or headaches. Most of these symptoms go away on their own so one does not need to take any additional precautions or aftercare. But if you’re a hardcore movie buff then you can get specialized eyewear or eyeglasses; prescription glasses or get clip on 3d glasses that attach to your existing glasses and provide better vision. So, enjoy your 3d movies and enjoy your 3d games without thinking about your eyes.

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Understand Your Prescription

GKB Opticals is your one stop destination for all eyewear requirements, from sunglasses to eyeglasses to contact lenses, you will find a plethora of choice. While most online websites might have a really complicated and confusing prescription lens ordering portal, GKB Opticals has simplified the process; but it surely makes it easier when you have a good knowledge about the different parts of your prescription.

SPH:

SPH or Sphere is the value that indicates the amount of vision correction required for farsightedness or nearsightedness. If it’s a Positive sign, it means you have a farsighted prescription; if it’s a negative value, then you are nearsighted.

CYL:

CYL means Cylinder power and this is the value that’s used to denote the amount of astigmatism you have. This value can be a positive or a negative value and if left blank then it means you don’t have astigmatism.

AXIS:

Axis is the value that denotes the direction of your astigmatism. The direction of your astigmatism will be a value between 1 to 180 degrees and will also indicate the angle at which the lens should be set into the frame.

PRISM:

‘PRISM’ of ‘PRISMATIC POWER” denotes the amount of Prismatic power required for your spectacles. This is usually applicable for people who have eyes that have problem working together simultaneously. This value is usually used to align the eyes and also correct the muscle imbalance that is common among patients with such eye problems. Also it is used to eliminate and reduce the double images and headaches that are likely to appear from the eye problem.

BASE:

The BASE value is mainly used by the optical lens manufacturing lab to indicate where your prismatic power should be applied for proper lens dispersal. This is important value that accompanies the PRISM value and is mainly required by the Optical lab.

VA:

Visual Acuity or VA stands for the standard of vision in both eyes after the corrections. This value is represented in fractions. The larger the denominator, the worse the eyesight in that particular eye.

ADD /NEAR:

ADD or NEAR is the value which represents the NEAR ADDITION and is used to indicate the amount of additional correction required for better reading. This is the value of eye correction required for reading at the arm’s length.

DISTANCE: If you’re getting Bifocal lenses, this value will tell the lens manufacturing lab the amount of correction to be added to the top segment of the lens. Also the value specifies the amount of correction required to improve far vision.

PD: This many or may not be mentioned on the prescription and sometimes you may need to ask your doctor to measure it for you. PD or Pupilary Distance is the distance between the two centers of your pupils. This distance is usually measured by Millimeters and is usually written in two formats. One format mentions the total distance from one pupil to the other and in some cases the distance from the centre of the nose is mentioned separately. For the first type, the value can be denoted in this way: 55(55m) or for the each eye method the values can be L28 R 29.

 

So, these are all the information you will need to understand your prescription. Understand and take note of your prescription for the best online ordering experience and even if you’re getting lenses offline, knowing the abbreviations and their meanings will surely make you a smarter shopper.

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How To Take Care Of Contact Lenses Properly

How many times did you wish you could get rid of those ugly spectacles and enjoy your spectacle free look? Then, contact lenses are one of the best ways to achieve a natural clean look without losing the vision correction.

Contact lenses are available in multiple variants and are suitable for most individuals, and their vision needs. Whether you’re a sports person or a retired person, contact lenses are perfect for you. All you need is the knowledge to take proper care of your contact lenses so that you can enjoy them without stressing.

How to Wear and Remove Contact Lenses:

Wearing and removing contact lenses are quite tricky and it might take you a few tries before you get the hang of it. But once learnt you can do it easily and without thinking twice. Here are a few simple tips to keep your first time contact lens wearing experience pleasant.

  • First get your eyes checked by a trained eye specialist and consult whether you are a good candidate for contact lenses. Though contacts suit most people, it’s best to be sure before you invest in pricey contacts.
  • For people who need vision correction the whole day, then contacts can act as a good option? But choose one with high water content and according to your prescribed type. Some of you might be prescribed to wear Gas Permeable contacts while some may be advised to wear soft contacts.
  • Avoid cosmetic lenses, and try to wear contacts made especially for your vision problem. Choose from brands like Alcon, Bausch & Lomb and Johnson & Johnson.
  • For first time users trim your nails and make sure you wash your hands with an unscented soap and water and let it air dry.
  • Then take out the contacts from its case and place it on your palm and use contact lens solution to moisten it. Then take the lens on your right hand index finger and hold your upper eyelid with your left hand.
  • Looking into the mirror use your ring and little finger to hold your lower eyelid down so that you can get an unobstructed view of the eyes. Now place the lens on your eyes and move your eyes quickly so that the lens settles into the right place.
  • Keep blinking quickly to produce tears for the lens to get placed successfully. And repeat on the other eye in the same manner. Don’t rub your eyes and use a bit of eye drops to calm the eyes and reduce the redness.

Taking care of your Contact Lenses after wearing:

For lenses that have a wearing time of more than a day, you will need to store them in special containers and disinfect them so that they don’t get contaminated. Here are some quick  tips to avoid problems like infections and eye discomfort with long wearing lenses.

  • Always remove and wear lenses with clean hands and use lens solutions to moisten lenses prior to wearing.
  • Don’t over wear lenses, lenses come with a wear time and extended wearing the lens even after the suggested wear time will create problems for your eyes. Always keep a second pair at hand and throw away the lens as soon as the prescribed wear time is exhausted.
  • Always change your lens solution every day, and change your lens case every six months to avoid any infections.
  • Always use multipurpose lens solutions to clean lenses. Lens cleaning removes dust, dirt, proteins and bacteria from lenses and keeps them safe for wearing.
  • Don’t sleep with your lenses on, and alternate between the spectacles and lenses to avoid long term lens wearing problems like lack of oxygen supply to your eyes, changes in the thickness and shape of the cornea, formation of micro cysts and vision loss. Also possible eye problems include swelling of the cornea, dry eyes, inflammation, allergic reaction, infections etc.

So, be a smart contact lens wearer and take proper care of your contacts. Follow these tips and get the maximum use out of your contact lenses.

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How Computer Glasses Work – An Overview

Computer glasses are special glasses that are designed to provide the eyes comfortable vision while working on digital devices like laptops and desktops. Advancement of technology has made computers and laptops a part of our daily life and has become inevitable at our workstations too.

Computer glasses are mostly designed to eliminate the harsh lights emitted from the backlit screens used in digital devices such as desktops, laptops, tabs and mobile phones. Every day while we are busy at working on the digital screens or mobiles we don’t feel that we’re causing discomfort for our eyes. Eyes are really active organs which constantly work to provide us the clearest vision and give our brains the information to work properly.

When we work on digital screens we force our eyes to readjust focus on what’s in front constantly. When we shift from pictures to text our eyes quickly adjust focus to keep the text in focus. Our eyes also keep adjusting the focus while we shift between the keyboard and screen. Also improper lighting can aggravate the problem.

The main problem for people working on digital devices for extended period is the aftereffects and eye problems faced while working. The most common symptoms of eye problem resulting from use of computers and digital devices are known as Computer Vision Syndrome or CVS.

The main problems experienced in CVS headaches after using digital devices, blurry vision, neck pain , eye strain, eye redness, fatigue, dry eyes, irritation in the eyes, vertigo or dizziness, double vision, polyopia and problems in refocusing the eyes.

The scary fact is that National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has shared their findings that about 90% users, who spend 3+ hours before a computer, will face some symptoms of CVS. One of the main problems faced during using a digital device is the reflections and excessive blue-violet lights. Also when we read our eyes blink fewer times, causing straining in our eyes and also causing dry eyes. So, it’s really important that one uses some kind of eye protection to reduce the eye problems associated with computer vision syndrome.

The Best way to reduce eye problems and increase your chances of keeping your eyes unaffected from the harsh lights from computer screens, computer glasses are the best solutions. Computer glasses are really useful to keep eyes more relaxed and feeling easy while you work on the computer. These glasses are specially tinted to reduce the amount of light passing to your eyes which reduces the eye fatigue. Also computer glasses come with an anti glare coating which is said to reduce the unnecessary reflections and block excessive lights, also causing eyes to feel more relaxed.

Computer glasses are formulated to block and reduce the amount of light that enters our eyes. Blue light focuses in front of the retina and forces our eyes to constantly shift it’s focus to keep the object/ text/ image in front in focus. This makes it tough for our eyes to keep up and causes fatigue. So, wearing a specially crafted computer glass eliminates the constant need to keep focusing and reduces fatigue.

So if you’re spending more than three hours in-front of a computer or digital screen opt for computer glasses and reduce your eye straining and fatigue.

 

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Tips for Protecting Your Glasses

Your glasses are important and whether or not you wear them daily, it’s required that you keep them safe. Eyeglasses can wear off with regular wear and tear and both the Eyeframes and lenses can get damaged with regular use. Lenses can get scratched with regular usage from things like clothes, dust etc and from other mishaps. Also if not stored properly it can get scratched from foreign objects which are stored together. This makes it important to keep it safe throughout the day.

Here are the steps you should take to keep your glasses protected everyday.

tips-to-protect-your-glasses

 

Step 1: Keep Your Glasses in A Case

We all know that keeping spectacles open or in a space where it can come in contact with sharp objects is not at all advisable, but we mostly disregard this. Sometimes we keep spectacles in bags or purses or in pockets, forcing them to get scratched by items like keys, coins, pens and many more things. IF you wear polycarbonate lenses with coatings, this will make visible scratches on your lens surface and damage your lenses over time. Scratches damage the coatings like UV coatings, dust free or water resistance coatings and create disturbing scratches on the surface. Glass lenses show more resistance to scratches but nonetheless keeping them safe in a box is required. Always use spectacle cases for your eyeglasses when they’re not in use.

Step 2: Clean properly

Another mistake that most spectacle wearers make is not using appropriate cleaning solutions and soft cloth for cleaning lenses. Everyone has at least once used their clothing’s to clean their glasses on the go, since they got soiled or needed immediate cleaning. But lenses can get damaged when proper cleaning solutions or cleaning cloth is not used. It’s advised to use either lint free clothes or microfiber cloth to clean the lenses.

Also use proper solutions for cleaning the lenses like lens cleaning solutions meant to be used for lens cleaning. Or use plain water to wipe off the dust particles in running water and wipe gently with a microfiber cloth.

Step 3: Know When to Replace your Lens or Frame:

It’s necessary that you know when to replace your lenses or frame. Lenses and frame both get worn out with regular use and it’s necessary that you know when to replace your lenses. The time to change your lenses can be when your lenses get scratched too much or if they start developing cracks. Sometimes your visit to the doctor might indicate that your prescription has changed. For spectacles frames, when your frames show signs of damage like peeling, or breaking of parts, or damage to the nose bridge or the temples, you might want to get a new pair as soon as possible.

It’s easy to change your lenses or frames; you can do it at a shop or buy it online. For online purchases, you can choose www.gkboptical.com and choose from a wide variety of 1450+ frame designs and many lens packages to suit your needs and budget. You can choose from designer Eyeframes or simple affordable eyeglass frames whichever your requirement is. You can also choose between full rimmed, half rimmed or rimless Eyeframes depending on your face shape or the look you personally prefer.

You can get rimless frames if you’re looking for a clean look where your glasses create the least obstructions. These frames also are quite weightless so you’ll feel as if your spectacles have lost weight. Rimmed frames offer a change in your look and give you a more polished professional look. Whereas full rimmed frames help to give you a differen look altogether.

No matter what frames or lenses you get, it’s important to get scratch resistant lenses to reduce lens damage. Also don’t take your glasses near high heat or very low temperatures where it can function properly. So these are some ways by which you can make your eyeglasses stay in great shape for a longer period.

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When Is The Right Time To Replace Your Eyeglasses

Eyeglasses or Spectacles might be one of the most popular and easy to use vision corrector but they are also prone to daily wear and tear. Many of us are aware of the importance of getting the eyes checked periodically and getting the right spectacles made for ourselves. But there are many people who do not know when they should stop using their existing spectacles and opt for a new one. Here are the clear signs which mean you need to change your spectacles right now!

When Is The Right  Time To Replace Your Eyeglasses – The Right Time To Replace Your Eyeglasses :

The Right Time To Replace Your Eyeglasses 11

There are some clear signs that can help you decide whether it’s time to toss out your old spectacles and get a new pair. We list them one by one:

  • Frame: You’ve been wearing your spectacles for quite a long time and your spectacle frame has become soiled or discolored. If you’re a daily eyeglasses wearer even titanium frames will slowly get damaged with daily wear and tear. So, keep a close lookout on the color, frame shape and fittings of your glasses. Sometimes you can get your frames re-fitted if the hinges become loose, but if they are beyond repair, check out a new pair. If your frame has nose pads and supports, check from time to time if they are in good shape, if you see them getting damaged it’s time to pick up a new frame. You can go for a wide range of frames .
  • Change in Prescription: If you’ve been told that your prescription has changed you will need to get new lenses done, which will mean throwing out the old lenses and sometimes even the frame. While you get new lenses done, chances are they will look better in a new frame, or better still, go for rimless ones that give better obstruction free vision. They are also aesthetically pleasing so they’re for the ones who don’t want to change their appearance
  • Lens Damages: Everyday our lenses accumulate dust and dirt particles and if wiped without proper care, these harsh particles can damage the coatings on the lenses and create unpleasant scratches on the lens surface. Even with regular storage and traveling, scratches become inevitable. Scratch Resistance coatings reduce the amount of scratches but they also get damaged with time. So if you’re feeling disturbed with the scratched lenses that are blocking your vision it’s time to toss your existing lenses or the eyeglasses and get a new spectacles done.
  • Trends and Fashion : Being aware of current eyewear trends is important if you want to look classy and well put together. Following latest eyewear trends need not mean changing your eyeglasses every week, but you can easily change them once in awhile or have two or more done to compliment your common dressing styles. So if you are still wearing frames that go back 5 years, check out some trendy new designs. There are a lot of contemporary,  classy and colorful frames available online making it easier to pick a style that’s just right for you.

So, now that you know when you should replace your eyeglasses, get some new ones done through GKB Opticals. Shop eyeglasses from a great range of trendy spectacle frames for any age, preference and budget and choose from the most affordable as well as premium brands. Enjoy supreme quality, fast shipping, free returns along with top class customer support for the smoothest online eyewear shopping experience.

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Regular Aspirin May Be A Factor For Macular Degeneration

Aspirin Use

Regular aspirin users are susceptible to develop wet form of age related macular degeneration in comparison to people who don’t take the drug. It is one of the widely used drugs in the whole world. It is mainly used for easing out pain. Macular degeneration is a primary cause for blindness and it is on the rise. The wet form accounts for quicker vision loss in comparison to the dry one. In the wet form new blood vessels grows under the retina which break open and leak which causes the scar tissue to form.

With time the scar tissue clouds the primary vision but apparently the cause is not clear. The only risk factor besides age is smoking. Different kinds of studies have been observed to understand whether aspirin may damage the eyes directly. Theory says that it can affect the immune system which may be chronically over stimulated that causes damage at the back of the eye.

Aspirin Use

For various reasons many experts and researchers agree that no should stop taking aspirin as directed by their doctor because of their study. According to an expert it has been observed that risk of getting macular degeneration is still relatively slight. Anyone who is taking this drug and is of a age where they can be at risk they are the people who want to get their retinas checked. Research also says that eye exams on a regular basis are important especially if a close relative has AMD. Then again, even after 15 years 63 people who have been studied 15 regular users and 48 who rarely took it had developed the wet form.

So, we can conclude that although not a dominant factor but it can be a cause for the damage of your eyes which leads to AMD. So, it would be best if you can limit your aspirin use to a bare minimum.