It’s safe to say that social distancing has gone longer than most of us originally anticipated, but never forget that at Adelaide City Optometrist, we’re here for you. Every day, we’re doing our best to look at the current government restrictions and see what changes we can make to keep putting your health first.
For the past 2 months, we have been encouraging our customers to book their appointments for May in the hopes that by then, this may be all over. However, the closer we move to May, the less likely this idea becomes.
In the next few weeks, we are looking to make some small changes in our schedules to open up our appointment books once more, but still have your safety at the forefront of our mind.
Starting the 4th of May, we are beginning to offer all regular appointments again although there will be some small extra steps we’re taking to look after your safety. All appointments booked will have a 20-minute gap left between the last to ensure that if we run late or you’re running early, there is never more than 1 of you in our practice at once. We will also continue to schedule appointments for any order collections or frame repairs/fittings to continue the trend of only allowing one customer in our studio at once.
But in the meantime, we want to be able to still offer you all the advice and help we can from the comfort of your own home. From tossing and turning because of a sleep disorder, sore eye muscles or having issues with tear production; below we’ve made a list of the most common eye conditions we’ve encountered during Coronavirus and we’ll do our best to help you solve them.
DRY EYES
What is Dry Eye?
Those who suffer from chronic dry eyes often complain of scratchiness, blurred vision, tired eyes, eye irritation, stinging/burning and more. Symptoms of dry eye may occur consistently but can also occur after specific scenarios such as being on an airplane, being on your computer, while riding a bike or in an air-conditioned room.
What causes Dry Eye?
Dry eyes are a common problem caused by not producing enough tears or a lack of lubricant produced for your eyes. For your eyes to be well lubricated, there should always be a layer of tears on the surface. Tears on the eyes surface help to clear away dust and debris while also keeping it moist. Tears consist of 3 important components. These are an oily component, a watery component, and a mucus component. If one of these components is not present the tears will be unable to adequately lubricate your eye.
How do I fix Dry Eye?
If untreated dry eyes can cause significant inflammation, an eye infection or even scarring. Common solutions include the short-term use of artificial tears (solutions) and minor behavioural modifications (eg. Less computer use, use sunglasses when bike riding, etc.).
POOR SLEEP
What is it?
Having poor sleep can be due to many different circumstances such as stress, change in routine and more. But when examining the options, your eyes can also play a large part. We have had many calls about patients experiencing poor nights of sleep and the most common cause of this is excessive technology use. Whilst working from home we are using technology (digital screens) more and more leading to much more blue light exposure than we are used to which affects our sleep.
What causes it?
Our brains associate blue light with daytime. So excess blue light exposure can trick our minds into believing it is daytime and then when it’s time to go to bed, many of us are struggling. At the end of the day, our eyes feel tired and often ache even when closed.
How do I fix it?
Something as small as the angle you view your screen at may reduce glare and soften the light on your eyes. A blue light blocking lens may be advised by your optometrist but this may also be fixed by small routine changes. Limiting technology use throughout your day and stopping any technology use 2 hours before bed will help you fall asleep easier when nighttime comes. If these problems persist, however, book an eye test with your optometrist for other solutions.
EYE STRAIN
What is Eye Strain?
Eye strain is a common condition that occurs when your eyes become tired after extensive use. Common symptoms include headaches, sore eyes, blurred vision, difficulty concentrating and more. Eye strain often goes away once your eyes are rested by sometimes may require more tests due to underlying problems.
What causes Eye Strain?
The cause of your eye strain is dependent on your daily life and routines. Those who have excessive computer and technology use suffer from eye strain due to large amounts of blue light entering your eyes. Whereas eye strain caused by driving is caused by your eyes long periods of your eyes working without rest. If experiencing eye strain frequently, it is recommended to visit your optometrist to examine the causes of your eye strain the necessary steps to fix it.
How do I fix Eye Strain?
Often rest will be the best solution although this is determined by the cause of your eye strain. For example, those who experience eye strain due to exposure to excessive amounts of blue light may need to invest in glasses with a blue light blocking lens. If unsure of what is causing your eye strain, book an appointment with your optometrist to find out the cause.