Blog

A pair of colored contact lenses can be the perfect final touch to a great Halloween costume. Our eyes are often the first things people notice about us, so they can play a huge role when we dress up as someone (or something) else. Costume contact lenses could make you a much more convincing zomb...

Most of the time, when we hear the word “blind,” we think that means total blindness, but it’s not always that simple. There is a wide range of visual impairment beyond what glasses can correct, and it’s important for sighted people to understand what that range is so that we will be bett...

Eye protection is easy to remember at work or when we play sports, but what about when we’re at home? Over a million eye injuries occur in people’s homes every year. That might sound scary, but the good news is that 90 percent of these injuries are preventable as long as we follow proper safe...

Give the gift of sight in support of World Sight Day. World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness and action to bring attention to the more than 1.2 billion people around the world who are blind or vision impaired due to lack of access to an eye exam and a pair of glasses. World Sight Day is on...

People have been using makeup to enhance their unique, natural features for thousands of years. Over the millennia, the priority with these beauty products hasn’t always been health, which might have something to do with the disturbing amount of lead-based powders in the history of makeup. You ...

Have you ever wondered how 3D movies work? Well the answer is different depending on what era of film you’re looking at, but the basic idea is to attempt to trick the eyes into thinking they’re not actually looking at a flat image, and it doesn’t work on everyone! A Brief History of 3D Film...

How long has it been since your last eye exam? A year? Two? Longer? How often should we be scheduling our eye exams, and what are some good reasons to come in between regular appointments? If you aren’t sure, then you’ve come to the right place, because we’re here to discuss the reasons to ...

When playing sports, we often take precautions to protect our arms, legs, fingers, and so on from unnecessary damage. While all of that is great, it’s even more important to protect our eyes. Some sports actually require protective eyewear, but even for the ones that don’t, we need to recogni...

The more we rely on digital screens for our jobs and our entertainment, the more strain we put on our eyes. All this screen time has resulted in over 60 percent of adult Americans reporting symptoms of digital eye strain, such as eye fatigue, headaches, neck or shoulder pain, eye irritation, itch...

Have you heard that eating carrots will give you great night vision? That’s actually a leftover idea from World War II propaganda. The British didn’t want enemy soldiers to learn about their new radar technology, so they claimed their airmen got their night vision by eating carrots! Whether o...

One of the first phrases that comes to mind when people think about eyesight is “20/20 vision.” We’ve heard since we were children sitting in the school nurse’s office waiting for our turn looking at the big E chart that 20/20 vision is the best, but what does it mean? Let’s take a look...

Human eyes are complex and powerful organs, but there are a few animals who have us beat when it comes to eyesight. Let’s take a look at some of the best peepers in the animal kingdom and find out what makes them so different from ours! Difference Between Human And Animal Vision All eyes work b...

A good pair of sunglasses is a wonderful thing to have on a bright summer day, but why is that? How do our sunglasses work? It’s not just about the dark tint. Different lenses have different effects, and knowing what those are enables you to choose the sunglasses that are best for you! The Colo...

The summer is a wonderful time to relax and enjoy ourselves, but that doesn’t mean we can slack off on eye safety. No matter what kind of summer water activity you like best, make sure to follow these safety tips to keep your eyes healthy and protected while you’re underwater. Always Wear Gog...

Have you been struggling to convince your child to wear their glasses? Many children struggle with getting used to glasses, whether it’s because they fear being teased or because the glasses feel strange on their faces, so how can we as parents make our children more excited to wear their glass...

Sunscreen and shade are essential to keeping our skin protected when enjoying time in the sun, but what about our eyes? Eyes need protection from the sun too! Let’s look at a few ways you can keep your eyes healthy when vacationing so that you can enjoy every precious moment. Choosing The Right...

Over 20 million adults age 40 and older and half of seniors 80 and older have cataracts, and that’s just in the US. Because cataracts are so common, it’s important to know what they are, their symptoms, and how they can be treated. The Basics Of Cataracts Normally, the proteins inside the len...

Makeup is a wonderful tool to help enhance the natural beauty we were born with. There are so many different types of makeup with many different effects. However, things can get a little complicated for glasses-wearers. Sometimes it feels like all our hard work is for nothing because the glasses ...

There’s something about a fireworks display that brings out feelings of childlike wonder in all of us. The last thing we want is for that enjoyment to be marred by eye injuries, but unfortunately, this happens far too often. Handle All Explosives With Care Fireworks might just seem like harmles...

Pink eye is a common eye infection that ten percent of people experience at some point in their lives. Fortunately, it isn’t serious and there are plenty of things you can do to relieve the symptoms, but it’s important to be able to recognize it in case it happens to you or a family member. W...

You might think eyebrows are just for making expressions and eyelashes are just for flirting, but there’s a lot more to them. Thick lashes and dark eyebrows are in right now, so these two facial features are getting a lot of attention in the fashion department. But do you know that they serve a...

One of the first things we notice about someone when we meet them is their eyes. The color, the shape, the expression, the eyelashes and eyebrows. In this post, we’re just going to focus on the color, because it’s a lot more complicated than you might expect! How Common Is Your Eye Color? The...

It doesn’t take much to irritate the surface of our eyes. Something as small as a speck of dust could make our eyes go from fine to itchy and watering in a second, but this sensitivity serves the crucial function of protecting our eyes from contaminants. Common Irritants Let’s take a closer l...

With summer almost here, many of us are looking forward to spending a lot of time outdoors. Before we head out, though, we need to make sure we’re protecting ourselves from the sun’s UV rays, both with sunscreen for our skin and with sunglasses for our eyes. Why We Need UV Protection We all k...

There is so much more going on with our eyes than we often realize. The eye is one of the most complicated organs in the body, with so many different parts working together to take the patterns of light bouncing off objects around us and converting them into the continuous stream of images that g...

Exercising for good health is a top priority for many people. We exercise to build strength, stay fit, and feel good. Staying active is crucial to overall health, including lowering our risk of chronic health problems like type 2 diabetes, heart conditions, and high blood pressure, but did you kn...

Tears play a vital role in the health and function of our eyes. That’s what makes dry eye such a serious problem. Tears serve as our eyes’ first line of defense against irritants like dust and germs, washing them away with every blink. They also enable our eyes to turn and swivel comfortably....

Haiti is a country with a population of 10 million people and only three optometrists. Learn how Vision Source is working to change that. Vision Source and Optometry Giving Sight officially open Haiti’s first optometry school, l’Université d’Etat d’Haiti on April 12th, 2018. Support...

Men and women have plenty of differences, but did you know that some of them have to do with eyesight and vision health? While men are more prone to eye injuries for various reasons, women are more susceptible to eye diseases. So what problems should women be on the watch for? Common Vision ...

Most people who start needing glasses or contacts while they’re young have at least one of three common vision problems: myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. These are all refractive errors, which means they’re problems with the way the eyes focus light, rather than an eye disease. Refractive ...

Over the last couple of decades, the internet has changed just about every aspect of our lives. From the way we shop to the way we gain information to the way we connect with friends, the Information Age is a very different world. The internet has made so many things easier, but sometimes that co...

Spring is in the air...and that means so are allergies. Seasonal allergies affect millions of people every year, and they can be particularly hard on our eyes, leaving them red, itchy, and watery. Why does this happen and what can we do about it? Why Do We Get Seasonal Allergies? While there are ...

Although men and women have a lot in common, there are a few differences when it comes to eyesight and vision health. Men have some advantages women lack, such as lower risk for eye diseases in general, but they also some disadvantages women don’t have to worry as much about. Let’s take a loo...

Have you ever experienced a strange disruption to your vision, such as zigzagging circles or a blindspot surrounded by wavy lines? If so, you may have had an ocular migraine. When you hear the word “migraine,” you probably think of a painful headache, typically worse than an ev...

We cry for all kinds of reasons: a stubbed toe, a particularly poignant scene in a movie, freshly cut onions — the list goes on. Would it surprise you to learn that, chemically, not all tears are the same? Or how about that even though we usually do it when we’re upset, crying is actually goo...

Anyone who doesn’t have color blindness might expect it to work like black-and-white photography. It’s actually more complex than that. There are different types of color blindness, and whether or not you have it is almost always dictated by your genes. The Genetics Of Color Blindness Color b...

Whether you prefer glasses or contacts, there are specific things you need to do to take care of them. This is one area where glasses-wearers have it easier — no matter how well or poorly they maintain their glasses, it won’t impact the health of their eyes, which is not at all the case with ...

Laughter lines, retirement, and grandchildren are a few of the benefits of growing old. One of the drawbacks is the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). February is AMD Awareness Month, which makes it a good time to shine a spotlight on this progressive eye disease, which is the leadin...

Nearly two decades into the 21st century, most of us have nightly rituals that include checking our smartphones before bed. This might not be the healthiest way to end our days. Many eye doctors are concerned about the effects our screen time could have on our vision and our health, and the main ...

Contact lenses probably seem like a pretty recent invention, right? It’s true that they’ve only become popular in recent decades, but you might be surprised to learn that Leonardo da Vinci first sketched the concept of contact lenses way back in 1508! His version involved submerging one’s h...

Presbyopia, or farsightedness caused by reduced elasticity of the eye’s lens, affects nearly everyone older than 65. About 42 percent of Americans who are in their prime are nearsighted. For them, a simple pair of reading glasses can’t solve the problem of presbyopia, and that’s where bifoc...

If you wear glasses, you know the never-ending struggle to keep them clean of streaks, spots, smudges, and scratches. There are times when it’s tempting to just reach for the hem of your shirt, but if you want those lenses to last as long as they should, it’s important to clean them the right...

The optic nerve is what transmits visual data from the eye to the brain. When the optic nerve is damaged, our vision suffers. A group of conditions that threaten the optic nerve is glaucoma. In the United States, glaucoma is the second most common cause of vision loss and blindness, affecting thr...

Have your eyes ever felt gritty and watery after an outdoor adventure? Maybe you felt a burning sensation and suffered temporary vision loss? If this sounds familiar to you, you may have been exposed to high levels of UV rays from light reflections while boating, hiking at high elevation, or part...

Vision impairment impacts a person’s life in many ways, whether they are completely blind or have low vision. Fortunately, it doesn’t require much effort for those of us with healthy vision to make things easier for our vision-impaired friends and family to get around and feel comfortable whe...

From the moment we get up to the moment we go to bed, more and more of us are on our smartphones, tablets, computers or other digital devices. That’s a lot of eyeballs glued to a lot of screens. If you count yourself among the 90% of adults who spend two or more hours a day in front of a screen...

Have you ever seen someone with eyes that are two different colors? This fascinating trait is called heterochromia, and only six people in a thousand have it. It can happen in different ways and for different reasons. Even if you haven’t seen someone with different colored eyes, you’ve likely...

Just like learning how to walk and talk, your baby also has to learn how to see! There are many ways you can help them develop their visual skills, from the right types of toys to buy to the right types of games to play with them at certain ages. The First Six Months A newborn’s world is filled...

Many of us schedule our eye exams knowing we have plenty of questions for the eye doctor. What a lot of patients don’t realize is that they share quite a few of these questions with their fellow patients, particularly when it comes to common vision fears and issues. That’s why Vision Source®...

We all try to be good stewards of the earth. We go out of our way to recycle paper, glass, plastic. Many of us even compost. But what about daily disposable contact lenses? We wear them once then toss them. Good for our eyes, not so good for the planet. Here’s some good news that may surprise y...

Every organ in the body can be harmed by smoking, and that includes the eyes. The disease we usually think of when we hear “health risks of smoking” is lung cancer, but the damage smoking can cause isn’t limited to the lungs. A smoking habit can actually damage eyesight faster than disease,...

How many times have you stepped outside looking forward to feeling the sun on your face, only to wince at the sudden glare? The obvious remedy is sunglasses, but that can become complicated for those of us with prescription glasses. Short of buying a separate pair of prescription sunglasses or we...

It’s easy to make fun of the idea that Superman can hide his identity behind a pair of glasses. However, anyone who wears glasses knows that they can make a major difference to the way someone’s face looks. They’re almost like a customizable facial feature! This is why it’s so important t...

The American Diabetes Association estimates that 23.1 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes. At least another 7 million remain undiagnosed, and that still doesn’t include the additional millions who are considered pre-diabetic. But what does diabetes have to do with vision health?...

Can you imagine wearing glasses with lenses made of crystal? Your ancestors could. Corrective lenses have come a long way from when they were first invented, and we aren’t just talking about what they can do for different types of vision problems, but what they’re actually made of. Timeline O...

Hollywood’s portrayal of blind people has come a long way from the old stereotypes of canes and dark glasses. Especially with characters like Daredevil gaining popularity, it’s getting easier to find examples of fictional blind people being amazing. While blind people in real life don’t hav...

If you’ve taken a lot of pictures, you might have noticed that the photos don’t always turn out the same as what we see. Why does that happen? Eyes and cameras both see images and they have a lot of mechanical similarities, but there are still many differences between them. Organic Aperture: ...

More than 2.5 million eye injuries occur every year, and half of those injuries happen at home. The good news is that 90 percent of eye injuries are completely preventable if we follow eye safety instructions and use eye protection! Take Precautions With Those DIY Projects We normally associate s...

Do you find yourself squinting to read your computer screen, or struggling to read your smartphone, menus, magazines or labels? If you do, and you’re over 40, chances are you have presbyopia. Presbyopia Signs And Symptoms Presbyopia is the normal change that occurs as your eye ages because the ...

We all get older and so do our eyes, but there’s still a lot we can do to keep our eyes healthy as we age. Today, we’d like to go over a few of the most common age-related eye problems and offer tips on keeping your eyes healthy and strong. Be Aware Of Common Eye Problems Many of us will begi...

It’s always a good idea to schedule regular eye exams, but there are several reasons for visiting your optometrist between those regular appointments. What do we mean by “regular appointments?” Well, that varies, largely depending on age. Children should have their first eye exam at si...

Nobody likes accidentally jabbing themselves in the eye with a mascara applicator, but that isn’t the only eye health concern when it comes to cosmetics. Makeup and certain cosmetic products can sometimes trigger allergic reactions, so it’s always a good idea to be careful when trying a new o...

Let’s play ball! With school and many sports seasons starting up again, we’re all excited to gear up and get in the game! While we enjoy the fun, we should also take precautions against eye injuries, which are alarmingly common in sports. Sports Eye Injury Statistics Every year, 42,000 athlet...

Every year, more than ten million patients visit eye doctors for problems related to digital eye strain. It doesn’t take much to produce digital eye strain—as little as two hours in front of a computer per day gives you a 90 percent chance to develop it. This makes it the single most common c...

We’ve all heard that eating carrots will improve our vision. They may not give us super night vision, but eating them can help keep our eyes healthy. What we choose to eat is one of the most important variables to our health. It affects our weight, our energy levels, our risk of many types of d...

Another summer behind us, another school year just ahead. So much to do to get ready. As you rush around getting new school clothes and school supplies, don’t forget to schedule your student’s back-to-school eye exam. This is an essential step for school readiness because poor vision can be a...

Are you ready for the total solar eclipse on August 21? If you live in the continental US, this could be your best opportunity to see such a rare phenomenon! What Is A Solar Eclipse? The sun is about 400 times larger than the moon, but it’s also 400 times farther away from the earth, which is w...

Our eyes are easily the most complex sensory organs we have. Our ability to see the world around us in clear, precise images is frankly incredible. But since we are a diurnal (awake during the daytime) species, our night vision is nowhere near as powerful as that of many animals. Human Vision Tag...

With school starting up again soon, now is a great time to start thinking about scheduling an eye appointment for your child. Classroom Vision Problems Are Varied Experts estimate that 10 percent of preschoolers have a vision problem significant enough to impact learning, and being nearsighted or...

Have you ever wondered where that chart with the big E in every eye doctor’s office came from? The famous eye chart is actually called the Snellen Chart. It was named for the 19th-century Dutch ophthalmologist who first developed it. Glasses Before Eye Charts Glasses were invented in Italy arou...

Summer is the time for fun in the sun and in the water, but it’s definitely not the time to take a break from eye safety. Whether you love river rafting, surfing, water-skiing, deep sea diving, synchronized swimming, or just enjoying a leisurely swim at the local pool, you’re probably going t...

Have you ever wondered just what sunglasses do for your eyes, and how? It’s a little more complex than just dropping a dark filter over your vision. Different Tints Do Different Things Did you know that the color of your sunglasses’ lenses affects what they do for your eyes? This goes beyond ...

Is there anything more American than hot dogs on the grill and fireworks in the sky? We all enjoy a patriotic pyrotechnics display, but fireworks are not without their risks. Explosives Are Not Toys To anyone lucky enough to have never been injured by fireworks, they might just seem like exciting...

Summer is here and you know what that means–family vacations, impromptu getaways and fun trips! Just like you, we couldn’t be more excited. But we also want to make sure that when you leave on vacation, you continue practicing the good habits that keep your eyes healthy! Follow these tip...

Lucky for you, it may be high time for a new pair of shades! We’re surrounded by things with expiration dates, from the food in our fridge to the moisturizer we put on our face at night. Over time, the lightbulbs in our lamps go out and the paint on our houses fade. But what about your sunglass...

Many of us spend a good portion of our day looking at a computer screen—some averaging as much as 10 hours of screen time per day! Even if you don't have a desk job that requires a lot of time in front of a computer, it's important to understand the effects it can have on our bodies and our vis...

With so many vitamins available to us, it’s hard to know which ones you really need to keep an eye out for! Today we want to share with you two vitamins in particular that both benefit eye health and prevent vision loss—vitamin A and beta-carotene. What Are Vitamin A And Beta-Carotene? P...

Spring is on the horizon and we couldn’t be more excited! Chirping birds, blooming flowers, and warmer weather are just a few of the things we look forward to when spring comes around. We have to admit though, there is one thing about the season that’s not particularly appealing, and that’s...

You can do just about anything online nowadays. Whether you’re buying new clothes or earning a degree, if you have an internet connection, you can accomplish it online! But what about your regular eye exams? Is an online test sufficient enough for that? Put simply, the answer is no! Online Eye ...

Time to explore two of the most common refractive errors: myopia and hyperopia! Normally, Light Is Focused Directly Onto The Retina Before we delve into what it means to be nearsighted or farsighted, let’s first talk about how a normal eye functions. Vision occurs when light enters the eye and,...

Want to know what our patients have been asking us? Here are the top five frequently asked questions our Vision Source® members get at their practices! FAQ #1: “How often do I need to visit the optometrist?” For those of you who do not need glasses or contacts, we encourage you to get a...

Your glasses are a unique expression of your personality. And with a few simple makeup techniques, you'll really get the look you want. We all know that our glasses pose a unique challenge when we're applying makeup. If you're wondering how to flatter your new fames during your makeup routine, ch...

Fine works of art, delicious cheeses, and beautiful antiques all take on special qualities as they age. Old eyeglass frames may develop a charm of their own too, but wear and tear will eventually take its toll. Whether you're sporting a pair of vintage specs, or you've simply had your frames...

When nights grow longer, and our morning and evening commute is spent driving in the dark, seeing the road clearly is a much more difficult task. Driving With Visual Distraction Is Dangerous! Unfortunately, many people don’t take this fact as seriously as they should. Perhaps they’ve become s...

Your eyes need protection year-round. Wear Your Sunglasses–Even In Winter You may be surprised to hear that unprotected eyes can sustain just as much damage from the sun in the winter months as they can during the summer, and sometimes more! Did you know that snow reflects 80 percent of UV radi...

As you stare at an optical illusion you may wonder… are your eyes playing tricks on you? To fully understand how optical illusions work, it’s important to grasp that the visual system is made up of more than just our eyes. In fact, optical illusions don’t necessarily trick our eyes—they t...

Do you ever notice your child’s eyes crossing or moving in different directions? Just as babies slowly learn to walk and talk, they must also learn how to see and correctly use their eyes to experience the world around them. Learning to focus their eyes, move them and use them together accurate...

Red, itchy, and watery eyes? Needless to say, pink eye is no fun! What Is Pink Eye? Luckily, there are some precautions you can take to avoid pink eye and the discomfort it entails. But first, what is it exactly? Pink eye–also called conjunctivitis–is irritation or inflammation of the conjunc...

Properly caring for your contact lenses is synonymous with caring for your eyes. Contact lenses are safely used by millions of people everyday. They do, however, carry a risk of eye infection if worn or cleaned improperly. Your eyes allow you to see and experience the world around you, so it’s ...

Did you know that smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States? It is well known that smoking can lead to a number of lung-related diseases but in reality, the negative effects of smoking can be seen in almost every part of the body, especially your eyes. Smo...

Vision training exercises can improve key aspects of your game including depth perception, visual memory, and body-eye coordination. Strength and agility are not the only crucial skills on field or court. Many athletes overlook one of their best assets in their conditioning programs – their eye...

Don’t let vision correction stand in the way of the activities you love! We Provide Eyewear For Your Lifestyle We know that the eyewear you choose for everyday life may not exactly line up with your favorite after-work activities. If you’re an outdoor or sports enthusiast, managing your ...

Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases today. In fact, 29.1 million people in the U.S. have diabetes and millions more living with the condition don’t even know they have it. This November, Diabetic Eye Disease Month, we want to help raise awareness about the vision complication...

It’s that time of year again! Have you used all of your remaining vision insurance benefits? What Is Vision Insurance? Whether you received your vision insurance through an employer or you enrolled in a plan on your own, you may be curious how it works. Each plan differs based on your insurance...

While wearing glasses instead of contacts may shave a few minutes off your morning routine, it’s important to remember they're not completely maintenance-free. If you’re hoping to prolong the life of your favorite eyewear, there are a couple of simple steps you can take to make sure they look...

Can you guess where nearly half of all eye injuries occur? There are approximately 2.5 million eye injuries in the United States each year. To many people’s surprise, around 50 percent of these injuries occur at home. Make Your Home Safe For Your Sight When we hear the words “protective eyewe...

While some people are die-hard 3D moviegoers, others struggle to see the characters come to life and leap off the screen. Why is this? And what does it have to do with our eyes? 3D Entertainment Attempts To Imitate Normal Vision Put simply, 3D films attempt to imitate how we see things all t...

Is your vision a priority when you’re playing sports? Eye Injuries Can Happen When You Least Expect Them The crisp smell of freshly cut grass on the soccer field, the gleam of the basketball court before a game, the cheering fans at the football stadium, the feeling of the baseball bat, familia...

Most everyone has some degree of astigmatism. And yet many people are confused as to what astigmatism actually is. Vision problems such as nearsightedness and farsightedness fortunately have names that make them pretty easy to understand. But have you ever wondered what astigmatism is? What It Me...

Do you remember how old you were when you learned to drive? How about when you got your first cell phone? Many of us hit these milestones at different ages as we were growing up, but when it comes to contact lenses, how old is “old enough?” So What Is The Right Age For Contact Lenses? To answ...