Reflex Tears vs Emotional Tears

Basal tears are present all the time in healthy eyes, they come in two different types, reflex and emotional tears. Both of those types of tears are actually good for us. Reflex tears are the same as basal tears, but when our eyes get irritated, basal tear production goes into overdrive in the effort to safely flush out whatever was causing the problem. That is why we tear up when cutting up onions or when we get something in our eyes. Sometimes crying and then feeling refreshed and more positive about life afterwards is a good feeling, even though nothing really changed about the situation we started to cry for in the first place. Emotional tears actually clear out chemicals that build up in times of stress. It doesn’t just release pent-up emotion, it also purges harmful chemicals and triggers pain-regulating hormones. Which is why we feel better after crying.

Don’t Forget To Blink!

Many of us spend a lot of time in front of screens, especially in this modern time. Either working hard or hardly working, our eyes work harder to view these screens, putting us at risk of developing Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) which is also known as digital eye strain. People who spend 2+ hours every day are at the greatest risk of developing CVS because when we are focused on screens, we tend to blink less often which causes the eyes to be dry and irritated. We also tend to use devices that have a glare on the screen, which causes the eyes to constantly adjust between light and dark areas. Lastly, viewing screens at an improper distance or angle, usually too close which causes the eye muscles to work harder. To prevent computer vision syndrome, adjusting your devices to increase in font sizes or zooming can reduce straining your eyes.

Don’t forget the 20-20-20 rule, the best way to take breaks from your screen. Every 20 min, take 20 second breaks and look at something 20 feet away. This will reduce your risk of developing CVS and it also gives your eyes a chance to rest and refocus.

Protecting Your Child’s Vision

Do you see your child squinting or rubbing their eyes? If so, that may be a sign to get their eyes checked. Some other signs may be holding objects too close to their face, often covering one eye, being a bit clumsy, and struggling in school.

All of those are signs of taking your child to the eye doctor to make sure their eyes are healthy.

Maintaining Your Eye Health

You may think that since you can see well and your eyes are not bothering you, it’s still important to get your eyes checked on a regular basis to prevent problems from occurring. There are lots of silent eye conditions or don’t have any warning signs until your vision is lost. A few tips to keep your eyes healthy:

• Eat right: Eating healthy foods with antioxidants like beta carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E. That would be your colorful fruits and vegetables, especially berries and green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale. Salmon and tuna are also great nutrients for the eyes since they are high in omega-3.
• Keep your body healthy: Regular exercise and move daily to keep your weight, blood sugar, and blood pressure in the normal range. 
• Good hand hygiene: It’s easy to transmit germs, including viruses, into the eyes, possibly causing an infection so avoid rubbing your eyes and keep your hands away from your face.

Your Eyes & Diabetes

Diabetes does affect your eyes and you should be making regular eye doctor visits when you have diabetes. Blurry vision, cataracts, glaucoma, and retinopathy are problems that can occur with high blood sugar. Diabetic eye problems usually don’t have any symptoms in the early stages. Even if you think your eyes are healthy, it is important to do regular dilated eye exams.

Wash Your Hands!

While Covid-19 continues to evolve, wash your hands frequently. Covid-19 can enter the body through your eyes, if someone sneezes or coughs virus particles are in the air. It’s also possible to touch a surface, such as a door handle, that is contaminated with the virus and then touching your eye may become infected. Touching a contaminated surface and then touching your eye would be the worst because you could be exposed to the virus and a potential eye infection.

Color Blindness

There are an estimated 300 million people in the world with color vision deficiency. A fairly common condition in which you don’t see colors the traditional way. When cones (a type of nerve cell in your retina) aren’t working correctly. In order to perceive color, cones process light and images as they enter your eye and send signals to your brain. 

Dangers of Rubbing Your Eyes

We all rub our eyes thinking it’s a harmless thing to do. Most of us do it on a daily basis, whether it’s hay fever or a common cold or even just feeling tired and groggy. It stimulates tears to flow, lubricating dry eyes and removing dust and other irritants. When you press down on your eyeball it can stimulate the vagus nerve, that slows down your heart rate, relieving stress which can also be therapeutic. Although, rubbing your eyes too hard or too often can cause damage in many ways. It may cause tiny blood vessels to break, resulting in bloodshot eyes or dark undereye circles. Germs are also easily transferred from our hands, which can cause conjunctivitis infection. 

Animal Eye Knowledge

Human eyes are already interesting as is. Did you know that a shark’s cornea has been used in human eye surgery, as it is the most similar to the human cornea. Rectangular pupils? Never seen or heard of that one, but goats do have rectangular pupils to give them a wide field of vision. 

Us humans think we can see so many colors, but human eyes are not the most highly evolved. The mantis shrimp has four times as many color receptors as the human eye and some can see ultraviolet light too.

Ultraviolet Awareness Month

It is a golden time to highlight Ultraviolet Awareness Month since summer is right around the corner. Every human being of any skin pigmentation and age is susceptible to UV damage. Make sure to wear the proper UV blocking sunglasses and wide brim hat to protect yourself from the damaging UV rays. People with light-colored eyes (blue, green & hazel) need to make sure that they prioritize covering up with a hat and UV-blocking glasses. Some studies show that UV exposure and light irises may increase the risk of rare eye cancers such as melanoma of the iris or uveal melanoma.