It’s summertime – which means spending a lot more time outdoors. But while most of us will remember to wear sunscreen to protect our skin, it may be a little harder to remember that your eyes need protection, too.

Ultraviolet (UV) rays are invisible beams of light emitted by the sun. North of the equator, they’re strongest during the late spring and early summer. These rays can cause inflammation, tissue damage, and cellular injury when they comes in contact with the delicate structures within your eyes.

In fact, excessive sun exposure and UV-related damage can lead to a variety of eye disease, such as:

Photokeratitis, which is essentially an eye sunburn Inflammation of the cornea – appearing within a few hours of exposure Can be very painful, but damage isn’t usually long-term Pterygium, or “surfer’s eye” Growth of the conjunctiva on the surface of the eye May extend over the center of the cornea and reduce vision Can be removed with surgery Cataracts Leading cause of blindness in the world Enhanced by exposure to UV rays Cancer of the eye Scientific evidence suggests links between different forms of ocular cancer and life-long sun exposure

For the health of your eyes and the integrity …

If you live in a state where fireworks are legal, then it may be tempting to use some for your next backyard barbecue or upcoming July 4^th celebrations. However, unless you are a professional, fireworks should be considered dangerous and best left to said professionals.

According to data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, approximately 8,000 firework-related injuries were treated in US hospitals in the 2015 alone. Of those, approximately 16% of the injuries involved the eye or eyes. Injuries included burns, corneal abrasions, foreign object impalement, and irritation from smoke, ashes, and other chemicals. Sadly, these injuries are largely preventable if follow our tips on improving fireworks eye safety.

Never allow your children, yourself, or anyone in your family to play with fireworks.Please, for the safety of you and everyone around you, leave these to the pyrotechnic professionals. Remember, fireworks are not  Always supervise your children around sparklers.That same research from the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2015 revealed that over 2,700 injuries occurred due to sparklers and bottle rockets. To ensure you and your children’s safety, only hold one lit sparkler at the time, and be sure to keep it at an arm’s distance away from the face. Avoid …

Only two short years ago, the Ebola outbreak occurred in West Africa. Today, survivors are presenting with symptoms of post-Ebola Syndrome (PES) which include joint and muscle pain, and psychiatric, neurological, and eye problems¹. Researchers from the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Translational Medicine have recently conducted a study of these survivors to determine what effects Ebola had on the retina.

The ocular research team was led by Paul Steptoe, MD and the research group compared the eye exams of 82 survivors who had previously reported ocular symptoms and a control group of 105 unaffected individuals. The Daytona from Optos was used to conduct the non-mydriatic ultra-widefield retinal imaging portion of the study. The results of this research which has been published in the Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal, shows that approximately 15% of Ebola survivors examined do have a retinal scar which appears specific to the disease². According to researchers this is a reasonable conclusion based on the fact that the control group did not present with similar lesions and only demonstrated the common retinal issues that are present in a population prior to Ebola exposure.

Key Facts and Findings:

82 Ebola virus survivors (161 eyes, 2 missing retinal …

This June is Cataract Awareness Month, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology along with several other eye and vision care organizations want to stress the importance of early screening, early detection, and appropriate treatment of cataracts in order to preserve eyesight for anyone dealing with this condition.

What is a Cataract? Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, & Treatment

More than 24 million Americans aged 40 or older are currently living with cataracts. Cataracts are actually the number-one cause of vision loss and blindness worldwide. But for something so commonplace, very few people know how they can reduce their risk of developing cataracts.

The human eye is made up of many different parts, one of the parts in the front of the eye is the eye lens. The eye lens is a clear structure found directly behind the pupil; it helps refocus light entering the eye. A cataract causes a person’s lens to become cloudy and opaque, typically due to changes in the lens’ protein structure. This effectively disrupts the way light normally enters the eye, which will affect your vision.

Why does this happen? According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, there are a few known causes and risk factors, including:

Family …

This May is Healthy Vision Month. Of course, protecting your vision and eye health is important no matter what time of year, but by designating this month to eye health awareness, the National Eye Institute hopes to help Americans of all ages, lifestyles, and backgrounds take control of their health by making the necessary choices to ensure their vision and eyes are in top condition.

5 Things You Can Do to Help Protect Your Eye Health

Prevention of vision loss, blindness, and other symptoms of eye disease starts with you. Here are five simple things you can do that can drastically reduce your risk of complications from eye disease:

Commit to living a healthy lifestyle. What’s good for your body is good for your eyes. So, eat a balanced diet full of essential nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. Drink plenty of water to keep your body and your cells hydrated. Exercise regularly and maintain an ideal weight. If you have underlying health conditions, do what you can to manage these well. Always wear appropriate protective eyewear. Whether at work, in the lab, on the sports field, on the slopes, or doing any other task that poses a potential risk to your eye health, be sure that …

Prevent Blindness has designated April as Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month. The entire month is dedicated to women’s eye health in recognition of the ~3 million American women who suffer from vision impairment or blindness.

Many women neglect their own health needs, focusing instead on the health and wellness of their loved ones. This leaves many women vulnerable to undetected health issues, and as with other health conditions, the earlier an eye problem is detected, the better the chances are for treatment and recovery.

Regular and prophylactic health care is important for earlier detection of all health issues. Because the retina is the only place in the body where vasculature can be seen, non-invasively and because optomap captures 200 degrees of the retina in a single image, more ocular and non-ocular disease can often be detected, earlier. Therefore, we recommend to all eyecare professionals, that their female patients, especially those over age 40, include optomap as part of their comprehensive eye exam.

The following patient story illustrates how powerful optomap images are for patient education and care:

Lynette, 42 years old, came in for a routine eye exam. Her eye doctor, Dr. Anthony Clark, OD, from North Carolina’s …

As the leaders in ultra-widefield (UWF™) retinal imaging technology, Optos would like to invite you to join us at the International Vision Expo East (VEE) March 31 – April 2 at the Javits Convention Center in downtown NYC . This biannual expo joins the medical, business, and fashion components of eyewear and vision care. During VEE 2017, you’ll have the opportunity to obtain CE credits, learn techniques to improve your practice and get access to cutting-edge products and services. VEE also presents an excellent opportunity to network and socialize with eyecare experts and explore New York City.

Find out what’s new at Optos by pre-scheduling your demonstration or stop by our booth. Since last year, we have delivered new devices, software and imaging modalities that can help you diagnose and treat more ocular and systemic disease.

—Throughout the show, Optos will be at booth MS489, located in the Medical and Scientific Pavilion.

— Attend the Retinal Periphery Lunch and Learn: Retinal Disease: What the Periphery Holds, April 1, 2017, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, MS4977, Jeffry Gerson – OD, Grin Eyecare

Be our guest in the exhibit hall at VEE 2017 by clicking this link to receive …

March is National Save Your Vision Month. Each March, the American Optometric Association (AOA) launches a campaign to increase awareness about good eye care. The 2017 campaign is focused on two dangers to vision: digital eyestrain and the impact of blue light on vision and overall health.

Blue Light Exposure and Digital Eyestrain Awareness

Use of digital technology has exploded over the past decade, and as a result, blue light exposure has also increased. Blue light is on the short wavelength end of the visible spectrum.  Compared to longer wavelength light, blue light emits a higher energy, which penetrates deeply into eyes and can lead to overexposure. Blue light overexposure can contribute to:

— Long-term vision problems, shoulder and neck pain, and dry eyes

— Retina damage

— Cataracts

— Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

People who stare at screens for hours at a time often end up suffering from physical eye discomfort, known as digital eyestrain, which is caused in part by excessive blue light exposure. According to a 2016 AOA survey, the average person in the US spends seven hours a day using some type of digital device, so it is no surprise that sleep issues and eyestrain are on the …

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has now launched its long-awaited scientific journal focusing exclusively on the retina subspecialty of ophthalmology, Ophthalmology® Retina.

The first new scientific journal from the AAO in more than a century, Ophthalmology Retina is the AAO’s response to the rapid growth of high-quality research in retina-related eye diseases and conditions. The journal creates a channel through which researchers can publish retina studies results sooner and reach a greater number of retina specialists than ever before. And the publication chose to feature ultra-widefield retinal imaging (UWF™) from Optos, on it’s cover. Ophthalmology Retina is a subspecialty companion to its parent journal, the American Journal of Ophthalmology, one of the world’s most widely read medical publications.

Ophthalmology Retina is on track to become the preferred journal for research in this subspecialty. “There is a tremendous surplus of high-quality retina manuscripts that deserve exposure,” said David W. Parke II, M.D., CEO of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “Ophthalmology Retina will provide a premier outlet for this work. It will allow the Academy to better serve the scientific and ophthalmic communities by providing what we fully expect will be a very high-impact factor journal that builds upon the stature of the Academy’s …

Ultra-widefield (UWF™) optomap^® technology sets a new standard for early detection and diagnosis by providing a wider view of the retina coupled with superior imaging capabilities.

“If you are not looking at the peripheral retina, you don’t have the whole picture, and you are not able to adequately assess risk. This is why we need to look at everybody and see what is out there.” Dr Jeffry Gerson

optomap – Illuminating a Wider Landscape

optomap imaging reveals an expansive view of the retinal landscape, exposing issues otherwise left undiscovered and untreated. Increasing utilization of UWF technology is also changing the landscape of ocular health care.

Unlike exploration prompted by patient reports of symptoms or history of retinal problems, optomap imaging captures a high resolution, 200° digital image of the peripheral retina in addition to the central pole in a single dynamic image.

Dr. Jeffry Gerson of Grin Eye Care in Kansas City adopted optomap early and has observed firsthand the evolution of the technology over 13 years. Gerson recognized the value of UWF optomap imaging immediately. Today, he says he cannot imagine practicing without it.

“Initially it impacted how I practiced. Because of an increase …