Monthly Archives: June 2022

How should you correct your vision? Should you wear eyeglasses or contact lenses? Or what about LASIK? When deciding among the three options, you’ll want to take into consideration your lifestyle, what’s most comfortable for you and of course, your budget.

For example, eyeglasses offer some benefits over contact lenses such as:

• They require little cleaning and maintenance and you don’t have to place them directly on your eyes to wear them, which decreases your risk for eye infections and irritations.
• Glasses can be less expensive over time than wearing contact lenses, which have an ongoing cost of replacement lenses and lens solutions. (Both glasses and contacts, however, are affordable vision correction options.)
• Glasses also don’t need to be replaced as often as contacts.
• Glasses can be an extension of your personality and make a great fashion statement since there are so many great styles to choose from.

As for contacts, they, too, have advantages:

• Contacts conform to the curvature of your eye and provide a wider unobstructed view.
• Contact lenses can be more convenient when playing sports or exercising. Glasses can be damaged or lost.
• Most people can’t tell you’re even wearing contacts.
• Contacts won’t fog up in cold weather like glasses or steam up when you’re cooking over a hot stove.

There’s also LASIK, short for laser in-situ keratomileusis, a popular vision correction surgery that can help people who are nearsighted or farsighted or who have astigmatism. LASIK works by reshaping your cornea, the clear front part of your eyes so that light focuses on the retina in the back of your eye. Not everyone is a good candidate for LASIK eye surgery, but many people with nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism can have their vision corrected by LASIK.

Some examples of issues that can be corrected by LASIK:

• Seeing nearby objects but having a hard time seeing objects in the distance
• Seeing distant objects but having a hard time seeing objects that are nearby
• Having a moderate degree of astigmatism, which causes overall blurry vision

While there’s an upfront cost to the surgery, LASIK’s big advantage, of course, is that you no longer have to worry about either glasses or contact lenses.

Are you ready to take the first step toward improving your vision? Contact us today to request an appointment. Following a thorough eye exam, we can help you determine the vision correction method that makes the most sense for you. Just call (801) 476-0494.

No matter how well you take care of your eyes, you’ll probably deal with common eye problems and irritations at some point. It’s not uncommon to wake up with red or itchy eyes or have days where your eyes just feel irritated. These issues can be increasingly common if you use a computer for work most days or during high allergy season.

Here’s a list of pretty common irritants that will lead to dry, itching, irritated eyes and what to do about it.

Allergies: Pollen, mold, pet dander, and dust are common culprits. Most folks experience some seasonal eye-watering and itchiness during allergy season, or when they’ve been exposed to an irritant. Taking a daily over-the-counter medication can help keep allergies down during peak season. Make sure to start taking one for a few days if you’re feeling your allergies creep up. You can also purchase over-the-counter eye drops that help with allergies, too.

Lack of sleep: When you miss out on enough shut-eye, you can see pretty negative effects. Not getting enough rest can lead to redness at the very least, dryness, and general irritability of your eyes. Of course, getting more sleep helps, but if you can’t do that, try a cool compress on your eyes for a few minutes or a moisturizing eye drop!

Skincare products: Did your sunscreen or moisturizer run into your eyes? Did you forget to take off mascara before bed? Most over-the-counter products are safety tested and won’t cause lasting damage, but still can cause irritation. Make sure to remove all makeup before bed to prevent irritation and if you get any skincare product in your eyes, simply flush eyes with cool water for a few minutes.

Rubbing your eyes: When you rub your eyes or touch them without washing your hands first, you can introduce irritating germs. Try not to rub your eyes, when you can. If you do need to, make sure to wash your hands first! You can also use a warm or cool compress to soothe irritated eyes.

Computer use: Staring at the computer (or any electronics) for a prolonged time can cause eye strain. To avoid this, make sure you’re taking periodic breaks from your computer. We sometimes call this the 20-20-20 rule. Every twenty minutes take twenty seconds to look at something at least twenty feet in the distance.

Dry air: We live in a dry climate. Dryness and dust in the air can cause irritation, as well. Moisturizing eye drops can help. Generally, you can use these two or three times a day to keep your eyes moist. It can also be helpful to sleep with a humidifier or keep it running during the day.

But also know that if you have any questions, you should always feel free to call an eye doctor. A good one will have someone in reception that is knowledgeable enough to let you know when you need to come in. However, if you’re experiencing pain or changes in vision with the above symptoms, that’s when you know to call to schedule an appointment. Your doctor should usually be able to get you in on the same day to see what’s going on and help you find the right answers.

Have questions about your vision, how to prevent eye damage, or need to talk through an issue? Please reach out to us at Utah Eye Centers! We can help you to examine your options. We look forward to meeting with you!