We contradict 5 false myths about contact lenses

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Are contact lenses difficult to use? Can they slip behind the eye? Are all of them expensive? These are some of the rumours that exist about contact lenses.

Incorrect rumours that take away supporters to a treatment option of visual problems with many advantages. Biòptic explains to you the truth about contact lenses contradicting 5 myths, one by one.

 1. Do contact lenses play the same function as glasses?

Many people believe that contact lenses can only be used for certain visual problems, but these can actually correct all the visual problems, such as myopia, astigmatism, hyperopia and even presbyopia. The design of the contact lenses for presbyopia has advanced so much so that it exists contact lenses with progressive designs that allow to see at near and far distances. In fact, the contact lenses have the same function as glasses with the advantage that the visual area amplitude increases.

2. Are contact lenses uncomfortable, difficult to put on and maintain?

Since years ago, contact lenses are being made with a soft material, that allows great comfort. Moreover, your optician-optometrist will recommend you the adequate  type of contact lense according to your eye parametres. Depending on the hours you have to use them daily, the meaures of your eye and the graduation, the contact lense will be one or another.

To put on and to maintain them turns out to be easy with the advice of your optician-optometrist. Many of the designs nowadays are disposable, which allows one to wear for the first time contact lenses every day. The maintenance is very easy thanks to the multipurpose solutions.

3. Is my age appropriate to wear contact lenses?

To be able to wear contact lense does not depend on the age! The market offers a wide variety of contact lenses and therefore we can find appropriate contact lenses for all ages.

Many adult people prefer glasses because of an aesthetic question and others, such as sportsmen, because of a practical and security question, since there is no risk that contact lenses get broken if these fall down. With respect to children, a study says that 3 out of 4 children with glasses do not practise sport or do not play because they are afraid of breaking them and they would like to use contact lenses.

4.Can contact lenses slip behind the eyes and stick to these?

Both believes are false. Contact lenses can not slip behind the eye in any circumstance because this is physically impossible. And even though the eye can dry up, a correct usage of artificial tears will avoid any problem.

5. Are all contact lenses expensive?

In the same way that a variety of contact lenses exists to treat different visual problems, there are contact lenses that fit all budgets.

Consells per veure eclipsi solar

5 things you must know in order to see the sun eclipse

Consells per veure eclipsi solar

The fact that the moon crosses ths sun’s path creating an eclipse does not happen every day. In fact, the eclipse that will take place on Friday 20th March did not happen, in the same magnitude, since 1999. Some countries such a Denmark or some locations at the United Kingdom will see more than the 80% of a covered sun. Here we will also be able to see it clearly starting from 9:16am, according to the information given by the National Astronomy Observatory.

This same institution also gives us some advices in order to look at this astronomical marvel in a secure way.

How not to do it:

  • Do not look at the sun directly or with sunglasses. Since the sun is not completely covered by the moon, it keeps on annoying the eyes when we look at it fixedly and it can damage our eyes.
  • Do not  look at the sun with devices or instruments that are not specially adapted. The cameras of any type, binoculars or telescopes without the appropriate sun filtres are not recommended, either, to observe the eclipse. It must also be taken into account the homologation of the filtres that will be used.
  • Optic instruments are not recommended at all. The observatory does not recommend the optic filtres that are added to the eye, since these can overheat and break.

How to do it:

  • To project the sun image on some screen projected to a shadow. One of the ways to observe this phenomenon is projecting it on an even surface. Do not look to what it shows you, but look at the reflex that it makes.
  • To use “eclipse sunglasses”. With these filtres with a glass shape, one can look at the eclipsed sun without problems. But the glasses must be standardized by the European Community and must be used following the precise instructions. These must be used preferably while being seated and must not be taken out until one gives up looking at the sun and must not be combined with other optic devices.

Now you know how to enjoy the sun eclipse with maximum security guarantees for your sight. You can share this article if you find it interesting.

The election this summer: polarized glasses? 

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Despite the fact that polarized glasses exist since many years ago, these glasses are considered as fashion since three years ago. But, if the sales of this sunglasses style keep going during so many years is not only because these are fashion, but because of their usefulness.

When we put on sunglasses, the pupil gets dilated. This means that without an adequate protection against ultraviolet rays (UV), the sun can affect more negatively on our eyes and can even lead to lesions. In this sense, the polarized glasses can also offer a UV protection of the 100%.

Which other advantages do they have?

  • These fight light from all angles: the sun light reaches our eyes from all possible directions. In fact, there are typical situations in summer time that multiply the angles where the light comes from: the reflection of the sea water, swimming pools and asphalt. The polarized glasses have a special filtre that avoids all reflections coming from horizontal surfaces.
  • Vision without reflections that improves the visibility.
  • The clarity and contrast of what we see is superior.
  • These glasses are adequate for people with high sensibility to light and also for children.
  • As any other lens, this diminishes the eye fatigue.
  • These glasses can be prescription glasses.
  • Needs to be mentioned the fact that, as disadvantage, in some cases the polarized glasses diminish the visibility of cell phones screens, GPS or other devices. Despite this, these are the most recommended, even more for those who spend lots of hours under the sun light and are exposed to situations where the light reflection multiplies, such as, for example, people fond of navigation, beach or those who drive during many hours.

The 5 advices to choose appropriate sunglasses

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Do you know that the sun overexposure can cause eye problems such as photokeratitis (corneal injury) or favour the development of cataracts or macular degeneration? The election of appropriate sunglasses is not only a  matter of fashion, but a matter of visual health. Biòptic provides you with 5 advices in order to get right with your choice:

1. UV protection glasses:

It is essential to check the UV, ultraviolet rays abbreviation, grade. The need of more or less protection will depend on the glasses usage. During the summer, it is necessary a protection grade between 81% and 92% of absorption, which is adequate for a medium and high sun brightness.

Glasses must be used at all hours, since the UV rays, even though they are imperceptible, these are also present when cloudy days. Generally this information is indicated on the glass sticker.

2. Which type of glass must be chosen?

Polarized: this is the glass that protects the most par excellence. All the residual reflections are avoided with the polarized filtre.

Sunsitive: these glasses are used by sportsmen that play activities where they move from direct light to shadow; the glass varies its tone depending on the quantity of light.

Degraded: the most chosen glasses because of aesthetics reasons; the tone of these glasses is more clear gradually. That is, the upper part is darker and the lower part is more clear. These are adequate to wear indoor and when it is not very sunny.

Uniform: the colour of the glass is uniform and this is the most usual way we find sunglasses.

3. A frame that protects the eyes from all angles:

–The large variety of frames makes us choose the best one according to our face shape in order not to leave any crack where the sun can get into and also that these suit us:

–Heart shape face (wide forehead and pronounced chin): the aviator style of glasses is recommended.

–Square face (wide forehead and jaw): the glasses that are recommended in order not to give too much protagonism to the forehead are the oval glasses or those that do not have the upper line straight.

Round face (wide forehead and voluminous cheeks): one must not choose round shapes and select rectangular ones, which are glasses that are wide in the upper part and narrow in the inferior one.

4. Children, the most vulnerable to sun:

Do you know that it is not until the age of 12 that the crystalline is completely formed and the retina is not yet protected? In the same way that we protect children’s skin from the sun, we must also protect their eyes. Special care must be taken into account when protecting their vision.

5. Optician’s as quality filtres:

The best way to choose sunglasses is consulting experts. That is why going to the optician’s to find the sunglasses for this summer means a secure purchase. Listen to experts’ advice.

Which is the appropriate age for chidren to wear contact lenses?

This question, which is frequently asked by many parents is easy to answer: at any age. Nowadays it is possible to manufacture any graduation with cornea bio-compatible materials. In fact, it exists contact lenses that correct the myopia during the night (Ortho-K): For this reason, age does not mean a problem. The decision to put on contact lenses to our children, whenever they need them, is a matter of motivation.

General and specifici motivations must be taken into account. The general one is that children, during childhood, develop their space orientation from the visual sense. It is important to detect any anomaly and correct it with glasses or contact lenses. But contact lenses fit better to their activities, since they do not need to take these out in order to, for example, play sport. With their usage, we avoid the fact that their space orientation gets affected.

As specific motivations, we analyze the advantages according to the optometrist diagnosis:

Which advantages do contact lenses have for children with respect to glasses?

  • Children with high graduation: the image children perceive in their brain through glasses does not have a real size.
  • Contact lenses avoid this sensation allowing them to see an image according to the world that surrounds them.
  • Those who suffer from hyperopia: those children often see over their glasses because at a far distance they can see properly. With contact lenses this attitude would be avoided. This attitude turns out to be a habit lots of times and this can lead to following problems because of doing a bad graduation usage.
  • In the case of children who suffer from myopia: to use contact lenses avoids the visual area restriction which happens when they wear glasses. Even though the restriction is minimum, contact lenses allow the area to enlarge.

Ortho-K contact lenses: to slow down the myopia during the night

Contact lenses applied by means of the Refractive Corneal Therapy (CRT), a treatment that, during the night, modifies the corneal curve and corrects myopia. During the day it will not be necessary to wear neither glasses nor contact lenses. That is why these are ideal for children and young people that suffer from myopia, because these stop the myopia increase and fulfil all the previous motivations. These contact lenses are designed to correct until 6.00 graduation in myopia, until 1.75 graduation in astigmatism and until 3.00 in hyperopia.