Blog - Binyon Vision

Slow down “birthday induced changes” – part 2

Since today is Dr. McEathron’s birthday- it’s appropriate to communicate more of his tips to slow down age-related vision changes in your eyes.

Eat healthy now – see long term benefits!

Choosing to eat healthy can have a long term impact on your eye health and therefore your age-related vision changes. And, the good news is it certainly goes beyond carrots. Antioxidants and other specific vitamins nutrients can reduce your risk of cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma. Furthermore, omega-3 essential fatty acids also help alleviate dry eyes and guards against macular damage.

Here are the main vitamins and nutrients that help protect our eyes:

Lutein
Zeaxanthin
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Essential fatty acids
Zinc
Beta carotene
Bioflavanoids

Food sources that have high content of the above nutrients:

Carrots
Sweet potatoes
Squash
Kale
Spinach
Blueberries
Cherries
Legumes
Salmon
Walnuts
Eggs
Milk
Oysters
Beef

For an extra boost – vitamins!

In addition to food sources, there are many supplements on the market that promote eye health and help prevent age-related vision changes. For example, for individuals at higher risk of eye disease, especially with family history of macular degeneration or glaucoma, Dr. McEathron certainly recommends adding an eye health supplement to your daily routine. There are many such supplements on the market. However, the supplement should provide at minimum the following for maximum effectiveness as a result:

vitamin C (250 to 500 mg)
vitamin E (400 IU)
zinc (25 to 40 mg)
copper (2 mg)
vitamin B complex that also contains 400 mcg of folic acid
omega-3 fatty acids (2,000 mg)

Finally, after researching and evaluating several brands of eye health vitamins, we chose to offer Biosyntrx to our patients at our office. Furthermore, they have three formulations:

BioTears – support for dry eyes, is also rich in omega 6 essential fatty acids.
Eye and Body Complete – includes a broad spectrum of 43 ingredients that consequently eliminates the need for an additional general multi-vitamin supplement.
Oculair – rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, specifically targeting eye health but also with whole body benefits.

In conclusion, taking care of your eyes and entire body now through proper nutrition will give substantial benefits as each birthday passes as a result! Stay tuned for more tips on how to beat those age-related vision changes!

Slow down “birthday induced changes” – part 1

Happy Birthday to you…

Dr. McEathron often talks to patients about how to slow down age-related vision changes to their vision and eyes. It’s his gentle way of bringing up the inevitable- along with the rest of our body- our eyes change as we age. This blog post is part one of a discussion on how to slow down those birthday induced changes to your eye health and vision.

Here comes the sun…

There is much talk about protecting your skin from the sun- wearing sunscreen daily and link between UV exposure and skin cancer- but let’s talk about your eyes. The tissue on and around our eyes is thinner and more sensitive than the rest of our body. Eyes can sunburn with a great amount of sun exposure in a short time. This effect is called photokeratitis and can be very painful. Symptoms can include watery eyes, burning and feeling like grit is in your eyes. Thankfully it is typically short-lived (up to one week) and usually has no long term effects.

Long term UV exposure to our eyes can however have long term effects, including on our age-related vision changes. UV-A and UV-B light rays speed up the process of forming a cataract and increases the risk of macular degeneration. Both of these conditions affect your vision – cataracts make the world seem cloudy and blurry- which cannot be corrected with glasses, only surgery. Macular degeneration is a loss of the central vision- a blind spot that is irreversible. As previously mentioned- the skin around the eyes and tissue on the eyes is very thin. Consequently, excessive sun exposure without proper protection can lead to skin cancer and premature signs of aging, therefore furthering age-related vision changes.

Sunglasses protect your eyes today and tomorrow!

sunglasses to help with age-related vision changes Whenever you spend time outside, there are easy ways to protect your eyes from the sun to help reduce the risks discussed above. Wearing quality sunglasses that provide 100% protection against UV-A and UV-B radiation is the first step. Transition lenses (that darken in sunlight) also provide 100% UV protection. Wrap-around sunglasses provide the most amount of protection. Don’t forget about protecting children and young adults eyes too! They typically spend the most time in the sun. Therefore, implementing the sunglasses habit can make the biggest impact to their long term eye health. It does this by reducing the amount of accumulative hours of UV exposure!

See Cleary – Check Yearly

In addition to sun protection- yearly eye exams to monitor eye health in all of these risk areas are very important. If you have any questions or concerns- please contact us for an appointment today or stop in to talk with one of our opticians about sunwear!

2016 Sunglasses- Part 2: Polarized Lenses Package

Hello Sunshine!

We purposefully choose not to do many “package deals” because we believe your eyes and therefore glasses lenses needs are as unique as you. And, we enjoy discussing the thousands of options available with you to customize a great pair of glasses. However — this summer we’ve partnered with our lab to create an amazing polarized sunglasses lenses package. It combines the best features available in prescription sunglasses. It is also at a great price and still offers some customization options!

Why polarized sunglasses?

The sun’s rays reflect light in every direction. When this light hits a flat surface (roads, water surface, windshield of oncoming car), the reflected light shines back at your eyes and is concentrated- causing glare. Glare reduces your depth perception, distorts your vision and color perception. Glare can even temporarily blind you!

Polarized sunglasses are designed to absorb horizontal light waves which neutralizes glare. This allows you see to objects more clearly without the shine. Tinted lenses reduce the amount of light that travels through the lens, but does not have this benefit. All polarized lenses provide 100% protection against harmful UV-B rays that prematurely age your eyes and the skin around your eyes.

Not convinced? Let us show you a demo! Especially in Bellingham when the sun shi polarized, lenses, binyon vision center, sunglasses, optical, optometrist nes after a rainstorm and we are surrounded by beautiful bodies of water to play on- polarized lenses are life changing.

Polarized Lenses Package – the details

Included in our polarized prescription sunglasses lenses package are top of the line polarized freeform lenses (either single vision or progressive lens designs). These have premium backside anti-reflective coating. Lenses come standard with polycarbonate material, an impact resistant material that is lightweight and durable. polarized, lenses, binyon vision center, sunglasses, optical, optometrist All lenses have an eighteen-month warranty including two remakes for any reason. Your satisfaction is our top priority. Optional upgrades include mid-index and hi-index plastic, full personalized freeform lenses or mirror coatings (multiple colors available). The package savings are over $150 and are still eligible for our multiple pair discount! We have a great selection of sunglasses frames and lenses! Please stop in to talk to our obticians and discuss the polarized lenses package!

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2016 Sunglasses- Part 1 : Style Report

Here we are in July- the beginning of summer in the Pacific Northwest and we are READY at Binyon Vision Center! We know you’re asking yourself…

What’s #trending in the 2016 sunglasses style?

Here are some of the latest trends for the 2016 sunglasses style:

Clear Frames – classy cool, and more subtle if you’re not into bright colors- paired best with dark grey lenses or colorful mirrored lenses.

Round Frames – the retro mainstay is back in a big way echoing the vibes of the 60’s/70’s scene but fresh and one of this season’s must haves.

Mirrored Lenses – as seen… everywhere! Silver flash, gold flash, blue, green, red, pink – hiding your eyes behind a playful shiny lens. These are perfect for someone looking to have fun in the sun!

Chunky Frames – do you like high impact? Oversized suns get a fresh update with thick, bold lines and layers of color.

Cateye Frames – a continued shining star in the sunglasses world include new features for 2016 – embellishments, mirrored lenses and ultra exaggerated shape.

Check out these hot looks from our current inventory

bellingham optometrist, sunglasses, glasses, optician, sunwear Salvatore Ferragamo SF757S (top), Tura 050 (bottom)

lafont, bellingham optometrist, sunglasses, glasses, optician, sunwear

Lafont Paris Scala

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Face à Face: Top to bottom- Movie, Spicy and Coste

trendy summer sunglasses

Top to bottom: Seraphin, Calvin Klein, Maui Jim