Coronavirus

How To Prevent “Mask Fog” on Your Glasses

If you wear glasses and a face mask, you’ve probably struggled with “mask fog.” Your lenses get all misty, requiring you to wipe your eyewear throughout the day. Below are a few strategies to help you prevent your eyeglasses from fogging up when wearing a mask.

But First, Why Do Glasses Fog Up?

Quite simply, condensation forms whenever moist warm air hits a cool surface. Your eyeglasses fog up when the face mask sends your warm breath upward instead of in front of you. This is great to preventing virus transmission, but not so good for anyone that wears eyeglasses.

Is Your Mask Well Fitted?

The mask should fit securely over your nose. It is best to have a mask with a nose bridge or one that can be shaped or molded to your face. When the mask fits properly, most of your breath should go through the mask rather than through the top or sides.

Use Your Glasses To Seal the Top of Your Mask

This method works best with large, thick eyewear frames. By pulling your mask up higher on your nose and placing the lower part of your eyeglasses on the mask, you can get a more snug fit that blocks your warm breath from escaping upward toward your eyeglasses.

Tape Your Mask to Your Face

If this becomes more of a problem, you can use tape to secure your mask across the bridge of your nose and the top of your cheeks. Use easy-to-remove tape, including adhesive, medical, or athletic. Don’t use duct tape.

Soap and Water Help Prevent Fogging

This trick is one that healthcare professionals regularly turn to. All you need for this hack is soapy water (dish soap works best) and a microfiber cloth. Don’t use soaps with lotions in them as they can leave a thick residue, making it even harder to see.

Simply rub the lenses of your frame with a drop of soap. Then buff the lenses with a soft microfiber cloth.

This effective trick helps prevent your lenses from fogging up as a transparent, thin film of soap acts as a barrier.

Anti-Fog Wipes and Sprays

Another option is to purchase wipes and sprays designed to tackle foggy lenses. Read the fine print, as certain anti-fog solutions may not work as well, or may even damage lenses with coatings that minimize glare and fingerprint smudges, for example.

This may be the right time to consider Contact Lenses or Orthokeratology.

Call us to learn about other options.

Family Eye Care in Old Bridge, NJ. 1-732-679-2020.

COVID-19: Protect Your Eyes From Too Much Screen Time

You and your children are probably spending more time on mobile devices and computer screens than ever before. Too much time spent staring at screens can cause computer vision syndrome, or digital eye strain. This can be very uncomfortable and can cause:

Headaches
Eyestrain
Blurred vision
Dry eyes
Insomnia
Tiredness

Useful tips to help you and your children:

Blink more!

We tend to blink much less when spending time on any computer device or reading print material. This can also cause your eyes to become dry. You may need to make a conscious effort to blink and then to make it a habit when focusing on a screen. That will keep your eyes healthy and lubricated.

Follow the 20-20-20 Rule

Give your eyes a break every 20 minutes by looking at an object located 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Doing so will allow your eyes to relax and will give both you and your eyes some rest.

Keep your distance

Your eyes work harder to see close up than at a distance. Try keeping your monitor or screen at arm’s length, or about 25 inches away.

Lighting

The amount of light around you, and around your device, should be about the same as the amount of light coming out of the screen. Looking at a bright screen in a dark room can cause eye strain.

Take breaks from the screen

Schedule the amount of time you and your children are ‘screen free’, such as meal times or for several hours throughout the day. Engage in hobbies that don’t require a screen, such as drawing, reading books, doing puzzles, playing an instrument or cooking (among many others).

Don’t use devices before bed

Studies show that blue light may affect your body’s circadian rhythm, also known as the natural wake and sleep cycle. Stop using screens 1 to 2 hours before bedtime, or use nighttime settings to minimize blue light exposure.

It may take some planning to protect you and your family’s eyes during this stressful time. Find a good balance that works for you and your family.

From all of us at Family Eye Care in Old Bridge, NJ we hope you stay healthy and safe.

How to Disinfect Your Glasses to Help Prevent COVID-19

Coronavirus and Your Eyeglasses

Your eyeglasses (lenses and frames) can potentially transfer viruses, such as COVID-19, to your eyes, nose, and mouth. Viruses and bacteria are easily transferred from our surroundings to our hands and from there to our glasses. Research showns that coronavirus can remain on glass surfaces for as long as 9 days. We are often not aware that we touch our faces, eyes and nose as often as we do, and that is why washing our hands is so important.

People who are over 40 often need reading or computer glasses. When we put on and then take off our eyeglasses, we can inadvertently be transferring the virus. This age group is more susceptible to other compromising factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and respiratory illnesses, and are at higher risk for more serious complications from COVID-19.

How can we disinfect our glasses?

What are the do’s and don’ts?

Don’t use:

Rubbing-alcohol. Although it may be a good disinfectant, it may also be too harsh for your eyeglasses, especially if you have anti glare lenses or anti UV lenses.
Ammonia, bleach, or anything with high concentrations of acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, because they can also damage your lenses and frames.
Paper towels to dry your lenses because the fibers can easily scratch the lenses.

You can use:

Dish Soap and Water, then rinse and dry using a microfiber cloth. Remember to clean the frame’s nose pads and earpieces.
Lens Cleaning Wipes. The pre-moistened lens wipes are excellent for cleaning your glasses, as well as your phone, tablet and computer screen. They remove bacteria, dust, dirt and germs from your glasses and the formula restores shine to glass surfaces without leaving any streaks or residue. The durable material is tough enough to remove stains, while being gentle enough not to scratch your screens or lenses.

So, In Summary:

Do not use rubbing alcohol to disinfect your glasses.
Avoid using household cleaners or products with high concentrations of acid.
Clean your glasses with a gentle dish soap and lukewarm water, or lens wipes.
Dry your glasses with a microfiber cloth to prevent smudging and scratching.

Disinfecting your glasses isn’t difficult. Just follow the easy steps above to protect your lenses and your health.

On behalf of everyone at Family Eye Care in Old Bridge, we hope you and your loved ones stay healthy and safe during this uncertain time.

Coronavirus and Your Eyes – What You Should Know

As coronavirus (COVID-19) spreads around the world, and specifically in our area in New Jersey, health professionals advise that we limit our risk of contracting the virus by:

thoroughly washing our hands,
practicing social distancing, and
not touching our face: nose, mouth, or eyes.

Your eyes actually play an important role in spreading COVID-19.

Coronavirus is transmitted through droplets when an infected person sneezes or coughs. These droplets can easily enter your body through the mucous membranes on your face, such as your nose, mouth, and your eyes.

What Is Coronavirus?

Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is a virus that causes mild to severe respiratory illness associated with fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. Symptoms typically appear within 2 weeks of exposure. Those with acute cases of the virus can develop pneumonia and other life-threatening complications.

What you should know?

Guard Your Eyes Against COVID-19

Avoid rubbing your eyes. It is very common for us to touch our face and our eyes. If you absolutely must, first wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Tears carry the virus. Touching tears or a surface where tears have fallen can spread coronavirus. Make sure to wash your hands after touching your eyes and throughout the day as well.
Disinfect surfaces. You can contract COVID-19 by touching an object or surface that has the virus on it, such as a door knob, and then touching your eyes.

Coronavirus and Pink Eye

Pink eye, (conjunctivitis) is an inflammation of the the clear membrane that covers the white of the eye. Conjunctivitis is characterized by red, watery, and itchy eyes. Viral conjunctivitis is highly contagious and can be spread by coughing and sneezing, too.

A recent study indicates that viral conjunctivitis may be a symptom of COVID-19. The study found conjunctival injection (redness) occurs in about 1 out of every 100 people who have coronavirus.

If you suspect you have pink eye, call us: Family Eye Care in Old Bridge, NJ. Please call us before coming in so we can assess your condition and adequately prepare for your visit.

Contact Lenses or Eyeglasses?

If you usually wear contact lenses, it may be a good idea to use eyeglasses during this time, in order to lower your risk of being infected with coronavirus. Wearing glasses may provide an extra layer of protection. The infected droplets will hit the lens of your eyeglasses rather than going into your eye. Eyeglasses will obviously not protect you if the virus reaches your eyes from the exposed sides, tops and bottoms around your frames. Unlike specialized safety goggles, glasses are not considered a safe way to prevent coronavirus.

Contact Lenses and COVID-19

If you wear contact lenses, it is a good idea to wash your hands well before inserting or removing your lenses.

Clean your Eyeglasses Regularly

Some viruses can remain on a hard surfaces for hours to days. This can then be transmitted to your fingers and then to your face. People who wear reading glasses should be even more careful, because they usually handle their glasses more often throughout the day. As you are probably aware, older individuals tend to be more vulnerable to COVID-19. Wash the lenses and frames with warm water and soap, and dry your eyeglasses using a microfiber cloth.

If you take Eye Medicine…

It is a good idea to make sure you have enough of all medications, including eye medications for glaucoma for example, just in case you need to be quarantined or if supplies run short. This may not be possible for everyone due to insurance limitations. If you cannot pre-order, then make sure to request a refill as soon as you’re due. It is never a good idea to wait until the last minute to contact your pharmacy.

Digital Devices and Eyestrain

At times like this, we all tend to use digital devices even more. Take note if your eyes become tired, or sore, or if you have blurry vision. Double vision or headaches are symptoms of computer vision syndrome. This can become particularly noticeable when your visual system is overworked, when using computers or other digital devices. It might indicate a need for a new prescription in the near future. Many patients benefit from the use of special eyeglasses that are designed specifically for those who spend a lot of time on computer.

Children and Digital Devices

As children are now not in school, they may end up spending even more screen-time than usual. They may be using computers, tablets and smartphones more, and for longer amounts of time. Computer vision syndrome, mentioned above, can affect children as well. We recommend limiting screen time to a maximum of 2 hours per day for children, though it’s understandably difficult to control under the circumstances.

A good rule of thumb is the 20-20-20 rule, especially in this year of 2020.

For every 20 minutes that you are on computer, look at a distance object that is at least 20 feet away, for at least 20 seconds.

It is a good idea to stop all screen time for at least 60 minutes before sleep. You and your child will sleep better.

Children and Outdoor Play

For good visual development, it is a good idea to spend at least 1-2 hours a day outside.

We, at Family Eye Care, in Old Bridge NJ, wish you good health and hope you stay safe.

Visiting Your Optometrist During COVID-19

Is your comprehensive eye eye examination coming up?

Are you concerned about coming because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic?

Rest assured, keeping our patients and staff are safe is our top priority.

We expect this outbreak will continue for a while, but we do not want our patients to neglect their eye care needs during this critical time. We have taken extra measures, even beyond our usual hygienic and disinfection procedures, in order to protect our patients and staff from potential exposure to COVID-19 during this time of uncertainty.

The guidelines for slowing the spread of this epidemic are rapidly changing. Please pay close to attention to local regulatory changes for the most up-to-date information. We are certainly ere to help you for both emergencies and non-emergencies. .

What Precautions are we Taking to Limit COVID-19?

Our office policy mandates that all eye doctors, office staff, and patients do not enter if they are not feeling well, have a fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath, or have been exposed to a known case of COVID-19, or traveled outside of the country within the last 14 days.

The staff may ask you to wait outside rather than in our reception area in order to protect yourself and others from any circulating germs. We schedule our appointments so that our reception area room respects social distancing and reduces cross contamination.

During your eye exam:

All of our examination rooms have a slit-lamp barrier to protect both the patient and the doctor from cross contamination.
The doctor may wear a mask with a plastic shield over the eyes.
The doctor will wait for your slit-lamp portion of the eye exam to be over before speaking with you or answering any questions you may have.
The doctor will use gloves when touching skin or doing tonometry.
The doctor will wash hands for the required amount of time before each patient.
All equipment is sanitized, contact surfaces are cleaned after every use, countertops and door nobs are cleaned are cleaned frequently.
The l surfaces and equipment (front desk counters, telephones, pens, door handles, waiting room chairs) is sanitized with antibacterial wipes.
All staff members wash their hands after contact with each patient and throughout the day.
Our office is equipped with several sanitizing stations.
We ask that patients sanitize their hands before selecting frames.
We clean all frames that have come into contact with patients with soap and hot water.
We have taken the policy of no hand shaking. Please don’t take it personally.

Please call our office, Family Eye Care in Old Bridge, NJ with any questions or concerns you may have. If you feel it’s best for you or a member of your family to reschedule your appointment, we encourage you to do so.

To stay abreast of the coronavirus pandemic, please visit the following official health organizations:

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) at www.CDC.gov
World Health Organization (WHO) at www.WHO.int

We look forward to serving you.

Thank you and stay safe!