Eye Treatment Honolulu, HI

3 Vision Disorders You May Not Have Known Are Genetic

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When it comes to your genes, you have more than your parents to thank for your overwhelmingly good looks; you have your grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on. And although your genetics may have played a large part in making your face the talk of the town, your genetics may also give you some grief; especially in the eye department. Let’s delve a little deeper and look at three vision disorders you may not have known were genetic.

Cataracts

Your neighbor’s cat has them, your grandmother may have had them, and you may get them as you age. Although age and injury are two of the leading causes of cataracts, scientific studies also point to the fact that cataracts also have some genetic influence.

Nearsightedness (myopia)

The exact cause of myopia is unknown, but there is a lot of scientific evidence that points to the fact that it is inherited. Although other strong factors play a role in myopia, it’s a good idea to look at your genetics as well.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is the number one leading cause of blindness in patients in the United States. Luckily, if it’s caught early on, it can easily be treated. Because genetics play such a significant role in glaucoma, one of the best ways to detect glaucoma early on is to look at your family history.

Take a look at your family history. Do you know if anybody in your family tree has or had any of these vision problems? If so, let Dr. Jeffrey Maehara know during our next eye exam. To learn more about genetically influenced vision problems or to schedule your next eye exam, contact our Honolulu office today and call us at 808.955.3937.

Eye Care services Honolulu, HI

How to Properly Take Care of Your Glasses

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You know how to take care of your body (for the most part), you know how to take care of your car, but do you know how to take care of your eye glasses? As your most worn accessory, your eyeglasses have seen— and been through it— all. And because they are worn so often, it’s important for you to know how you can take care of them. From how to clean them to where to store them, let’s look at a few ways that you can take better care of your glasses.

Clean Them

Grabbing your shirt, a towel that was on the floor, or even a paper towel from the breakroom at work, may be all part of your glasses cleaning practices. And even though they may help you get rid of some smudges, they may also be scratching your lenses as well. Even if you have a scratch-resistant coating on your glasses, they are still prone to be scratched by things such as paper towels. To properly clean your glasses, run them under warm water, place a drop of dishwashing detergent on them using your fingertips, and lather the lens. Then, rinse the soapy solution off with warm water, and dry with a clean, soft, cotton cloth.

Store Them Properly

It’s easy to fall asleep with your glasses on, leave them on your nightside table for your kids to grab, or even forget them in the car— but these are all ways to break, scratch, or damage your glasses. One of the best things you can do for your glasses is to store them in their case every time you take them off.

Use Both Hands to Take Them Off and Put Them On

You may know how to juggle with one hand, but one thing you don’t want to do is put your glasses on with one hand. By using both hands to put on and take off your glasses, you can prevent them from bending or breaking.

If you want to learn more about how you can take better care of your glasses or vision health, schedule an appointment with Dr. Jeffrey Maehara. Call us today: 808.955.3937.

3 Reasons to Avoid Color Contacts

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Avoid Color Contacts Honolulu, HIThe New Year is all about reinventing yourself and setting goals that you hope to achieve. As one way to reinvent yourself, many people like to make cosmetic changes to their appearance by lightening their hair color or wearing colored contact lenses. As a fun way to change up your eye color, colored contact lenses are popular amongst every age group. However, did you know that colored contact lenses can cause blindness or eye injuries like ulcers? Read on to learn more.

No Prescription Necessary

One of the things that people love about colored contact lenses is that you can purchase them online without a prescription. Although that hassle-free aspect may be enticing, not having a prescription could damage your eyes. When you come into see Dr. Jeffrey Maehara for contact lenses, he will conduct a thorough eye exam before giving you the proper prescription. Remember that without a prescription; the lenses can cause permanent eye damage that is irreversible.

They May Not Fit

Another thing that people like about buying colored contacts online is that they are available in a “one-size-fits-all” option, but this option doesn’t exist, it’s just a marketing ploy. Everyone has different shaped eyes that are various sizes. As such, your contact lenses need to be sized to fit your eye correctly. If your lenses are too big, they can scratch your cornea and cause infections, or worse, ulcers.

You Don’t Know the Seller

When you buy your contact lenses from Jeffrey Maehara, you know that all of our contact lenses are FDA approved. However, when you buy colored contact lenses online, you could be buying them from a twelve-year-old in China who has no idea what they are doing.

If you want to enhance or change-up your look this year with colored contacts, avoid purchasing them online. With a proper eye exam and contact lens fitting from Dr. Jeffrey Maehara, you can avoid any eye pain or damage further down the line. To learn more or to schedule an eye appointment, contact Dr. Jeffrey Maehara today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 Tips to Get Your Child to Take Care of Their Glasses

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optical servicesTaking care of glasses as an adult can sometimes be a bit iffy, however, getting your child to take care of their glasses is a whole other process. As your child gets used to not only getting into the habit of wearing their glasses everyday, your child also needs to get into the habit of taking care of their eyeglasses everyday. From placing them in their proper case to taking precautions before taking sports, this article will discuss a few of the ways you can teach your child to care for their glasses.

Place Them in the Proper Case
Kids can fall asleep at the weirdest times in the weirdest positions, especially after a long day either in the car or at school. However, now that your child has glasses, it’s important to teach your child how to take care of their glasses before they go to bed every night. Specifically, make sure that your child puts their glasses in their proper case before bed, and if they fall asleep with their glasses on, either wake them up to take them off or gently take them off yourself— this will ensure that they don’t roll onto their glasses.

Don’t Let Them Play With Them
Kids are notorious for touching just about everything they see— making a trip to the store feel virtually impossible at times. And although your child will likely want to take their glasses on and off and play with them, they will more than likely become damaged if they do continue to do so. Make sure to emphasize to your child the importance of not playing with their glasses.

Take Precautions Before Sports
One of the most common ways that your child can break their glasses is by playing sports, specifically contact sports. Specifically, if your child plays sports like basketball, football, soccer, or baseball, make sure that your child either wears some sort of protective eyewear over their glasses, that they don’t play in their glasses at all, or that they wear contact lenses during sports.

To learn more about how your child should care for their new eyeglasses, contact D. Jeffrey Maehara’s office today!

How to Properly Take Care of Your Contact Lenses

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contact lensesContact lenses aren’t also somewhat expensive but they can also cause eye infections if you don’t properly take care of them. From washing your hands to using the right contact solution, it’s important to know the do’s and don’ts of taking care of your contact lenses. Read on to learn more.

Always Clean Your Hands

No matter what time of day or night it is, one of the most important precautions you can take when dealing with your contact lenses is to wash your hands before you touch them. Although they might not be clearly visible, things like oil and dirt can build-up on your fingers, get on your contacts, and ultimately lead to some sort of eye infection. When cleaning your hands, make sure to use soap and warm water— hand sanitizers won’t necessarily do the trick.

Soak Your Lenses

Another important step to take is to soak your lenses overnight in a clean solution when you take them out. Simply pour the old solution down the drain, rinse out the contact lens container with warm water, refill the container with contact solution, and place your lenses in the solution overnight. This will not only help to ensure that they get clean but that they don’t dry out either.

Rub Your Lenses

As another way to properly clean your contact lenses, it’s advisable to rub your lenses with your forefinger and a small amount of solution (and with clean hands, of course). By rubbing your contact lenses with a solution, you are helping to get off any sort of dirt or particles that may have adhered to your lenses while they were soaking overnight.

Replace Often

Daily contact lenses have taken the industry by storm because they eliminate the need to clean your lenses and they also eliminate the spread of eye infections. However, if you are like most people and still use regular contact lenses then you should know the importance of replacing them every few weeks— or sooner if you lead a very active lifestyle. By replacing your contacts, you can eliminate the spread of germs that may cause an infection or other sort of eye problem.

Taking care of your contact lenses is a great way to maintain good vision health. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, contact Dr. Jeffrey Maehara.