⏱️ 02:00 MIN. READING TIME
When the eyelid trembles, it indicates a condition called MYOKYMIA, characterized by a muscle contraction in either the lower or upper eyelid of one or both eyes (though having both eyes affected is rare). These ocular spasms are temporary and fade away as spontaneously as they appear. In rare cases or due to certain pathologies, this annoyance may persist for weeks or even months.
THE CAUSES OF MYOKYMIA:
STRESS: the most common cause. The body, like a sponge, absorbs and processes every tension, then turning it into tics, outbursts, insomnia, and more.
FATIGUE AND LACK OF SLEEP: Regularly losing hours of sleep promotes the onset of this minor annoyance.
EYE FATIGUE: we translate this into excessive use of computers, tablets, and other devices, as well as intense proximal work.
ABUSE OF CERTAIN SUBSTANCES SUCH AS ALCOHOL AND CAFFEINE or SMOKING, remember that these are exciting and stimulating substances for the body.
DRY EYE: This condition is very common after 50 years of age or due to the use of contact lenses, but it can also occur if exposed to a particularly polluted environment or if using drugs (as a subsequent contraindication).
NUTRITIONAL IMBALANCES: the first element among all is magnesium, if deficient it can lead to the manifestation of this trembling.
ALLERGIES: rubbing your eyes when they itch leads to the release of histamine in the eyelid tissues and tear film, promoting this discomfort.
MEDICATIONS: There are medications that induce myokymia as a side effect.
HEMIFACIAL SPASM: A non-dystonic condition that involves various muscles and causes irritation of the facial nerve.
Usually, this discomfort presents itself as an isolated event and remains as such, without arousing suspicion and without creating worries.
WHEN TO BE CONCERNED?!
Concern arises when the discomfort persists despite efforts to improve sleep, diet, and reducing intake of the aforementioned substances. If symptoms like red or painful eyes, changes in pupil appearance, or difficulty keeping the eye open due to involuntary closure occur, medical consultation is advised. Persistent tremors or sudden changes in facial appearance or movement also warrant a doctor’s visit to rule out serious conditions like glaucoma, blepharitis, corneal abrasion, uveitis, Tourette syndrome, Parkinson’s Disease, Dystonia, Bell’s Palsy, and Multiple Sclerosis. Electromyography and magnetic resonance imaging are commonly recommended diagnostic tests.
PREVENTION STRATEGIES:
- Reduce Stress: Engage in physical activities or hobbies that promote relaxation.
- Regular, Adequate Sleep: Ensure a sufficient amount of sleep to maintain overall health.
- Moderate Substance Use: Limit intake of alcohol, caffeine, and avoid smoking.
- Protect Your Eyes: Use blue light filtering glasses when using digital devices and ensure proper lighting and screen distance.
- Manage Dry Eyes: Use artificial tears to maintain optimal eye hydration.
For immediate relief, applying a warm damp towel on the eyes can help alleviate the discomfort. Drinking teas, herbal infusions, or chamomile can be relaxing and contribute to overall hydration, which is essential for eye health.
If myokymia persists, Botox injections may be considered as a treatment option, but this invasive approach should be determined and performed by a specialist.
⏱️ 03:10 READING TIME
What is astigmatism?
Astigmatism is a relatively common refractive error that now affects even the youngest audience. It manifests itself by causing blurred or distorted vision at any distance.
In younger children, there is less awareness of what constitutes “correct vision,” making it challenging to receive useful feedback from them to diagnose astigmatism.
How does the structure of an astigmatic eye appear? Firstly, the natural curvature of the cornea or lens has an irregular shape. Typically, both are perfectly concave, with a constant spherical curvature throughout the eye. When the curvature is ovalized, vision becomes blurred at any distance. In a “normal” eye, there is a single focal point on the retina, while an astigmatic eye has different focal points.
What are the causes of astigmatism?
The causes of astigmatism are not entirely clear, but it is believed that a significant factor is genetic, involving heredity. Children of astigmatic parents are more likely to develop this condition, making it congenital. Another important factor, independent of heredity, is eye trauma resulting from injuries, surgeries, or infections.
How do we notice if a child is suffering from astigmatism??
There are behaviors that may alert parents to the possibility of this visual disturbance. Let’s see which one:
If the child struggles to focus on printed words and
- tends to reduce the distance from the monitor while watching TV, attempting to improve focus
- experiences itching and eye fatigue
- suffers from recurrent headaches
- displays redness of the sclera
- has frequent dizziness
- tilts the head to seek better visual comfort
What to do then?
The first step is to take the child to an eye doctor at the beginning of kindergarten, and in any case, before starting elementary school. This way, the child can get used to wearing glasses before facing the intense daily work. The best advice is never to wait for the onset of abnormal behavior to consult an eye specialist but to schedule one or more check-ups during the growth phase.
How is astigmatic vision corrected?
Through the use of toric lenses. These special lenses have a specific correction capacity on both meridians differently, correcting only those areas where focus does NOT fall on the retina, as it normally does in a healthy eye.
Toric lenses can also be photochromic, allowing the child to play safely both indoors and in sunlight without having to worry about changing glasses depending on the situation. In this case, the advantage will also be saving on additional sunglasses.
In milder forms, astigmatism can be improved or almost completely eliminated through eye exercises.
These exercises are prescribed after a thorough eye examination and are based on the results of various tests. The therapy typically includes:
- Eye exercises
- Use of special lenses or filters
- Application of eye patches
- Specific stimulating programs on the computer
They are usually prescribed for older children due to the consistency they can already develop, but it is not challenging today to get a child or teenager used to these measures given their simplicity.
Astigmatism can be lived with comfortably, as it is not a visually debilitating condition. The key is to rely on regular check-ups with a trusted eye specialist, capable of providing optical instruments with high-quality and precision requirements.
⏱️ 04:50 MINUTI DI LETTURA
You have bought a new pair of glasses and you can’t wait to wear them. Don’t forget to take as much time as you need to get used to the new “set-up”. It is absolutely normal at first to visibly perceive the edge of the frame or to feel differently the presence “on” of the new eyewear. For some it takes only a few days, while for others it may take more than a week. It happens, in fact, that the visual center of our brain has adapted and therefore compensated for the old vision, and therefore needs a short period to adapt to the new improved visual conditions.
So, it is very important you to wear the new frame constantly to let your eyes get used to it, and to see if the situation improves and the problems disappear for good.
Sometimes, however, your expectations turn out to be disappointing: wearing your new glasses is not so comfortable, indeed! Fortunately, there is a solution to everything. Our advice is to buy your glasses from a trustworthy reseller, able to ensure your satisfaction even through some several different solutions.
Here are some more or less common problems you may run into when wearing new glasses.
1.Blurred vision. There are two possibilities: either you are wearing glasses with wrong lenses or your sight is getting worse rapidly. In both cases, we suggest you go back to your ophthalmologist and let him check the lenses. If they DO NOT correspond to what prescribed by the doctor, the optician will simply have to redo them. Should the lenses match instead the prescription, your sight may have changed in the time-lapse. The reasons can be different but all equally feasible and important:
a) Stress changes your sight. We advise you to undergo the eye examination in total relaxation, since stress can badly influence your sight as well as it does with blood pressure and heart. The results might be therefore distorted and you may run the risk to get unsuitable corrective lenses.
b) Chronic diseases. Some of them, such as diabetes or hypertension, have an important impact on sight. They can sometimes cause a sudden worsening of the situation. The only solution is then to schedule a frequent check-up. In this case, there is no blame for the optician or for the person who prescribed the lenses;
c) Take medicines. Some of them can temporarily change your sight. We recommend you to inform your eye doctor about this so that he can proceed with the suitable prescription and make the right considerations.
2. Reflections: if you notice reflections on the inside of the lenses when wearing your glasses, it means that the anti-reflective filter is most likely missing. We always recommend it because it avoids annoying glare of light that leads to visual fatigue, interference during night vision and sometimes even hindrance of eye contact. Ask the optician if this treatment is included and if it is not, ask for it to be added to the lenses.
3. The new glasses slip from the nose: this situation is very easy to solve. You have only to adjust the temples by bending their ends and be careful they do not rest directly on the bone behind the ear, otherwise you can feel a certain discomfort. If the frame has nose pads, then you can act on them by increasing the grip on the nose. This problem may happen with both new and long-used frames.
4. The first time with progressive lenses: This is an important step and it may take some time. You have to desist from moving or lifting your neck and wait for your eye to react to the stimulus of the lens. If you really feel uncomfortable and that you have dared too much, then your optician could replace them with different multifocal lenses. The change could also be made under warranty with bifocal or single vision lenses (less expensive).
5. You don’t like eyewear anymore: you’ve tried it and tried it again, yet now you realize you don’t like it anymore. What can you do? Some optical stores allow you to return the frame within a certain time lapse: they then replace it or offer you a coupon on your next purchase. Since eyewear is an important investment, it is a good idea to check whether or NOT you have this option before proceeding with the purchase, especially if you are not 100% convinced. Some opticians offer the possibility to replace or receive a refund at no extra costs, others ask you to sign up for a policy and still others replace the eyewear upon payment of a small fee.
6. And what about sunglasses? You can’t do without UV protection, but you didn’t think of it right away. There are two solutions: either you buy a second pair of glasses with graduated lenses or you decide to replace the lenses you have just purchased with a pair of photochromic ones that can protect you in the same way from UV rays.
As you have read in the cases listed above, it is important to understand when you should take out an additional insurance policy and which one. A good policy provides for the replacement of a part or the entire glasses if there are defects in the frame or the replacement of the lenses if they do not correspond to the initial medical prescription or if the prescription itself was incorrect. As previously mentioned, if you believe that the lenses have not been made correctly, we advise you to contact the ophthalmologist who carried out the visit. He is the only one who can verify the accuracy of the powers and compare them with your vision. There should be usually no additional cost for this type of consultation. But be careful, the policy may provide for the free replacement of the lenses only once within a certain period of time.
If the policy provides for it, you can get the money paid for the purchase back.
All damages, however, caused to the glasses, are practically NEVER covered by the insurance you take out. The optician knows this very well, he can recognize when a pair of glasses has suffered a blow, or a sudden stress leading to the break. Especially when it’s a high quality frame, it will hardly break. And moreover, it is impossible for it to break, even by itself.
So, let’s remember what to do when we are going to buy a new pair of glasses:
• Go to your trusted optician, the one who has always known you and is able to find the best solution for you.
• Have your eye examination in the best possible conditions and inform the doctor if you’re taking any medicine that can change your visual perception.
• Choose certified quality lenses, as well as the frame. A quality frame increases the longevity of the optical instrument thus amortizing your investment.
• Decide which filters your frame’s lenses should have. We recommend the anti-blue, anti-reflective and photochromic filter, if you don’t plan to buy sunglasses as well.
• Choose the frame that suits your face. That’s easy! (We recommend you to read our blog “to each his own … GLASSES!”)
• Decide how many pairs of glasses you need, also depending on the uses you intend to make with them (eyesight, sun, eyesight/sun, sports). It may be that on the second or third pair of glasses you buy, you can get some interesting discounts.
• Carefully consider if and which insurance you’d better to take out to cope with unexpected events.
And remember, it’s always a good habit to train your eyesight. As we age, the eye muscles also get old and their responses slow down. Help yourself with simple and quick exercises. Find them here in our blog.
Always choose responsibly.
⏱️ 03:10 MINUTES OF READING
It’s time to buy the first pair of glasses for your child. How can you choose the right one? And more important, how can you get him/her to wear them?
In this article, we have collected a list of important tips that will help to get your child to wear glasses comfortably.
It is important not to say anything negative on any glasses the child chooses to try, as such comments could be seen as a personal attack and lead the child to completely retreat into a shell and refuse any kind of suggestion.
The following recommendations have been compiled starting right from the perception that the child might have of this new thing. And it is known that most of the time wearing glasses is just a nuisance for them. The good news is that if they are worn correctly, they are an annoyance only at the beginning.
Before embarking on this adventure, it is important to evaluate how long the glasses will be worn during the day, all the time or occasionally? In the first case, it will be necessary to consider more things. The second case, instead, is easier and allows to try a more “original” frame.
So, we decided to list here ten keywords to help you find the glasses that the child will want and accept.
WISHES
Let your child express himself/herself freely! As we already mentioned in our previous article, children often want to look like their favourite superhero more than like their parents. So ask him to express his choice! It’s important to remember that the child might go through this experience as something unpleasant, so do not suggest a frame that will make him feel uncomfortable but rather try to find something positive in any of his choices.
This is very important for everything that will follow once you are home. If the child associates the glasses with negative emotions right from when he tries them on the first time, this uneasiness will most likely carry over into the everyday life and he will not be so happy to wear them.
BROTHERS/FRIENDS
Based on our experience, we recommend involving in this choice one of your child’s friends, maybe one who already wears glasses, or an older brother who can tip them on the latest trends. This way, the child will feel the support of someone more similar to them as well as that of the parents.
MATERIALS
Acetate or metal frame? You’re probably asking yourself which material is better. The main difference between the two frames is the bridge. The nose of children is not completely developed yet and so some acetate frames are often not firm, they slip and become uncomfortable to wear. Eventually, they will be forgotten in some places, thus risking the worsening of the child’s visual impairment. Today, acetate frames are designed with a smaller bridge to better address this need. This issue can be bypassed in metal frames as there are nose pads that you can adjust and that can guarantee a better fit on the child’s face. On the other hand, acetate has a less angular, rigid and austere look while being light and robust at the same time. In addition, it can be more colourful and attractive, creating really interesting and original combinations. Regardless of which material you prefer, always make sure to choose a HYPOALLERGENIC frame to avoid any tolerability issues.
TEMPLES
This choice depends on how much time the child will spend wearing the glasses. If they are only worn occasionally, perhaps while reading in the evening or doing the homework, then there are no particular requirements. If, instead, they will be used throughout the day, and even more if they are the child’s first glasses, we recommend considering temples with flex hinges as they are strong and sturdy and will increase the durability of the frame during the different activities done by the child during the day. The cost will be slightly higher but it’s just a small investment that over time will be completely repaid.
It could be also useful considering temple tips slightly larger than normal in order to increase their adhesion. This can be increased with the use of a lanyard – they come in many types and colours – which allows to tie the glasses behind the head preventing them from falling off and breaking.
LENSES
The lenses can be made of different materials. Ask your optician for the most suitable one for you. There are lenses in plastic and glass. Normally the first choice for a child is plastic because it’s lighter and also because it doesn’t shatter in case of impact avoiding possible damage to the eye.
WARRANTY
Your optician may recommend an additional warranty that allows the replacement of the glasses or the lenses in case of breakage. Make sure you are told what is included in the warranty and especially what is not, so as not to have any questions in the future. This service is recommended if the glasses will be worn throughout the day or during sport activities. Of course, it becomes almost essential if they are the first pair of glasses you buy for your child!
SECOND PAIR
Always consider purchasing a second pair of glasses, especially if the child suffers from severe visual impairment and must wear the glasses all day during all his activities. A second pair will ensure that your child will always have eyeglasses available when needed.
AWARNESS
An important task that parents should not underestimate is the need to make the child understand why he has to wear glasses, perhaps proposing activities to be done together, e.g., reading with and without glasses to be able to notice the difference.
ROUTINE
The reason your eyeglasses are the right ones is that they become right day by day. You’re probably wondering what that means?! Once you have chosen the glasses, perhaps the optician’s work is finished but not yours, as you will have to make sure that the child wears his new trusted friend on any due occasion.
This is a delicate period, especially if they are the child’s first glasses. So we recommend that you encourage your child to wear the glasses using some tricks. Reassure him that you feel proud that he is wearing the glasses without any complaints. Also, do not reproach him too much for not wearing the glasses when he should. On the contrary, praise him when he wears them of his own accord without needing anyone to remind him. Or take some selfies that you can store to look at them together. Another possibility is to convince the child that the glasses will allow him to enjoy more his favourite cartoon.
PATIENCE
It’s the last but not least word on this list. You need patience when your child will not be able to decide on the glasses he wants, patience when he will struggle to wear them at home, patience when by chance they will fall on the ground and get damaged. Patience meaning a hand stretching out ready to support them during this new and somewhat difficult moment in their children’s life.
We trust that these guidelines will help you to ease your child’s first experience with eyeglasses, so that he can better deal with his visual impairment.
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⏱️ 04:20 MINUTES OF READING
Despite all the attention that we give to our children, sometimes they encounter obstacles or problems in their life that they need to deal with and accept. With you by their side though, everything will be easier.
One of the things that is important to monitor since the first few months of life is the child’s sight. Why is it important to have an eye examination in the first years of life? Though newborn babies are able to see, they are not able to focus their eyes yet. Their vision develops in a subsequent period and for this to happen correctly, the brain NEEDS to receive clear images from both eyes. If that doesn’t happen, their vision can be compromised, even severely in some cases.
Being able to see well is a matter of the utmost importance. Imagine having to grow up in a blurry world, difficult to understand and especially recognise because it is not clear, perhaps with frequent ailments and unavoidable discontent. It’s important to remember that sight is one of the 5 senses and, in particular, it is the one which plays a decisive role in the child’s psychomotor development, especially in the first 10 years of age. Sight is a FUNDAMENTAL sense on which concentration, lucidity and efficiency depend; abilities that are indispensable to live life to the fullest.
The eyes of children are important to us. That is why we want to sensitise you to some signs in the child’s behaviour which could be the consequence of a sight defect.
The first thing a parent has to check in a newborn, at around 3 months, is whether his eyes are aligned properly, as even the smallest misalignment could be the sign of a sight defect that needs to be corrected. Or also if the child’s eyes are too big or too small, if one eyelid is lower than the other, an iris with irregular shape or colour. It would even be good practise to prepare in advance for an examination if during pregnancy the mother contracts infectious diseases such as rubella, toxoplasmosis, etc, or if the baby has some pain during childbirth.
If a parent suffers from diseases like retinitis pigmentosa, strabismus, congenital cataracts, congenital glaucoma (just by reading them you get scared, don’t you? All these strange words!), also the child could be afflicted by them as a result. It is precisely for this reason that they should always be taken into account and monitored. Of course, it often happens that these diseases are not triggered, but it is still important to have periodic check-ups.
It’s also important to monitor posture and behaviour in a young child. Starting from 3 months of age, if he struggles to follow an object moving slowly or if he has difficulty grabbing objects, these could be the sign of a vision defect, especially if the behaviour does not change in the following months. It is appropriate to see a doctor if the child falls frequently or has difficulty in avoiding obstacles.
Pay attention also when he watches TV or reads a book. If he sits too close to the TV or puts the book closer to the face to read better, he could suffer from myopia.
When children learn to read, they often use their finger to keep track of the line they are reading, in particular the words. If he keeps using this system also in the following phases, try asking him to read without following the text with his finger. This method will allow you to understand if it is just a habit or if he frequently loses track of where he was reading. In the latter case, an eye examination is appropriate.
Does your child close an eye and use only one of his eyes to watch TV or read or when sitting at the computer? This behaviour could indicate a refractive or binocular vision, connected with convergence insufficiency.
Another sign that sometimes indicates a sight defect is the rubbing of the eyes. It may happen that during the day your child rubs his eyes with his hands. It is normal if this happens when he is tired or bored, but if he rubs his eyes when trying to focus or read or during any other activity, it is very likely that his vision is causing him trouble and discomfort. This is also true for children with a high tear flow, which can be noticed by residues of secretions on eyelids and eyelashes, or children with excessive sensitivity to artificial or natural light. In some cases, these problems could even lead to recurrent migraines.
Be careful though! Also school marks are always a sign of something else! Indeed, children are like small champions who would never dream of disappointing us, so if your child starts bringing home worse marks than usual, then it could be caused by the inability to see the blackboard well. Probably, if he is not able to see well what the teacher writes, his notes and learning will decrease and almost certainly, because of pride, he won’t tell you what happens in the classroom. Do not hesitate to ask their teachers for help. As they spend a lot of time with our children, they should already be used to some of the behaviour of their students, so ask them how your child behaves in class while he looks at the blackboard or tries to read. If he squints or tilts his head to one side, then it is clear that he has some difficulty which needs to be evaluated by an eye doctor. In the meantime, ask the teacher to move him closer to the blackboard. Alternatively, you can do some tests at home. It’s your choice.
Let’s talk now about the child’s diet! You are probably wondering what food has to do with eyes and sight. It may happen that a diet rich in sugars leads to a high insulin level, which sometimes affects the quality of the child’s sight. In this case, a healthy diet that limits gluten and sugary foods can produce a significant improvement, without having to resort to eyeglasses and corrective lenses.
We all know that sight plays an important role in everyone’s life and that it allows us to develop our confidence and independence. Wearing eyeglasses to correct a sight defect could look bad at the beginning, but over time, they will become like travel companions that you will always want close! In fact, you need to choose them carefully. Some sight defects can be corrected and eliminated, others, instead, will always accompany your child. What’s important is to act immediately, so that your child will be able to look at the world around himself and see it alive, full of bright colours and rich in nuances.
Advice:
We live today in a new era. Even at a young age, children are constantly using electronic devices such as PCs, tablets, mobile phones and Smart TVs which tire their eyes all the time. The actual culprit of all this is BLUE LIGHT. Try then not to expose your children to these devices too much in order to avoid long-term damage that is still partly unknown. We will talk about this problem more in detail in the next article. Stay up to date… 🙂
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