August is the month highlighting eye health and eye exams! It’s estimated that over 197 million US adults wear glasses and about 45 million wear contact lenses.
Protect your vision by:
| Getting a comprehensive eye exam every 1-2 years. Dilation is usually recommended to assess for diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and other eye conditions that may not have any sign or symptoms. |
| Wear sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB radiation. |
| Rest your eyes from screens by taking a break every 20 minutes to look at something about 20 feet away for 20 seconds. |
| Wear safety goggles/glasses near flying debris, chemicals, or other hazards. |
| Quit smoking to reduce risks of age-related macular degeneration & cataracts. |
| Manage chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes to reduce risk of damage to vessels of the eye. |
Reminder: Health Services offers optometry services weekly on Wednesday. Call 510-486-6266 for an appointment.
Contact Lens Awareness
| Get a valid contact lens prescription before ordering contacts. | Don’t sleep with contacts, given increased risk of infection. |
| Avoid water on your lenses (whether showering or swimming). Water can cause soft contact lenses to change shape, swell, and stick to the eye. This can scratch the cornea potentially leading to an infection. | Wash your hands before handling contact lenses. |
| Clean the lenses and storage container with appropriate solutions. | Do not reuse daily disposable lenses. |
Resources
CDC. (2024). Preventing Vision Loss. Vision and Eye Health. https://www.cdc.gov/vision-health/prevention/index.html
CDC. (2024). About Cleaning, Disinfecting, and Storing Contact Lenses. Healthy Contact Lens Wear and Care. https://www.cdc.gov/contact-lenses/about/about-cleaning-disinfecting-and-storing-contact-lenses.html
Cleveland Clinic. (2023). Eye Exam. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/eye-exam
National Institute of Health (2025). Keep Your Eyes Healthy | National Eye Institute. https://www.nei.nih.gov/eye-health-information/healthy-vision/how-eyes-work/keep-your-eyes-healthy
