Jason Randall Smith, OD,MS

The question that I have for you is, have you seen an eye doctor in order to diagnose what the problem actually is? "Eye strain" may be a refraction/prescription issue that may be resolved with eyeglasses or contact lenses in order to "calm down" and clear up the straining effect. If you have myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism, this can be resolved with lenses. If the "strain" is actually something else, this can only be determined by seeing an eye doctor and describing the problems that you are having with your eyes.
Good luck and best wishes.

A cataract occurs when the lens of the eye becomes cloudy due to age, medications, or health problems like diabetes, Cataracts will occur to everyone at some point in their life. It can be serious if your vision is affected to the point that you are not safe to drive or an accident occurs because you did not see something that you should have. Cataract surgery can result in your seeing better when the cataract is removed and replaced with a clear implant. If you were diagnosed this by an eye doctor, have any and all questions that you are concerned about directed to them so that you can make an informed and educated decision as to what to do and when to do it.
Cataract surgery is usually risk-free but never risk-proof. Factors that need to be considered are your age, health status, medications being used, and current visual status of your eyes. Good luck and best wishes.

There are certainly alternatives including contact lenses and glasses. There are laser procedures, implants, LASIK, orthokeratology, and corneal keratectomies to name a few refractive procedures. What options that would be available to you would depend upon your prescription, your corneal thickness, health issues, visual needs, costs, and social/hobby needs.
Please consult with an ophthalmologist who is a
refractive surgeon in order to determine what
options should be available to you. And make sure you have all of your questions answered including how long do these procedures last, costs, risks, etc.
Good luck and best wishes.

What not to do while wearing contact lenses?
DO NOT DO the following with your contact lenses:
Continue wearing your lenses if you are unwell.
Continue wearing your lenses if your eyes are uncomfortable or unusually red.
Place a lens in your mouth for cleaning or wetting.
Use tap water to soak or rinse your lenses.
Rub your eyes vigorously while wearing lenses.
Do not swim, shower, or bathe in your contact lenses.
Do not wear your contact lenses longer than prescribed.
Do not sleep in your contact lenses unless approved by your eye doctor.
Do not use any contact lens solutions other than what have been approved by your eye doctor.

PLEASE DO FOLLOW ALL THE GUIDELINES AND INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED TO YOU BY YOUR EYE DOCTOR, ALWAYS.
Good luck and best wishes.

Dear Sir, If glasses have been prescribed for you by an eye doctor, it is because you have either myopia (nearsighted), hyperopia (farsighted), astigmatism, or not in your case, but, presbyopia for the over 40 age group who need reading glasses.
In no case will wearing glasses weaken your eyes. Glasses or contact lenses are prescribed because your eyes, like a camera, are out of focus. The prescription in glasses or contact lenses should be prescribed to "calm" your eyes and provide clear vision at any distance when using them.
And one other item, your eyes do change as we all age. And at some point in
time, the glasses that were prescribed may need to be changed depending upon your age, health conditions, medications, job, or hobbies. This should never alarm you, it is normal, and you should see your eye doctor whenever they send you a recall/follow-up notice or if you notice any problems or changes in your vision. Good luck and best wishes.

The first question that I have is, how do you know you have eye strain? Eye strain should be evaluated by an eye doctor and if this "straining" is a fact, possibly glasses or contact lenses can resolve this issue, unless it is something else?
Eye drops are used for many, many reasons, but not usually for eye strain. If your eyes are dry, artificial tears can be used when prescribed by an eye doctor. Eye drops are also used for infections, conjunctivitis, glaucoma, red eyes, viruses, and allergies to name a few. If you are concerned, I would suggest seeing an eye doctor so that your eyes can be properly evaluated and you can have an exact answer as to what, if anything is happening with your eyes.
Good luck and best wishes.

I doubt that there is a connection between using steam and your eyes being irritated. Many people sit in hot steam baths for health reasons, and I have never heard complaints that their eyes are irritated. How did you initiate using this steam? Is it possible to either keep your eyes closed or to use a pair of swimmer's goggles over your eyes so that no steam can ever get close to your eyes? Please remember that your tear film protects your eyes, so you have a natural defense against irritation already present. I would suggest other sinus-clearing alternatives that you discuss with your doctor. If your eyes continue to be irritated with or without steam being used, an eye doctor's appointment may be a good option. Good luck and best wishes.

Sunglasses can definitely be worn over contact lenses, and with UV radiation affecting our eyes and the skin around our eyes, this is highly recommended. Please find sunglasses that are UV protective.

My first question to you would be, how do you know that you have dry eyes? Has an eye doctor diagnosed this with you? Some allergy medications, birth control pills, and antihistamines can contribute to a dry eye problem, to name a few. If you are "self-medicating" for your dry eyes with drops, are you using artificial tears or an anti-redness drop which can create other problems for your eyes? Having dry eyes does not mean that you cannot wear contact lenses. A daily use lens used may be something to consider where contact lens solutions would not be necessary because the lenses are disposed of after a single use. My suggestion to you would be to see an eye doctor, have a Schirmer tear test done to see if you are making enough tears, discuss any medications or health issues with the doctor, and there may be some great options for you. Good luck and best wishes.

A red eye or red eyes should be evaluated by an eye doctor, personally because there may be many reasons for the redness. Your medical history and any medications you use needs to be determined before any treatment is begun or before the cause of the red eye can be evaluated. Red eyes come from eye rubbing, from the presence of a foreign body, from a variety of conjunctivitis problems including allergic, viral, and bacterial, there are numerous medical and eye conditions that can cause a red eye or red eyes, air-borne irritants can cause red eyes, sun exposure and dry eyes can cause the eyes to be red, corneal abrasions and turned eyelashes can cause an eye to be red; so there may be many causes and many reasons. And the treatments for all of the above are varied and different. I would strongly suggest that you see an eye doctor to have this issue properly evaluated.
Good luck and best wishes.

Thank you for this great question. "Normal" eye pressure can be different from one person compared to another. And there are many different types of glaucoma. Your eye pressure is definitely one significant factor that may determine if someone has glaucoma or not. But there are other factors that must be considered and evaluated before someone is diagnosed with glaucoma. These include the corneal thickness, optic nerve findings including the cup to disc ratio, visual field testing, medications used including steroid use, health concerns including diabetes, age, refractive error, family history, race, and the anatomical angle evaluation which is a structure in your eye. There are some people who have higher than normal eye pressures without optic nerve damage or visual field losses who must be followed over time and are considered "glaucoma suspects". There are other people who have normal eye pressures that can have or develop glaucoma because their pressure may be too high for what their eyes can withstand.
Most "normal" eye pressures run between 10-20 mmHg, but again, please remember that this is only 1 factor, although very important.
I would suggest that you see an eye doctor to have your intraocular pressures checked, have a dilated exam in order to check your optic nerves, have a corneal thickness test called pachymetry, have a visual field test done in order to be sure that your visual fields are OK, and have your eyeglass prescription checked. I wish you good luck and best wishes.

Here is 1, of many websites:
https://glaucoma.org/what-is-considered-normal-eye-pressure/?gclid=CjwKCAjwm4ukBhAuEiwA0zQxk1nixtEm19YB2Z0Zq3WBu6NZ5pCRirVYH94OP0mrILlD6ZA6mx2nwxoCiLgQAvD_BwE

This is a very important question. When your contact lenses were provided to you, you should absolutely have been informed of the time frame and how long you should be using your contact lenses for. There are many different companies that make contact lenses and these companies must indicate if a contact lens is a daily lens, a weekly lens, a 2-week lens, a monthly lens, or a quarterly lens based on FDA testing guidelines and safety concerns. How often you replace your lenses should be something that you immediately contact your eye doctor about, especially if you are sleeping with your contact lenses, which can possibly be an added risk. Besides knowing how long you should be wearing your contact lenses before disposing of them, you should also find out which disinfection, storage, and enzymatic cleaning procedures you should follow. This would not be necessary with a daily lens, but with any other lens, please educate yourself in order to protect your eyes and your corneas. As I have said quite often to my patients, "contact lenses are not glasses." Good luck and best wishes.

In all probability, this "cat lick" did not cause this spot on your eye. Your tear film probably "washed" away anything that may have been in the cat's saliva, but I NEVER answer any question based on probabilities, nor pictures. I would strongly suggest that in order to be totally certain that this spot is nothing to be concerned about, that you have an eye doctor look at it, especially under a microscope. This way, you will know, based on a personal-professional appointment in-person what this is exactly. Good luck and best wishes.

This may be a difficult question to answer because there are several factors involved. Your age is a factor depending upon your prescription and your exact numbers. Are there any medical conditions that can affect your eyes? Are you taking any medications that may affect your eyes? Whether your eyesight will improve or stabilize also will depend upon if you are nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism?
I would definitely follow your eye doctor’s plan for the near future and follow his or her’s instructions. Good luck and best wishes.

If these spots are “floaters”, they may exist in your vitreous, if that is what they actually are. Since this may be related to the vitreous or possibly the retina, I would strongly suggest that you make an appointment with an eye doctor in order to have your eyes evaluated, have your eye pressures measured, and have your eyes dilated. This way you can know for sure if this is something that needs to be monitored, watched, or treated. Good luck and best wishes.

Great question; answer is yes, sunlight can be harmful to your eyes. UV light can affect the very sensitive skin around your eyes, UV light can increase the development of cataracts, and there have been connections between UV light and macular degeneration. Please wear sunglasses with UV protection. UV light does penetrate the clouds, so it is not only a problem in direct sunlight. Here is a good website; https://www.nei.nih.gov/about/news-and-events/news/protecting-your-eyes-suns-uv-light

This is a great question that should be answered directly by the eye doctor that you choose. Several factors will determine the time line for most patients; your age, your health, diabetics should have their eyes dilated at least annually or more often if there are complications, your refractive status (your actual prescription), family history of glaucoma, retinal diseases, macular degeneration, cataracts, or any eye problem that should be monitored, contact lens wearers should have their lenses and corneas checked regularly, any history of eye injuries should be watched carefully, any history of skin issues, and any neurological or nerve problems.
Please discuss any of your concerns with your eye doctor and they will schedule you appropriately. Good luck.

https://www.healthcentral.com/slideshow/amd-myths?ap=800&kw=age%20macular%20degeneration%20causes&mt=e&aid=%7Bcampaignname%7D&sec=%7Badgroupname%7D&gclid=Cj0KCQjw27mhBhC9ARIsAIFsETEQWHFvE8jlFS1VQE5pQsDRbOorhzBmO5LZc1OOWtRyvLCaOoCIIOsaAi6mEALw_wcB

Here is a good website on macular degeneration.
aging, smoking, UV light exposure, diet, treatments, vision loss, and risk factors.

Question for you; how do you know that you have optic nerve pain? My suggestion for you is to see an eye doctor to determine what your problem actually is and to treat it appropriately by an eye doctor or a retinal specialist.

If you do have optic nerve damage, you should not self treat this ever. You do need to be under the care of an eye doctor or a retinal specialist who will determine the best treatment for you.