Preventative Eye Care

Protect your eyes from Ultraviolet light year-round by wearing UV protection sunglasses and brimmed hats.
Eat more eye friendly foods rich in antioxidants, especially those dark colored fresh fruits and vegetables, such as dark purple grapes, cooked tomato, broccoli, spinach, peas etc..
Give your eyes a break by looking into the distance after spending prolonged time in front of computer, TV and reading. Keep your eyes moist by consciously blinking or using artificial tears.
Quit smoking. Because smoking can contribute to dry eyes, cataracts and age related macular degeneration (ARMD).
If you have a family history of eye diseases, make sure to have your eyes checked regularly by your Optometrist. Early detection is the key to prevent vision loss.
How to use an Amsler Grid

(Repeat for each eye)

Note: if you wear reading glasses, be sure to have them on whenever you take this test.

Look at the center dot on the grid with one eye at a time, covering the other eye with you hand.
Make sure you stay focused on the center dot.
As you continue to look at the center dot, check to see that all the surrounding lines are straight and all the squares are the same size.
If any area on the grid appears blurred, distorted, discoloured or in any way abnormal or different from your last test, contact your eye doctor immediately.

A person with distortion will see wavy or irregular lines in an area of the grid. A person with a blind spot or scotoma cannot see a portion of the grid.