click the link below for important information about your eyes and vision…

Dont be Caught by the Sneak Thief of Sight Prevent Blindness America National.

What You Need to Know About Driving at Night : Road & Travel Magazine.

If you’re like me, driving at night is becoming more of a challenge….click on the link above for more information about improving visual comfort and driving safety at night…..

A must read for any insomniac!  Thanks to Dr. Glazier and Sight Nation….

This is a very cool article……..a must read if you are a Beatles Fan!

Great article, especially if you are an athlete or a sports fan.  From the monthly ZeaVision newsletter…..

Ted Williams…A Man Before His Time? Jack Yager, O.D. 

September is sports vision. month and as a member of ZeaVision’s Advisory Board and former college athlete, it is my pleasure to share insights regarding the relationship between nutrition and vision related to sports performance.

There are many stories that surround Ted Williams, the last major leaguer to record a batting average over 400 for an entire season. Ted was very focused on his vision and in fact attempted to maintain high visual acuity in a variety of ways. Whatever his methods, Ted Williams demonstrated excellent eyesight. Did he perhaps have a diet that contained high levels of certain nutrients?

Visual performance has always been an important issue in any professional sport where a small edge can translate into large gains (e.g. Hitzeman & Beckerman, 1993). This is particularly true in baseball.

When considering overall visual aspects, such things as glare discomfort, glare disability, photo stress recovery, chromatic contrast sensitivity, visual range, and temporal processing speed are all likely to be important to baseball players. Rowe et. al. found that the dynamic visual acuity of college baseball players was an average of about fifteen percent better than a matched control group of college students. Classe et. al. found a relationship between visual reaction time and baseball hitting skills.

The idea that nutrition can improve performance has recently come to the forefront. One dietary factor that has been shown empirically to improve contrast, glare disability, photo stress recovery, visibility, and temporal processing are the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. These ingredients contained in kale, spinach, and brightly colored fruits and vegetables, are found in the highest levels in the “macula” area of the eye and central nervous system tissues. Renzi & Hammond, 2010, found that lutein and zeaxanthin may improve neural efficiency and visual processing speeds.

Batters trying to hit a ninety five MPH fast ball have one hundred msecs to decide whether to swing or not. Even a fifteen percent faster neural processing speed could slow the perceived baseball speed to just over eighty miles per hour. This is a tremendous advantage for a hitter and might well have been one of Ted Williams’ unknown secrets.

The highest concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin in the eye are in the macula. It is thought that these two carotenoids act as a filter for the macula, which not only reduces glare disability and discomfort, but also increases photo stress recovery time and improves contrast. Playing ball on a day with a perfectly clear sky and no clouds, a player can lose a fly ball very easily. The earth’s atmosphere contains small particles from both nature and manmade sources which results in a bluish veiling luminance. This bluish veiling makes it very difficult to follow a baseball high in the sky, unless a yellow filter or sunglass is utilized.

Throughout the history of baseball there have been many attempts to reduce disability glare. This includes baseball caps, sunglasses and special glove designs using the webbing of the ball glove to block the glare from the sun. The addition of carotenoids to the diet might well be a simple performance enhancer not previously considered.

Back to school season is in full swing. Before getting back to school, the American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends a visit to the eye doctor. Healthy eyesight is key to the learning processes and a child’s success in school. There are many tasks that depend on visual skills, such as reading, writing and computer assignments, which children are required to perform everyday. Despite this, studies show that 86 percent of children start school without ever having a vision exam.

Many of the issues a child suffers from in the classroom may result from sight impairment. The number of children who are affected by undiagnosed vision problems is exceedingly high. Over 60% of children identified as students with learning-disabilities actually have undiagnosed vision troubles. You can avoid childhood trauma if you make it a priority to ensure your child’s vision is up to par.

Don’t wait until your child enters kindergarten for his first comprehensive eye exam. Your child’s doctor should perform a dilated eye exam to discover any serious eye problems within the age of two months. Every child should have a comprehensive eye exam by three years, as early intervention can avoid developmental delay. Additionally as a parent, it’s important to see whether your child enjoys reading. Generally, most kindergarteners are excited to look at books and attempt to read. Children that don’t read books may have a vision issue. A comprehensive vision check-up by a pediatric optometrist should be one of the tools used in making a diagnosis.

Take note that the sooner a vision problem is identified and treated, the greater the chances for successful treatment. And eyesight is an essential component for school work. If a child’s vision is impaired, he will have a much harder time in school. At the same time new technology in the classroom, such as the use of interactive SMARTboards, can also potentially make less obvious vision problems worse. A student with poor vision will be affected both at school, and emotionally and physically. Before school starts this year, make sure your child’s vision is on par!

The NJSOP recently solicited the help of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie by asking him to proclaim August Children’s Vision and Learning Month. Gov. Christie agreed and signed the proclamation which highlights the fact that undiagnosed and untreated vision problems are often the culprit behind interfered learning. The proclamation goes on to encourage parents to recognize the critical role that vision plays in learning.

To make the public aware of the Governor’s proclamation, the NJSOP sent out a series of editorial letters to papers across the state, commending the Governor for bringing attention to such important health information. Several papers, including some linked to northjersey.com ran the letter - click here to read it.