Do you find yourself squinting to see better? If you also suffer from headaches or have trouble reading at a distance or close-up, it may be time for an eye exam. Our talented and experienced optometrists, Dr. Mital Patel, OD, and Dr. Sela Hothersall, OD, at Classic Vision Care diagnose and treat vision problems, such as nearsightedness and farsightedness, at our offices in Kennesaw and East Cobb / Marietta, Georgia.
To squint or not to squint
While there’s nothing intrinsically harmful about squinting, other than adding unwelcome wrinkles around your eyes, it may signal a need for corrective lenses. If you have difficulty reading street signs or cell phones, Dr. Patel and our providers evaluate your vision with several simple diagnostic tests, including:
- Visual acuity to determine your vision at 20 feet
- Central and peripheral visual fields
- Intraocular pressure test, part of glaucoma screening
- Depth perception
- Color perception
We diagnose any refractive issues, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, and write the prescription that gives you your clearest comfortable vision. If your squinting gets worse in the sun, we also help you find sunglasses to fit the bill.
Read the signs
For adults, squinting will not make your vision worse, though frequent squinting in a child is a common sign of nearsightedness and deserves an exam. In fact, in the short term, it actually helps you see better. By decreasing how much light enters your eye, squinting enables more light to pass closer to the center of your vision. Images become better focused. If you find yourself squinting in order to read, you might suffer from a refractive error. Dr. Patel and our team diagnose any refractive issues to enable your eyes to bend light correctly, without squinting, through glasses or contact lenses.
Improve your eyesight without squinting
Dr. Patel also recommends healthy ways to support your eye health; they do not change a refractive error, which only glasses, contacts or surgery correct. These include:
1. Eat more fruits and vegetables
Carrots contain beta-carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A, an important nutrient for healthy eyes. Other helpful foods include sweet potatoes, red peppers, spinach, and citrus fruits. Eat leafy greens such as kale, spinach and collards, as well, which provide lutein and zeaxanthin, protective carotenoids found in your retina.
2. Exercise regularly
One of the most important things we can do is move our bodies. Exercise helps control blood sugar and blood pressure, which lowers your risk of diabetic retinopathy, which causes tiny arteries in your retina to leak blood and fluid into your eyes. Maintaining a healthy weight and exercising helps reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes in the first place.
3. Shield your eyes
Wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat protects your eyes from harmful UVA and UVB radiation from sunlight, keeping damage at bay.
In addition, Dr. Patel and our providers encourage you to practice the 20-20-20 rule. Look away from your computer screen every 20 minutes toward something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds to reduce eyestrain.
Improve your health with regular check-ups
Even if you simply squint on occasion, it’s a good idea to get regular eye exams to maintain good eye health and keep any problems from escalating. If it’s time for your yearly exam or you have any concerns about your vision, contact our knowledgeable team at Classic Vision Care. Call us or book an appointment online today.
What should you know about squinting now, especially for children?
The main message above still stands: squinting itself does not damage your eyes. It narrows the opening light passes through, which sharpens a blurry image for a moment. The reason you squint is the real story. Squinting, headaches and eye strain are listed symptoms of a refractive error such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism [1]. More than 150 million Americans have a refractive error, and many do not know they could be seeing better [1].
Here is what the original post did not cover: children. Nearsightedness usually starts between ages 6 and 14 and gets worse into the early twenties [2]. Needing to squint to see clearly is a common nearsightedness symptom [2]. A child who squints at the board, sits close to the TV or holds a tablet near the face may be telling you something. Kids rarely complain about blurry vision because they assume everyone sees that way. A children's eye exam at our Kennesaw or East Cobb office checks for refractive error and for how the eyes focus and work together. If a child is becoming nearsighted, myopia control may slow how fast the prescription grows. Our post on kids myopia control exams in Kennesaw and East Cobb explains the options and who qualifies.
For adults, screens have changed the squinting picture. Digital eye strain brings eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision and dry eyes [3]. Uncorrected or under-corrected vision problems make those symptoms worse [3]. The 20-20-20 rule still helps: every 20 minutes, look about 20 feet away for 20 seconds [3]. If you squint at your monitor by mid-afternoon, a comprehensive eye exam can tell whether a computer-distance prescription would help.
Two corrections to the food advice above. Carrots are a strong source of beta-carotene, not lutein. Lutein and zeaxanthin come mainly from leafy greens such as kale, spinach and collards. Food supports eye health, but no diet corrects a refractive error. Glasses remain the simplest and safest correction [1].
If you need glasses, the optical showroom at either Classic Vision Care office can help you choose frames and lenses right after your exam. Adjustments are free whenever you need them. Squinting outdoors in the Georgia sun? Prescription sunglasses are fitted in the same showroom.
Related reading: kids myopia control exams in Kennesaw and East Cobb, children's eye exams, computer eye strain, eyewear and optical showroom.
Sources
- National Eye Institute, "Refractive Errors"
- National Eye Institute, "Nearsightedness (Myopia)"
- American Optometric Association, "Computer vision syndrome"
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