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Friendly UNcorporate Optometry

Fake or counterfeit eye-related products such as eye drops and vitamins are a relatively new phenomenon.  There is currently heightened concern about a well-known brand of premium ocular vitamins having its products faked and sold through large marketplaces.   This is dangerous not only because the content of this vitamins is now unknown but patients that are not receiving a proper supplement will have increased risk of vision loss.

fake eye drops

Imitation product creeps into the market though three channels.

[1] Duplication of the look and feel of the bottle and contents (no active/useful medication and potentially harmful fillers).  These are sold by individuals typically via marketplaces and are indistinguishable alongside authentic products.

[2] Drop-shipped product or indirectly distributed product (meaning that the seller may not actually have  possession of the actually product sold).   Drop-shipping pharma products poses a massive risk because some distribution centers pool like-products.   e.g. Think about a bank.... If you take $100 bill cash to a bank and make a deposit today.  Then, tomorrow you go back and withdrawal a $100 bill... It is very unlikely that you would receive the same $100 bill that you originally deposited.  This is the most concerning distribution model as like-product is pooled/banked and then when sold by any connected seller... products is 'withdrawn' from the  common pool and shipped to the end user.   Some of the product in the pool could be authentic.... some not.  Distribution centres would have to be extremely diligent about inspecting and checking every incoming product to prevent this.   A reputable seller contributing real product to the pool may actually end up unknowingly sell fake product.

[3] The third channel is less counterfeit but still can lead to potentially dangerous or ineffective products.   There are many listing for foreign versions of branded product.  These products are not always identical as products recommended by your eye care professional.

How can you protect yourself?   Buy product only from your own eye care professional or from established and reputable sources.  Avoid marketplace purchases!  Look to sellers that have real addresses and real contact information.  

Our online store -  mEYEspa - directly purchases from our manufacturer partners.  We control all distribution and personally inspect products to be sold.  We are a real eye care clinic and the products available through our online store are exactly the same as the ones sold to clinic patients.

Protect your eyes - Buy only from an authorized retailer.

The real - Dr J Morris.  



As a 26 year primary care optometry veteran, my vote for the Swiss Army knife of eye lid care is the Bruder mask.  

Computer fatigue? - 5 minutes at the end of a long day - Spa-like heaven

Dry eyes? - Melt those needed lid oils to refresh zoomed-out eyeballs

Lid soreness and  irritation? - Help break-up the goop in clogged lid glands and at lash margin

 

The 5 minute sustained moist heat of this mask is the key.  So much better than gel-based eye packs and the mess and ineffectiveness of a face-cloth!

You are welcome! >>

Dr. J

Oct 31st, 2016

Can I use up my vision?

"Do eyes have a limited amount of vision that you can use up over a lifetime?"  "Will using my eyes for detailed work like crafts cause damage in the future?" 

These related questions come up often in eye doctors' offices... here is my answer to this common concern:   You do not have a finite amount of vision.  Using your eyes for high visual demand tasks can cause temporary strain and tiredness... but this is not harmful to the eyes.  If you enjoy a craft, reading or something else visually challenging..do it!   It will not cause future damage.   Dr.j



When we reach – a certain age – we all need some help in bed.  Whether that help be to see up close or across the room, almost every single one of us... will need it.

Progressive addition lenses (PALs) are wonderful jack-of-all-trades lenses for most routine tasks.  So why do they fail when we are reclined in bed?

The answer is in the question – reclined.  PAL lenses are posture sensitive.  They have a distance vision zone at the top of the lens and then closer vision zone(s) at the bottom.   These zones align and work well when we are sitting or standing.  However, if we are reclined in bed… they come out of whack.  

Being reclined, all PAL lens zones are too high.  Thus, slipping them down your nose is your only option for distance.   But slipping glasses down your nose, pushes the near zone down into no-man’s-land and too low for use.

A better/custom/more expensive PAL will not solve this challenge.  Beyond sitting upright in bed, there are few options to help those of in need.

1] Old school segmented bifocals (yes – with the line) may not be cosmetically nor functionally acceptable outside of the bedroom but the do work better with reclined posture.

2] Back to separate glasses.  Lenses only for distance or only for near work but it does may it challenging if you are trying to text and watch Netflix.



Find out more about UNcorporate Optometry at Studio Eye Care

Aug 25 - 16

5 Factors For Minimizing Your Glasses' Lens Thickness

This is our most popular post!

So you are thinking about getting new glasses... but you are worried that the lenses will end up looking thick and heavy.  What are the factors that influence optical lens thickness in glasses? Read on...

1] Prescription: The higher your degree of nearsightedness or farsightedness will influence your lens thickness.  A lens to correct nearsightedness (myopia) will be thicker at the perimeter of the lens and a lens to correct farsightedness (hyperopia) will be thicker in the middle of the lens.  There is not much that you can do about your prescription - it is what it is - so use the other 4 factors to help minimize lens thickness.

2] Diameter: The larger a lens is across, the thicker it will be.  This consideration is often trumped by fashion or function (e.g. progressive bifocal) but try and minimize diameter to limit lens thickness.

3] Material: There are basically six difference plastics that are used to make lenses (glass rarely used these days).  These plastics are rated for their ability to bend light and there ability to sharply focus light.  They are identified with numbers (index) and/or names such as 1.6 or 1.53 or Polycarbonate.  Some retailers try an brand a particular plastic with a fancy name but they are all essentially the same six.  If you are offered a "Thinner-Lighter Lens" - find out what the index actually is to properly compare...in order or thickest to thinnest:  1.5 (CR39) > 1.53 (Trivex) > 1.59 (Polycarbonate) > 1.6 > 1.67 >  1.74.   The worst optical quality (sharpness) plastic is polycarbonate but it is also one of the most break resistant.  Optical quality also is influenced by the design of the lens (e.g. aspheric) but this would not significantly impact the thickness.  As a rule-of-thumb, you do not need to consider a mid or hi-index lens for prescriptions from -2.50 to +1.50.  Note that a 1.74 lens (thinnest) can reduce lens thickness by approximately 33% over a 1.5 (CR39) lens.

4] Mount:  The three most common frame mounts are: grooved, semi-rimless and drilled.  A grooved mount has the metal or plastic frame completely around then lens.  The lens has a raised lip at the edge that sits snugly into a groove in the frame.  This mount will allow your lenses to be thinnest.  If you are nearsighted, a semi-rimless or drilled mount will have little impact on the thickness when compared to a groove mount.  However, If you are farsighted these latter to mounts will cause your lenses to be thicker.  This is because the edges of your lenses have to me made thicker to carry a groove set into the lens edge.  Or in the case of drill-mount, the lens have to be make strong enough as not to break with stress

5] Surfaced or stock:  This factor is probably the most confusing and misunderstood - even for people in the industry.  If you are farsighted (i.e. a '+' prescription like +3.00), a surfaced (custom made) lens will deliver the thinnest end product (any material).  The selection of which to use gets messy because is a balance between wholesale cost and value to consumer plus all of the above factors.  Even when it is the best choice, a surfaced lens is not always selected by many optical retailers because it is far more costly to fabricate which negatively effects profit.  If you are nearsighted (i.e. a '-' prescription like -5.50), it does not matter if the lens is surfaced or stock.  The decision will be made on availability and cost as the thickness is the same.

Questions?   We will help you navigate!   Dr.j

Nov 23, 2016

I used to tint the lenses in my old glasses?

There was a great question from a patient this week "I used to tint the lenses in my old glasses to be my prescription sunglasses... can I still do that?

I have been practicing for over 20 years and tinting old lenses was a very common thing... so what changed as tinting is rarely done these days!?   The answer is two parts: lens materials and coatings.   #1 spectacle lenses are more-and-more being made from materials that just do not tint well e.g. poly-carbonate or hi-index plastics  #2 the increased prevalence of anti-reflective coatings and tough anti-scratch coatings.  These coatings harden the lens surface and make it impenetrable to tints.  

To tint a lens these days, the tints are applied prior to these coatings being applied.   Dr.j

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All Content Dr. Jason Morris Studio Eye Care and Cataract Club