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  • Preventing Computer Induced Eye Strain

    Preventing Computer Induced Eye Strain

    This past year, many children and adults have taken on a drastically different form of schooling and work that is entirely online. With the sudden change in office and school attendance, we have noticed an increased amount of younger children and adults experiencing eye strain while working from the computer. With the amount of workload due from their virtual classrooms and offices, they are required to sit in front of a screen for longer periods of time. Today, we are going to share with you a few tips on how you can help prevent eye strain associated with computers.

    Eye strain is often caused by excessively bright light either from harsh interior lighting or sunlight through a window. When you use a computer your ambient lighting should be about half as bright as most offices. You can eliminate exterior light by closing blinds or shutting drapes. Interior light can be reduced by simply using fewer lower intensity light bulbs. Also, if possible, position your computer screen so that windows are to the side, rather than in front or behind.

    Another cause of computer eye strain is from focusing fatigue. To reduce your risk of tiring your eyes by constantly focusing on your screen practice the 20-20-20 rule. Every twenty minutes, look away from your screen for twenty seconds, at an object twenty feet away. By looking far away, you relax the focusing muscles inside the eye and reduce fatigue. You should also remember to blink frequently! Blinking moistens your eyes and prevents dry eyes and irritation. Studies have shown that when staring at a screen people blink less often. In fact, only about one-third as often as they normally do.

    Many people have also been struggling with glare from light reflecting from windows or off the walls. If you find yourself struggling with glare, consider installing an anti-glare screen on your monitor’s display and, if possible, paint the bright white walls a darker color with a matte finish. This will help create an anti-reflective workspace and will help eliminate all glare.

    Lastly, you may want to consider getting computer eyewear. Computer glasses can reduce your exposure to potentially harmful blue-light emitted by all digital devices, including your phone. Another quick fix would be to login to your display settings to reduce your digital device’s blue light for a warmer image quality.

    For more information on how you can avoid computer eye strain ask your eye doctor for details and advice. Schedule your appointment today with Snead Eye Group by calling (239) 230-0318.

  • How Mask Wearing Can Cause Dry Eyes & How You Can Fix It

    How Mask Wearing Can Cause Dry Eyes & How You Can Fix It

    You might be saying to yourself, “2020 can’t get much worse.” But let’s be honest, there’s always more. Studies have recently shown that wearing face masks are triggering an increase in dry eye symptoms. However, do not fear! Snead Eye Group is here to provide you with more information and solutions. 

    You might find yourself asking, “what is dry eye syndrome?” Dry eyes can cause blurred vision, redness, and discomfort among many other symptoms. It’s a fairly common problem that twenty- to twenty-five percent of people report worldwide, although the problem occurs mostly as we age.

    With this emerging phenomenon amid the pandemic, eye experts are now urging the public to be mindful of this situation.

    Mask associated dry eye occurs when the air we breathe from behind a mask escapes through the top of the mask and flows over the surface of our eyes. According to the eye experts at Snead Eye Group, there is a thin layer of fluid that covers the eye’s surface. The film dries out from our breath, especially when you are wearing a mask over prolonged periods. This can cause inflammation or irritation, also known as dry eye.

    Medical experts have found that having an ill-fitted mask is one of the main causes of dry eye. Make sure your mask fits well and does not form a large gap towards the top. If your current mask does, try the surgical masks that include a moldable nose bar. This will allow the mask to hug your nose and cheeks, preventing exhalations from reaching the eyes.

    The year 2020, has exposed many of us to a different reality, one where everything is done from behind a screen. If you find yourself working or learning remotely, you too can be at risk of dry eye. When we focus on a screen, we are less likely to blink thus resulting in our eyes not receiving as much moisture and hydration. Be mindful of your screen time and use the 20-20-20 rule. Every twenty-minutes for twenty-seconds, give yourself a break, and look at an object twenty feet away.

    Our number one complaint lately is that patient’s glasses are constantly fogging when wearing a mask. At Snead Eye Group we have a solution, and it’s scleral lenses!

    A scleral lens is a large contact lens that rests on the white portion of your eye as opposed to a regular contact. This lens is typically used to manage ocular surface disease such as dry eye. It also features a tear-filled valt over the cornea to assist with dry eyes. Our doctors at Snead Eye Group use a program called the “corneal vaulting system,” which will map the patient’s eyes and create the best possible custom fitting lens.

    We know most people might try to find a quick fix to their dry eye symptoms from eye drops, but we strongly recommend seeing your eye doctor to find the correct eye solution for your needs. We hope you find this information insightful and if you have any questions pertaining to our solutions give us a call at, (239) 230-0318.

  • How Other Men Address Eye Concerns

    How Other Men Address Eye Concerns

    We held a poll on our social media sites asking men fifty-years-old and up what their eye care routine consisted of. Believe it or not, there weren’t many varying opinions. The bulk of the results simply stated that they wore polarized sunglasses when they were outside, they would visit an eye doctor once every-other-year, and one individual stated he eats carrots… Men, this simply isn’t enough! Once you reach your fifties, you should meet with an eye doctor annually, partake in an iWellness exam, and resolve any vision impairments.

    By simply visiting your eye doctor regularly, you drastically decrease the impact of chronic vision problems! Meeting often gives your eye doctor the ability to provide an early diagnosis if there are any major issues. From there, they would be able to provide a treatment plan and pave a path to recovery or minimize the impact of unavoidable eye disease. Becoming familiar and building a relationship with your eye doctor is a must. To be frank, you only have two eyes; once your vision is gone, it’s gone forever. This isn’t a situation you want to roll the dice with; be proactive and protect your vision for the long run.

    Just as it is important to visit your medical doctor for a yearly check-up, it is equally important to have routine eye examinations with your eye care specialist regularly. There are far too many severe eye diseases that tend to go unnoticed because the symptoms occur slowly and grow worse over time. Don’t wait until it’s too late, visit your eye care specialist at Snead Eye Group, and take an iWellness exam. The iWellness screening provides you with a report on the thickness of your retina, among other vital information. From there, the machine will take high-resolution pictures of your eye and will then provide you with a “symmetry analysis.” These powerful steps help the doctors detect early signs of macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts. This ultimately means that you get to rest easy at night knowing your iWellness screenings are helping preserve your vision for many years to come.

    Lastly, you should always manage any current vision issues now before they continue to worsen. If you have any questions regarding concerns that you might be experiencing with your vision give us a call at (239) 230-0318. The doctors and staff at Snead Eye Group believe that your health care needs are important to the quality of your life, and we want to help you achieve the best possible vision.

  • Continuum of Care – Case Study

    Continuum of Care – Case Study

    “It’s never too late to plan for the future.” This phrase applies to all aspects of life, financially, physically, and medically. In many cases, it’s better to act now before it’s too late. Rather than being preoccupied with day-to-day events, take a step back, and look at the bigger picture. In this case study, you’ll see how Elizabeth planned for not only her future eye health but her parents as well.

    Elizabeth is a forty-five-year-old Naples native, with two older parents. Her mother, Teresa is seventy, and her father, Victorio is seventy-three. Elizabeth is a hard-working manager at a financial institution, in downtown Naples, and is always planning for the future.

    She has been a patient of Dr. Brad Snead for ten years now. Her parents recently moved back down from Philadelphia to finish out their retirement, and they needed new doctors. During Elizabeth’s last annual checkup, she mentioned to Dr. Snead that her parents were moving back to Southwest Florida, and she was looking into medical programs to keep them on a routine schedule for their health. Dr. Snead recommended Elizabeth look into the Continuum of Care Program.

    Elizabeth began to research the “Continuum of Care” and discovered that this program caters to preserving your eyesight for many years to come. The entire program consists of scheduling an initial visit to find a patient’s eye health baseline. Then, they begin to perform exams in hopes of detecting early chronic eye diseases. Based on the results, they can create treatment plans and work with patients to create vision goals for the future. 

    Elizabeth immediately enrolled not just her parents but herself, into this amazing program. This entire process was right up her alley because she understands that it’s never too late to plan for the future. Not only are her parents currently working with Dr. Brad Snead on their future vision goals, but Teresa finally has enough confidence in her eye doctor to allow them to fix a few vision impairments she’s been experiencing the past year. They are all extremely excited and confident that Snead Eye Group can provide and maintain the best vision possible for them all.

    If you’re ready to preserve your eyesight, start today! Simply call (239) 230-0318, and schedule your eye exam with any of the amazing doctors at Snead Eye Group.

  • How Making this Decision will Lead to a More Active Lifestyle

    How Making this Decision will Lead to a More Active Lifestyle

    How making this decision will lead to a more active lifestyle and ease the burden on your adult children

    As you and your spouse enter retirement the fun begins! You are now able to freely decide what activities lie ahead of you. You both are able to make decisions in the comfort of your home or abroad, living your best life because you worked hard for it. Although many of us assume retirement will be all fun and games, we have to remember as we age our vision tends to worsen. Now is the time to act and preserve your sight for years to come. Not only will this create individual freedom for yourself but it will remove the burden from your children.

    By frequently visiting your eye doctor, you provide yourself the opportunity for early diagnosis, treatment plans, and minimizing the impact of chronic vision problems. Dr. Snead suggests that you make good vision as much a part of your health plan as you would your scheduled visits to your doctor or dentist. Healthy vision promotes a healthy lifestyle.

    Snead Eye Group offers a “Continuum of Care” program, this program helps you create a vision for your eye health. It also monitors your eye health, so the doctors are able to catch minor issues before they become major problems. This program has helped both old and young patients monitor their eye health and avoid complications that could cost thousands of dollars or maybe even their sight. 

    We’ve had many retirees take advantage of this program. Countless retired Naples natives have a strong passion for golfing and enjoy the fact that they can still visually see their ball after an amazing drive. Numerous others love that they still have the ability to travel with their partners and take these trips of a lifetime, while they are still young enough to enjoy it! Lastly, and probably the most common, are those that want to simply live an active lifestyle while maintaining their freedom and not having to burden their children with the responsibility of caring for them as they age. 

    Many people in our lives benefit when we take control of our health. Not only does it provide you the best opportunity to live a long and healthy life but it provides everyone with confidence that you can truly care for yourself.

  • The Best Eye Care Practice: Act Now vs. Later

    The Best Eye Care Practice: Act Now vs. Later

    Problem:

    Meet Jessica, she is a forty-five-year-old single parent who works two full-time jobs. When she isn’t working, she’s watching her athletically gifted daughter, Emily, play softball. As you can imagine, Jessica doesn’t have much free time between juggling her jobs and helping her eighteen-year-old daughter fill out college applications.

    Lately, after work, Jessica finds herself proofreading Emily’s college application letters. She’s recently noticed that reading has become a difficult task. Her vision tends to blur anytime she has to focus on something up close. Jessica knew that she’s been postponing her eye visits for far too long but continued to delay the inevitable eye exam.

    A few months later, Emily graduated from high school with a full-ride scholarship to play softball at a university. Jessica was extremely proud and excited for her daughter to start this next stage in life, and soon Emily moved out and began her schooling. Jessica had a lot more free time on her hands and was finally able to schedule that eye appointment. Only now, her vision seemed to have worsened. Every time she needed to do a task close up her vision blurred, and left her with a headache and feeling tired.

    When she arrived at Snead Eye Group, she was brought into the eye examination room. Following her exam Jessica was informed, the reason she had difficulty seeing was because of presbyopia. Presbyopia tends to form during your forties and it stems from a gradual loss of flexibility in the natural lens of the eye. As we age, the eye loses elasticity and has a harder time focusing up close.

    Solution: 

    After receiving this news, Jessica was worried and rightfully so, but we reassured her that presbyopia is not unusual. In fact, her vision could still be completely restored by simply wearing glasses or contacts!

    Jessica was relieved, after speaking with the doctor she decided on monovision contact lenses. This is perfect for the patient who wants the least amount of dependency on glasses and the very best vision possible. These contact lenses will be used for correction by wearing one contact for distance and one for close up. These lenses are perfect for busy people on the go!

    Later, Jessica arrived to pick up her prescription contacts and was in awe by how quick and easy the whole process was.

    Result:

    We called to check in on Jessica regarding her new prescription lenses. She stated that she experienced no discomfort, and she could see better than ever before. She was amazed at how this simple visit made her quality of life better. Only you can decide when it is time to open your eyes to a bright clear world. Trust us, you won’t regret it.

  • Options to Preserve Your Eyesight

    Options to Preserve Your Eyesight

    As we age our vision worsens, some more than others, but there are plenty of options available today to preserve your eyesight. At Snead Eye Group, you are not only working with the best eye doctors but you’re also given the opportunity to take advantage of their state-of-the-art equipment. When it comes to correcting vision impairment, delaying the progression of unavoidable eye disease, or minimizing the impact of chronic vision problems, there is no one better suited to help than Snead Eye Group.

    Did you know that by maintaining regular visits to your eye doctor you can significantly reduce the burden of vision issues? Snead Eye Group even offers a “Continuum of Care” program catered to preserve your eyesight for many years to come. The “Continuum of Care” program consists of scheduling an initial visit which will allow the doctors to find the baseline for your eye health. From there, you can partake in an iWellness screening, which will help detect chronic eye disease early. This allows the doctors to create a custom treatment plan for you. You can even work with them and set vision-oriented goals for the future. From those goals, the wonderful doctors at Snead Eye Group will create a structured plan in accordance with your eye visits, eye care products, and/or surgeries.

    Snead Eye Group also offers cataracts surgery. A cataract is a progressive clouding of the eye’s natural lens that interferes with light passing through to the retina. Many people describe the condition as constantly looking through a piece of wax paper. There is only one way to rid oneself of cataracts, and that is to physically remove the cataract from the eyes. With top of the line equipment, Snead Eye Group is able to eliminate variables that have complicated cataract surgery in the past, making it that much easier for patients to have a chance at seeing 20/20 or better. Cataract surgery has quickly become a favorite for patients in Naples, Bonita, Fort Myers, and the surrounding areas.

    If you’re ready to preserve your eyesight start today! Simply call (239) 936-8686, and schedule your eye exam with any of the amazing doctors at Snead Eye Group. From there, they can work with you hand-in-hand to correct vision impairments and maintain the best vision possible.

  • Why is Self-Care Important?

    Why is Self-Care Important?

    On an airplane, an oxygen mask descends in front of you. What do you do? As we all know, the first rule is to put on your own oxygen mask before you assist anyone else. This scenario shows why self-care is vital to managing not only yourself but your family. Only when we first help ourselves can we effectively help others. Caring for yourself is one of the most important, and one of the most forgotten, things you can do as a caregiver. When your needs are taken care of, the person or people you care for will benefit too!

    How can you help others when you’re not at your best? The answer is simple, you can’t. Whether you physically burnout from all the duties and tasks, or get sick trying, you can only care for others after you’ve put yourself first. Your health is vital to the health of everyone else around you, so act like it.

    To most, eye issues are frustrating and annoying. Many people ignore their issues and let them fester. Don’t let these annoyances affect your day-to-day life. Get them taken care of now by calling Snead Eye Group at, (239) 936-8686. Our amazing group of doctors is committed to providing you with the best eye care available.

    They are concerned about the overall health of all of their patients, as well as their eyesight, and will treat everyone according to his or her individual needs. They consistently strive to offer the latest treatment options available while keeping the best interest of their patient’s health and welfare first and foremost.

    If you’re located in the Ft. Myers, Naples, or Bonita Springs area and are in search of an eye care provider, look no further. Call Snead Eye Group today.

  • 3 Reasons Why Eye Exams Are Critical When You’re Over 60

    3 Reasons Why Eye Exams Are Critical When You’re Over 60

    Ah 60, the time of retirement. 

    Meaning you get to enjoy years of fun, playing with the grandkids, and traveling around the world.  That’s what most people dream of for their retirement. However, there’s a problem that usually gets in the way. That problem is your vision. 

    You see, it’s hard to do the things you love when it’s tough to see. You start having to ask for help from family members… and some people say that they feel like a burden. That’s why finding an eye care provider is SO important. 

    This article will go deeper into three more of those reasons. 

    • Catch Cataracts Early

    According to data from the National Eye Institute, by seventy-five, half of all Americans have cataracts. Cataracts are a painless clouding (and hardening) of the lens of your eye. This makes it hard for you to see clearly.

    Plus, left untreated, cataracts can also lead to blindness. However, regular eye exams help your doctor to catch cataracts early, before they damage your eye. Also, some people report even having better vision after cataract surgery!

    The important thing to note here is when cataracts affect your lifestyle have them removed. 

    • Keep Your Independence

    When you can’t see, it’s hard to do things on your own. Crossing the street becomes a dangerous activity. You can’t drive yourself to the store without being at risk. Then, you have to start asking your kids, family members, and friends to help you do everyday things.

    That’s not so bad for some people. Yet, as I touched on earlier, some people feel like a burden when everyone has to help them out. After all, their family members have their own busy lives. Plus, it feels great to be able to do things on your own right?

    That’s another reason why taking care of your eye health is so important. Because it helps you keep your independence AND your confidence. 

    • Relax and Enjoy Your Golden Years

    Your retirement is meant to be a time of fun, adventure, and relaxation. Having great vision (and someone looking over your eyes) helps you to enjoy your golden years.

    It’s an amazing feeling when you can clearly see the faces of your grandchildren, or when you can travel to wherever you want to go, like going on a hike in the rainforest. 

    After all, you’ve worked hard for a long time. So, make sure you’re able to enjoy the fruits of your labor. 

    I hope you can see why taking care of your eyes is so important. The first step is to schedule an appointment with one of our eye doctors. Our doctors here at Snead Eye Group have been helping people like you for decades. 

    Are you going to be our next success story?

    Book your appointment here at this link: http://www.sneadeye.com/contact-us/

    or call us at this number: (239) 936-8686

  • How Do you Care for your Aging Parents?

    How Do you Care for your Aging Parents?

    If you’re helping to take care of your parents, but you’re having trouble staying on top of it. Plus, you’re not sure about how to keep their eye health in check… 

    Then hopefully reading this case study will help you. 

    The Problem:

    This is a case study about Linda. She’s like many of our other patients. Linda is a mom in her 40’s with WAY too much to do. 

    One of her duties is taking care of her parents. Of course, she’s happy to help them out- but sometimes everything just piles up doesn’t it? 

    Linda knew her parents had vision problems. It was getting harder for them to see. They complained about having trouble reading in bed at night. 

    She also knew that her parents hadn’t been to an eye doctor in 2-3 years. They recently moved down to Florida, and they needed to find a new eye doctor. 

    That’s how Linda found herself down here at Snead Eye Group. 

    The Solution:

    Linda wanted us to put her parents on an eye health plan. So that she wouldn’t have to worry about their vision problems. 

    That’s exactly what we did. Their first visit started with iWellness screenings, new glasses, and a new plan. This new plan involved yearly eye exams, goals, and eye screenings. 

    The Result:

    Over the past 2 years, Linda and her family have stuck with the plan we created. She told us that she feels much better about her parent’s health. Linda doesn’t have to worry about her parent’s vision anymore… and she feels safe and secure knowing they’ve been taken care of. 

    As for her parents…

    After their regular eye exams, and by following their eye doctor’s instructions- they’re feeling better than ever. They’re still coming to visit us here at Snead Eye Group multiple times per year. We’re keeping a close eye on their vision, looking for problems like cataracts, glaucoma, and eye disease. 

    Knowing you have someone looking over your parents gives you a great feeling of peace and security. 

    If you want us to look over your parents (or your family)… then we can help. Simply call the number to set up your appointment. (239) 936-8686