Celebrate Save Your Vision Month This March with LASIK

Make a Commitment to Eye Health with LASIK Eye Surgery and 3 More Healthy Practices

Save Your Vision Month is an initiative created by the American Optometric Association (AOA) to emphasize the importance of eye and vision health.

Although most people don’t have Save Your Vision Month marked on their calendars, this reminder from the AOA is certainly worth celebrating. Your eye health is an important part of your overall wellbeing and quality of life.

Take these four steps to make your eye and vision health on overall part of your wellness plan:

• Schedule your yearly eye exam.
• Adjust your diet to support eye health.
• Take action on digital eye strain.
• Enjoy the many benefits of a LASIK procedure.

Schedule an Annual Eye Exam

The AOA recommends a comprehensive eye exam every one to two years, even for those who have undergone LASIK. Eye health is more than just being able to see as clearly as possible. A regular eye exam helps:

Preserve vision in those who haven’t yet had LASIK eye surgery.
Prevent eye diseases and conditions.
Identifies indicators of early disease, including diabetes, high blood pressure, glaucoma, or macular degeneration.

If you have received LASIK, you won’t need to pay extra vision-related costs, such as new eyeglasses or contact lenses, after your exam. Eliminating the costs of frames and contacts makes the one-time cost of LASIK much more appealing and cost-effective than making these purchases year after year.

Eat for Your Eye Health

A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods is as good for your eye health as it is for the rest of your body. As a child you probably heard that carrots are good for your eyes. It’s true: carrots are rich in vitamin A, an essential vitamin that helps convert light rays into images and keeps our eyes moist. Other orange foods, such as cantaloupe, apricots, and sweet potatoes, will also do the trick.

Also consider these foods, which top most lists for eye health and overall bodily health:

• Vitamin C-rich foods like oranges, other citrus fruits, red peppers, and strawberries
• Vitamin E-rich foods like almonds, hazelnuts, and avocados
• Omega-3 fatty acids from cold-water fish, including sardines and salmon
• Leafy greens like kale, spinach, and collard greens
• Zinc-rich foods like beans, nuts, seeds, and lean red meat

Researchers have found clear links between these foods and the prevention of eye disease. Adding these to your diet is a perfect way to not only celebrate your eye health in March, but to take care of yourself all year.

Guard Against Digital Eye Strain

Eye strain, like any other body strain, occurs from overuse. Digital eye strain is the result of staring at a tech device for hours on end, whether it’s for work or pleasure. Often called computer vision syndrome, it causes a host of uncomfortable symptoms, including headaches, shoulder and neck pain, and blurry vision.

To combat digital eye strain, consider these five tried-and-true rules recommended by Durrie Vision’s own Dr. Jason Stahl, an ophthalmologist, refractive surgeon, and expert on eye health and LASIK procedures:

1. Take a break from your device or screen for 20 seconds every 20 minutes by looking at something 20 feet away.
2. Maintain a viewing distance of 25 inches (or an arm’s length) away from your device or screen.
3. Blink frequently to avoid dry eyes.
4. Adjust the brightness and contrast of your screen.
5. Reduce glare from windows and lights.

You can follow along with Dr. Stahl and Durrie Vision’s series of articles on vision health, including must-read topics, such as how to improve your night vision with LASIK eye surgery and information on the cost of LASIK.

Consider LASIK for Clearer Sight without Contacts or Frames

Although eye exams, an eye-conscious diet, and smarter use of digital devices are meaningful recommendations, you may decide to make an even bigger impact with vision correction surgery. For example, a 10-to-15-minute SBK Advanced LASIK procedure can help you see clearly without glasses or contacts, if you qualify.

Durrie Vision also offers laser vision procedures for those who don’t qualify for SBK Advanced LASIK eye surgery:

1. EVO ICL™ (Implantable Collamer Lens) for extreme nearsightedness (with or without astigmatism) in patients 21 to 45 years old.
2. Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA) for those who are 18 or older, but due to certain conditions, including contact lens scarring or eye surgery, don’t qualify for SBK Advanced LASIK.
3. Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) for patients typically 50 years old of age or older to prevent cataracts and eye aging (presbyopia), as well as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
4. Refractive Cataract Surgery to remove cataracts from the lens, remove the need for bifocals, and deliver near-, middle-, and far-distance vision.
5. SMILE Vision Correction for those 18 years of age or older with mild or moderate nearsightedness or astigmatism, who may not need SBK Advanced LASIK.

Durrie Vision Celebrates Our Patients’ LASIK Procedures Every Day

As the pioneers of modern LASIK eye surgery, we help patients as they elect to improve their quality of life with vision correction surgery. We love hearing how our patients’ lives have changed by taking this transformative step.

If the cost of LASIK is holding you back, Durrie Vision offers solutions to cover your surgery:

• FSAs and HSA benefits to cover your surgery
• Special financing with $0 down and 0% interest for 24 months
• Special limited-time-only savings and promotions
• Savings for friends and family members of Durrie Vision patients
• Savings for first responders, military members, and research study participants.

Celebrating your vision and eye health begins today with a free consultation from Durrie Vision. We look forward to getting you scheduled soon, so you can experience a life full of the benefits of SBK Advanced LASIK and our other vision correction procedures during Save Your Vision Month – and year-round.