Category: Muscle Building

Diabetes can play havoc with your eyes, and sometimes there are no early sumptoms. So you may have no idea anything is wrong until your eyesight is in danger.

Here are the main eye problems that can be caused, or made worse, by diabetes.

Cataracts

These are often described as a clouding of the lens of the eye. They are treatable by surgery in most cases.

Glaucoma

Our eyes are largely made up of fluid, and when the pressure of that fluid builds up too much inside the eye, you have glaucoma. Left untreated, it can damage the optic nerves, and even lead to blindness.

Diabetic retinopathy

Lining the back of our eyes is light-sensitive tissue known as the retina. The retina contains very small blood vessels that can be damaged by diabetic retinopathy. Sometimes there are symptoms such as blurred vision, but often you won’t even know anything is wrong until the condition is well advanced. In the worse case, it leads to blindness.

Early detection is the key to battling all of these conditions, and the best diagnostic tool available is the dilated eye examination. This is a test in which special eye drops temporarily enlarge your pupils, allowing the doctor to see the back of your eyes. This test (which is painless) can detect cataracts, glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy in their early, treatable stages.

Eyesight is precious, so if you have diabetes do yourself a favor and make an appointment for your dilated eye examination. And then do it again every year from now on.

Body language is very important when delivering a speech.

Have you ever seen our great leaders fidget or make unnecessary movements while addressing the nation?

Since you are the center of attention while making the presentation, you should mind every move that you make so as not to bore or distract the people listening to your speech.

So you already have a speech prepared, you know the topic well and you are now standing in front of the audience.

They are in for a treat because you have prepared a great presentation, yet you also know that they have a very short attention span.

How would you keep them interested with what you are saying?

The answer is to maintain eye contact.

This is one public speaking technique that great speakers use when
addressing a large group of people.

Here are some tips on how you can use this “trick” to keep your audience interested while delivering a speech:

Once you have already started speaking and have delivered your
introduction, take a look at your audience.

Do not be nervous if you see one or two people frowning as you are not sure of exactly what they are thinking.

Instead of looking out for unfriendly or blank faces, search for the people who are smiling and nodding their heads.

Try to focus on this person for a couple of minutes and look him or her in the eye.

This way, you would have an immediate “friend” in the audience to whom you can look at and gain confidence from.

This will not just increase your confidence but also relax you in the course of your speech.

Gaze steadily at your audience, moving from one part of the room to
another. This way, you would immediately grasp their attention.

Never read your speech. Just make an outline of the important points that you can expand on.

If you have visuals, do not read the bullet points word for word as this might imply that your audience cannot read that themselves.

With this, you are instantly creating a “bond” with your audience as a
speaker since you do not have to keep on looking at your notes through the course of your speech.

The key to delivering a great speech is to just breathe, relax and make eye to eye contact with your audience.

Thus, you are not just making a physical connection with them but you are also ensured that you come out as a sincere speaker who wants to inform and interact with the audience through your speech.

LASIK eye surgery is a refractive surgery intended to reduce a patient’s dependency on eyeglasses or contact lenses. LASIK is the most prevalent of all refractive surgery types. LASIK aims to reshape the cornea in order to allow for accurate refraction, which results in the light rays falling exactly on the retina (a series of light sensing cells). This enables crystal clear vision.

In general, common refractive errors, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism are caused due to the irregularities of the corneal surface. These anomalies can be corrected by reshaping the cornea. LASIK procedure makes use of an advanced laser called excimer, which is an ultraviolet chemical laser. The laser is controlled by sophisticated computer software. The computer-controlled sensors measure the eye position a few thousand times per second, and then redirect the laser to make precise incisions in the cornea. The reshaped cornea allows for the desired refraction and therefore results in enhanced visual acuity.

Conventional LASIK procedure makes use of a microkeratome, a diminutive surgical blade, to cut a flap in the corneal surface. However, variations of the traditional LASIK procedure may employ a laser to accomplish the same. Whatever may be the procedure to cut the flap, after it’s done, the excimer laser is used for precise ablation of the stroma – the middle layer of the cornea. The flap is then folded back so as to act as a natural bandage. The cornea may take a few days to heal. During this period, the patient may experience blurry vision and certain minor side-effects like halos or glare. However, these complications normally subside within a few days or weeks, when the cornea has completely healed.

Other common types of surgery, apart from traditional LASIK, are photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), radial keratotomy (RK), and LASEK. There is also a rather new procedure and it can be considered as an enhancement of the traditional LASIK procedure. It is called custom LASIK or wavefront-guided LASIK. It is a more advanced procedure and is capable of treating other vision impairments as well, apart from the common vision disorders specified above.

Not that we recommend trying it, but you can’t drive very far with your eyes closed without running off the road or hitting something! Many other physical impairments can be overcome in order to drive safely, but impaired vision may be a real handicap in adopting defensive driving techniques. If you drive, the health of your eyes, or sight, should be considered paramount. Have regular eye tests and adopt appropriate remedies for any condition which might effect your driving, both during the day, and at night.

Quickly Scan Your Vehicle

Even before getting into the driver’s seat, a quick scan of your vehicle may reveal problems such as a deflated tyre, or external mirrors knocked out of alignment. Such issues may compromise your ability to implement defensive driving techniques once you’re underway. From inside your vehicle you can again check your external mirrors and adjust them if necessary. If someone else has driven the vehicle before you, you may also have to re-adjust the rear view mirror to suit you. Be aware of any blind spots not covered by your direct vision, or your mirrors. The external and internal cleanliness of the windscreen, side and rear windows is also something to attend to. When you turn on the ignition, note what any warning lights such as petrol, oil, temperature, etc. may indicate. It can be very distracting having to drive some distance worrying about having enough petrol to make it and constantly looking at the gauge to check.

Pay Attention

When driving, pay attention to the traffic conditions and the environment around you so you can apply your defensive driving techniques if you identify a likely hazard. Keep you eyes up and look ahead, not just at the road or vehicle immediately in front of you, but further down the road so you can anticipate. You should be looking about 15-20 seconds ahead of your vehicle, farther if you can. This gives you the time to recognize and avoid most potential hazards before they become a problem.

Actively Scan

defensive driving techniques require more than just staring passively through your windscreen at the road ahead. You must actively scan traffic and environmental conditions at all times. Don’t concentrate on any one thing in your field of view for more than a second, keep your focused vision moving in a scanning “pattern” so that you clearly see everything that may affect your progress. If you allow your eyes to remain fixed on any one thing, your peripheral vision immediately begins to narrow down into “tunnel” vision—and you lose your ability to detect movement to the sides. Keeping your eyes moving prevents this from occurring and helps you with your defensive driving techniques.

Peripheral Vision

In addition to scanning conditions directly, use you peripheral vision to become aware of situations that may require your direct attention. Your peripheral vision picks up movement quickly, but doesn’t provide a clear view. It is your “early warning” vision for defensive driving techniques.

It’s All Done With Mirrors!

Your external and rear view mirrors serve a most useful purpose in employing defensive driving techniques. It is important to check your mirrors every 5 to 8 seconds while driving, but you also need to know the blind spots on your vehicle, which are large often enough to hide other vehicles. Mirrors also will not reveal a vehicle that is changing lanes behind you, so it is very important to turn your head and quickly look before making a lane change.

Mind Your Eyes!

One of the most important aspects of defensive driving techniques is recognizing in advance, or anticipating, impending hazards before they become a problem for you. Early recognition allows the time you need to take action avoid trouble. It is vitally important that you recognize and become immediately aware of what you see while driving. By “connecting your mind to your eyes” you can realize the possibility the ball rolling across the road may be chased by a child, that a vehicle approaching on an adjacent roadway may not stop at a cross street, and recognize other potentially hazardous situations. Use your eyes to see, and your mind to analyze what you see for potential dangers.

There are other important ways to use your vision as a key tool for defensive driving techniques for safe driving. Use appropriate protection for your eyes, such as sunglasses to reduce glare in sunny conditions. Make sure your windscreen wipers provide good visibility in wet conditions. Don’t drive at all in conditions which severely impact visibility for all drivers.

Your vision is perhaps the most important tool you have while driving. Use it effectively! Look as far down the road as possible, and use a scanning motion to take in and analyze everything that is happening around you or close enough to be a hazard. It’s a defensive driving technique you can’t do without!

Debt Can Eat Away At You Over The Years-Find Out What You Can Do To Stop This Cycle

Over abundance of debt can totally creep up from out of nowhere for many people and when that does occur it can often times be very overwhelming for many. It is so very important for everyone to keep in mind how very important it is to always try and steer clear from too many unwanted debts because all that leads to is stress, stress and more stress, which far too many of us know a little bit about, or maybe even a whole lot about.

If your debt condition is currently driving you up the wall then you already know how devastating it can turn out to be, so make sure even you continue to read throughout this article because you might find it to be very helpful, as well as beneficial to you. Your debt responsibilities will become a priority and you will finally have the opportunity to get yourself and your financial standing on the path that it should be, which is where most of us only dream of ever having it.

It is your responsibility as an adult to start thinking more about the future of yourself and the future of your children as well, which I am certain most of you already have given thought to. Finding out more about the importance of debt relief will change the way you live your life each and everyday that passes. You will be much more conscious about the different things you are spending your money on, as well as the amount of money you are trying to save each month, if any at all.

Your money should be very helpful to you but if you constantly are finding out that your money seems to be going nowhere except to pay off your monthly debt, whenever you are able to, then perhaps something within your budget could need some improvement, just a little bit. I am hoping that by gathering up enough debt information you will be able to finally get your finances under some sort of control and stop increasing your debt each month.

Debt can be controlled by just making a few small changes in your lifestyle each month and I am not at all talking about anything major that would affect your entertainment each month or fun times with friends. Just slow down and pay closer attention to what is coming out of your wallet and if you can continue this type of responsible behavior over a period of time then you will definitely begin noticing slight changes in the amount of extra money you have each month.

If all else fails, talk to a professional about your current debt condition and there is surely to goodness somebody out there more experienced and knowledgeable than you are, who could really help to turn your world around, by providing you with the same knowledge that they are aware of because of studying it over a period of time throughout life. This knowledge can be a lifesaver and can really brighten the outlook of your future, as well as your children’s and grandchildren’s future. Good luck.

A few months ago, I was just simply a mess. I was 12 pounds overweight, had dark circles under my eyes, seemed to be wrinkling faster and faster every day, and could barely make my words come out right. You might think from all of this description, that I was a drug addict. I wish! Drug addiction is easy to treat – you just get into a treatment program, go through the 12 steps, and that is that. Under eye dark circles, and midlife stress, are much more difficult. I know. I did everything that there was to treat dark circles under eyes, along with the rest of it. I would exercise, I would use every cream and lotion known to man, I even went to retreats led by crackpot yogis, but none of it did any good at all. I was a mess.
I did not mention that at the time I was working in the professional sector. I worked something like 70 or 80 hours a week, and had a whole stable of contacts to maintain. If you have never been a professional woman, you have no idea what kind of burden dark circles under eyes is. If you do not look good every day, people have no confidence in you or your ability to sell their products. I went to the fancy spas and tried miracle creams for dark circles under eyes, but nothing seemed to work, and my business performance was suffering. I always had faith in the cosmetics industry, but now it seemed to be letting me down. It could not treat my dark circles under eyes. I did not know what to do.
In the end, it was none of the dark circles under eyes treatments that did it for me. One of my friends told me what I should have known all along. I was suffering from too much stress and it was as simple as that. What I really needed was to take some time off, and find a routine that wasn’t killing me. I cut back my hours, took a long vacation, and the changes were almost instantaneous. The dark circles under eyes disappeared almost instantly. Most the wrinkles that had accumulated in the past year follow. And best of all, I learned a valuable lesson, one which I will not forget for the rest of my life. Being a professional is great, making money is great, but none of it is worth destroying your health over.

There are a few things you probably don’t want to get stuck with in life. One of them is a great deal of debt. Another is the I.R.S. breathing down your neck. And finally there are dark circles under eyes. No one wants these. I don’t care if you’re a man or a woman. The truth is you want to look good, whether you admit it or not. Typically women are very vocal about dark circles under eyes. They in no way want to acquire such an atrocity. Well, there are a few things you can do to prevent this dilemma. Nasty dark circles under eyes don’t have to be your reality. It’s all about understanding prevention and eye care.

Puffiness and dark circles have been around forever. In fact, I’d bet that the queens centuries ago complained about this affliction. They were probably struggling with ineffective remedies and solutions to dark circles under eyes. We on the other hand are a new race of people. We have something they did not. It’s called science. And this is how we can deal with appearance issues. First of all you should understand that some of this is hereditary. Yes indeed, you may get stuck with dark circles under eyes simply because it’s in your genes. Now, there are of course other factors to ponder as well. Probably the best thing you can do to prevent dark circles and puffiness is get plenty of sleep. It turns out we all need 8 or 9 hours a night. Furthermore, a healthy diet with plenty of water will make a huge difference. These things are all essential when it comes to preventing dark circles under eyes. You have to live well to look well. I’m not saying you have to be wealthy; you simply need to be wise. Finally, when it comes to afflictions such as puffiness, crow’s feet and dark circles under eyes, there are man-made remedies and treatments. Check out the vast array of eye creams, gels, and balms on the market today. There is most definitely one that will better your situation. All it takes is a little sampling. Take your pick from a plethora of cosmetic companies that offer products for men and women.

There’s no denying the aging process. However, you can fight the signs of aging with the right lifestyle and skincare. Go ahead and sort through the numerous remedies regarding dark circles under eyes on the World-Wide-Web. Test one out today.

People tend to think that better eyesight always relate to eye surgery or glasses. Eye surgery is very risky and could lead to irreversible damage. Glasses maintains vision problem and do nothing in order to cure it. Yet, there are healthy natural treatments which cure poor eyesight symptoms. The only problem is that these methods are being hidden and disregarded by doctors and optometrists who wish people will continue to buy glasses and risk their eyes with laser eye surgeries. It is better to avoid the risks and try these basic simple exercises first. They could improve your eye vision dramatically.

Eye chart
Its purpose is to exercise the eye to a healthy behavior of shifting instead of central fixation. Hang the eye chart and move to a distance where you can read the first 4 lines. Look at the first letter carefully close your eyes and try to visualize it in your imagination. Try to create a clear picture of it. Instead of static letter try imagining it slowly swinging. Repeat this with the rest of the letters in the four first lines you can read.

Covering
This is a very important exercise. People think that their eyes rest when they sleep. Actually, on the dreaming stage they keep moving and work as if the person is a wake.
Therefore, proper resting is crucial. For best performance you need a quite and comfortable place like your favorite couch. Cover your eyes with your hands, and try to feel as pleasant as you can. Listen to the music you like best, or try to imagine your favorite view. The eyes need about 10-15 minutes to reach full relaxation, the longer the better. It is recommended, to perform it daily for 15 minutes or a few times a day for 5 minutes.

Reading
Reading is a very important task for the eyes as it is performed on daily basis. It is important to adjust natural way of reading which will reduce eye tension and will educate the eyes for better, healthy vision habits. Healthy eyes read a sentence by focusing on each letter and then moving to the next one. A tensed eye will jump from word to word and will try to read the complete sentence in a few eye glances. Reading large areas instead of focusing on central vision, letter by letter, lead to increased eye tension. It is best to move slowly from letter to letter as a practice. At the end of each page focus on a point a few meters a way. This will ease the tension on the eyes from the reading.

Tiny writing
This exercise requires the eye to use its central vision. The eyes and the mind should be very relaxed to avoid over pressure on the eye when reading the tiny writing. Get text and print it from and word processor in size 4 or 3. It should be black text on a white paper. Hold it against your eyes and read it in a slow and relaxed mode. Make sure you keep blinking often and look at a distanced point once in a while.

Physical exercises
It is important to understand that the aim of these exercises is to make eyes muscles more elastic and avoid tension. First try to feel your eyes: are they tensed? If so try to feel exactly where, and relax that area. Look at an object not far from you, and move your eyes: ten times up and down and ten times left to right, then in circles for 5 times. Take a piece of paper with a dot at its top edge. Bring it as close as 5 CM from your nose and then move it away as far as you can. Concentrate on the dot all time, do it for about tem times. Hold the piece of paper close to your nose, look at for a few seconds and then look at a distant point for a few seconds. Again do it for ten times.

Has Drastically Increased Over The Years-Find Out What You Should Do!

Unfortunately, throughout the years, more and more people are becoming victims of enormous credit card debts that they probably will never get paid off. It is a shame to know that so many people feel that they NEED so many things but realize the only way that they could possibly get those things is by using their credit cards, and they normally have plenty of them to choose from!

Credit card debt has increased drastically throughout the past several years and it does not look like many people are yet realizing just how bad this problem is. If you are struggling each month, trying to figure out how in the world you will ever have the ability to pay all of your credit card payments on time, then you should definitely continue reading this article.

It is very important for people to understand how dramatically credit card debt can affect your financial standing, or lack thereof. Credit card debt is one of the leading causes why an individual would end up having to file for bankruptcy or take out mortgage loans on their homes or other drastic things such as that. People become so caught up with trying to make purchases that are just not feasible, never considering how much it is going to cost them down the road, because of the enormous interest rates.

Start choosing to simply throw away all of those credit card offers that you get in your mail so regularly, trust me, you do not need anymore debt people! These credit card bills will continue adding up and the next thing you know, you are going to be skipping payments and when that does happen, be prepared for an outrageous monthly bill, which you know for sure there is no way you can afford it!

To all of you young adults that have not yet gotten in severe credit card debt yet, do not do it, do not let this endless cycle of unbelievably expensive debts take over your life. If you can start your adult life out without too many unnecessary debts, such as credit cards, your life is going to be much more enjoyable and much much less stressful.

Because of the fact that credit card debt has gotten so unbelievably out of hand, perhaps you could start a new trend and try staying clear from getting yourself into so much debt. So, start now by trying to focus on doing positive things to make your life easier and once you start achieving those goals, you are going to sleep much better at night and feel much more positive when it comes to every aspect of your life.

Be responsible for your actions and if you have gotten yourself into a tremendous amount of credit card debt, make those monthly payments or try working extra hours so that you can start doubling up your monthly payments or even paying some of them off completely.

The possibilities are endless. Get wild, weird, or simply beautiful lenses for whatever occasion you attend or impression you want to make.

But because decorative lenses do not always require a prescription and because there are so many ways to buy them, it’s important that consumers research companies selling them, especially those based online. Do not put your eyesight at risk!

They say eyes are windows to the soul. So if you are creatively stylish with your makeup, clothes, shoes, or hairdo, why not do the same with your eyes? Even if you have 20/20 vision, you can still be a part of the fashion trend of crazy contact lenses. Don’t just change the color of your eye, change the design! You don’t even need a prescription.

But if you do have prescribed contact lenses, why not experiment a little? Remember when you were younger and wore orange and black wired braces for the month of Halloween? Well, how about on October 31st you wear a really spooky pair of contact lenses?

There are all sorts of crazy contact lenses out there. You can make your eyeballs look entirely green or you can appear to have cat eyes. Maybe you want to wear crazy contact lenses for Halloween, a night out on the town, or perhaps you prefer a subtler, but equally awesome look for your daily life.

Does wearing spectacles or contact lenses seem cumbersome to you? Are you considering LASIK eye surgery – one of the most prevalent and successful refractive surgery techniques? I suggest you hold your horses and rather request the valuable assistance of an expert surgeon, since LASIK eye surgery is not for everyone. Read on to see whether you are a potential candidate for LASIK surgery.

An important aspect to bear in mind while considering LASIK surgery is the patient’s age. Since the vision typically experiences a continuous change until the age of 18, you must be at least 18 years old (21 for some laser ablations) to undergo LASIK. Furthermore, if you are myopic, you should defer LASIK awaiting your refraction to stabilize, since myopia may continue to increase until a patient’s mid to late 20s.

Pregnant or nursing mothers are advised against undergoing LASIK, though they might go for LASIK at a later stage in life. Also, you must not be taking certain prescription drugs, such as oral prednisone or Accutane. To be a potential LASIK candidate, your eyes must be healthy with a stabilized refraction. Moreover, LASIK is typically not recommended for patients with herpes infections of the eye, diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, glaucoma, or cataracts.

LASIK is not a panacea for all vision anomalies. You must have realistic expectations while you consider LASIK eye surgery. Consult your surgeon to check out if you are a potential candidate for monovision. LASIK can be used to impart monovision, that is, one eye corrected for near vision and the other for distant vision. The crucial aspect is to adjust to this particular type of vision correction. If you can do the same, your dependency on eyeglasses or contact lenses may be eliminated.

It is imperative that you discern whether you are a potential candidate for LASIK surgery or not. You must weigh the pros and cons before undergoing surgery. If you are happy wearing contact lenses or eyeglasses in order to compensate for the refractive error, and you certainly don’t believe that wearing eyeglasses cramps your style, then you could very well forego LASIK surgery. After all, LASIK is a surgical procedure and hence it’s bound to have associated risks and complications.

Although sometimes cosmetic eyebrow tattooing is a necessary step in the reconstruction of a face following a traumatic accident, it can also be used for patients who have sparse eyebrows and do not want to apply brow liner daily. Most of the time, these patients are women who are concerned about the way that their eyebrows frame their face. Some patients are allergic to cosmetics or have poor eyesight and cannot apply their makeup correctly. In these and other cases, cosmetic eyebrow tattooing is a viable option. Sometimes the tattoo is a permanent tattoo done purely for cosmetic purposes.

Eyebrow Tattoo Surgery – Finding a Surgeon
Finding a licensed and qualified technician to perform the cosmetic eyebrow tattooing may be difficult for a patient. Many people may claim to be qualified to do the procedure, when in fact their experience lies mostly in body tattoos. It is a subtle art that makes a technician able to do cosmetic eyebrow tattooing well and it also takes a fair amount of experience to make permanent eyebrows look natural. A patient can speak with friends and colleagues to see if anyone knows of someone who is reputable. If the patient wishes to be more discreet, then they can contact a plastic surgeon’s office or the local academy of plastic surgeons to see who they recommend.

Ideal Candidates for Eyebrow Tattoo Surgery
The ideal candidate for cosmetic eyebrow tattooing is one that is in good health and has realistic expectations of the procedure. The cosmetic eyebrow procedure will not return the area to a completely normal look, but will make the overall appearance of the patient more refined and balanced. Patients who are allergic or sensitive to makeup, have skin or hair loss disorders, illnesses, or just lack the time to put on makeup are all considered good candidates for the cosmetic eyebrow tattooing.

Eyebrow Tattoo Surgery – Consultation
In the initial consultation, the physician and patient will discuss the probable outcomes of the cosmetic eyebrow tattooing. Many physicians will have former patient pictures available for the new patient to examine. This will give the patient a good idea as to what can be achieved by the cosmetic eyebrow tattoo technician. The doctor will examine the eyebrow area and determine what can be done with the cosmetic eyebrow tattooing. Risks and anesthesia options will also be discussed in the initial consultation. A complete medical history will be taken in order to inform the doctor of any medical conditions or prescriptions that might interfere with the results.

Eyebrow Tattoo Surgery – Procedure
The permanent makeup tattoo that is applied is made up of vegetable products that are injected into the skin. After an anesthetic ointment is applied, tiny needles are used to inject the coloring and are sometimes seen on a rotary coil instrument. The tip is dipped into the dye and then the needle is placed into the skin in cosmetic eyebrow tattooing. Some bleeding may occur as the skin is punctured, but it will be minimal. Most cosmetic eyebrow tattooing procedures last an hour, but it depends on the extent of the work that needs to be done. At the end of the session, the area will be cleaned and an antiseptic cream will be applied. Eyebrow tattooing requires fine work to look good. To achieve this, the tattoos are often applied by hand rather than with electric needles. The technician can achieve much finer and pleasing results by hand, but this also makes the procedure longer.

Eyebrow Tattoo Surgery – Risks
Although the risks associated with cosmetic eyebrow tattooing are rare, they do occur. In very few cases, the patient can have an allergic reaction to the dye that is used. Infection is another main concern following the cosmetic eyebrow tattooing. Not following the physician’s orders after the cosmetic eyebrow tattooing procedure can lead to a delay in healing and cause unwanted results. If a patient is unhappy with the results of the cosmetic eyebrow tattooing, laser skin resurfacing may help to remove the coloring, but may not be able to remove it entirely.

When it comes to contemporary fine art, everyone’s taste is individual. For me, the bottom line is that art enhances the quality of my life, and I want to incorporate art into my surroundings in a way that makes me feel good. While one’s artistic leanings can range from hand painted silks or hand painted children’s furniture to original watercolors or Giclee reproductions, the desire to incorporate art into our lives dates back to our ancient ancestors.

Over the years, I’ve learned that incorporating art into my home is less a matter of what’s considered “in” by the art world, and more a matter of what evokes the moods and feelings I want to experience. When I contemplated redecorating my living room, for example, I decided that I needed to open up the space in order to feel lightness – as though the weight of the world was off of my shoulders when I walked into my home. For that reason, I chose to paint the room a bright buttery yellow and use window treatments that reminded me of the sails on a sailboat. Naturally, I sought out original watercolors to contribute to the feeling of openness and freedom in the room. The result? A room that still makes me smile every time I walk in it, and contemporary fine art that allows me to lose myself in the images.

I wanted my bedroom, on the other hand, to be an intimate place of respite. I wanted it to be feminine yet functional, and so chose to incorporate hand painted silks into the decor. The delicate silk scarves that adorn the dressing tables are a gorgeous contrast to the finely crafted baskets that I display and use as small storage spaces.

My home office is all about function, and so I chose to display a collection of black and white photographs in that space. The photographs add depth and feeling to the room, while being subdued enough so as not to be distracting.

When I walk into my daughter’s bedroom, my eye is immediately drawn to the children’s hand-painted furniture that occupies the room. Yes, it was an investment, but I know that the quality craftsmanship and exquisite painting will be in our family for generations to come. My daughter already appreciates the one-of-a-kind furniture that she has, and has told me that she feels good when she’s in her room.

And, after all, isn’t art meant to evoke an emotional response in us? Whether it’s the awe of witnessing the depth and complexity of a work from an Old Master or a feeling of relaxation when experiencing original watercolors that depict fresh flowers, art serves to enrich our lives and bring us joy. It’s not a matter of following the trends of the art world; rather, it all comes down to how you feel when you bring contemporary fine art – or any other type of art – into the space you call home.

Before you can get a pair of contact lenses, you’ll need to have your eyes examined and fitted by an optometrist and get your prescription. Normally, fittings for contact lenses will take longer than the standard eye exam. If you are looking to get fitted for contacts, you should let your optometrist know up front that you are interested in getting contacts.

When you first begin with your eye exam, your optometrist will first examine the health of your eyes. Your eye doctor will also want to know why you want contacts, if you have any known problems with your eyes, and what you hope to get from your visit. Overall, your contact fitting and exam will be based on the information that you have provided.

During your exam, you’ll go through several tests that will let the optometrist know the health and vision of your eyes. Once the exam is finished and your optometrist has the information he needs, you will be a given the prescription to get your contact lenses. Without a prescription, most places won’t sell you contacts.

When it comes to fitting your contact lenses, your optometrist will measure the curvature of your eyes and other factors that will affect how your lenses will fit in your eyes. Some people are more prone to dryness in their eyes than others, meaning that the contacts you are prescribed shouldn’t aggravate the dryness. In order for your optician to give you a prescription for contact lenses, your cornea will need to be free of any type of problems that can prevent you from wearing them.

Normally, your optician will give you a trial pair of contact lenses to try out, and then check them for fit once they have settled in your eyes. Sometimes, you may need to try out several different pairs before you find the perfect fit. The lens you choose should give you better vision, fit comfortably in your eye, and not do any damage to the cornea.

It’s very important that your lens not be torn, scratched, or damaged in any way. Before you try the contact out, you should always inspect it to make sure that there are no defects. Your optician will show you how to inspect the contacts before you put them in your eyes, starting with your trial pairs. The optician or associates working there will need to verify that your test contacts meet your standards and the requirements for your eyes, according to what the optician recommends.

At your fitting exam, your eye doctor will also go offer with you what brands of contacts you should and shouldn’t use. When you try out your test contacts you’ll use certain types of solution as well, to see if affects your eyes. Some solutions will work well for some, while they may cause irritation for others. Normally, your optometrist will try you out with one of the latest and greatest brands of contacts, to see whether or not they work for you.

After you have been fitted for your contacts and found the perfect pair, you should make sure that you always go to your follow up visits. Your first follow up will be in a few short weeks, after which your optician will check your eyes and contacts again, to make sure that everything is still going good. After that, you should always attend any follow ups that you have – to make sure that your contacts are working good – and your eyes are still in good health.

Contact lenses have undergone various innovations to suit vision correction as well as fashion needs. They are demanded to serve specific nature of eyes. The lenses meant for watery eyes are different from one the ones used by people with dry eyes.

Herein, in this article I would throw light on lenses that have been introduced for dry eyes. These dry eyes contacts happen to be highly comfortable for folks with dry eyes. Yes, people with dry eyes can use lenses even for extended hours.

These special purpose lenses are soft lenses that keep a check over dryness of eye by curbing excess evaporation of water from eyes. With advent of silicone hydrogel lenses, dry eyes got a good pair of lens that is soothing to their eyes. These silicone hydrogel lenses contain less water but are greatly helpful in offering the eye much needed moisture. Even if you wear these lenses for extended hours it’s not going to give you much of the discomfort.

If you are really looking for one such lens, first of all you should consult eye doctor to get your eye tested against your dry eye needs. Once the doctor approve off the usage of contact lenses that are specifically meant for dry eyes, you can go ahead with a good pair of contacts of a reputed brand approved by doctors.

Always choose the lenses that contain comparatively lesser water content. Various new polymer lenses with little amount of water have come on the block to serve the purpose of dry eyes.

Omafilcon A is one such polymer that is being used by leading contact lens manufacturing companies. The polymer is greatly suited for dry eyes. It helps retain water in eyes.

Certain biocompatible lenses too have surfaced to solve the problem of dry eyes. These lenses get adjusted to the nature of eye and respond accordingly to offer comfort to the eye. Proclear Compatibilities is a leading producer of biocompatible lenses. You can also pick Acuvue Oasis lenses if you are especially looking for good quality lenses for dry eyes.

So, dry eyes no longer intend you to deprive off from contact lenses. You can definitely go for those contacts that are suited to your eye condition.

Earlier this year, contact lens wearers around the world got a scare when news of an outbreak of an eye infection called fungal keratitis came out. This fungal eye infection can be treated relatively easily if caught early, but more established cases may lead to a need for a corneal transplant or worse, loss of the affected eye.

According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), as of May there had been 130 confirmed cases of fungal eye infections in the US in a one year period and of those cases, all but 5 were in contact lens wearers. 37 of these people have required corneal transplants. Bausch and Lomb’s ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens cleaning solution has been blamed by some for the outbreak, since 76% of contact lens wearers who contracted fungal keratitis used that particular solution, while it holds only a 10% market share in contact lens cleaning solutions. The product has since been pulled from the market while investigations continue. The consensus seems to be that the fungus is not present in the solution itself, but rather that it forms a film in contact lens cases that prevents disinfection of the case. The fungus itself, Fusarium, is quite common and can be found in water, soil, and plants, so could easily end up in contact lens cases that are not properly disinfected. There have been cases in Europe and Asia as well, and links to ReNu products there are being investigated.

There are several steps that soft contact lens wearers can take to protect themselves from fungal eye infections, many of which they should be doing already in routine proper care of their contact lenses. First, if people have any of the ReNu with MoistureLoc solution, they should stop using it and throw the rest away. Second, follow basic hygiene good sense, like washing your hands before you touch your contact lenses. Clean your contact lens case thoroughly, store it where it will not get contaminated, and replace it periodically. There are new lens cases available that are made with antimicrobial agents to prevent contamination. Don’t mix old and new cleaning solution, and don’t wear lenses longer than their prescribed schedule.

If you are afraid you may have a fungal eye infection, seek help right away. Symptoms include blurry vision, clouding of the eye, loss of vision, excessive irritation, discharge, lesions on the eye, and new sensitivity to light.

Melissa Baker was diagnosed with nearsightedness early in childhood-an unremarkable diagnosis. But with each regular visit to her family optometrist, she became more nearsighted and her glasses became thicker. It wasn’t until a skiing accident led Melissa to an ophthalmologist at age 15 that she learned her true diagnosis: glaucoma, a disease that rarely affects the young. But it was already too late. The damage to her optic nerve was irreversible. Despite four surgeries, she eventually lost sight in her left eye. At 22, Melissa’s left eye was replaced with a glass eye.

Melissa now dedicates her time to educating the public about eye care so that others won’t needlessly loose their sight. She was recently named an honorary co-chair for the Glaucoma Research Foundation.

She’s not alone. The National Consumers League (NCL) has also launched a new campaign urging consumers to learn more about eye care and to take a more active role in it. NCL, the nation’s oldest consumer advocacy organization, recently commissioned a survey that found consumers-including those who wear glasses or contact lenses-are confused about the credentials and training of eye care providers. Nearly a third of respondents incorrectly thought optometrists have earned medical degrees.

To help consumers better understand eye care, NCL has produced a white paper about the state of eye care in the United States and created new Web resources and tips on its Web site, www.nclnet.org/health/eyes. The white paper clearly describes the need for patient education in today’s challenging health care environment; one in which the increasing demand for more preventive care, in constant competition with an increasing sensitivity to cost control and productivity, has led to the expanding role of non-physician practitioners providing medical care. Most importantly, NCL provides a framework to guide consumers as they make eye care provider decisions, ultimately encouraging them to take control of their health care choices.

So who does what and when? The eye care arena is often confusing due to the number of professionals who offer services. Generally, however, the services are broken down as such:

• Opticians dispense and fit contact lenses and glasses

• Optometrists examine the eye to diagnose vision problems and abnormalities, and prescribe glasses, contact lenses and some medications

• Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who deliver total eye care services, treat eye diseases and injuries and perform eye surgery.

Depending on the services you need, one type of provider may be more appropriate than another. In addition to the usual considerations of convenience, cost and established relationships, use these tips when selecting an eye care provider.

• Know what your needs are when going to an eye care provider. If you don’t know what you need to have done, ask your primary care doctor.

• Look for diplomas, licenses and other qualifications and certifications displayed in the office.

• Ask the provider if he/she has sufficient training and experience to perform the procedure you need, especially when the procedure is more invasive than a regular office visit.

• If your eye care needs include surgery or treatment with medications, ask your provider if he/she is trained and licensed to perform these services. Ask how many times he/she has performed the service, and what kind of side effects and recovery time you can expect.

• If you do not have access to or are unsure about the eye care provider you need, ask your primary care doctor for a recommendation to properly address your needs.

If you encounter a problem in your treatment by an eye care provider that can not be resolved with the provider, do not hesitate to contact the state agency that oversees the conduct of the provider.

Conjunctivitis is an eye ailment characterized by soreness and redness of an eye or both eyes in a person. The inflammation occurs in the clear covering that coats or protects the white portion of the eye.

Conjunctivitis also affects the lines which are inside the eye lids. This infection of the eye sometimes quickly manifest, but it may be a consolation that the duration of the infection would only last for just a short period of time.

Conjunctivitis, or more popularly known as pink eye, is not curable, only treatable. That means, even without medication the infection would subside.

The body will mostly do its work in curtailing this eye ailment. It should be noted, however, that people with conjunctivitis should seek immediate medical help to ease and relieve the discomfort that will surely arise from its onset.

Otherwise, further infection or complication might surface, making the infection more painful and more discomforting.

Causes of conjunctivitis

Doctors and medical professionals cite three causes for the onset of conjunctivitis. One, the infection would be viral or caused by virus. Second, conjunctivitis can be caused by allergic reactions to substances, called allergens, that cause adverse reactions from the body’s protective immune system.

Lastly, conjunctivitis can be bacterial in nature. Conjunctivitis caused by bacteria are the fastest- healing. Such kind of conjunctivitis will also tend to become less distracting.

Other than three mentioned, experts attribute conjunctivitis to other causes that may include vitamin deficiency, allergy to chicken meat, contact lens overuse, chemical contacts, intrusion of foreign substances into the eye and ultraviolet or thermal burns.

Treating conjunctivitis or pink eye

The usual home remedy advised to patients or victims of conjunctivitis may be somehow discomforting and scary. But the thing is, although medical and modern science fail to provide specific and exact reason for it, is surprisingly effective.

Adhering to simple home remedies, the conjunctivitis victim is advised to put a mild slat solution into the infected eye. If it will be uncomfortable and too painful, opening the eyes in a small tub containing a little pinch of salt in it would be an alternative measure.

Upon doing so, be sure to wash your hands after. That is because conjunctivitis is spread and communicated through touching things that may also be touched by other people, especially your housemates and loved ones.

It would be imperative to consult or seek help from the doctor to determine or pinpoint the cause of the infection.

Conjunctivitis caused by bacteria can be relived by antibiotic eye ointments or eye drops. If the cause is viral or allergens, then the infection would not be immediately relived, but the doctor can try to prescribe other practical medications to soothe out.

Conjunctivitis caused by allergens or allergy-causing substances could also be relived by taking in antihistamines, which is the usual and most common drug prescribed to people with asthma and other allergies.

Conjunctivitis Prevention

It is observed that people are more prone to the eye infection immediately after recovering from colds. Remember that conjunctivitis is contagious, and you should be responsible to give out your share in curtailing the infection’s spread.

Always wash your hands and avoid making physical contacts with objects that may be in constant physical contact with other people.

Prevention is better than cure. Help prevent the spread of pink eyes. Will you?

Your eyesight is one of the most important things you possess. Taking good care of your eyes is crucial for eye health. However, sometimes the eye is susceptible to various diseases and conditions that you simply cannot prevent. Fortunately, there are treatments available for these problems. Here are the most common eye problems experienced and information on their treatment:

Allergies: Eye allergies are common and affect countless people around the world. Itchy, watery, swollen and red eyes are some symptoms of eye allergies. Over-the-counter or prescription allergy medications and eye drops provide easy relief.

Astigmatism: An astigmatism is an abnormal curvature of your cornea. Although this condition may worsen with age, it is easy to remedy with glasses, corrective contact lenses or LASIK surgery.

Blepharitis: This condition is an inflammation of the eye and eyelid that can lead to uncomfortable irritation, watering, and a crusty buildup. Blepharitis sufferers will commonly feel like there is something in the eye. This problem is often caused by a bacterial infection. Treat blepharitis with antibiotics, soothing drops, silicone punctal plugs, warm compresses and occasionally steroids.

Cataracts: A common problem for the elderly is cataracts. Cataracts refers to the clouding of the eye caused by a clumping of protein. This is caused by the aging process. Cataracts start out small and gradually get bigger with time. Cataract surgery is a safe, common procedure that your eye care professional can easily perform to remove the cataracts.

Dry Eye Syndrome: This uncomfortable condition is caused by the lack of proper lubrication in the eye. Chronic dryness, burning and itching are common symptoms of this syndrome. Dry eye syndrome can be caused by menopause or from certain medications. Contact lens wearers also commonly complain of excessive dryness of the eyes. Certain eye diseases and conditions can also cause this problem. Your eyecare professional can prescribe or recommend drops such as artificial tears to alleviate the problem.

Macular Degeneration: Also known as AMD, this condition is the leading cause of vision loss in individuals over the age of 65. Your eye doctor can educate you about the different kinds of macular degeneration. Although there is no cure for this condition, there may be ways your eye doctor can improve your eyesight.

If you experience these or any other eye problems, seek treatment right away from your eyecare professional.

There are several LASIK benefits, which can be easily realized by going in for an experienced eye surgeon. It is necessary that you weigh the pros and cons before going in for an eye surgery. And much to your relief, as far as LASIK is concerned, the benefits far outweigh whatever minimal risk is involved. LASIK is by far the most preferred procedure when it comes to eye corrective surgery. LASIK benefits typically include:

– Clear natural vision
– Need for glasses or contact lenses is eliminated
– It simply widens the horizon for recreational opportunities
– Quality of vision is better than that with glasses or contact lenses
– Greater self-confidence
– More career opportunities
– Enhanced natural appearance – in many cases
– No risk of infection or inflammation generally associated with contact lens overuse

The above are only a few major positives that come out of the LASIK procedure. LASIK has superlative scientific technology at its disposal. High-precision lasers, computer-controlled tracking devices, all enable the surgeon to perform the operation with ease and finesse. Furthermore, complication rates of a meager 1% to 5% strengthen the belief that LASIK is a completely safe procedure.

LASIK does not require the removal of the corneal surface tissue, and this substantially reduces the post-operative pain. In general, the visual acuity is restored within a day or two. Other procedures like PRK may require a week or so for sharpness of vision to be restored. LASIK surgery also possesses a greater stability. That is, the corrected vision lasts permanently, provided a complication does not arise during the procedure. Moreover, most patients are able to pass the driver’s license test without the aid of glasses or contact lenses.

If you are in quest for a corrective eye surgery, LASIK is sure to satisfy your needs. All you need to do is look for an eye surgeon who is highly skillful and qualified.

Eyeglasses in the world today have become so fashionable that even some people will wear them without the having the need. However, some people need glasses and do not wear them for one reason or another. Some reasons include, they cannot afford to go to the eye doctor, or they feel glasses do not look all that wonderful on them. Whatever the reason, it is very important to wear your eyeglasses if you need to.

There are several reasons one should wear eyeglasses if it has been deemed necessary. Primarily, so you can see. That makes sense does it not? In most areas if you are required to wear eyeglasses and decide not to, you will not be able to get your drivers license. Not to mention the fact, that you will certainly have a hard time seeing ahead of you or reading.

Additionally, headaches are common in those who are far sighted or near sighted and do not wear glasses. This is caused from the amount of work your eyes have to do in order to properly function.

Many people think if they are farsighted that they can just pick up any old pair of glasses at the grocery store and this will help them see clearer when looking at things close up. This is not true, while some people may have some good luck with this type of reading glasses, most of the population do not. You will still need to visit your eye doctor for a few reasons. First, because regular eye exams help to catch eye diseases right away when they can be treated more easily. Second, because many people require glasses that have a different prescription for each eye, and drug store reading eyeglasses do not offer this, which will lead to headaches.

You can choose eyeglasses that look great on you by following these tips. The frame shape should match your face shape. The frame size should fit with your face size and the color should repeat your best personal feature (such as eye color).

There are seven basic types of face shapes, before buying eyeglasses you should determine which category you fall under and buy glasses that fit. The seven basic face shapes are round, oval, oblong, base-down triangle, base-up triangle, diamond and square. Then you should also determine the color that best fits with your overall skin, hair and eye color.

There are many different types of eyeglasses available to you today. Fashionable eyeglasses are no longer hard to come buy or extremely expensive either. You can even get eyeglasses now, which change to sunglasses when you step out into the sun. They can cover lenses with an anti-reflective coat to prevent glare and annoying reflections.

You should visit your eye doctor once per year to once every two years for eye exams. Often as people get older the prescription strength changes in the eyes, which will give you the need for new eyeglasses. Of course, if in between eye doctor visits you notice that your eyeglasses are not working to par anymore, you should make an appointment for an eye exam right away.

Whether you pick them up at a discount retailer or from a designer boutique, sunglasses are definitely must-have accessories regardless of the season. However, far from being just a fashion accessory, sunglasses are multipurpose tools that can protect your eyes from harmful UV rays and provide a degree of shade on a sunny day, improving visibility and lessening your chance of being temporarily blinded by sunlight (particularly important while driving).

As wonderful as sunglasses are, all sunglasses are not of the same quality and it is important to take care when shopping for a pair. The most important consideration when purchasing sunglasses is to find a pair that provides full protection from ultra violet (both UVA and UVB) rays, which are generated from the sun even on cloudy days. While experts disagree about possible negative effects UVA rays may have on the eye, it is known that UVB rays can cause a number of eye conditions including permanent retinal damage, so make sure your sunglasses are rated for full UV protection.

Sunglasses come in a variety of styles and types. If fashion is your main consideration, pick a stylish frame and then have custom lenses with UV protection added to them. If sun protection is your primary concern, pick up a pair of wraparound sunglasses that will block light that would normally skip past the frames of regular sunglasses.

After you’ve found a style that you like, think about the lenses. You’ve probably seen sunglasses with different colored lenses. While on cheap plastic sunglasses color may be little more than a fashion choice, with proper lenses, the color can tell you more about the purpose of the sunglasses. Knowing the different kinds of lenses will help you make the best decision when choosing sunglasses.

• Photochromic lenses change color depending on the amount of UV light to which they are exposed, although for the most part, they appear darkly shaded when outside, and light or clear when inside. Photochromic lenses create the illusion of sunglasses and regular glasses in one package.

• Amber-colored lenses tend to block blue light. There is discussion about whether blue light is harmful to the eye, but outdoors lovers agree blue-blocking lenses are super on the ski slopes or while hunting or fishing.

• Mirror-coated sunglasses limit the light that reaches your eye, which may make it easier to see in very bright situations.

• Gradient lenses, as the name implies, are those that are tinted at different opacities from the top down or from the bottom up. Top-down gradient lenses in sunglasses are great for driving and viewing the controls clearly.

• Polarized and anti-reflection-coated sunglasses reduce the amount of reflected light reaching your eyes, which is great in super-bright situations such as in the snow on a sunny winter day.

Nearly every style of sunglasses, lenses and frames, can be made to accommodate special prescriptions so that even those with poor vision can benefit from wearing sunglasses.

When looking for the perfect pair of eyeglasses, there is one main factor you should look for; how well they will look on your face. When you are looking for the right pair of eyeglasses, most people will normally try on every pair possible in order to judge which is best for them, but what if you could narrow down your search before you even step foot in the eyeglass store? Now you can. Simply determine your face shape and coloring and you will be able to establish which shape and eyeglass color will fit you best. Choosing the correct eyeglass frame for your face shape can be as simple as following the three keys that the Vision Council of America (VCA) has set forth in their Envision Yourself Program. These three keys are as follows: The frame shape should contrast well with the face shape, the frame size should be in scale with the face size and eyewear should repeat your personal best feature (such as a light color frame to match blonde hair). There are seven basic face shapes according to the VCA and when you can fully understand which shape your face falls under, you will be one step closer to determining your perfect pair of eyeglasses. The seven face shapes are: base-down triangle, base-up triangle, diamond, round, square, oval and oblong. Also, a good optician can help you when choosing the perfect pair of eyeglasses by following these guidelines.

Overview of Face Shapes and Eyeglass Frames

As stated above, there are seven basic face shapes and you should always be aware of which face shape you have in order to determine which eyeglasses will suit you best. Making sure that you determine which face shape you have and that you choose an eyeglass frame to fit your shape, you will want to follow the subsequent guidelines. A round face has curved lines and the width and length are in the same proportions with no angles. For choosing the correct eyeglasses for a round face, you should try angular narrow eyeglass frames to lengthen the shape of your face and look for a set of eyeglasses that has a wider structure than long, such as a rectangular shape. An oval face is believed to be the perfect face shape due to its equal proportions. To keep your faces physical balance, look for a set of eyeglasses that are as wide as the broadest part of the face. Base-down Triangle face shapes are narrow at the forehead and widen around the cheek and chin. To best proportion the top half of the face, choose an eyeglass that is wider in shape. A Base-up Triangle face has a wider top third and a narrow bottom third. To best adjust the scope of your face, chose a lighter color frame or possibly a rimless frame as these will draw less attention to the top third of your face.

A square face shape has a strong jaw line and a broad forehead while the width and length are generally in the same proportions. To make your face look longer, try narrow frames that have more width than depth. Diamond shape face structures are narrow at the jaw line and eye line while the cheekbones are generally wider. Even though this is the rarest face shape, you can still find eyeglasses to compliment it by choosing a frame that have detailed brow-lines or are rimless and possibly cat-eye shaped. The oblong face shape is commonly longer than it is wide and has a long straight cheek line. To make the face seem shorter and more balanced, try a frame that has top-to-bottom depth so it will add depth to the face structure.

Colors of your skin, hair and eyes will effect your decision

Skin tone is a primary factor in determining the right eyeglass color. All tones fall into two different color bases – blue (cool) or yellow (warm). A cool complexion has blue or pink traces while a warm complexion has a “peaches and cream” or yellow shine. Eye color is usually a second rate reason in choosing your eyeglasses due to the wide range of eye colors. For example, blue eyes can range from a cool almost violet color all the way to a pale-blue, which is a warm color. Brown eyes can range from a light shade which is cool, all the way to a dark almost black warm color. Hair colors are also considered either cool or warm. Strawberry Blond, white, salt-and-pepper gray, and light brown are all cool colors. Golden blond, flat black, brown-gold, red and “dirty” gray are all considered warm colors. Once you have determined if you are a cool or warm color, you will then be able to find the eyeglasses that will best suit your needs. Some examples of frame colors for cool coloring are black, dark brown, blue-gray, plum, magenta, blue and a dark turquoise. Warm coloring will be best fit to wear frames with the following colors: gold, copper, peach, light tan, orange, coral, bright red, off-white, warm blue and light turquoise.

Final decision when choosing your eyeglasses

At the end of the day, you must be completely happy with your choice in eyeglasses because you will be the only one wearing them every day and you will need to be content with your choice so that you will want to wear your eyeglasses daily and in turn will keep your eyesight the same or better in the long run. This is a guideline to help you choose the best frame to suit your shape and coloring, but you ultimately will be the one making the deciding vote. We do recommend that you follow this format when choosing your eyeglasses as well as do the Vision Council of America (VCA). Remembering to choose the right eyeglass frames based upon your face shape and your warm or cool coloring will ensure that you are selecting the correct eyeglasses.

When it comes to choosing an antiaging eye cream, the possibilities are endless. The choices range from high end department store brands, to affordable names brands and can be found in all shapes, sizes, and forms. So you can imagine that when it comes time to choose an antiaging eye cream that will produce the best results for you, the job is a tough one. Whether your target area is above the eye, below the eye, or the eyelashes, the possibilities are definitely there.

For the Eyelashes

Although not your ordinary antiaging eye cream, the products available for your eyelashes are enriched with a complex of lecithin along with plant extracts. It’s meant to promote growth of the lashes, and is clinically proven to do so while conditioning your existing lashes. Many Internet websites and beauty stores carry this type of treatment, so your best bet is to shop around for particular differences in products as well as price.

Wrinkle Reducers

A few different kinds of antiaging eye cream can be found that reduce wrinkles while promoting healthy skin. Some of these wrinkle reducers are left on over night and then washed off, while others are meant to be used under makeup or as a lotion alone. The severity of the eye lines you are trying to reduce or smooth will probably make a big difference in which type of antiaging eye cream you decide to use. For more deep lines or crows feet, you will probably want to sue an overnight treatment, couple with a leave on treatment. And for softer lines that need just a bit of smoothing, a leave on conditioner should do the trick.

Age Defying Choices

In addition to worrying about wrinkles, lines, and brittle eyelashes, we simply want to defy our age. It’s natural, as getting older means feeling older. What better way to feel younger than to look younger? With age defying antiaging eye cream choices, defying age is a possibility. The choices in this area include firming cream and glow enhancers but the line tends to also offer natural choices such as chamomile antiaging eye cream, and herbal treatments.

Many products offer multiple benefits in one treatment, while others come in kits and require multiple steps. The severity of your problem areas don’t really matter as to whether a one step or multiple step treatment is the best choice, however pricing, time availability, and satisfaction should be the deciding factors.

Cherokee medical apparel has built a reputation of providing high-quality and reliable medical apparel to the medical or healthcare professional. Cherokee shoes are no exception. In fact, Cherokee shoes far exceed the standards necessary to qualify for professional medical footwear. Cherokee brand shoes offer comfort and reliability in one package. In addition, Cherokee nursing shoes are an affordable solution to those medical or healthcare professionals on a budget.

When it comes to medical shoes, Cherokee brand shoes offer more than most in terms of quality, style, and sizes. There are Cherokee shoes for the medical or healthcare professional regardless of shoes size. Cherokee nurse shoes have been paving the path for other medical shoe companies.

There are a multitude of various options available when you choose Cherokee brand shoes for your career. Cherokee shoes come in traditional athletic styles, lightweight clogs, and unisex clogs making Cherokee shoes perfect for both genders regardless of style preference. In addition, Cherokee nurse shoes understands what it takes to be considered a leader in the industry. With this understanding, Cherokee shoes are an innovative and popular choice for medical and healthcare professionals around the globe.

What do you look for when you want to purchase medical shoes?

If you are looking for high-quality, Cherokee shoes are made of the highest quality material guaranteeing a longer life for the Cherokee shoes you purchase. In addition, when you purchase high-quality Cherokee brand shoes, you will find that your safety insecurity are greatly increase within your workplace environment.

If you are looking for affordability, Cherokee brand shoes offer affordable solutions when you need affordable medical shoes. Cherokee brand shoes are affordable without being on a specific discount rack or sales rack. This means that when you purchase Cherokee nurse shoes, you will be saving money any time of the year.

If you are looking for comfort, Cherokee nurse shoes offer 100% comfort from day one. In fact, you will find that when you purchase Cherokee brand shoes, you will not be worried about breaking in those new medical shoes. Cherokee shoes are ready to go from day one, and those same Cherokee shoes are comfortable from the first moment you wear them.

If you are looking for trendy styles, Cherokee brand shoes offers more in terms of style, class, and options. There are a multitude of popular colors and designs available when you purchase athletic Cherokee shoes or clogs Cherokee shoes.

Cherokee nursing shoes offer something special to the nurse on the nursing staff. Whether you choose to wear medical scrubs, medical uniforms, medical skirts, or medical dresses, you will find Cherokee nursing shoes look and feel good regardless of your choice of medical apparel. Yes, Cherokee nursing shoes are the perfect accompaniment to your favorite medical ensemble. With the options available when it comes to colors and styles, you may find it a fashion necessity to purchase various types of Cherokee nursing shoes to accompany your favorite medical ensembles.

No matter what your particular duties are in the medical or healthcare industry, you will find that there are Cherokee shoes capable of providing you with high quality, comfort, affordability, and trendy styles.

Internet marketing is the new face of marketing strategy. It is phenomenon taking place everywhere these days. However doing marketing online is not all about just having a website. Of course this is the first step towards internet marketing online, but there are numerous other elements to this. In this age of mounting competition, it is imperative to have a web presence to sell your goods and services. Internet marketing online is one of the paramount techniques for you to optimize your website.

Literally internet marketing means buying, selling and advertising of goods and services in the internet. A recent study undertaken by a principal research organization shows that more and more people are making use of search engines to find the product or information that they are looking online. Such finding makes it all the more important for your website to feature at the top of search engine rankings. Your internet marketing online site must be able to bring prospective clients to your site.

There are different ways which you can adopt to make your website presence felt everywhere in the World Wide Web. Writing articles and submitting them to website is one easy method to advertise your online site. You can write an article about your online business and at the end of it advertise about your product or service.

One more way which you can carry out is to advertise about your site in other websites. This is an extremely effective internet marketing strategy. All you need to do is find a good website where you want to advertise about your site. Most websites will charge a certain sum for advertising your site. Visitors to the website will in reality see your advertisement there. This will surely prompt some visitors to check out your site.

There are many benefits of having a website as part of your marketing strategy. First of all internet marketing is instant. No body likes to wait for later or tomorrow for anything they are searching for or want to buy. Visitors will come to your site, see your product and buy it instantly if they like it. Instant purchase and gratification is what customers look out for.

Second of all internet is accessible to anyone 24/7. All the prospective buyer needs is access to a computer with internet connection to buy your products. So your online storefront is practically open to customers any time of the day. Internet marketing online works round the clock for you and helps in generating business leads. Internet marketing is also very cheap compared to the other methods of marketing. Internet marketing has a global reach. So now you can have global customers for your products.

Internet marketing online is not a sure shot marketing strategy for your business. On the other hand if you undertake internet marketing in the proper way, you are sure to gain heaps of profits from your business. Internet marketing is here to stay and setting up your storefront online is surely going to bring profits for your business. More and more people are entering to the field of online internet marketing, so it is all the more important for you to have a distinctive website for your products.

Here’s news that may inspire many to look to lose weight. You’ve probably heard a lot about the dire consequences of being overweight-which 60 percent of Americans are-and now research from Harvard suggests that those extra pounds may be bad for your eyes.

Researchers think some nutrients needed in the retina in the eye may not get there because people are either not eating enough foods that contain these nutrients or, when these nutrients are consumed, they stay stored in body fat. Two such nutrients in particular are lutein and zeaxanthin (pronounced loo-teen and zee-ah-zan-thin), which are believed to help protect against age-related macular degeneration or AMD. These nutrients are part of a group of eye-protecting antioxidants-vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene and zinc.

AMD is the leading cause of blindness in older adults today, accounting for 54 percent of all blindness in white Americans and 45 percent of visual disability in the general population. AMD whittles away at central vision, so people affected with it see large blotches of gray to black when they look straight at something. Ironically, they can still see somewhat with peripheral vision.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are concentrated in the retina at the back of the eye. The amount in the retina is measured as “macular pigment density.” The higher the macular pigment density, the better. However, higher body mass has been correlated with lower macular pigment in a number of studies. Studies suggest people carrying extra pounds, especially in the abdominal area and around the waist, are at higher risk of developing AMD. Such people who already have early stage AMD are at higher risk of progressing to late stage AMD. There’s also some evidence that higher body fat may elevate risk for cataracts.

If you are overweight, losing weight may be one way to reduce your risk of age-related eye diseases as well as other chronic diseases. At the same time, for the sake of your eyes, try to get extra lutein and zeaxanthin in your diet by eating more spinach, corn, kale, orange peppers and other green and yellow vegetables. You can also get these nutrients in many multivitamin supplements or in supplements specially formulated to support eye health.

If you have an accident and it’s found that you’d failed to keep your car roadworthy, for example excessively worn tyres, and that was a contributory factor in the accident, your insurer will probably refuse to pay up. And the police may also show an interest too! Quite reasonable many of you will say. But what if it’s you that’s un-roadworthy?

How many driving accidents are accompanied by the comment “I didn’t see the other vehicle”? And what happens if the problem was your eyesight? Has it deteriorated to a dangerous extent?

Well all of us clearly know if we have an eyesight problem but there are opticians to help on every high street. Remember, if you need contact lenses or glasses for driving then you must wear them and if your eyesight deteriorates you should get a new prescription. It’s the legal responsibility of all drivers to ensure that they’re safe to drive.

Only last week I drew up alongside an elderly driver who was clearly having trouble reading the junction signs. He was leaning forward trying to read the signs indicating towards Leeds and rolling forward at 10 mph – all this at traffic lights that by this time had turned red – and he clearly hadn’t seen those! He was lucky that the cars coming across from the right saw him early. I’m not even sure he saw them either!

The law is quite straightforward – it states that any driving licence holder who cannot meet the minimum level of eyesight must not drive. They are also required to surrender their licence.

The eyesight test for drivers’ states that you must be able to read a number plate containing letters and figures 50 mm wide and 79mm high (that’s a legal number plate) from a distance of 20 meters. But you can use your driving glasses.

Having said that there’s no legal obligation for you to have regular eyesight tests but you are required to tell the DVLA if you develop any medical problem that affects your fitness to drive. If you don’t tell them, it’s a criminal offence.

In some American states drivers have to take an eye test every five years but not in the UK. Here, driver aged 70 and over must complete a medical form every three years confirming their fitness to drive and the definition of “fitness” includes eyesight. If theses drivers fail to send in their medical form, they lose their driving licence. (I wonder what that elderly gentleman at the traffic lights said on his?)

On the insurance front, if you are involved in an accident where your defective eyesight was a contributory factor, your insurance company may well argue that you were negligent and refuse to pay out. This could be simply because you needed glasses to drive but weren’t wearing them at the time.

So drive carefully, and keep your eyes peeled – elderly gentleman in Leeds please take note!

Honesty in advertising. Wouldn’t it be a consumers dream to approach products with caution and not skepticism?

David Peters writes openly about his frustration the first time he opened Photoshop’s software and felt lost and dejected. The source of his dilemma was even wanted to know the basics seemed out of reach without a tutor sitting next to you. Hence the idea is born for “Learn Photoshop Now.”

After getting comfortable with the product he took action. He designed a system to show the most common tasks a Photoshop user would seek direction. On the product page he even gives video demonstrations on how these can be accomplished.

He illustrates for us how to remove red eye from digital photos, when resizing a picture how can the user avoid quality loss, and how graphics could benefit the final presentation. Click here for risk free information

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As he gets into the nuts and bolts of the presentation such as learning the toolbox, or what is the Palette Well we are able to comprehend the training because the video brings it all to life and clarifies the blur often caused by text based learning. It is a hands on system for the consumer. If you have ever been distraught learning software by a manual, you can’t help but have fun as you encompass each step up the ladder.

David Peters shows us some of the tricks of the trade. The merging of photos so they look as one for example. It seems he anticipates our questions. Did you ever wonder if they could remove a blemish for an actresses photo or whiten the teeth of a tobacco user? These come with the software.

Although David Peters mentions about helping out with the “basics”, there is enough knowledge afforded to the user to feel anything like a beginner.

The one on one concept makes learning at your own speed stress free. It isn’t a content or an assignment. You don’t have to go on to the next topic until you have committed the information to memory and or notes.

Often times you haven’t even done anything to get buggered eyes. By that I mean you haven’t actually personally damaged them to the point of needing visual aid. If you’re like many you were just born with buggered eyes, and have had to deal with the hassles of glasses or contacts for a time that is too long to remember.

Is it worth it? – The hassle. That is the question that you should be asking yourself. Contacts came and made it more convenient, but what now? Eye surgery! Eye surgery has been around for several years now, and it’s amazing at how many people are still skeptical about it.

What is Lasik Eye Surgery?

Good Question – Glad you asked. Lasik is an acronym that stands for Laser-assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. It’s a procedure in which a laser is used to correct the shape of the eye, an as a result to correct the vision of the patient.

The first form of Lasik surgery was in 1970, when Dr Jose Barraquer, made it possible by developing the first microkeratome. The microkeratome is used to cut thin flaps in the cornea and alter its shape, in a procedure called keratomileusis. Building off the work of DR Barraquer Dr. Lucio Buratto in 1990 & Dr. Ioannis Pallikaris took the technique and made it widely effective and safe.

With the long history that is behind the surgery, there is not a need to be skeptical. I would recommend talking to your eye doctor, to gain more advice on the surgery and to see when and if it’s right for you. Good luck, happy sight!

Beauty is not in the face; beauty lies in good breast. It is true that beauty comes in all size and shapes. At present women all eager to have a good look with astounding figure that comprises of large breast. Women are very happy that present technology has made it possible. That’s the reason breast enhancement surgery and other methods are gaining popularity, assisting you to look gorgeous and giving you total confident.

If you have identified yourself and want to enlarge and have firmer breasts, then nothing to worry about you can try some of the latest breast enhancement techniques. You can try out breast enhancement surgery and some other medium like breast enhancement cream, breast enhancement exercise, medicine pills and some other products. It is a well fact that most breast enhancement products contains female hormone know as estrogen that can increase breasts size but you need to avoid caffeine. Caffeine gives a negative effect and can change the hormonal secretion process.

Some women prefer to use natural breast enhancement products like cream and medicine pills for cheaper and smooth results. Breast massage cream and oils are good as it helps to increase better blood flow to glands giving a slow result and can sustain for a longer period. If you don’t have time for a massage then you can try out breast enhancement pills as prescribed by your physician. Your diet plays a vital role in the success of breast enhancement pills and therefore it is necessary to eat protein foods like meat, nuts and cheese to harmonize the pills effect, giving you enlarged breasts.

Well if you are thinking to have busty breasts then try out now, as this is the right time to have it. Looking good from outside will not work good unless and until you look beautiful from within.

“I have told this story to Colette for many reasons. I want people to understand what happened during World War II, to know what was done to us Jews for no reason at all, other than that we happened to be Jewish. I also want young people to learn from the things I did in my life that allowed me to survive. But my greatest hope in sharing this story is so that my parents and other family members did not die in vain. I truly believe that telling others about their murders and speaking out against genocide, racism, and hatred can and will make a difference.”

Nina Grutz’s family was successful in business in Poland. The community respected them. Nina’s life was one of wealth. “The Grutz family was part of a Jewish population that thrived at a time when almost three-quarter of the Jews in Europe called Poland home.” “It seems to me now that my life before the war was so very happy and full. My own little world was regulated and small, but this was how my parents raised me and it felt very secure. I had a good family life, I loved my sisters, and I even began to spend time with boys in a social way. We did not go out on dates like young people do today, but spent time in groups with relatives or together with adults present.”

Then came the day when Nina’s father felt it was no longer safe. One day Nina attended a lecture with a companion. He realized Nina was Jewish. “I walked in with him and found that there were older students directing people where to sit. They yelled out, “Jews on the left side and Poles on the right!” I was proud to be a Jew, so I started to go to the left when my companion pulled me by the hand and asked, “Where are you going?” Nina was proud to be Jewish and never tried to hide it but she spoke fluent Polish and dressed like everyone else.

When the bombings began, the Grutz family decided it would be safer to separate. Nina went to live with her aunt. Life was never the same for Nina but she didn’t give up. Nina assisted with the Underground by smuggling travel papers. She met and married Josef Morecki. Nina’s story is one of triumph.

This is a story that has to be told. This is a heartrending story, but it is more. “This is one survival tale that is neither enduringly sad nor depressing. It is, in fact, a story of hope and endurance and, ultimately even prosperity in a new life in a new land.”

Colette Waddell is an extremely talented writer. She uccessfully paints a picture of words that tells Nina’s life. It is an honor to read Nina’s story. It is told with humor, which testifies to the character of Nina. I’m glad I read this book. It should be required reading for everyone. For only when we come to understand what happened during the Holocaust will be make sure it never happens again. It is with great honor that I highly recommend “Through the Eyes of a Survivor” to all readers.

Through the Eyes of a Survivor: A Living History of Nina Morecki from
Pre-WWII Poland to Modern America
Colette Waddell
Topcat Press (2007)
ISBN 9780979151804
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (3/07)

There is much confusion regarding what people mean when they say they have dark circles under the eyes, often referred to as the tired look. There are 4 different conditions which can cause dark skin under the eyelid which people call dark circles under the eyes:

1. Dark purple skin color on the lower eyelid skin
2. Brown pigment on the lower eyelid skin
3. A hollow eyed appearance in which the lower eyelid is sunken in.
4. A depression or deep line along the lower edge of the eyelid just above the cheek called the naso-jugal fold, the true dark circle under the eyelid and most common form of dark circle under the eyes

1. Dark Purple Color of the Lower Eyelid Skin

When the skin of the lower eyelid is a dark purple or bluish color people often say they have dark circles under the eyes. If you look closely EVERYONE has darker skin color on the lower eyelid than on the skin of the rest of the face. This is because the lower eyelid skin is the thinnest skin on the face, so thin that you can see through the skin and see the purple color of the eyelid muscle showing through the skin. In people with thicker skin the color looks more bluish, but everyone’s lower eyelid skin is darker because of the color of the muscle beneath the thin skin. There are familial and racial differences in skin thickness and muscle color so there is great variation in the darkness of lower eyelid skin. I do not call this normal phenomena dark circles under the eyelid, rather I call this normal phenomena dark purple lower eyelid. The only solution for this problem is to use a cover up make up like Covermark® or Dermablend®.

2. Brown Pigment on the Lower Eyelid Skin

Sun damage to the skin, birth control pills and other medications, and the “mask of Pregnancy” and other metabolic conditions can cause the deposition of brown pigment in the lower eyelid skin. This is not called dark circles under the eyes but is called hyperpigmentation. The treatment is the removal or correction of the underlying cause-stop the medication, sun protection etc. Once the cause is corrected there are several remedies. Skin bleaching agents such as hydroquinone and Kojic Acid can help as can microdermabrasion®. Laser resurfacing or Microlaserpeel®, deep exfoliation techniques can also be helpful. IPL also called Photo Facial can also help. Very goods results can be achieved with these modalities.

3. A Hollowed Eye Appeance

Some people have a very sunken in or hollowed eye appearance. This is caused by a deficiency of the normal fat which surrounds the eyeball and normally plumps the lower eyelid skin. This deficiency of fat can be caused by heredity, racial factors, malnutrition, general disease, dehydration or trauma to the orbital bone which supports the eyeball.

The correction involves the correction of the underlying disease or medical problem when there is a medical cause.

For people who have this appearance because of heredity or racial factors, the fat must be grafted into the lower eyelid to replace the deficiency. I do this by performing a blepharoplasty through an incision on the inside pink portion of the lower eyelid called the transconjunctival approach. This avoids a scar on the outside of the lower eyelid. I then harvest or take fat from an area of the body where the fat will not be missed (hip or abdomen) and transplant the fat to the lower eyelid to plump the lower eyelid.

4. The Naso-jugal Fold or Tear Trough Deformity-the True Dark Circle Under the Eye.

The true dark circle under the eye is a crease or depression starting at the nose and running towards the outside of the lower eyelid running at the bottom of the eyelid just above the cheek. This dark circle or depression looks dark because it is attached to the underlying bone of the rim of the orbit or eye socket, and the unattached skin of the lower eyelid above the depression is free to move and bulge and creates a shadow which gives the crease a dark color. The cheek skin below the dark circle is also free to move and bulge and bulges above the dark circle, which contributes to the shadow.

The dark circle or naso-jugal fold or tear trough deformity gets worse or deepens as we age because the eyelid above and cheek below begin to sag with aging but the dark circle is attached to bone and cannot sag with the rest of the skin, so the lower eyelid skin hangs over more from sagging and bulging of fat, the depression deepens, the shadow gets worse and the dark circle becomes more noticeable.

The dark circle or naso-jugal fold or tear trough is tethered or held tight to the bony rim of the eye socket bone by a ligament called the arcus marginalis.

To correct the dartk circle I perform a transconjunctival blepharoplasty. During the procedure I release the arcus marginalis ligament which frees up the dark circle or naso-jugal fold. Once the dark circle is released the dark circle skin is free to move with the lower eyelid skin and the cheek skin and the dark circle or shadow is lessened. To prevent re-attachment of the arcus marginalis and to plump up the dark circle I place a fat graft underneath the dark circle. Some surgeons place an implant called a tear trough implant under the dark circle but I usually use fat.

Correction of dark circles under the eyes, also called the naso-jugal fold or tear trough deformity requires proper diagnosis. This condition needs to be differentiated from dark purple eyelid color, hyperpigmentation and hollow eyes. The correction of true dark circles requires a blepharoplasty operation with arcus marginalis release and fat grafting or tear trough implants.

Patients considering LASIK eye surgery may come across medical jargon, such as “blade” and “bladeless” LASIK. To a layman, such terms might appear overwhelming. However, as a patient you must know the difference between the two surgery types, and the rewards and risks associated with each.

Traditional LASIK makes use of a microkeratome to cut a thin hinged flap in the cornea. The flap is then folded back to reveal the stroma – the middle layer of the cornea. A high precision laser, called the excimer laser, is used to reshape the corneal surface so as to correct any refractive error. The flap is then repositioned to act as a natural bandage. Since the microkeratome used to create a flap is in fact a surgical blade, the procedure is also known as blade LASIK.

A more recent innovation, introduced in 1999, makes use of a high energy laser (IntraLase or femtosecond laser) to create a flap during surgery. As opposed to traditional LASIK, IntraLase does not employ a surgical blade, and hence the procedure is often marketed as “bladeless” or “all laser” LASIK. The term itself has raged a debate among eye surgeons, as to whether it should be used in IntraLase advertisements or not. Several surgeons assert that the term “bladeless” implies that traditional LASIK, which makes use of a surgical blade (microkeratome), is a scarier proposition, when in fact it’s not.

The creation of the flap is an important part of the laser eye surgery procedure. It’s true that flap predictability is better with a laser flap, that is, with bladeless LASIK. Moreover, there is a reduced possibility of flap complications, such as partial flaps, flap dislocation, free flaps etc. However, an expert surgeon wielding a contemporary microkeratome can very well match the finesse of bladeless LASIK. Although the chances are rare, there is an issue of transient light sensitivity as well – a unique risk associated with bladeless LASIK. Moreover, the bladeless LASIK procedure costs an extra $300 per eye, when compared with traditional LASIK.

All said and done, LASIK itself is one of the safest refractive surgery procedure. Whether it’s blade or bladeless, it largely depends on the eye surgeon of your choice. If the surgeon has loads of experience carrying out microkeratome procedures, it’s better to have it that way. If otherwise, you may go in for the relatively new bladeless LASIK surgery.

Finding a LASIK surgery that you are confident about will be able to give you more information about blade and bladeless LASIK.

Bird watching typically conjures up images of people pursuing a relaxing day of staring into the sky with binoculars. Ah, but then there is the competitive side of birding.

Flying Emus…err, Elbows

For many people, something is only worth undertaking if there is an element of competitiveness. With bird watching, no such element really exists unless you include adding to your life list as a competition. Even if you do, it is a rather vague, indirect form of competition. This is where bird watching competitions come in.

Also known as “bird days” or “big days”, bird watching competitions are typically one or two day events held in a specific geographic area. The idea behind the competition is to bring a bunch of birding enthusiasts together and see who tally the most species in a particular time period.

Since the honor code is tied into reporting your tally, the competitive aspect of such competitions isn’t overdone. This isn’t a situation like bass fishing where they roll you into a stadium afterwards to count your sightings in front of screaming crowds. Then again, perhaps an opportunity presents itself…

Can you imagine ESPN covering the event?

“Bob, it looks like Longbill Louie is in fine form today. Look at the way he balances those binoculars and what rotation!”

Probably not, but a man has to dream!

Back in reality, participating in a bird watching competition is a good idea for two reason. First, the organizers tend to pick spots with lots of species you may not have documented before. Second, it is a tremendous opportunity to meet other people who have caught the itch. This often can lead to future opportunities to bird watch with new friends in previously unknown areas.

If you must compete, there are official bird watching competitions. The World Series of Bird Watching is put on by the New Jersey Audubon Society. Teams of birders are formed and pitted against each other in early May of each year. With humorous names such as the “four loons”, “stokes stompers” and so on, it is a good time. The next competition is May 13, 2006, so you have plenty of time to get in top birding form.

Birding competitions are a bit serious for me, but to each his own. Having a Big Day, however, is a great way to get kids interested in watching.

Binoculars are devices that make small objects at a distance appear expanded and clear before your eyes. They are also known as binocular telescopes as they are basically two monocular placed together to allow perfect two-eye viewing. It is surprising to find that those objects, which are completely invisible to human eyes, appear so near and enlarged in the eyes of the binoculars.

Factors to consider while purchasing binoculars

When you want to choose the binoculars you should try them out and then purchase them. Although the enhanced image through binoculars might appear surprising, yet the working of binoculars is quite simple. You have the lenses at the end of the barrel called objective lens that gathers the light from distant objects and focuses it on the lens nearest to your eyes. With side-by-side two small telescopes fitted, the binoculars impart a great measure of depth of field, than single monocular glasses.

When you go to purchase binoculars you will be confused to hear two specific numbers “6 x30” or something similar. Do not get surprised. The first number always refer to the magnification power of the binoculars or how many times the image is magnified. This means that if the number is 6, the image that you view through the lens will be 6 times more magnified than its normal size.

However, the second number deals with the size of the objective lens at the end of the binoculars. You should know that the larger the diameter of the objective lens, the more light from the distant objects is attracted and the distant image can be viewed perfectly.

However, powerful the binocular is, you must be aware of the way to handle them. Holding the binoculars by the hand will be truly effective as shaking might make the magnification less useful. So if you are planning to use the binoculars for active activities, then get for yourself a pair of binoculars that has 4-7 times magnification. If your work demands using the binoculars in low light situation or indoors, then you should get larger objective lens with 30 power or above.

The weight of the binoculars should be considered before you purchase them. When you are using the binoculars for trekking, boating, fishing, or for astronomical purposes, you should see that the weight should not be very heavy. When you are going for these traveling purposes, you should plastic lens in binoculars that will help produce high quality and sharp image. Glass lenses can be available at lower cost but they are very fragile. So you should use plastic lens binoculars for better results.

Get a pair of binoculars to enjoy distant objects clearer and nearer to your eyes.

It’s hard to say when in our lives each of us become aware of this thing called “astronomy”. But it is safe to say that at some point on our lives, each and every one of us has that moment when we are suddenly stunned when we come face to face with the enormity of the universe that we see in the night sky. For many of us who are city dwellers, we don’t really notice that sky up there on a routine basis. The lights of the city do a good job of disguising the amazing display that is above all of our heads all of the time.

So it might be that once a year vacation to a camping spot or a trip to a relative’s house out in the country that we find ourselves outside when the spender of the night sky suddenly decides to put on it’s spectacular show. If you have had that kind of moment when you were literally struck breathless by the spender the night sky can show to us, you can probably remember that exact moment when you could say little else but “wow” at what you saw.

That “Wow” moment is what astrology is all about. For some, that wow moment becomes a passion that leads to a career studying the stars. For a lucky few, that wow moment because an all consuming obsession that leads to them traveling to the stars in the space shuttle or on one of our early space missions. But for most of us astrology may become a pastime or a regular hobby. But we carry that wow moment with us for the rest of our lives and begin looking for ways to look deeper and learn more about the spectacular universe we see in the millions of stars above us each night.

To get started in learning how to observe the stars much better, there are some basic things we might need to look deeper, beyond just what we can see with the naked eye and begin to study the stars as well as enjoy them. The first thing you need isn’t equipment at all but literature. A good star map will show you the major constellations, the location of the key stars we use to navigate the sky and the planets that will appear larger than stars. And if you add to that map some well done introductory materials into the hobby of astronomy, you are well on your way.

The next thing we naturally want to get is a good telescope. You may have seen a hobbyist who is well along in their study setting up those really cool looking telescopes on a hill somewhere. That excites the amateur astronomer in you because that must be the logical next step in the growth of your hobby. But how to buy a good telescope can be downright confusing and intimidating.

Before you go to that big expense, it might be a better next step from the naked eye to invest in a good set of binoculars. There are even binoculars that are suited for star gazing that will do just as good a job at giving you that extra vision you want to see just a little better the wonders of the universe. A well designed set of binoculars also gives you much more mobility and ability to keep your “enhanced vision” at your fingertips when that amazing view just presents itself to you.

None of this precludes you from moving forward with your plans to put together an awesome telescope system. Just be sure you get quality advice and training on how to configure your telescope to meet your needs. Using these guidelines, you will enjoy hours of enjoyment stargazing at the phenomenal sights in the night sky that are beyond the naked eye.

Motorcycle apparel is crucial to keep you safe and to minimize risks and injuries. Motorcycle eyewear, for one, is important to keep our eyes from harmful elements like glare, dust and smoke. With motorcycle eyewear, hazardous elements are precluded from freely penetrating our eyes.

Best find motorcycle eyewear have some things in common. First, they have UV protection that protects the eyes from harmful rays of the sun. The most advisable protection is that having a UV 400 filter. Second, they have shatterproof lenses in order for them to be tough and hard to break. Even if the eyewear is hit by hard debris, the same will not be easily damaged.

You are in need of special motorcycle goggles if you are fond of rugged riding. This is to keep pebbles, road dirt and other elements from entering your eyes. In addition, you can use an eyewear with interchangeable lenses so that you can change them to adjust with the varying driving conditions. Good ventilation is also needed to avoid misting of lenses. Polycarbonate material is better than glass. This is because the former is shatterproof.

Another tip from the experienced riders is to choose an eyewear frame made of nylon or plastic and never metal. The reason is comfort and nice fit. Nylon and plastic encourage contoured bend that goes well with the head. Choose also a lightweight eyewear so that they will not be that burdensome.

Motorcycle eyewear must have a snug fit. It must rest on the ears comfortably – not too tight nor loose. Nose piece, on the other hand, must not leave marks on the nose. Otherwise, each ride will be uncomfortable.

To be sure of the motorcycle eyewear’s quality, you can rely on some of the established names in the eyewear industry. They are Chanel Sunglasses, Rayban Sunglasses, Gucci Sunglasses, Discount Sunglasses and more. You can pick in their wide range of sunglasses to get the right fit and protection. However, it will be best if you have physical presence since the best way to ascertain the best fit is to personally try it.

Now, your best find motorcycle eyewear is no longer vague and elusive motorcycle apparel!

Eyes have been called the windows of the soul because of how much they communicate. Eyes give your face energy and individuality. They do not have to be a certain size or shape to be considered pretty – all eyes have their own unique beauty. When makeup is applied to look natural it will bring out the eye’s true color and enhance the eye’s beauty. When you feel good about your makeup you will be more confident and will have one less thing to worry about.

A subtle application of eyeliner, shadows and mascara work together to create magic and make your eyes look their best.

Eye Shadow

Eye shadow is meant to highlight and define the eyes. Eye shadow is used to create depth to bring out the beauty of the eyes. A dark color used on the lid will make the eye appear smaller, while a lighter color will make it appear larger. That is what eye shadow is about creating illusions. These are the basic techniques for the following eye shapes:

Small eyes: Don’t use too much shadow or liner – it will make you eyes look smaller. Apply a light color on eyelid, use a darker color in the crease and use a highlighter under the brow.

Large eyes: Wear darker shadow on the lid and extend it to the crease. Use a flat color under the brow to highlight.

Deep-set eyes: Use light colors on the eyelid and under the brow. Use a medium color in the crease. Emphasize the outer corners with shadow.

Wide-set eyes: Use darker colors on the inner corners of the eye.

Hooded eyes: Apply light colors on the lid. Use darker colors from the center of the eyelid to the outer corners and blend.

Round eyes: Make round eyes longer by using color all around and extending toward the outer corners.

Asian eyes: Apply highlighter under the brow. Use light shadow on the inner half of the lid and a darker color on the outer half.

1. Light colors cause the eyes to open, dark colors will cause the eyes to recede

2. If you have very light skin avoid dark shades

3. Be careful with shimmer – they will bring attention to imperfections and wrinkles.

4. The eye area is the first to show age don’t tug on the skin.

Eyeliners:

Eyeliners are meant to define the eyes so they should do just that, not be the focal point of your makeup. Eyeliners come in various colors and forms liquid, pencil etc. Keep the eyeliner natural. Pencils are available in many colors (for the best look stick to black or brown) and can be sharpened for a fine line. For a smudged effect use a sponge tip shadow applicator or an eye shadow brush. When your pencils are too soft refrigerate them. When they are too hard soften them by holding them between your fingers.

To line the eye, start on the lower lid, just beneath the lashes. When you are finished always smudge the line with your sponge. Stay as close to the lash line as possible. On the upper lid, draw a line form the inner corner to the outer corner, thickening the line toward the outer corner. After the age of 40 keep the line in between the lashes.

Mascara and the creation of beautiful lashes:

Mascara frames your eyes and can make your face come alive. Mascara softly accentuates the eye while thickening and darkening the lashes; it is the finishing touch for eyes. There are several different types to choose from, thickening, and waterproof to smudge proof. Waterproof will need a special remover and smudge proof will wash off easily. It is not a good idea to wear waterproof mascara for extended periods of time since it has a tendency to dry the lashes.

Select a shade of mascara that complements your coloring. Dark shades on pale eyes with brown lashes will darken them and will look harsh. Stay away from blues and other colors since they will ruin your look.

Lashes that are hard to curl may need the help of an eyelash curler. Curl your lashes before you apply mascara – hold for ten to twenty seconds.

To apply mascara look straight into your mirror with your chin slightly lifted so you can see your lashes. Insert the wand only once and twist, don’t pump. Pumping can break the brush bristles and distribute the mascara unevenly and will dry out the mascara faster. Start by rolling the wand from root to tip in an upward motion. Reinsert the brush and apply again. If your eyelashes are thick and long they may clunk together. If this happens let them dry and then separate them with the corner of an eyebrow brush.

It is true that laser eye surgery is a safe and efficacious procedure for correcting a host of visual anomalies. However, as with any surgical procedure, refractive surgery has potential side effects or complications. Complications due to laser eye surgery may be classified into four categories – preoperative, intra-operative, early postoperative, and late postoperative. Peruse this article to have a clear understanding of the major complications associated with laser eye surgery.

One of the more frequently reported complications is dry eye. It has been reported that the surgery worsens the dry eye condition, where the tear gland’s capacity to produce tears is diminished. Another possible complication is over/under-correction, and in the worst case, loss of corrected vision. In the latter of the mentioned complications, the postoperative visual acuity is less than the preoperative one.

Patients who have undergone laser eye surgery may experience halos or starbursts around light sources at night. The eyes may experience abnormal light sensitivity and the patient may suffer from ghost vision or double vision. Then there are a few possible flap complications. A small microkeratome malfunction may result in an inappropriately cut flap. This in turn may lead to a number of different flap complications.

The most common among flap complications is flap dislocation, where the flap no longer rests on a hinge and is rather detached from the cornea. Another flap complication involves the appearance of folds in the flap. This hampers the natural healing process and typically necessitates repositioning of the flap. On the other hand, an awry healing procedure may result in debris or growth under the flap.

Though quite uncommon with the new breed of lasers, another possible complication is “de-centered ablation”. This pertains to an imprecise ablation of the corneal tissue because of an inaccurately focused laser. Another rare laser eye surgery complication is induced astigmatism.

The rapid enhancement in laser technology and other pertinent eye surgery equipment has reduced the complication rate to a meager 3%. This is also owing to an increase in the experience of eye surgeons. All in all, laser eye surgery is a potent procedure to correct a variety of refractive errors thereby enhancing a patient’s visual acuity.