Surrounded by mile-high mountains and rich with culture, Asheville is one of the fastest-growing areas in North Carolina. Asheville’s population has increased nearly 25% since 2000, while Buncombe County has added 50,000 people since 2000. As new residents discover how great our city is, we want to help make sure you find the right eye care professional.
The Asheville area is growing rapidly. Part of welcoming new residents to a new area is to provide tips and keys to finding great healthcare professionals and optometrists. In addition to the incredible beauty, cultural amenities, and excellent educational systems, western North Carolina benefits from nearby medical universities and the presence of Mission Health System.
Nevertheless, finding new physicians, dentists, and eye care professionals is always difficult when people move to a new city.
Summer break is upon us, and long, hot days are around the corner. Whether it's a leisurely swim, a spirited game of water polo, or a relaxing float on an inflatable raft, swimming in summer embodies the essence of the season—carefree enjoyment under the sun, splashing in crystal-clear waters, and creating cherished memories that last a lifetime.
As the vibrant hues of spring start to mellow into the warmth of summer, nature orchestrates a graceful transition that captivates the senses. Once crisp with the fragrance of blossoms and a last touch of winter chill, the air now carries a gentle hint of impending heat and summer sun. The shift of seasons ushers in a change in where we spend our time.
More of us will spend more time outdoors over the next couple of months, whether it is for yard work, gardening, music festivals, swimming, or just a nice walk. But as we spend more time outside, we need to ensure that we take the proper precautions to protect our eyes.
As parents, we strive to provide the best possible care for our children, and one essential aspect often overlooked is their eye health. Some eye conditions are entirely out of our hands, whether from genetics or age. However, proper eye care habits can prevent or manage many eye diseases.
Developing healthy habits from an early age can significantly contribute to the long-term well-being of your child's vision.
Our brains constantly produce electrical activity in the form of brainwaves, which vary in frequency depending on the individual's mental state. These waves are created as our neurons communicate with each other. During relaxed states, the brain produces slower brainwave frequencies, such as alpha and theta waves, while during focused or alert states, it produces faster frequencies, like gamma or beta.
Eye injuries in the workplace are very common. According to recent reports from The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, every day, nearly 2,000 U.S. workers sustain job-related eye injuries that require medical treatment. However, safety experts and eye doctors believe simply using proper eye protection on the job could prevent thousands of eye injuries each year.
It is a pretty well-known fact that our bodies change in some pretty significant ways as we mature and age. One part of our bodies we may not think about being as influenced by and changing all that often (at least until we get much older) is our eyes. But this is far from the truth. Our eyes are constantly developing and changing due to both internal and external factors.
From exposure to UVA and UVB radiation, developmental hormones, eye injuries, medications, and a host of medical conditions, our eyesight does not develop or maintain itself in a vacuum. Let’s take a look specifically at how hormones shape vision throughout our lives.
One of the most common eye diseases among adults, glaucoma, affects nearly three million Americans and is the second leading cause of blindness in the nation.
Glaucoma encompasses a range of conditions that cause damage to the optic nerve due to increased pressure in the fluid of the eye. This fluid drains typically where the iris and cornea meet through mesh-like tissue. When the body overproduces fluid or drainage is inhibited, pressure builds up.
The human eye operates like a sophisticated camera, with intricate processes enabling us to perceive visual information. When light enters the eye, it passes through the cornea and lens, which work together to focus it onto the retina at the back of the eye. The retina contains specialized cells called photoreceptors that convert the focused light into electrical signals.