While parents know that exposure to UV rays has harmful effects on children’s skin, many do not realize that UV rays can actually cause just as much damage to their eyes. In fact, a recent edition of Review of Optometry reported that eye changes due to UV radiation were found in children as young as age 9.  In one study, a remarkable 80% of patients under the age of 15 showed signs of UV-related eye damage. 

Despite the concerning statistics about children’s eye health, the 2009 American Optometric Association’s Eye-Q Survey surprisingly revealed that 71% of patients do not ensure that their children wear sunglasses outdoors. Please remember, it is never too early or too late to begin protecting your eyes from UV rays, and children are never too young to start learning about the importance of sun protection.

It is important to make sure that children’s eyes are protected with UV-protective eyewear, such as Transitions® lenses, which block 100% of UV rays. In addition to proper eyewear, wearing a hat can be a simple way to provide children with extra sun protection. While some schools do not allow sunglasses to be worn on the playground, eyewear fitted with Transitions may be a great alternative that still adheres to school guidelines.  Protect your eyes and your children’s eyes with UV-protective lenses and be sure to include a comprehensive exam with your eye doctor as part of your regular health/wellness check-ups.

Last month I completed the marathon in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  Before I left for the race, I wrote how I believed that the beauty of the Rockies in springtime would help sustain me through the miles.  It was more gorgeous and challenging than I had imagined. 

First the gorgeous part.  From Steamboat Springs we boarded buses for the 26.2 mile trip to a place with a clear view of a mountain meadow near Steamboat Lake framed by snow-covered peaks.  The temperature was in the 40’s, and the sun was about to rise.  When it did, one could see that the sky was clear.  The conditions were nearly perfect.  Was the feeling of euphoria a product of taking in the amazing scenery, the anticipation of the race, or early signs of hypoxic stress caused by lack of oxygen?

The course was along mountain highways.  It ran over ridges and into valleys.  At one point we could look across at the horizon and see the mountain rim some miles away.  At another, we were down where the spring thaw rushed by in clear flowing streams.  In some places, cattle ranches reminded us of the western frontier, but mostly the scene was dominated by undisturbed nature.  It provided the perfect mental escape, just as expected.

Now the challenging part.  I live at about 830 feet elevation.  The marathon started at about 8200 feet.  I arrived the day before the race.  There was no time for my cardiovascular system to acclimate to the change in oxygen levels.  I knew this would make the day a bit more challenging, but I had no idea to what extent.  In the first few miles, things seemed fairly normal.  By mile seven, I had to begin slowing down to compensate for the lack of oxygen. 

The symptoms were unique.  If I pushed the pace at all, I had trouble remembering any details of stories I was sharing with folks I was running with.  I had a feeling of disorientation and loss of equilibrium, so I slowed the pace until I felt normal.  As it turns out, I had to continue slowing the pace through the entire run.  That’s OK, it allowed me to enjoy the place that much more.

So we have another lesson learned:  If you hope to run at a pace anywhere near where you are used to running, when you travel to higher altitude, arrive days ahead.  You can do your own research to determine how many days that is, but I can tell you that one is too few.

Even though you can’t predict how your body will react to high altitudes, I can tell you that I was able to rely on my vision, enhanced by my Transitions lenses, to help guide me through the race and take in the scenic surroundings.  I can color in the state of Colorado on my marathon map.  And I have some incredible memories of the Colorado Rockies in springtime.  I call the trip a success.

As I finish preparing for the marathon this weekend in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, it is a perfect time to consider how clear vision, free from distracting glare, will make the outing so much more enjoyable and productive. 

The Rocky Mountains in springtime are an incredible sight.  That will absolutely help keep me feeling good as the miles pass.

I have found in past marathons that by paying attention to the course and the world around me, I can maintain a better pace.  It is part of the mental aspect of distance running.  If you start to fixate on your tiredness or some minor twinge, you bog down and soon find it hard to continue.  Clear, comfortable vision allows you to maintain a good connection to the outside world, which makes it much easier to keep your eye on the goal.

Some of the most beautiful places on earth are scenic trails, golf courses, parks, and wildlife areas.  It is worth the effort to get to these places.  Let’s make sure that when we get there we have the right eyewear to enjoy them to their fullest.

I participated in a nationwide radio tour today to discuss the connection between vision and the sport of cycling, in anticipation of the largest professional cycling event in the US called the Tour of California (http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/), where Team Garmin-Transitions will compete*.

In both amateur and professional cycling, the body does most of the work, but the eyes lead the body and tell it what to do. Keeping in mind the following can give you a competitive edge, whether you are participating in a professional race or going for a leisurely bike ride with your family:

1. Peripheral vision
2. Depth and distance perception
3. Contrast
4. Eye Movement
5. Balance
   

Peripheral vision, also known as side vision, actually goes into the brain 25% faster than central vision, which is the line of vision you use to read eye charts. Peripheral vision helps to guide you through the pack and see other riders as they try to pass you. When you squint, you reduce your peripheral vision and increase the number of eye and head movements you make. Squinting can negatively affect your balance and speed.

Each of your eyes has six muscles that move in concert with the other eye. Keeping your eyes relaxed helps reduce eye fatigue, so you can see changes in the road or trail surface and avoid erratic eye movements which can slow you down and throw you off balance. Nerve messages from the eyes also go to the balancing centers in the brain. You can easily understand how this works with a simple test of standing on one leg with your eyes closed to experience how your balance can be impacted.

Quality eyesight is critical for all outdoor sports enthusiasts, whether you’re professional cyclists in a race, amateur riders on the trail or spectators cheering from the crowd. Vision can be enhanced and protected today and tomorrow by regular visits to your eye doctor and chosing eyewear that is most appropriate for your lifestyle and the activities in which you participate. 

For those who enjoy being active outdoors, wearing adaptive lenses, such as Transitions® lenses – that automatically adjust the level of darkness as light conditions change – help to reduce glare and fatigue, so you can perform your best. Transitions block 100% of harmful UV rays, so your vision is protected from the effects of ongoing sun exposure.   Take it from the professional cyclists of Team Garmin-Transitions who train and race hundreds of miles each day while wearing their Transitions – proper eyewear is essential to optimal vision and sports performance.

Tune in to Versus May 16-23 to see Team Garmin-Transitions sprint to the finish line of the Tour of California.

* Note:  I am not affiliated with Team Garmin-Transitions as a doctor or trainer. I’m an optometric consultant to Transitions, who sponsors the team. My role is to help communicate to consumers the connection between vision and sports performance and the importance of proper eyecare and eyewear as a means of ensuring healthy sight.

One of our latest efforts to educate consumers about the connection between healthy sight and athletic performance involves the sponsorship of the American-based pro cycling Team Garmin-Transitions, which will train and compete in the US and around the world wearing Transitions adaptive eyewear.  Check out Team Garmin-Transitions in the upcoming Amgen Tour of California, America’s largest cycling race, May 16-23.

We’ve fitted the riders with Transitions lenses, in an effort to enhance their vision so they can accurately navigate the terrain and overcome obstacles such as changing light conditions, eye fatigue and glare as they race across hundreds of miles every day. Plus, Transitions lenses block 100% of UV rays, so the riders can protect the long-term health of their eyes as well.

This is an exciting venture for us, one that reflects not only the importance of quality sight in terms of sports performance, but also reinforces its role as part of an overall healthy lifestyle. For all outdoor sports enthusiasts—whether you’re a professional cyclist, enjoying a leisurely bike ride or a spectator cheering from the crowd—having the right eyewear can make for a more comfortable outdoor experience and help preserve your eyesight for a lifetime.

To follow the latest updates from the riders of Team Garmin-Transitions, visit www.slipstreamsports.com.

Check back often for more news about Transitions and the impact of vision on cycling. Be sure to tune into Versus to cheer on Team Garmin-Transitions in the Tour of California, which kicks off Sunday!

There are many ways to look at injuries in athletics.  Some injuries need medical attention, some don’t.  Some injuries you can play through, some require rest to heal.  Some are career-ending, and others allow a full recovery.  Some injuries are of a sudden onset, some more gradual like overuse injuries.

Let’s consider one more category of injury—the injury we use as an excuse to quit.  “I hurt my knee back in high school, so I can’t really do much anymore,” or “I threw out my back a few years ago, so I’ve pretty much had to just lay around since then.”  Shame on us. 

I tore a calf muscle in the Baton Rouge Beach Marathon a few months ago.  It happened around mile nine.  It was painful for about a quarter of a mile, and then the pain diminished by about 90 percent, so I continued on through the next 17 miles.  Had I seen the pool of blood forming in the lower half of my leg, I would have pulled off the course.  I did not, so I completed the race.

Early in the recovery period, I consulted with my family doctor and an athletic trainer.  Following their advice, I began resting and treating the leg.  I continued working other body parts in order to maintain some level of conditioning and to keep exercise in my daily and weekly schedule.  I added elliptical training, easy stair machine, and then running, until it finally healed completely.

Many injuries are from running into or tripping over something, or being hit by something coming at us.  To avoid these types of injuries, it’s critically important that we maintain mental and visual focus while participating in our favorite activities.  Good vision, free of distracting glare, is an essential part of getting the most out of our fitness activities.

If we are looking for an excuse to quit exercising, we will absolutely find one.  If we are looking for a way to continue running marathons, golfing, cycling, walking, doing calisthenics, weight lifting, or other exercise, we will find that too.  We may need to make adjustments based on our current fitness level, age, or injury status, but if we are determined, we can continue enjoying the benefits of fitness for a lifetime.

A recent study conducted by Transitions Optical found that while 80% of people are aware of the harmful effects UV radiation can have on their skin, only 5% know that the sun’s harmful UV rays can have an equally damaging affect on their eyes.

As an extra special treat today, guests had the opportunity to meet Dr. Janet Taylor, a BeWell.com psychiatrist, to ask questions and receive answers relating to a plethora of health-related issues. However, the theme of the day at the Live Your Vision Pavilion focused on encouraging guests to live a healthy lifestyle with emphasis on skin and eye protection. 

After a one-on-one interview with Dr. Taylor, she confirmed what most of us already know but don’t want to admit – the need to protect both the skin and the eyes.  Taylor started out with this powerful, yet little known fact, “skin is our body’s largest organ.” She goes on to say that if we do not protect it, the sun’s radiation can literally alter the composition of our cells and noted that this damage causes a wide-range of undesirable conditions such as melanoma, sun poisoning and premature aging of the skin.

If you already have a dark skin tone, you are not entirely off the hook.  While fair-skinned individuals are more susceptible to sun burns than those with darker complexions, the sun can still have equally damaging affects on both skin types, as well as the eyes.
 
Dr. Taylor also noted that although genetics do play an instrumental role in our physical health, 99% of people have the same DNA and genetics alone are not a determinant one way or the other.

Some of the major take home tips from Dr. Taylor included wearing sun block containing SPF 30 or above and eyewear with 100% UV protection.  She also encouraged “everyday use” of these protective measures even in the most overcast conditions when the sun’s rays can still cause a great deal of damage.
   
As a Transitions wearer, Dr. Taylor favors these lenses for the superior UV protection they provide, as well as the comfort and ease they offer.  Because they are self-adjusting, Dr. Taylor can put her Transitions® lenses on and simply relax, letting the lenses do all the work.  She knows her eyes will be protected all day. 

In keeping with Transitions promotion of healthy skin and eye routines, sun protection kiosks were set up around the Copperhead Course dispensing SPF 30 sun block and lip balm, which spectators took full advantage of. Visitors at the kiosks ranged from Melissa Bradshaw, a concerned mother of two, lathering up her young children, to a slew of baby boomers, some of which have had skin cancer already and admit they may have “learned their lesson a little too late.”

As a child, your mother probably never came chasing after you to put on sunglasses like she did sun block, however, protecting your eyes has become more critical to maintaining your healthy sight and preventing the development of vision conditions.
 
Dr. Larry Lampert, sports vision specialist, explained exactly what type of damage the sun’s powerful rays have on your eyes. Lampert reports that individuals who do not take preventative measures are at higher risk of developing cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, cancer, thickening of the whites of the eyes, and premature aging around the eyes.
 
Spreading the word about eye protection to younger generations hasn’t been an easy task.  Currently, 60% of children in America’s schools have learning problems due to some eye-related issue that has gone undetected or because the family cannot afford to be treated. Dr. Lampert follows up by saying, “children should be seeing their eye doctor regularly – just as many times a year as they visit their pediatrician.” 
 
Despite of the lack of awareness about this important health issue, Transitions Optical has provided Dr. Lampert and many others who share his passion for eye protection awareness, the opportunity through the Transitions Championship to relay their message and a platform from which to reach a mass audience.
 
Sitting with Dr. Lampert and Dr. Taylor provided an eye opening conversation, and as the sun continues to shine brightly and, with one more round of golf to go, we’re off to the nearest Sun Station to protect our skin and our sight.   

 This year, in addition to our Live Your Vision Pavilion, we’ve added two new exciting experiences to the Healthy Sight Village. For adults, athletes and spectators, an engaging lesson about physical fitness and the different types of eyewear available is a must do in the Nike/VSP Competitive Advantage tent. For children, the place to visit is the LensCrafters Kids’ Zone.

The Competitive Advantage Tent
The Competitive Advantage tent allows guests to experience the latest in cutting edge eyewear technology and actively participate in demonstrations that will help them learn how to improve their game on the course, as well as the quality of their overall health and vision.  

Guests who visit the Competitive Advantage tent will get a special sneak peak at some of the newest lenses set to hit the market and using a series of lasers and targets, a visual demonstration on how these lenses offer athletes a competitive advantage by maximizing peripheral vision.

There’s much more to a great game than choosing the righteyewear, there’s also physical health. Kinesiologist and golf fitness specialist Tyler Parsons can also be found at the tent giving advice to everyone from casual spectators to expert players.  Tyler has worked with big names in the industry on the importance of physical fitness and regular stretching prior to sports performance. 

Parsons will test your range of motion, flexibility and stability, all of which, if not kept up to par, can lead to a loss of power in your swing. He looks for ample separation of hips and shoulders as well as positioning of your thighs at a 90 degree angle, perpendicular to the torso.  

While people often see golf as a laid-back and casual leisure activity, Parsons insists “golf is a very powerful sport”, noting that clubs are being swung at a rate of 120 miles per hour in less than 8 seconds. 

From a putting stand point, Parsons will examine your eye position, club alignment, and stroke in order to correct any visual handicaps you may have.  If your eyes are focused behind the ball, it will result in a stroke that shifts to the right.  Conversely, if your eyes are in front of the ball your putt will tend to shift to the left.  The ideal position is over the ball in the center.

QUICK TIP:  Learn from swing coach Matt Killen how to position your eyes over the ball:

Don’t stress if your golf game is not quite where you would like it to be.  After Parsons diagnoses your weaknesses, he will suggest remedies to fit your specific needs.  However, change does not come overnight, it usually takes about 90 days of regular exercise and stretching for your body to adapt to a new regimen.  Useful tips for everybody to take home include strengthening the muscles above and below injury prone areas, such as the ACL to help avoid serious, but preventable injuries and never doubt the importance of regular stretching.

Here I am at the Transitions Championship, and let me tell you I am having a great time.  Transitions has taken great efforts to host a world-class golf event, but what’s more is that they have created a week-long experience for players and spectators demonstrating the importance of healthy sight and its relevance to sports performance and an overall healthy lifestyle.

We arrived Sunday and started our week with the Live Your Vision Family Walk, which benefited Prevent Blindness Florida and followed the cartpath of the Copperhead Course where the pros are playing.  The beginning of my week was spent meeting with players, doing media spots, and working in the VSP/Transitions mobile eyes clinic. 

I did a sports/vision consultation with a well-known Golf Channel commentator and was able to give him some advice about how he can better use his vision to benefit his game.  We looked at how his eyes align, focus, hold together as a team, and how he uses his peripheral vision.  We spoke about how sports/vision training is the next training frontier for athletes just like weight training was many years ago.  Gaining a visual edge will take your sports performance to the next level. 

Healthy sight is at the core of every sports/vision program and starts by getting routine eye exams regularly from your eye doctor and taking the proper precautions to protect your eyes from UV rays, so they stay healthy in the future.  Sports/vision exams are specialty evaluations that are conducted in addition to a comprehensive eye exam that look beyond a person’s ability to see 20/20.  For more information, visit the Sports Vision Section of the American Optometric Association’s site or www.covd.org to find a specialist near you.

Wednesday was the second of the Youth Wellness Days held at the Transitions Championship. More than 800 hundred area students came out for an afternoon of golf and activities. As they made their way along the course up to the Healthy Sight Village,   it was clear by the smiles and expressions on their faces that they all were happy to be in attendance. For several, the day started in the Kids’ Zone where the children received free eye screenings, an experience several children had never had before. It was rewarding to watch the children react when they could see clearly for the first time. 

The next step for the children was a visit to the Live Your Vision Pavilion where demonstrations were set up to further explain how the eye works, how vision impacts performance in and outside of the classroom and, a “magical” demonstration on how Transitions® lenses work. During all of the demonstrations the children were very attentive, they listened closely while learning about the importance of protecting their eyes from the harmful UV rays of the sun. As they wondered around the Pavilion, the children also learned about programs such as OneSight, an organization that donates used eyeglasses to underprivileged individuals overseas. So many of the children expressed interest in wanting to donate their old glasses to help. These children were so sweet!

While touring the Copperhead course and watching the Pro-Am, the children learned about proper golf play and etiquette; who hits first, what does par mean and, even how to do a golf-clap. Several of the children also had a chance to go to the driving range to learn a few tips and take a few swings.  They were amazing – approached the ball with such confidence and even the youngest girl took a swing like she was a pro. As they ventured back to the buses through the course, they got to meet and greet with a few of the professional golfers, including our very own Healthy Sight Ambassador, Kenny Perry, who took some time at the 18th hole to sign autographs and take pictures with the children. Autographs and pictures with Kenny Perry made their day – what a perfect way to end an already exciting day.

The entire day was an adventure for all the children who participated. They learned valuable information regarding eye health while having a blast. The Healthy Sight Village was so much fun for both children and adults. I am confident in saying that the children left educated and smiling, they had a great time with all of the activities set up for them!

To watch the highlight video of Youth Days, visit the Transitions Optical channel on YouTube or click here: http://bit.ly/bi6Bnj