With summer fully here and everyone itching for a break outdoors, swimming and other water related activities are popular choices.
Swimming and your eyes
News & Resources
Closed for Canada Day
Canada Day falls mid-week this year. Please be aware that our clinics will be closed for the public holiday on July 1st.
Order your favourite eyecare essentials online
As part of re-opening, we have shifted sales of essential eyecare products to an online ordering system.
Re-opening June 1st
Welcome back to Gloucester and Almonte Family Optometrists! We are happy to announce
that we will be re-opening our practices on Monday, June 1, 2020.
Feeling eye strain from all that screen time?
Avoiding too much screen time may seem particularly challenging right now — we know that screen time has gone through the roof under the current pandemic. Don’t despair, there are things you can do to avoid unnecessary eye strain.
Super foods for your eyes
If you think about the good things you can do for healthy eyes, eating well is a pretty appealing option. In popular culture we often associate carrots with good vision, but the truth is there are delicious superfood choices for all tastes, and each stand to benefit your eyes:
Orange foods – Carrots are indeed good for your eyes, but so are yams and sweet potatoes. All three are chock full of beta carotene, an anti-oxidant known for cutting risk associated with macular degeneration and cataracts.
Leafy greens – More anti-oxidant power here in the form of lutein and zeaxanthin! These are found in spinach and kale and they protect against UV damage from sun exposure.
Vitamin C rich fruits and veggies – It’s always a smart choice to add strawberries, grapefruit, bell peppers and broccoli to your menu. Vitamin C is also a strong contender in counteracting harmful UV rays.
Chickpeas and other legumes – Grab the hummus and dig in with cut up peppers and carrots for an extra dose of goodness for your eyes. In this case Zinc is the magic ingredient which your liver needs in order to create and drive Vitamin A to the retina to produce melanin (a key protector against ultraviolet light).
Turkey – Zinc and Niacin, a B vitamin, are found in abundance in this lean meat. This combo delivers UV protection and can help prevent cataracts.
Fish – Omega 3 fats have become popular for their disease-fighting powers, but they are also a help in the fight against age-related macular degeneration and dry eye!
Making smart food choices can also help with maintaining a healthy weight, so it’s really a win-win.
Did you know? Overweight and obese individuals are at an increased risk for a number of eye diseases and conditions including diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and glaucoma.
Source: Canadian Association of Optometrists
Photo by Cole Patrick on Unsplash
Notice of temporary closure for COVID-19
On the recommendation of the College of Optometry, we have decided to close our offices until March 29th to help limit the spread of the coronavirus. We feel it’s important to heed the government’s call for social distancing at this critical time.
Open only for urgent care
Updated March 20th: Both our Almonte and Gloucester offices will be closed except for urgent care as per the recommendations from the Ministry of Health. Appointments for routine care are cancelled but we are available for urgent cases.
If patients need to order contact lenses, this can be done through our website or by sending an email or leaving a message. Once contact lenses arrive, an appointment will be arranged for the patient to pick up.
Glasses can be picked up as well by arranging an appointment.
In all cases, we ask that you come to the clinic only if you are symptom-free and not in quarantine for another reason.
Almonte patients can leave a message at 613-256-0770 or by email at almonte@ottawafamilyeyecare.com.
Gloucester patients can call 613-745-5588 or email gloucester@ottawafamilyeyecare.com.
We thank you for your understanding and patience at this challenging time. Stay well.
Our measures during the COVID-19 outbreak
We’d like to take a moment to draw attention to the extra measures we’re taking during the coronavirus outbreak:
Eye safety and winter sports
With the March Break approaching it’s a good time to review some basic winter sport rules. Your winter sport may just be a long walk with the dog, or you may be hitting the slopes, but the same broad rules apply.
Alzheimer’s disease and eye health
There is a great deal of awareness around many aspects of living with Alzheimer’s disease, but did you know that eye health and visual acuity can also be affected?