Everyone’s tired of the WFH aesthetic of sweats and daytime pajamas so it’s no surprise that this season fashion is back with a vengeance. Clothing wise I’m excited about colorful knitwear, particularly sweaters featuring crochet granny squares – cool, nerdy, and nostalgic all at the same time. I’m on the fence with the chunky loafer look for shoes, it evokes memories of the early nineties and I’m not convinced I want to go back there….
So what’s doing in the eye biz world in terms of fresh and new for fall? The September 2021 edition of Eyecare Business calls this fashion season “unexpected”. Here’s a rundown of the top seven trends in frames for this season:
- Geometrical and fanciful shapes – we’ve seen a lot of hexagons in both metal and plastic frames – it’s a totally fresh shape and super trendy.
- Edgy glamour – Big frames, unique tints and cool shapes, especially in sunglasses
- Logos are back – not everyone likes someone else’s name on their frames, but seriously, who doesn’t love an obscenely gigantic logo on an equally gigantic frame – the bigger the better!
- Cat-eye shapes – I’m not convinced this trend ever really goes away. Whether subtle or bold, the upward taper of the frame at the top edge is super flattering for any cheekbone.
- Twee – this is a trend that is a British term for dainty, sweet, or cutesy styles. It includes berets, pom-pom hats, pussy bows, and pleated skirts. Frame wise this means bubblegum pinks or any sugary hues.
- 80’s – Think oversized, tons of crystals and more brow bars. Now this is an era I’m happy to go back to!
- Animal prints – Again, I’m not sure this trend is ever out of style. Aside from classic leopard prints, think zebra, you can’t go wrong with classic black and white.
Can too much coffee cause glaucoma? Yes, no, and maybe. A recent study published in the June edition of Ophthalmology determined that consuming large amounts of caffeine daily increased the risk of glaucoma by more than three fold for those with a genetic predisposition for higher eye pressure. Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States and often goes undetected for years since it’s first impact is on peripheral vision. Although many factors contribute to glaucoma, high intraocular pressure is an important risk factor in the disease as well as being the primary target of glaucoma drops whose goal is to decrease elevated eye pressure. Researchers studied the relationship between caffeine, eye pressure and patients who had glaucoma, and concluded that caffeine intake was not associated with causing glaucoma or high eye pressure overall, BUT, in patients with a high genetic predisposition to elevated eye pressure, greater caffeine consumption was associated with higher eye pressure and higher prevalence of glaucoma. So how much caffeine are we talking about? The study determined that patients who consumed more than 321 mg of caffeine (about 3 cups) were at risk for high eye pressure and glaucoma, but again, only if they were in that high genetic risk category.
Imagine this – you go outside on a beautiful sunny day and realize that you left your sunglasses at home – ordinarily you would be squinting and uncomfortable but not anymore – now your contact lenses turn dark when you go outside! Acuvue Oasys, the wildly popular two week contact lens from Johnson and Johnson has joined technological forces with Transitions Optical to create Acuvue Oasys with Transitions. This new product got so much positive buzz that it was selected by Time Magazine as one of 2018’s BEST INVENTIONS OF 2018. Like the regular Oasys lens, the Oasys with Transitions is a two week lens that can be cleaned with either standard multipurpose solution or a hydrogen peroxide based system. It takes 30 seconds to activate when you go outside and ninety seconds to turn back to clear when you go back inside. When the lens is fully activated outside it filters 70% of outdoor light, and even inside it filters about 15% of indoor light. 
Park Eye Center 