Your trip home every day is a matter of life and death. You’re dodging other cars. You’re worrying about what to eat. You’re ducking your neighbor, the one with halitosis. When you finally shut your front door, a sense of calm prevails: You made it. You’re home.

But are you safe?

Shocking new research proves there are health dangers lurking in every house, with threats found in your dishwasher, shower, bedroom and more. In fact, there’s not a room untouched by scary substances that might make you sick. The Remedy asked the country’s top researchers for exactly what the issues are and how to solve each problem, so you can be happier, healthier, and safer–where it matters most.

(more…)

Thinking that you’re healthy and actually being healthy are two very different things. You can go to the gym every week, floss after every meal, and go to sleep every night before 10 p.m., and still, you might be suffering in silence without even realizing it. But now is the time to learn about these less obvious health symptoms that could indicate a serious issue is going on–because when it comes to your health, knowledge is power.

#21: You have trouble driving at night

With cars flashing their brights at you and poorly lit roads, driving at night isn’t easy for anyone. However, if you find that driving after sunset is becoming increasingly difficult, this could be a sign of an eye issue.

“If a patient, generally age 50 and above, is bothered by symptoms such as difficulty in dim light, glare and halos, and trouble driving at night, they should consider seeing an eye doctor as this could indicate that they may need to have cataract surgery,” says Ming Wang, MD, PhD, of the Wang Vision Institute in Nashville, Tennessee. “Once performed, surgery can generally alleviate these symptoms.”

#22: You have pain behind your eyes

“One of the most commonly misunderstood symptoms of a sinus infection is eye pain,” says Wang. “This occurs because the sinuses sit in areas above, below, and next to the eyes. When pressure builds up in these areas, it can cause a dull pain that feels like it is coming from around or behind the eyes when it is actually coming from the sinuses.”

#23: Your vision suddenly changes

People of all ages and genders suffer from poor vision that requires correction. But while it’s unfortunately normal for our eyes to slowly deteriorate, you should be slightly more concerned if your vision changes suddenly out of the blue.

“Sudden vision changes could indicate a wide range of issues including macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, vascular occlusions in the eye, retinal detachment, acute glaucoma, and more,” says Wang. “Patients should seek the care of an eye doctor immediately with any sudden vision change.”

(more…)

Artificial tears are often the first line of defense for dry eye. Because they are so ubiquitous in eyecare, ophthalmologists and optometrists must regularly evaluate what’s new to the artificial tears market and what tear-use practices are most effective for patients.

Although some patients already use artificial tears, they may decide to visit their eye doctor because the drops don’t seem to be enough. They may think they need to try a different kind of tear or treatment. Some may realize the value of getting to the root cause of their dry eye.

(more…)

Fifty is the new 40. And since 40 is the new 30, and 30 is the new 20, well–if you’re over 50, you’re basically 21, right?

In all seriousness, we’re glad age is just a number. Except for one thing: No one told your body.

After age 50, unexpected health problems can plague you, and prevent you from having the life you deserve. Unafraid to stare into the abyss, The Remedy asked the world’s top doctors about the most common ailments, and how you can get ahead of them. Read on, and save the surprises for your next birthday party.

(more…)

“It can be easy with the busy routine of medicine to fall into poor eating habits,” says Dr. Wang. “After all, fast food and unhealthy options are much easier to come by. I feel it is important to make conscious decisions to eat healthier. The easiest way to do this is bring my own lunch to work when I can. Because food cooked at home can generally be prepared much more healthy than what is bought from a restaurant, it is a good way to control exactly what I am eating in the correct portion. It also has another benefit of avoiding the stress that can come from trying to grab a lunch if the lunch hour is busy.”

“Ballroom dancing has been a passion of mine since college at Harvard and MIT, when I was members of ballroom dancing clubs,” says Dr. Ming Wang, MD, PhD, an ophthalmologist in Nashville. “I still practice it today weekly and participate in local and regional championships. I find it to be a great way to relax, relieve stress, as well as stay active.” He also believes it’s helped him become a better doctor. “Through learning ballroom dancing, which requires connection and communications between two people as they move together synchronously, I have learned to feel what a patient feels, to listen to my patients, to communicate with them better, and the be more sensitive and aware of their suffering and needs.”

Jennifer Aniston is 50 years old. No wonder she’s doing ads for dry eye. “With age, the tear gland–called the lacrimal gland–has been shown to produce less tear volume,” says Dr. Ming Wang, an ophthalmologist. “Glands in the eyelids–called themeibomian glands–also start to atrophy and often produce less of the oily part of the tears that prevent their evaporation. Both of these factors contribute to nearly everyone over age 50 suffering from some form of dry eye. Dry eye produces symptoms including grittiness, watering, red eye, intermittent blurred vision, and discomfort.”

Recommendation: “Treatment includes over the counter tears. If these are not sufficient, a doctor can prescribe medications or treat with in office therapies,” says Dr. Wang.

It’s easy to go through the day without paying much attention to your eyeballs, or their overall health. But it’s also easy to add in a few habits here and there in an effort to take better care of your eyes. And maybe even prevent issues down the road.

That said, there are things you can do every day, as well, to protect your eyes and take better care of them. Read on for a few simple tips that can make a big difference, according to experts.

(more…)

If you weren’t prescribed glasses as a kid, you might just think that you don’t need them and that you might never need them. This isn’t always the case.

Knowing some of the signs that you need glasses (or some other vision-related treatment) can help you determine when it’s time to schedule an extra exam with your eye doctor.

Here are some signs you might need glasses.

(more…)

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–A Middle Tennessee doctor is warning consumers about the hidden danger of laundry pods and detergents.

Viral online challenges have previously highlighted the dangers of ingesting laundry pods but Dr. Ming Wang of the Wang Vision Institute says laundry detergents can pose a risk to those using them for their intended purpose.

Pods, powder, and liquid laundry detergents are “basic agents” says Dr. Wang, meaning they have higher alkaline levels. “Detergents have to have a ph of seven to eleven because they’re meant to attach to clothing and pull from the clothing. Only higher alkalines do this and these can be the most damaging to the eye,” Dr. Wang says.

(more…)

Thinking that you’re healthy and actually being healthy are two very different things. You can go to the gym every week, floss after every meal, and go to sleep every night before 10 p.m., and still, you might be suffering in silence without even realizing it. But now is the time to learn abut the silent health symptoms that could indicate a serious issue is going on. Because when it comes to your health, knowledge is power.

(more…)

As thousands prepare to descend upon New York City’s streets to view the famous Manhattanhenge sunset, social media will likely be flooded with photos from residents and tourists who captured their best images of the celestial sunset, which happens four times annually.

Spectators who miss the two Manhattanhenge occurrences in May can wait until July to catch the year’s final showings of the unique event in which the sunset beams down the Manhattan street grid’s east- and westward roads in perfect alignment. That is, of course, if clouds don’t threaten to thwart views of the spectacular display, which has occasionally occurred in previous years.

Onlookers will want to capture the most stunning photos of the gorgeous sunset. Professional photographers shared their tips with AccuWeather for snapping great sunset images just in time for Manhattanhenge.

(more…)

We reach for sunscreen because we know it’s necessary for protecting our skin from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. But when we grab a pair of sunglasses, we may be thinking more about the way they look than about how important they are for protecting our eyes.

“Many patients underestimate how much UV rays can pose a significant risk to their vision,” says Samuel Pierce, an optometrist in private practice in Trussville, Ala., and president of the American Optometric Association (AOA).

In fact, a survey by the American Academy of Ophthalmology found that fewer than half (47 percent) of Americans check the UV ray protection level before buying sunglasses. Here’s how to get smarter about shades.

(more…)

Whether or not people can actually predict the future is debatable. But according to science, you may not need any kind of psychic ability to predict what’s going to happen. The human body can do some things you may not even be aware of. As weird as it may sound, your body has the ability to predict certain things.

Before you get too excited, these predictions have nothing to do with how many children you’re going to have or how much money you’ll be making in 10 years. Instead, it can clue you in to potential health issues down the road and even how long you’re going to live.

(more…)

“Optometrists are often the first to suspect and recommend testing for diabetes, based on clinical findings during [comprehensive] eye exams,” says Francisco Burgos, O.D., A.B.C.M.O., Katzen Eye Group, Lutherville, Md. This is important as more than 30.3 million people, or 9.4% of the U.S. population, had diabetes as of 2015, The American Diabetes Association reports. Furthermore, more than 84.1 million U.S. adults are pre-diabetic, and more than 90% of them don’t even know they have it, according to the CDC.

As such, optometrists should have in place practices to serve these patients to the best of their abilities, specifically, developing relationships with primary care providers, adding value via providing patient education, tracking clinical signs and, finally, coding appropriately.

(more…)

A few months ago, I finally pulled the trigger and bought a Nintendo Switch. It’s the first gaming system I’ve owned since the Nintendo 64 growing up, and I told myself it’d be a good way to wean myself away from social media whenever I have downtime.

And then I remembered why I hadn’t bought a system since the Nintendo 64: I get awful motion sickness from first-person POV games. After 10 minutes of running around the Great Plateau in Breath of the Wild (the most recent installment of the Zelda series), I was running to my bathroom to blow chunks.

(more…)