Sarah H Appel OD

03/05/2026

Look at this silly girl!❤️🐾 Wren is still here at the office looking for her furever home. She is a super sweet girl that likes to cuddle, watch the traffic outside the windows and play with her toys. If you or anyone you know is interested or have questions about adopting her just let us know!

03/05/2026

Workplace Eye Wellness Month is celebrated in the month of March. It is promoted by many organizations across the U.S. including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Optometric Association, and Prevent Blindness. Save Your Vision month falls in March, BUT there is a special need to address vision and eye-related concerns at the workplace, where so many adults spend hours in front of a digital screen.

HOW TO OBSERVE WORKPLACE EYE WELLNESS MONTH
1. Eat right: Apart from carrots, there are many fruits and vegetables that are good for our eyesight. The “super-ingredient”, beta-carotene, is also available in kale and spinach. Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are also important for eye health. These are found in fish, microalgae, and evening primrose oil.
2. Practice good habits and posture: The 20-20-20 rule is a simple and effective practice that all of us can adopt in our daily lives. If you’re sitting in front of a screen for more than 20 minutes, take a break, get up and look at an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. There are other useful practices like keeping your screen at least
3. Organize a meeting at your workplace: March is a great time to review what your organization is doing to protect employees’ eyesight. You can start a conversation with your team or boss about their experience and decide on steps to improve the situation. Posters are a great way to highlight the importance of the issue and can also provide actionable items for both employers and employees.

5 FACTS ABOUT EYE INJURIES THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND
1. Thousands are affected every day: More than 2,000 American workers face eye injuries every day.
2. Safety eyewear works: Goggles, face shields, and helmets can mitigate the impact of up to 90% of eye injuries suffered.
3. Blinking helps: Another very easy rule to practice to avoid eye dryness is blinking regularly.
4. Blue light is bad for vision: Blue light is emitted by digital screens as well as LEDs and can be stopped by special lenses.
5. Curved monitors are better: Since curved monitors allow us to look at the full screen easier, it reduces the load on our eyes.

02/25/2026

February is Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Month!

What is AMD? AMD, or age-related macular degeneration, is a leading cause of vision loss for Americans age 50 and older. It affects central vision, where sharpest vision occurs, causing difficulty conducting daily tasks such as driving, reading, and recognizing faces.
What causes AMD? AMD affects part of the back of the eye called the macula, the central part of the retina (the “film” lining the inside the eye). When AMD damages the macula, the center part of a person’s vision may become blurred or wavy, and a blind spot may develop. AMD can cause vision loss quickly or slowly, and can make it very hard to do things that require sharp vision, such as reading, sewing, cooking or driving; it can also make it difficult to see in dim light. The good news is that AMD almost never causes total blindness, since it usually does not hurt side (peripheral) vision.
What are the types of AMD? Dry and wet. The most common form of AMD is “dry” AMD. This is caused by the appearance of small yellow deposits called drusen, which form under the retina. These are accumulated waste products of the retina, which can grow in size and stop the flow of nutrients to the retina. This will cause the retinal cells in the macula that process light to die, causing vision to become blurred. This form of the disease usually worsens slowly. There is also an advanced form of dry AMD called geographic atrophy (GA). “Wet” AMD generally causes more rapid and more serious vision loss. In this form of the disease, tiny new blood vessels grow under and into the retina. These blood vessels are fragile and often break and leak, causing a loss of vision.
What increases risk for AMD?
• Family history of AMD
• Aging – those over 60 years old
• Race – Caucasians have a higher rate of AMD
• S*x – females have a higher rate of AMD may be because they live longer
• Light colored eyes
• Smoking
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• High cholesterol
• Obesity
• High sun exposure
• Poor diet – with low intake of anti-oxidants

What are the symptoms of AMD? There may be no symptoms until the disease progresses or affects both eyes. Vision changes due to AMD are:
• Difficulty seeing in the center of your vision, which is needed for reading, sewing, cooking, looking at faces, and driving
• Trouble seeing in dim light
• Straight lines start to appear wavy, blurry or missing
• Fading and/or changes in the appearance of colors
• *If you experience any of these symptoms, see an eye doctor as soon as possible.

How is AMD diagnosed?
The key to slowing or preventing vision loss is regular eye exams. People age 60 or older should get a complete eye exam and follow-up with eye exams every one or two years or as indicated by the eye doctor. It is important to maintain a routine schedule of eye exams even if there are no noticeable vision problems.

01/25/2026

We will be closed tomorrow, Monday 1/26/26, due to the inclement weather. We will contact our appointments either tomorrow or when we get back to office to reschedule. Sorry for any inconvenience and please stay safe.🤓😎🥸

11/25/2025

We will be closed Thursday 11/27/25 and Friday 11/28/25 for the holiday week. We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday!🦃

11/11/2025

09/11/2025

❤️🤍💙

08/29/2025

We will be closed Monday September 1, 2025 for Labor Day. We will reopen normal business hours on Tuesday September 2, 2025. 🇺🇸

08/26/2025

August is a special time set aside for the well-being of our little ones' eyes. The observance focuses on educating citizens about children's eye health and safety. We encourage parents, caregivers, and educators to prioritize regular eye exams for children, promote eye safety practices, and provide the necessary support to ensure healthy vision development.
The Importance of Annual Eye Exams for Children
Your kids’ bodies are still growing and changing every year, including their vision. While they may seem to have excellent 20/20 eyesight, this can change gradually over time. Undetected and untreated vision problems can lead to conditions such as lazy eye or even crossed eyes, both of which are often far more difficult to address than the initial issues causing them.
Some of the most common pediatric eye conditions include:
• Astigmatism
• Myopia (nearsightedness)
• Hyperopia (farsightedness)
• Ptosis (droopy eyelids)
• Conjunctivitis (pinkeye)
• Styes
• Chalazions
• Pediatric glaucoma
• Pediatric cataracts
• Double vision
• Nystagmus
• Epiphora (excessive tearing)
• Blocked tear ducts
Children are also susceptible to genetic eye conditions, which may not always be apparent at birth. Scheduling annual eye exams for your kids is the most effective way to catch common, and not-so-common, vision issues before they grow worse.
Preventing Eye Injuries in Children
Pediatric eye health doesn’t begin and end with annual appointments. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmologists, about 90% of eye injuries can be prevented through the use of proper protective eyewear and similar measures. We highly recommend that parents model safe behavior and take extra safety precautions around the house to ensure the protection of their childrens’ eyes. Parents are, in many ways, the first line of defense against eye injuries.
We greatly advise developing the following habits to keep your kids’ eyes safe:
• Hold sharp objects, such as scissors, screwdrivers, digging implements, etc., away from the face both when in and not in use
• Properly use common home items such as paper clips, rubber bands, safety pins, and other objects in ways that won’t put the eyes at risk
• Lock kitchen knives away in their drawers
• Store cleaning chemicals and similar hazards in locked, hard-to-reach cupboards
• Store glassware, ceramics, and other breakables away from small, curious hands
• Store guns—including those for paintballs, pellets, and BBs—in their lockers unloaded and separate from their respective ammo
• Wear protective eyewear when doing yard work, performing repairs around the home, using power tools, woodworking, swimming, or playing sports
• Wear sunglasses outdoors to prevent UV damage
• Wear seatbelts in the car, and properly securing any small children who may not yet have the skills to properly secure themselves
• Wear protective eyewear during science experiments, both in and out of the classroom
• Only pet domestic animals with permission from the owners, who know whether or not their pets may bite or scratch a child
• Purchase age-appropriate toys without sharp edges or accessories
• Pad sharp corners on furniture
• Set up gates at the top and bottom of any staircases
• Take regular breaks when using computer, TV, and smartphone screens for long stretches of time in order to prevent straining
• Refrain from using explosives such as firecrackers or cherry bombs without professional supervision
• Check public parks and playgrounds for any potential eye hazards before allowing play
Consult with your child’s pediatrician, optometrist, or ophthalmologist for more information about kid-friendly eye safety and health solutions.

07/15/2025

Wren was reviewing Docs bag this morning. Wren is remarkably sweet and enjoys a lap to rest in. She is searching for her furever home, if interested please stop by the office to meet her.

07/10/2025

Look at Wren playing peek a boo! This sweet girl is still at the office looking for her furever home so come on by to visit and see how easy it is to fall in love with her.🩷

07/03/2025

JULY IS EYE INJURY PREVENTION MONTH:
When working in your home such as cleaning and using household chemicals, be sure to read labels and instructions thoroughly to ensure you are using the products properly, as well as always work in well-ventilated areas when using potentially hazardous chemicals. Furthermore, when using a household chemical that has a spray nozzle, always be sure to point the nozzle away from you, even if you are just carrying it around. The majority of these chemicals are incredibly hazardous and can even permanently destroy the surface of our eyes, which results in blindness.
When you are working in your garden and using a lawnmower or similar machinery, be sure to wear protective eyewear, as particles from grass and other plants could easily get into and damage your eyes.

Surprising Facts About Eye Injuries
The fifth-annual Eye Injury Snapshot conducted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Ocular Trauma found that:
• Most people believe that eye injuries are most common on the job — especially in factories and on construction sites. But in fact, nearly half of all eye injuries occurred in the home.
• Home repairs, yard work, cleaning and cooking caused more than 40% of eye injuries. More than a third of those injuries in the home happened in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room or family room.
• More than 40% of eye injuries every year are related to sports or recreational activities.
• More than 78% of people were not wearing eyewear at the time of injury. Only about 5% of those those who were wearing eyewear (including glasses or contact lenses), were wearing safety or sports glasses.
Sun can damage eyes just like objects, chemicals and dust. Always wear sunglasses or sport-appropriate UV-protective goggles, such as ski goggles, when outdoors.
Protests, riots and urban warfare are increasingly leading to vision-threatening eye injuries around the world.

Take All Eye Injuries Seriously
You can't always tell when an eye is injured. Some injuries are only obvious when they get really serious.
Eye injuries can cause vision loss or blindness. That's why having an ophthalmologist or other medical doctor examine the eye as soon as possible is important, even if the injury seems minor at first. DO NOT attempt to treat a serious eye injury yourself.
Common causes of eye injuries include:
• Punches
• Blows from hands, balls or other sports equipment
• Flying pieces of material from explosions or industrial work
• Flying objects like bullets, darts, fireworks, bungee cords, and BBs
• Chemical splashes
• Protests, riots or urban warfare
Common Symptoms of Eye Injury
If you notice any of these signs in yourself or someone else, get medical help right away. These are signs of possibly serious eye injury:
• Ongoing pain in the eye
• Trouble seeing
• Cut or torn eyelid
• One eye does not move as well as the other
• One eye sticks out of the eye socket farther than the other
• The eye has an unusual pupil size or shape
• There is blood in the clear part of the eye
• The person has something in the eye or under the eyelid that tears and blinking can't remove