Football playoff season is in full gear and fans around the country are courageously rooting for their favorite team.   We want to make sure that everyone can see their teams clearly — near, far and everywhere in between!

With today’s smartphone and tablet technologies keeping up with scores and stats should be easy, right? Maybe not for those over 40 fans suffering from presbyopia, switching from small screens near and far can be a challenge.   CooperVision’s Biofinity Multifocal Contact Lenses can provide patients with outstanding vision, health and comfort all day.

Multifocal contact lenses focus light from both near, intermediate, and far distances to the back of the eye, creating the clearest possible image. This unique system uses two different, yet complementary, lenses that work together to provide clear vision near or far.

Ask your eye care practitioner if our Biofinity Multifocal lenses can help you keep up with your favorite team this season!  Click here to find an eye care practitioner near you.

Is your child ready to have a glasses-free option when on the go? Are you tired of worrying about your son or daughter’s glasses during sports or about them playing the game with imperfect vision? It may be time to get your child fit for contact lenses!

Follow the easy steps listed below to find the perfect lens for your child’s eyes and for their lifestyle:

• Find an eye care practitioner near you by using our Find a Practitioner tool.
• Talk to your child about contact lenses, but first do the research: 
• Think about what type of contact lens  may best suit your son or daughter’s needs and what modality works best for their lifestyle.
• Download the Rookie Playbook and review it with your son or daughter.  This will demonstrate the wear and care for contact lenses.
• Get familiar with the average costs of contact lenses and brainstorm ways you can contribute to the cost.
• Try them out! Get fit with a free trial pair of contact lenses - print off our free* trial certificate and bring it with you to your child’s next visit with your eye care practitioner.

For more resources and information, please visit www.coopervision.com. 

*By prescription only. Eye exam may be required and this coupon does not include eye exam or fitting fees.

The American Optometric Association recently published research findings from their annual Eye-Q® survey. They found that a generational gap in habits and awareness exists when it comes to contact lens wear.

How often do you replace your contact lenses? The survey results show that younger generations are more likely to follow their contact lens replacement schedule and general wear and care guidelines more so than older generations. The replacement schedule is the length of time your contacts can be worn before they need to be replaced with new lenses (taking them out at nighttime is a given, unless your lenses are approved for extended wear). An array of replacement schedules is available - CooperVision offers contact lenses on a Daily, Two-Week, and Monthly replacement schedule - for more information, please click here.

To keep your eyes healthy, always follow your replacement schedule, unless otherwise directed by your eye care practitioner. For more information and to read more survey results, please click here.

Just like any other part of your body, your eyes age as you get older. In honor of Healthy Aging Month, here are a few tips to help keep your eyes healthy as you age.

• Visit your eye care practitioner - comprehensive eye exams are recommended on a regular basis for adults and those who frequently use computers. For those 65 and older, as well as those with family history of eye disease, it is advised that you visit your eye care practitioner more frequently. To find an eye care practitioner near you, please click here.
• Follow the 20-20-20 rule - if you frequently use computers, be sure to take a 20 second break after every 20 minutes of use. Stare at something approximately 20 feet away - this will allow your eyes to relax.
• Stay up to date on the normal aging process for your eyes - continuously monitor your health and be aware of the normal changes to your eyes that occur with age. For a reference on vision conditions and eye health problems that commonly occur in older adults, please click here.

One of the most common changes to your vision as you age is an increased difficulty in performing near-vision tasks, like reading and close work. This is known as presbyopia, the worsening of vision that occurs with age. As you age, the lenses in your eyes thicken and lose their elasticity, and the muscles surrounding the lenses weaken. Presbyopia can be corrected with multifocal contact lenses or glasses. For more information on presbyopia, please click here.

School is back in session! Are you having trouble reading the board? Do you find yourself squinting to read street signs while driving? You may be experiencing myopia, one of the most common vision conditions. An estimated 70 million people in the United States suffer from myopia, often referred to as nearsightedness, a condition in which the eye sees near objects clearly but distant objects appear blurry.

How can I tell if I have myopia?
Symptoms include distant objects appearing blurry, squinting, and eyestrain. Myopia is often diagnosed in children, but as the eyeball continues to grow, it is likely that the myopia will also worsen. The condition generally stabilizes around age 16 for women and around age 25 for men; however some cases can worsen with age. The condition can be hereditary - you have a greater risk if both of your parents are nearsighted.

The best way to ensure that the symptoms you're experiencing are attributed to myopia is to discuss them with your eye care professional, who can perform a comprehensive eye exam to diagnose the condition. To find an eye care professional near you, please click here.

How is myopia treated?
Myopia can be corrected using spherical contact lenses or glasses. Correction requires a "minus" lens to "weaken" the eye optimally, permitting clear distance vision. Click here to see a visual demonstration! CooperVision offers a range of contact lens brands that correct for myopia including Avaira, Biofinity, and Proclear. Try CooperVision contact lenses for free* with this Free Trial Coupon.

*By prescription only. Eye exam may be required and this coupon does not include eye exam or fitting fees. Print and bring this offer to your next visit with your eye care professional.

It's back to school time! Whether or not you're headed back to school this fall, it's a great time of year to make sure you're up-to-date with your regular health check-ups. Does your regular health check-up routine include an annual visit to your eye care practitioner? If not, read this post and be sure to schedule an appointment today. A routine comprehensive eye exam ensures good, healthy vision and can even help in detecting more serious medical conditions.

A typical eye exam will consist of several tests and may include checking for eye movement, peripheral vision, and color blindness; administering a glaucoma test; and determining the health of your optic nerve and retina. Routine eye exams can often detect early signs of vision conditions, allowing for faster treatments of most problems. Comprehensive eye exams can also reveal serious, and often times, hidden medical conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, inflammations and infections.

To find an eye care provider near you, please click here. For more information on the importance of eye exams, please click here.

August is Children's Eye Health and Safety Month. As a reminder, it is recommended that school-aged children and teens get eye exams annually. An annual comprehensive eye exam is an important part of monitoring eye and overall health in children. For more information on the importance of eye health and children, including educational content and games, please visit the National Eye Institute's See All You Can See website.

Many vision conditions can be corrected with contact lenses. Is your child or teen ready for contact lenses? A recent survey of children and youth ages 8 to 18 revealed that the most important reason for getting contact lenses wasn't to look better, it was because they became active in sports.* There are many benefits to wearing contact lenses while playing sports, and there is no set age to start wearing contacts. Many eye care practitioners begin to encourage contact lens wear between the ages of 11 to 14 and use responsibility and maturity to indicate whether or not a child or teen will be a successful candidate for contact lenses. For more information on the relationship between children/teens and contact lenses, please visit mycontactsports.com.


*Source: CooperVision Study Conducted by Braun Research, December 2009.

Nearly 70 million people in the United States suffer from myopia. Commonly referred to as nearsightedness, myopia is a condition in which near objects (objects up close) are viewed clearly and objects in the distance appear blurred. Myopia occurs when the eyeball is too long for the focusing power of the lens and cornea; creating an overpowered eye that causes images to reach true focus in front of the retina.

Most cases of myopia are diagnosed in children or teens; however the condition tends to run in families - if both of your parents have myopia, your risk level increases. Symptoms include eyestrain, squinting, and distant objects appearing blurry. Myopia can be corrected with spherical contact lenses or glasses. Correction requires a "minus" lens to "weaken" the eye optically, permitting clear distance vision. Click here for a visual description of the way in which spherical contact lenses correct for myopia.

If you think you or your child may be experiencing myopia, contact your eye care practitioner. Myopia is usually diagnosed through a comprehensive eye exam. Click here to find an eye care practitioner near you.

What's it like to wear contacts? We asked teens to share their contact lens stories with us to feature on our teen website, mycontactsports.com. Here's an excerpt from one of the featured stories on our site:

My name is Ellen. Here is my story and experience with contact lenses. I started wearing contact lenses last year in 7th grade. The main reason for me to get contacts was that I was tired of worrying about my glasses. Before, I would have to worry about my glasses accidentally falling off while running in my P.E. classes. After I started to wear contact lenses, I didn’t have to worry about it anymore.

In a recent survey of children and youth (ages 8-18), it was revealed that the most important reason for getting contact lenses wasn't to look or see better, it was because they became active in sports.* Contact lenses provide peripheral vision, they don't get fogged up, and are shatter proof. If you or your child is active in sports and wears corrective eyewear, consider contact lenses as a way to help improve on-the-field performance.

Why contacts?
Contact lenses are a safe and reliable option for correcting eyesight on the field. Whatever sport you're involved in, contact lenses can provide convenience and crisp vision. Please remember to follow your coach's instructions in regards to protective eyewear, such as goggles or sunglasses.

Why CooperVision?
CooperVision is an advocate for healthy, comfortable contact lens wear and is the lens of choice for thousands of leading eye care professionals nationwide. We offer a full array of monthly, two-week, and daily disposable contact lenses, all featuring advanced materials and optics. There's almost certainly a CooperVision lens that's right for you. To learn more, please click here.

What type of contact lens is best for me?
Your eye care practitioner will work with you to determine the best type of contact lens based on multiple factors, including your prescription, life style, and needs. To help start the conversation with your eye doctor, take our Lens Finder quiz.

For more information on contact lenses and sports, please click here.

*Source: CooperVision survey conducted by Braun Research, December 2009.