Seeing is believing: It’s Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month

August brings us Children's Eye Health and Safety Month, an important date to mark on your family's health calendar. Best estimates tell us that more than 12 million children in this country suffer from some sort of vision impairment. Not that this is always an easy figure to determine -- let's face it, kids can go quite a while, even into their school years, before vision problems are determined. That's why regular eye exams and screenings are so important.

Eye exams should be as normal a part of your child's checkup regimen as vaccinations or knee-knocking with the little mallet to check reflexes. It isn't just near-sighted/far-sighted that is to be determined. There are numerous conditions that can affect children's eyes: lazy eye, astigmatism, even color-blindness. And our own naked eye test isn't enough to diagnose these for a child; like most health matters, we need to seek the professionals.

Then, there is the matter of injury. Kids are prone to scrapes and bruises, in case that's news to anyone. Generally, one can rub on a little Bactine, slap on a Band-Aid and get the kid back in the game. But eyes are fragile, not so easily healed, and your child only has the one pair. So, safety first! Protective eye wear is a must, particularly in any sport involving flying projectiles, ricocheting balls, etc. Also, be sure your kid is playing with age-appropriate toys. A toddler, for instance, often lacks the necessary control and coordination to play safely with a toy that has sharp edges or pointy tips.

Along those same lines, Scrubin wants to bring up Contact Lens Health Week, Aug. 22-26. This one has a dear place in our hearts, as many of us have worn corrective lenses since pre-adolescence. In fact, some of us remember when there was an actual choice between soft lenses and hard (read: putting glass in your eye, voluntarily!).

Fortunately, there have been considerable advancements in contact-lens technology over the years, but it is still up to the wearer to diligently maintain good and sanitary practices. Clean your lenses regularly with the proper solution. Take them out every night at bedtime, even if they are disposable. And remember, the term disposable means disposable: Such lenses are not to be worn indefinitely. After the allotted time, be that daily, weekly or monthly, ditch that pair and replace with new ones. 

These are easy enough routines, but particularly with children can be easy things to let slip. So work with your kids on good eye health the way you do on brushing of teeth: a part of the daily/nightly ritual one shouldn't forsake.
So, schedule regular eye exams for your kids. Insure they wear protective eyewear in sports and play. And, if they wear contacts, teach them the proper methods of care and cleaning. Their sparkling eyes will thank you!

Working the night shift? We salute you, brave nurse!

Coffee, usually subpar. Grumpy doctors. Grumpier patients. Circadian rhythms all out of whack. And, most frightening of all, cafeteria food after hours.

These are just a few of the gauntlets run by night-shift nurses. The fabled red-eye shift is no place for the faint of heart. A hospital anytime of day is seldom anyone's version of Shangri-La, but come the wee hours it can transform into a spooky obstacle course of trials and challenges. But rounds still have to be made, vitals taken, medicines administered and patients cared for.

Many, many intrepid bands of night-shift nurses are up to the task. It may be thankless and not always the most pleasant stretch of hours, but they wouldn't have it any other way. When duty calls, the night shift nurse always answers the bell. And boy howdy, do those bells ring and ring .... (Actually nurses' stations are now equipped with call lights, but you get the drift.)

It is common knowledge among nurses working these hours that patients in the middle of the night/early morning tend to be a little needier than in the light of day. Depending on the nature of the infirmity, patients are apt to become more disorientated in these hours. They are prone to being surlier, or needing to use the toilet more frequently. And they themselves are tired, and the nature of the care might mean it is necessary to wake them up periodically for examinations.

Very often night-shift nurses are doing much of their work with skeleton crews, a few making do and doing more. Then, when the shift is over, they walk out into the blinding sun, brave morning traffic at the end of a long day rather than the beginning, and head home to get some shut-eye as most of the world has just opened theirs.

And many of them will tell you it's wise to bring your "lunch." For instance, the cafeteria might be serving tuna casserole. Haven't you always wanted to have tuna casserole at 4 a.m.? No? 

But there are perks. For one, it is socially acceptable for a night shift nurse to have a glass of wine while Good Morning America is on.

In seriousness though, there are some truly meaningful rewards. The reward of doing a tough job and doing it well. The reward of caring for patients during hard, scary moments in their lives. And the reward of camaraderie with coworkers, everyone pulling together under challenging circumstances to achieve a common goal. It is worth pausing to mention that nurses working the night shift are at risk for certain problems deriving from the nature of their work. They are on their feet a lot obviously. Like most night workers they need to be cautious about their diet as they are trying to operate at peak efficiency at a time in the daily cycle when metabolisms generally slow down (veteran night shift nurses often advocate packing nutritious meals from home). 

And sleep deprivation is no joke; day sleeping has the potential to be broken sleep -- more noise, more light, more distractions -- and over time that can lead to fatigue, a weakened immune system and cardiovascular problems. Then there are the personal issues of maintaining a home on an unconventional schedule, making time for family and juggling errands. Here are some good tips to help nurses survive the night shift grind: 

So night-shift nurses, we salute you! Thank you for your expertise, your stamina and your smiles. And get some rest -- you've earned it!

Be sure to check out our new line made with YOU in mind! Night Shift® Scrubs are soft, luxurious stretch scrubs that are sure to keep you comfy on that long shift! Shop now!