Vision, Glasses & Contacts
How to measure your pupillary distance (PD) at home
What pupillary distance means, how to measure it at home with a ruler and a mirror or a friend, single, dual and near PD, and when to let an optician measure it.
Hitomi Saijiki
eye health through the seasons
Welcome
to a notebook on eyes and everyday life
For the days you want to understand your eyes a little better.
From how eye conditions work to everyday care,
explained in plain words, season by season.
· New columns · notice board NEW
- · 26.10.23Added “How to measure your pupillary distance (PD) at home” to Vision, Glasses & Contacts.
- · 26.10.22Added “How to clean glasses without scratching the lenses” to Vision, Glasses & Contacts.
- · 26.10.20Added “Autumn reading and tired eyes: lamps, print size and pauses” to Everyday Eye Care.
- · 26.10.19Added “Eye twitching: common causes, what helps and when to see a doctor” to Eye Conditions.
- · 26.10.18Added “Magnifying glass with light for reading, and what else helps” to Eyes in Later Life.
- · 26.10.16Added “What is astigmatism? Why it blurs, and what CYL and axis mean” to Vision, Glasses & Contacts.
- · 26.10.15Added “Warm compress for eyes: how to use one for dry eyes, safely” to Everyday Eye Care.
- · 26.09.08Added “Dry eyes and screen time: blinking, humidity and better breaks” to Everyday Eye Care.
Recent columns
Vision, Glasses & Contacts
How to clean glasses without scratching the lenses
Rinse first, a drop of plain dish soap, a clean microfiber cloth: a former optical shop worker on cleaning glasses safely and what never to use on coated lenses.
Everyday Eye Care
Autumn reading and tired eyes: lamps, print size and pauses
Tired eyes after an evening with a book usually come from the light, the distance and the print, not the story. Simple fixes, early presbyopia, and when to get checked.
Eye Conditions
Eye twitching: common causes, what helps and when to see a doctor
Most eyelid twitches are harmless and fade within days or weeks. The usual causes, simple habits that help, and the signs that mean a doctor should take a look.
Eyes in Later Life
Magnifying glass with light for reading, and what else helps
A lighted magnifier can bring small print back within reach, but it works best after an eye exam and with good light and the right readers. How to choose and hold one.
Vision, Glasses & Contacts
What is astigmatism? Why it blurs, and what CYL and axis mean
Astigmatism means the eye focuses light unevenly, so things blur at every distance. What causes it, how it shows on a prescription, and when to see an eye doctor.
Seeing an eye doctor
How to find an eye doctor, what happens at a first exam, how to read clinic hours and what to do when trouble starts over a holiday. For symptoms that can't wait, see eye emergencies.
Browse by section
- Eye ConditionsCataract, glaucoma, retinal problems, conjunctivitis and more: how common eye conditions work, how they are checked and when to see a doctor.
- Vision, Glasses & ContactsNearsightedness, presbyopia, choosing and caring for glasses and contact lenses, and avoiding lens trouble.
- Children's EyesVision checks for young children, lazy eye and squint, myopia, screens and school life, from a parent's point of view.
- Everyday Eye CareBlinking, breaks, light, sun protection and the small daily habits that keep eyes comfortable.
- Eyes in Later LifeHow eyes change with age, cataract and macular disease, appointments, and how family can help.
- Health & LivingDiabetes, blood pressure, allergies, sleep and diet: how general health connects with the eyes, and everyday living.
- Kyoto & the SeasonsSeasons, festivals and city life in Kyoto, and what each time of year means for our eyes.