December - New location is open! 🗺️📍

5317-B Lakeside Avenue, Richmond, VA 23228

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The biggest news this month is our move!

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We are so excited for you to come and join us here at Francos Galleries! We are working hard to get everything into place and after 26 years in another location, it is a job haha! But we are open for business, weather permitting, Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mother nature hasn't cut us any breaks during this move. Definitely call us first on bad weather days.

If you have friends or family that comes to Brooks Optical, please make them aware of our move (less than 1/2 mile from the other location). We are doing our best to get the word out but want to make sure that everyone knows. We are so grateful for your help in spreading the word!

If we can help you in any way at all, give us a call at (804)261-0222! 🥰 Cliff, Sheila, and Catherine

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DO YOU FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES? Please do! This is where you find up to date weather schedule changes, and many other things. To keep up to date on our most recent shop updates, plus a little entertainment and positivity, please follow us on Facebook or Instagram by the links below! We appreciate every single like and follow, and share with your friends! ↙️

We sincerely appreciate your support! 🧡

Would you like something fun and useful? Here is a freebie for you!

This month's freebie is a physical item! Stop by the shop and pick up a magnetic calendar for 2026! Get them will they last! Please excuse the old address, these were ordered before we knew we were moving.

⭐ SHOP UPDATES ⭐

DECEMBER IS THE SEASON FOR GIFTING! ​ Brooks Optical has all of your holiday gifts, just grab and go! ✅ Sunglasses ✅ Eyeglass holders ✅ Combo phone/eyeglass holders ✅ Magnifying bookmarks ✅ Bookaroo's (keeps reading glasses with your book) ✅ Diamond art eyeglass cases And so much more! We have been working hard to get you the most useful and fun items into the shop. 🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

happy holidays! At Brooks Optical, we consider our customers part of the family.💖 We appreciate each and every one of you that take time to support this small, family owned local business. We want you to know how thankful that we are for you and want to wish you the happiest holiday season! We wish you good health, and all of the happiness as we go into a new year!

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT New this month in the shop we have an eyeglass/phone holder combo! 📱👓 We were so excited to get these to provide you with something super useful! Keep your glasses and phone in the same place, as well as having a stationary stand for your cell phone. We have a few designs (and more coming), get them while they last!

FRAME SPOTLIGHT Silhouette eyeglass frames are amazing! These frames are extremely light, but with superior comfort and durability. They almost feel weightless. There are many color and style options, and ways to customize. Whether you like a minimal design or pops of color, Silhouette frames may quickly become your favorite!

DECEMBER EDUCATIONAL ARTICLE

Daily Habits That Affect Your Vision

Looking for simple ways to protect your vision? Changing a few of your habits could improve eye comfort and help you avoid conditions and diseases that may affect your eyesight. These daily habits could spell trouble for your eyes:

Rubbing Your Eyes

Rubbing may feel good when your eyes are tired or itchy, but the habit isn't as harmless as it seems. Rubbing your eyes aggressively could cause a corneal abrasion, a tiny scratch on your cornea, the clear tissue over your iris and pupil. Abrasions are painful and can allow bacteria into your eye, causing an infection. If bacterial infections aren't treated promptly, temporary or permanent vision loss may occur.

Rubbing your eyes may also increase your risk for keratoconus, a condition that occurs when the cornea thins and becomes cone-shaped instead of rounded. Keratoconus symptoms include:

• Blurry or Cloudy Vision
• Sensitivity to Light and Glare
• Trouble Seeing Well at Night
• Frequent Changes in Eyeglass or Contact Lens Prescriptions
• Headaches

In a research study published in the Journal of Ophthalmology, researchers noted that rubbing the eyes with the back of the hand or knuckles could increase the risk for keratoconus. Rubbing the eye vigorously changes the structure of collagen in the cornea. Collagen is a protein that helps give the cornea its rounded shape.

The researchers also noted that sleeping position could affect your keratoconus risk. People who rest an eye on a hand or forearm while sleeping are most at risk.

Smoking or Vaping

Smoking raises the risk of cataracts that cloud your eyes' clear lenses. It also increases the likelihood of macular degeneration, a disease that affects central vision.

Vaping isn't any better for your eyes. According to a literature review published in International Ophthalmology in 2021, vaping devices contain cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals, and pollutants. These substances can disturb the tear film and cause changes in visual sharpness with long-term use.

Smoking and vaping also increase your risk for dry eyes.

Poor Contact Lens Care

You may be more likely to develop a vision-threatening eye infection if you:

• Don't Wash Your Hands Before Touching Your Contact Lenses or Eyes
• Don't Clean Your Lenses as Recommended
• Use Dirty Contact Lens Cases or Don't Replace Your Cases Every Three Months
• Wet Your Lenses with Saliva or Water Instead of Rewetting Drops
• Sleep in Your Contact Lenses (if they're not meant to be worn overnight)
• Wear Your Lenses While Showering or Swimming

Snoring

Snoring caused by sleep apnea could increase your glaucoma risk, according to a 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis published in Eye in 2023. Researchers noted that patients with obstructive sleep apnea had a 40% higher risk of glaucoma. Glaucoma can cause permanent vision loss by damaging the optic nerve. The nerve sends electrical impulses from the eyes to the brain. Treating your sleep apnea is a simple way to lower your glaucoma risk.

Not Wearing Sunglasses

Sunglasses protect your eyes from the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) A and B rays. Long-term exposure to UVA and UVB rays may increase your risk for cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Wearing sunglasses year-round is an easy way to protect your vision.

Using Screens

Focusing on digital screens for work or play can lead to digital eye strain, a condition that may cause:

• Blurry Vision
• Double Vision
• Dry, Irritated Eyes
• Sensitivity to Light
• Eye Fatigue
• Headaches
• Neck and Shoulder Pain

Optometrists recommend trying the 20-20-20 rule to improve eye comfort when using digital screens. The rule is simple. For every 20 minutes you use a digital screen, look at an object at least 20 feet in the distance for 20 seconds. While using screens, blink every few seconds to keep your eyes moist and comfortable.

Overusing Eye Drops

Using eye drops too often may cause blurry vision, light sensitivity, and discomfort. Do you use eye drops to get the red out? The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) notes that redness can return after using redness-relieving eye drops that contain tetrahydrozoline. In some cases, the redness may be even worse than before. Eye drops that contain brimonidine have a lower risk of rebound redness, according to the AAO.

Regular visits to the optometrist help you protect your vision. While Brooks Optical does not do eye exams, we recommend that you get one yearly! If you need a recommendation for an eye doctor, give us a call and we will give you one.

Sources:

Wiley Online Library: Journal of Ophthalmology: New Keratoconus Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Case Control Study, 9/28/2022

PubMed: International Ophthalmology:

Nature: Eye: Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and Glaucoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, 3/28/2023

​https://www.nature.com/articles/s41433-023-02471-6​

Healthline: Can Eye Drops Be Overused? And More FAQ

​https://www.healthline.com/health/dry-eye/can-eye-drops-be-overused​

American Academy of Ophthalmology: Redness-Relieving Eye Drops, 4/7/2023

​https://www.aao.org/eye-health/treatments/redness-relieving-eye-drops​

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Risk Behaviors for Contact Lens–Related Eye Infections Among Adults and Adolescents — United States, 2016, 8/18/2017

​https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6632a2.htm​

5520-B Lakeside Avenue, Richmond, VA 23228

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