Google wants to take over your eyeballs!

Google is looking into a new technology that may eliminate the need for glasses, via insertion of "cyborg lenses" into your eyeballs. The downsides? The procedure is invasive and would involve removing the natural lens inside your eye, which has potential risks. Also, having a computerized lens in your eye could put you at risk for having your every move "tracked" by potential hackers! Yikes! It'll be interesting to see if this product actually launches. Click here for the full story!

 

Crying can reduce stress!

Crying after an emotional event produces tears that contain a large amount of the neurotransmitter leucine enkephalin, a natural painkiller that the body releases to reduce stress. Interestingly, tears that are produced when chopping an onion don't contain nearly as much of this neurotransmitter. So, a good cry while going through a difficult time can actually release some of those stress chemicals and help you feel more at peace.

"Don't stare at the sun...you'll go blind!"

You may remember hearing this as a child, and there actually is some truth to it! Staring at the sun for an extended period of time may cause irreversible damage to the center of the retina, causing a central blind spot. This is called solar retinopathy. I know you are all as happy as I am about the sun finally showing its face here in Colorado, but try not to stare at it for too long! :) 

Buy glasses online....at your own risk!

Top 3 reasons why I do NOT recommend buying your glasses online:

  1. A recent study done by the American Optometric Association found that 44.8% of glasses ordered online were made wrong!

  2. The same study found that 29% of childrens' glasses failed impact-resistance and safety testing. Scary!

  3. Even though it is cheaper to buy glasses online, you do get what you pay for you. Don't be surprised if the anti-glare coating starts peeling off after a few months or if you feel dizzy every time you wear the glasses, due to the cheap lens material used.

Put away those phones before bed!

Are you the person who just HAS to check Facebook and HAS to make one more move on Words with Friends right before bed? Yup, me too. But I’m going to try to stop! You see, smartphones and laptops emit very bright blue light, which mimics the brightness of the sun. This tricks your brain into thinking it is daytime and tells it to stop producing melatonin, which tells your body “it's time to go to sleep." Interestingly, one study found that subjects who read a printed book before bed (versus those who read on a smartphone) had longer REM sleep, secreted more melatonin, and had more energy the next day. Another study found that looking at a smartphone before bed had an even worse effect on the subjects’ sleep schedule than a double espresso!