Q&A

Dr. Kopan answered a couple of questions regarding eye health, his practice and more.

Do you or any of the doctors in your practice specialize in any particular facet of vision health? Yes, we specialize in all facets of vision health.

What advice would you give to help our readers protect their vision? Wear sunglasses and also try to limit staring at things that produce blue light like computers, phones etc. Also, stay up-to-date with doctors’ visits.

Does blue light really harm our eyes? Yes. Most eyeglass prescriptions we provide have blue light protectants already included. I would recommend taking a break from staring at a computer screen or cell phone every 20 minutes, to lubricate your eyes. Try to remember to blink when you are reading.

How much computer screen time is too much? I recommend taking a break every 20 minutes, just to give your eyes a break. Set your cell phone with a reminder. It just takes a second to blink.

Dry Eye Danger

Dr. Kopan wants to shine a light on an additional condition many readers can relate to: dry eyes.

“Dry eyes are very common, but should be something we pay attention to,” Dr. Kopan said. “Dry eyes are an issue we talk about every day with patients. Concentrating on the computer, staring at the highway or reading a book causes our blink rate to slow down and leads to dry eyes.”

He also said the environment plays a big factor. One way to counter this is by getting in the habit of blinking. You can also find many over-thecounter solutions to help combat dry eyes.

Dr. Kopan is a member of the American Optometric Association, The Ohio Optometric Association and the Toledo Area Optometric Society where he served as an officer and past president. His office can be reached at 419-475-6181.

If you didn’t help people with their vision, what would you like to do? I always knew I wanted to be a doctor of some sort and help people. My dad and my brother are both optometrists; it runs in the family.

Do you yourself prefer glasses or contacts? I find that I am more comfortable in glasses, but those who are a bit more active than I am tend to go for contacts.

Do you have a favorite vacation spot? And do you wear your sunglasses there? “ I always wear sunglasses. I would say places in the Caribbean, that’s where we find ourselves vacationing most often.

What is your guilty pleasure? Sports, more specifically my son’s games and coaching. We were always really involved in basketball and soccer in high school. We love traveling to games.

How old were you when you started wearing glasses? I was around 12 to 14. It was a part- time reading prescription. It wasn’t until I got older that I needed them more often.