How To Concentrate In 4 Magic Steps

 One of the main problems that deter a person’s success is their lack of concentration. Lapses encourage disturbances to get in the way and stall progress. If ones wishes to proceed on their road to success, it is imperative they learn how to concentrate. Here, we show you some easy to learn exercises that are easy to implement.

1) Silence or Noise:

Most people cannot concentrate when it is too noisy, but others work better with music or others in the midst of a crowded room. If you are not aware as yet what best suits you, then try out the different environments. How? Take a notepad and a pencil or pen with you and try and write down a letter in all the three circumstances in a set amount of time. Ten minutes. That is all you will need to determine where your source of concentration lies. How? Check not only for length but also for development as that is more important.

2) Focal Point:

Every morning, before you leave for work or on the way, stare at any object for ten minutes. You can do this while in the toilet, car or bus. You will find this difficult, but whatever happens, do not move your gaze away. Hold it. Wait. And then, as the minutes pass you will find yourself deeply meditating about things that happened to you yesterday or challenges you have to face in a few minutes. Congratulations. You have just conquered the art of meditation.

3) Deep Breathing:

In the beginning, you can do this while staring at the object from tip number two, but if you wish to move towards real concentration, do this separetly. Sit down on the floor. If its hard, place a cushion. Close your eyes. Breathe. Count the number of inhales. When you have reached 100, start counting backwards but this time count the exhales. Mastering this will take you a while, but once you do move on to other kinds of mathemathical calculations such as naming the months of the year from December backwards or alphabetically. After that, make up exercises as you like.

4) Movement:

Focus on an animal: cat, dog or even ant or bird. Follow their every movement as if they exist in a vaccumm. Study every tiny spot on their body. The point of this is to learn how to diversify your concentration in such a way that movement does not deter you from your goal.



Practice the above four tips and like magic, you will start enjoying life to its fullest because you will be able to focus on the things you want to focus on and disregard those that disrupt. Practive the above tips daily and you will be that much more closer to achieving your dreams and goals. Best of Luck!

Car Insurance Hope For Young Drivers

 

In the majority of cases the young driver gets the blunt end of the stick when it comes to insuring their car. The reasoning behind this is the insurers believe that the younger the driver is, then the bigger the risk they pose.

Unfortunately young drivers are generally associated with taking a bigger risk on the road and as such have to pay heavily for the privilege of being insured. However there is some hope for young motorists if they follow this advice.

To start with you should begin your search online for cheaper car insurance. Shopping online allows you to make comparisons with many companies. In the majority of cases you are given quotes immediately which allows you to compare the policy features and benefits from many companies and all from the comfort of your home.

Car insurance quotes take many things into account. One of these is the car you drive. With the majority of younger drivers wanting something flashy, unfortunately they are setting themselves up for being in the highest car insurance bracket. With this being the case you might have to consider going for something less flashy at the expense of your image.

Taking extra lessons such as a safety course or advanced driving lessons can help to save you money on your premiums.

Adding more safety features to your car can go a long way to shaving pounds off your car insurance. This can be simple things such as having the windows etched with your registration number or installing alarms or immobiliser.

Keeping on the right side of the law is essential in keeping your insurance down to the minimum. Only a few years’ driving under your belt will give you no claims bonus and during this time it is essential that you avoid getting tickets and points on your license. All of this will go to prove that you are a sensible driver which essentially lowers the premium you pay.

By looking online for your car insurance you are also able to take advantage of specialist sites that offer cheaper premiums especially for the younger driver. Bear in mind that when shopping around for your insurance that companies do vary in both what they offer in their policy and the price quoted.

All policies aren’t the same so choosing the one most suitable to you and your needs is essential. Factors to take into account are the age and type of your car. If you have an older car then taking third party might be the better choice, of course if you have a new one then fully comprehensive would be the best option.

The Unique Season Of Autumn

 There is nothing like autumn. For me, no season quite compares to the beauty and pleasure I experience each year as summer turns into autumn.

There are many reasons to love the season of autumn. One of the biggest is the beauty of the season. If you were privileged to grow up in an area that had a true autumn, then you know all about the way the colors of the earth move from bright greens to the mixture of tones that is golden, orange, red, and burgundy. You know that the colors begin to change slowly, as if they will soon become a dead brown, and then the brillance of autumn colors emerges from every area of trees. The beauty of autumn is in the diversity of the colors and in their warmth.

Another great thing about autumn is the way it marks a new beginning. At least for children and youth who are enjoying summer break, the beginning of autumn marks for them the start of a whole new year. There is excitement over what the new year of classes, teachers, and friends will bring. And parents love the beginning of autumn because it means their kids are once again spending their days safely in school. Parents know that autumn means their children are learning and growing again. Autumn marks the chance to begin again and to enjoy all of the pleasures of the season.

The season of autumn holds many special and unique things to do. Do you remember going to a pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect pumpkin? Did your family or friends have a carving party to see who could create the most unique or the scariest faces in the pumpkins? Did you bake the seeds of the pumpkins and enjoy them later? Or perhaps you remember going for long walks through the woods and collecting the autumn leaves that had perfectly fallen from the trees. There is something special about seeing how each leaf turns into a unique expression of autumn colors taking over the summer hues. Maybe you have the special memory of going on an autumn hayride each year or perhaps you remember enjoying caramel apples, powdered donuts and apple cider with family and friends.

For many people thinking of autumn means celebrating the great holiday of Thanksgiving. People look forward to spending a day recounting all of the blessings in their lives. They enjoy time surrounded by family and friends and together they reflect upon the year behind them and they dream and hope about the new year ahead. Celebrating Thanksgiving is one of the best reasons to anticipate the coming of autumn.

Whether you have never really loved autumn or whether it is your favorite of the seasons, think about a new reason to appreciate the unique time of year that is autumn.

Advanced Artistry Photoshop Tutorials

 If you’re a Photoshop user with a working knowledge of the basics, you may well enjoy the Advanced Artistry Photoshop tutorials. With this intermediate level training package you can hone some very advanced Photoshop skills. Here is what you’ll learn.

The Introductory CD will tell you all about the course and the instructor, including some tips on how best to learn from the Photoshop tutorials. You’ll learn about the technical aspects of the presentation and its variations from Mac to PC.

The next of the Photoshop tutorial CDS is called Utilities. Machine basics are included in this lesson plan, as well as PS preference and essential shortcuts. You’ll learn navigation shortcuts, as well as those for imaging, tools, and workspace.

You’ll get a quick review of all the keystroke and Photoshop super shortcut techniques and help setting up your own workspace.

The next of the Photoshop tutorials tackles the subject of retouching. In this CD you’ll learn the professional retouching techniques, how to assess the Photoshop image, how to analyze the histogram, as well as the contrast, lighting and texture.

You learn how to do an analysis of the focus and to manage the contrast controls. You’ll learn the ins and outs of contrast levels, and the use of each level. You’ll learn to use curves, to enhance color and the advanced techniques to avoid saturation.

These Photoshop tutorials will also teach you to use the patch tool and the healing brush, and to burn and dodge demos without destruction. You’ll also master the technique of red eye reduction.

Advanced artistry tutorials in this Photoshop lesson package will also include a CD that teaches how to adjust for focus and the center of interest, how to sharpen the focus, how to enhance the field depth and how to fish or burn edges.

In the fine art toning CD you learn intermediate and advanced techniques of producing black and white photos from color originals, how to work with and create sepia tones, selenium tones, digital cyanotypes and maps with gradients.

Fine art photograph effects lessons include soft focusing, angelic and dramatic posing, high contrast and high keys and cross processing.

Including in this Photoshop tutorial is mastery of fine techniques for people’s skin, giving them the look of perfect skin, of radiant and dramatically glowing skin, advanced techniques in metal skin looks, infrared and translucent skin, and the use of maps for displacement.

Natural media and landscape techniques are taught in Photoshop advanced artistry tutorials as well.

Enhancing the skies and adding sky from other photos are techniques taught, as well as using the history and art history brushes, and burning and dodging without being destructive.

If you want to create a professional hand drawn look you can master that technique through Photoshop tutorials, and can also learn watercolor, logos, and vector illustration too. Hand tinting lessons are varied and include painting in a color mode and adjusting of layers.

Grid and Tech glows, TV scan lines, pixel drags, and edges and borders that are soft, painted, beveled or burned are all advanced artistry Photoshop tutorial lessons.

Camden Over The Festive Season

 So it’s nearly that time of year again when the snow should be falling and we should see reindeers in the sky with a flying man in the red suit with a white beard. Living or visiting the London Borough of Camden during this time, what would you expect in this festive season?

Christmas and the winter season is a great time in London and the London Borough of Camden. Even though the daylight fades quickly and the air gets colder, there is always a great buzz about the city and the borough that gives people warmth and gets everyone in the festive mood. London Borough of Camden offers many Christmas festivities and features to the public. There are many Christmas activities and areas to buy presents and enjoy the season.

An obvious Christmas activity is ice skating. There are many places that are turned into ice rink’s that present themselves in London such as the Natural History Museum, Kew Gardens, Hampton Court, Somerset House, Greenwich and the Tower of London.

The London Borough of Camden is always a great place to buy presents for loved ones. There are a variety of areas to go shopping and you will find great presents whatever your budget. The Camden markets are an obvious choice for everyone living and visiting London as well as the high street stores that can be found on Oxford Street. The Christmas lights on Oxford Street come on every year in November and are switched off in January. This always gets shoppers in the festive mood encouraging all to buy presents.

Out of the 1 million or so Christmas trees that are bought in London every year, the residents of Camden have many nurseries, garden centres and shops to buy theirs. The Camden council have also created 23 recycling areas around the borough for everyone to recycle their tree once the New Year has begun.

Most bars and pubs in the London Borough of Camden always have plenty of mulled wine available to the public from the beginning of December. Camden town hosts some great venues to sip on spiced mulled wine while devouring some home made mince pies. The choice is endless so many of your evenings can be spent exploring the many bars and pubs available.

There are also many shops to buy Christmas cards for all the people on the Christmas card list. The shops range from the normal high street stores, to many boutique and niche shops with hand crafted cards and unique designs. With the many art shops that are also available, you can even try making your own.

The many schools and colleges in the London Borough of Camden put on a variety of Christmas performances ranging from choirs singing traditional Christmas songs to school children participating in nativity plays. This is a great treat for families and friends who have young ones in the local schools and colleges.

Overall, Christmas in the London Borough of Camden is a joyful occasion for all living and visiting the area.

Low Carb Diet Plans

 Word “Diet” actually refers to what a person eats or drinks during the course of a day and our body weight is the result of what and how much we eat and drink. Therefore, for maintaining a healthy body and to look good we must follow a proper Diet Plan.

For a diet to be ideal, it must be nutritionally balanced, i.e., it must include wide variety of foods with enough calories and nutrients. And a Diet Plan should be easy to follow so that one can maintain the consistency following it throughout his life. Nutrition plays a great role in your health.

As we all know that negligent and mismanaged eating habits lead to the health problem called Obesity, people are affected with it globally. It is the major cause for diseases like diabetes, heart attack, different types of cancer, osteoarthritis etc. Hence, a suitable diet plan will play a vital role to escape from Obesity.

Low carbohydrate or Low Carb Diet is a diet with less assemblage of carbohydrate with increased proportion of protein and fat. It is recommended to the people who are obese and diabetic, with high cholesterol level, high blood pressure and hypoglysemia.Excess intake of carbohydrate results in weight gain because it allows body to produce and release high amount of insulin, resulting high blood pressure, that damages blood vessels by raising the level of triglycerides which is a fat present in the blood and it lowers HDL cholesterol level that protects against heart diseases.

Moreover, low carb diet is beneficial as it promotes decreased amount of insulin production and allows consumption of fat as energy source.

Various components of a low carb diets are saturated fat like stearic acid found in beef and other fats including coconut oil, olive oil, butter, cheese, lard, fish oil, tallow, palm kernal oil, peanut oil, and flaxseed oil with unlimited amounts of meat, limited amount of green vegetables can be taken, with a good supplement of vitamin and minerals.

Before taking “Weight Loss” sessions one must know the actual requirement of Weight Loss Supplements. If you need to burn more calories throughout day, you may need thermogenic supplements. If you need to control your overeating habit, then you may need appetite-control supplements.

With a boom in the weight loss industries, we see plenty of weight loss products everywhere. Weight loss supplements includes pills from Herbalife and Metabolife, fat-burners, stackers and other diet or sports supplements.

When we come across word “Herbal,” we feel that it is all safe to consume it, but it was reported that herbal pills containing Ephedra have shown many side effects similar to weight loss drugs. So, manufacturers are now trying to make weight loss supplements Ephedra free.

As the saying goes “slow and steady wins the race.” Accordingly, if anyone follows a diet plan thoroughly without any break and without taking help from weight loss supplements, result will be permanent, health friendly and more satisfying.

Steps For A Safe Cruise

 Keep your dream vacation from turning into anything but. When you’re going on a cruise, whether it’s a family vacation, a honeymoon, or just some time away, use a little common sense to keep yourself and your valuables safe.

Victims of theft aboard cruise ships can run into yards and yards of red tape attempting to prosecute the responsible parties. First of all, most cruise ships require attendees to sign a waiver, keeping the cruise line from being held liable for crimes that occur on board. Secondly, many cruise ships are registered in foreign countries, while passengers (including the criminals) are from various locales. Meanwhile, the ship is sailing in water owned by still another jurisdiction. This often puts the area of responsibility into, well, murky waters. Finally, once passengers leave the cruise ship, it is virtually impossible to trace your stolen belongings. Where they end up is anyone’s guess.

So, be smart. Stay safe, and follow some simple rules to keep theft from occurring in the first place.

Keep good records. Before you leave home, make an inventoried list (photographs are helpful) of everything you have with you, and keep it someplace safe. Record credit card and bank account numbers, and leave the list at home. Do bring along a list of phone numbers to all of your financial institutions (and a phone card if necessary) in case a credit card disappears; that way you’ll be able to report the loss while still on board and avoid any fraudulent use. Most importantly, if you don’t need something, then don’t take it with you. The less you have to worry about, the easier it is to keep track of everything you’re carrying.

Simply putting a suitcase under the bed in your cabin is no defense against a determined thief. On many cruise ships, the door locks are changed less often than those at a hotel, and your room may not be as secure of a place as you think. If you can’t leave your valuables at home, make use of the ship’s safe. Do not carry wallets in back pockets- pickpockets and purse-snatchers are possible anywhere, even on a cruise ship. Consider investing in an under-the-clothing money belt, which keeps your cash safe and provides the added benefit of not allowing you to forget your wallet lying on the table somewhere! Avoid displaying any valuables or cash you have with you, and invest in plain but sturdy luggage that does not draw attention to itself.

It may sound scary, but consider the fact that you take all of these precautions and many more when you venture to a new city and stay at a hotel. A cruise ship is a lot like a floating city, full of people from all walks of life, and a little precaution can help save your valuables. Not to mention your vacation!

Travel Nurse Employment Tax Advantages Of Per Diem Deductions

 When you are a travel nurse, then you need to have a pretty good understanding of per diem rates and how they might lower your taxes. Many travel nurses believe that per diem is only a tax benefit that staffing agencies offer and yet, surprisingly, others do not. This misunderstanding about what per diem is and how it may affect your taxes is an important financial issue that you need to understand. How you report your per diem earnings could mean the difference in thousands of dollars in tax savings.

Weather you are looking to maximize deductions, reduce taxes, or increase your returns, travel nurses should take the time to learn as much as possible about the IRS per diem tax rules. Certainly, one way to learn is to go to the IRS home page, download publication 1542 and read the rules so that you have a working idea of what to expect by tax time next year. Another great resource, especially, now a days is to do your taxes yourself, if you have a personal computer or laptop. Turbo Tax is a great software program. Not only is it inexpensive and tax deductible itself, but it is very easy to work when you use the step-by-step wizard. You can walk through your entire tax return, and file it electronically. You can get your refund deposited directly into your checking account in a matter of days.

A couple of travel expenses to have a heads up about include:

The travel nurse has a permanent tax home

The travel nurse takes a temporary (less than 12 months) assignment away

from their tax home

Any travel nurse meeting the requirements outlined by the IRS can claim deductions for certain travel expenses or receive tax free reimbursements and tax free per diem allowance payments. These tax benefits are one of the great perks of being a travel nurse.

Unfortunately, one of the most common tax mistakes that a travel nurse makes is not being educated or even aware of the tax advantages to per diem deductions. Now that you are are aware that savvy travel nurses are eligible for per diem deductions for every day that they are on temporary assignment away from their tax home, pass on the work to your co-workers, or email them this article so that they can bookmark this overview and take advantage of these tax benefits themselves.

It is important to be aware that some companies don’t pay per diem allowance, pay too little per diem, or only pay per diem as a function of hourly pay. You can learn what these scenarios mean for you personal tax situation by consulting with a tax advisor or researching the IRS rules. You deserve to to get every dollar of per diem related deductions that you are entitled to, and we hope that this article has help you.

Note: while much care has been taken to make this article accurate, tax rules do change. Please be sure that you are up-to-date on the latest IRS rules. This article is meant for informational purposes only and is not meant to replace the advice of a skilled tax advisor.

The Best International Honeymoon Locations

 A honeymoon is a great idea for couples that have recently been married. Celebrate your marriage together and relax, enjoying the sucess of your wedding. When you are selecting your honeymoon destination for you and your new spouse you will want it to be as perfect as your wedding so some planning is required.

1. Hawaii

Hawaii is the best and origional stop for honeymooners. If you want, you can lounge along the beach or enjoy the tropical scenery. You can take a tour to help you explore the island, its waterfalls, and other beautful natural resources. The ultimate experience is simply to watch the sunset, although in the morning you can experience one of the finest golf courses in the world, play tennis, or participate in a luau.

2. Italy

Italy offers both plenty of sandy beaches as well as snow covered mountains for skiing and snowboarding. There are a number of major cities worth visiting in Italy that is why it might be of interest to spend a day or two in a number of cities, rather than limiting your trip to only one. Rome offers a number of bus tours and walking tours that allow you to take in some ancient historical landmarks. Enjoy the Roman ruins, Baroque fountains and even visit the Vatican if you have the time. The Vatican, in addition to its religious importance, houses countless works of art.

3. Tahiti

The Polynesian island of Tahiti is as good if not better than Hawaii. It boasts endless beaches and palm trees as far as the eye can see. Nearby, there are cafes and shops where you can find the perfect memento of your island vacation. Take an island cruise through the islands of French Polynesia or go scuba diving through the coral reef for the ultimate experience.



As a lower cost version of Hawaii or Tahiti, the island of Anguilla offers flawless carribean beaches and twice the privacy of the mobbed beaches found elsewhere. A number of delectable restaurants are available where anyone will find exquisite dishes like alaskan king crab, and local delicacies as well.

Why Marijuana Should Be Legal

 

Many Americans feel that Marijuana is helping fund the war on terror, but making a war on drugs and keeping Marijuana illegal has not stopped millions of Americans from smoking pot everyday. So what is the answer?

First, why is Marijuana illegal? In the 1930’s William Randolph Hearst, who had significant financial interests in the timber industry testified to congress on the evils of marijuana, saying things like it make people insane and commit acts of cannibalism? at this time very few even knew what it was and to stop people from going insane Congress decided to make it illegal.

The truth is many paper manufacturers were thinking of changing from using trees to make paper to using hemp because it was cheaper and easier to grow and better for the environment, and Hearst stood to loose millions so he used his influence and testimony to help get marijuana banned in the USA.

So now that we know why it was made illegal, we can realize that not only would making it legal in the United States stop terrorist from smuggling it into the USA, but would give us another option to cutting down of millions of trees every year for paper products that can be made better from hemp.

Hemp has thousands of uses that we are unable to exploit because of its illegal status.

During WWII hemp was used for the rigging on parachutes as well as rope and material for uniforms.

Nowadays Marijuana can be used to relieve pain and some of the effect of cancer treatments and old age.

It has been proven to slow down the spreading of Alzheimer’s, relieve the pressure behind the eyes from glaucoma. It also helps relieve migraine headaches and the side effect of cancer treatment.

But until the United States realizes how much money can be made from legalizing it, it will remain illegal.

This is much like the situation with online casinos in the USA. America was sending billions of dollars out of the country and the government needed to do something to keep the money here, so they banned Online Casino and just like online casinos and online gambling I believe one day the government will learn to take advantage of these things instead of just banning them.

Eventually the USA will realize that the best way to stop the flow of money out of the country is not to ban marijuana or online casinos, but to enter the market and compete.

If the USA did what Amsterdam has done the government would make not only billions in Taxes from the sales of Marijuana, but the economy would boom from all the tourism that it would bring in from all over the world.

The truth of the matter is that legalization is inevitable. The attitude of people has changed so drastically over the last 30 years, that eventually when the younger generations start to take over marijuana will eventually become legal because they understand the truth, and that is banning something only makes the market for it stronger.

The Effects Of Green Tea

 Many people think that the term “green tea” refers to a single type of tea. However, there are a lot of different varieties of green tea available today. There are, of course, the classifications of Chinese and Japanese green teas to consider. The two “nationalities” of the green tea also have their own sub-classifications. However, that’s another story for another time.

Now, we are discussing the benefits of green tea for the body and soul. And here are some of them.

Chinese and Japanese people have known about the benefits of drinking green tea for the body and soul for a long time. This can be evident in some of their philosophical sayings concerning tea.

One of these sayings is: “the first sip is joy, the second is gladness, the third is serenity, the fourth is madness and the fifth is ecstasy.”

The high regard of Orientals for the green tea is not only because of the fact that it is loaded with antioxidants and thus, good for the body. The high regard that people today have for green tea is because of the effects that it has on one’s soul. Each sip of green tea has a calming effect on people. It enables poets to write verses. It helps philosophers gain new insights into life. Although various medical bodies may deny the effect of green tea on the body and soul, thousands upon thousands of generations of Chinese and Japanese will still attest to the fact that green tea helps.

The effects of green tea and soul have been denied by some as the effect of a placebo. However, studies have also shown that people who do drink green tea have less risk of getting cardiovascular diseases. The antioxidants found in green tea also have the effect of fighting aging. One of the effects of green tea for the body and soul is that it could act as a virtual fountain of youth. You might not live forever, but you will live pretty damn long.

The benefits of green tea for body and soul can also be observed in the way that some cultures have a very high regard for it. Take the Japanese tea ceremony, for example. The Japanese consider the tea ceremony to be the highest demonstration of the art of living. Every excruciating detail is given meaning and beauty and this all, for a cup of glorious green tea.

So whenever you take out a bottle of that commercial green tea, think about this: You are drinking not just for your health, but also for your soul. For not only are the effects of green tea for body and soul undeniable, they are also quite desirable.

Why Pay For Website Submission Services

 For new internet marketers, your immediate goal is to get your website into as many search engines as possible. These services can charge a tremendous amount of money and require recurring monthly service fees. Very tempting to new internet marketers with all the hype “Instantly submit your websites to 1000’s of websites” and “Get Your Website Listed in 24 hours.” Stop! Let me show you a few ideas, so you can achieve the same success and save yourself some money better spent on pay per click campaigns.

Its true many services can submit your website to over 1000’s of websites. According to various online statistics: Google, MSN, and Yahoo provide nearly 90% of all Search Engine Traffic. First and foremost, if 90% of the Search Engine Traffic comes from only these major search engines, I want to focus on these just these three. But if you are so determined to submit to as many websites as you, these same services are available free online, a simple search for Free Website Submission will provide you with many opportunities to submit your website for free and the major search engines all offer free website submissions.

Wait! Any Search Engine Optimization Expert will tell you, “NEVER submit your website to the Search Engines!” So, how do I get my website listed?

Accordingly to recent online information any website that has a Google Page Rank 7 or above will get your website listed in 24 hours, or Page Rank 5 or 6 in 48 hours. Most of these services that offer a 24 hours Listing already have websites that have PR5 or above and simply temporarily add your link so that your website can be quickly crawled by the search engines for a nice fee.

So, how can I get my website listed in the major search engines in 24 hours?



After submitting to all the above directory listings your website will begin to appear in the next 24 – 48 hours. Search Engines will be crawling these websites daily, and once your website link is posted it will soon crawl your website and be included in their index.

Through The Eyes Of Your Dog

 Unless you were born blind you already know how valuable your eyes and vision are in coping with life. Helping us to process information on the world around us, our eyes constantly work to help us enjoy life and avoid danger.

Dogs also use their eyes in similar ways but with a few minor important differences. We see far and near fine detail in a wide range of colors and shades. Dogs however, even sight hounds which have good vision, have a poorer color range and they are much better at detecting movement rather than detail. This gives them an advantage with night vision but they are poorer at seeing fine or close detail. The main advantage dogs have is that they don’t have to rely purely on vision for information on their world. An acute sense of smell and excellent hearing, along with good motion sensing vision, mean that dogs sense much more of their surrounds than mere humans. This extended sensory ability made them ideal companions to early man when danger lurked around every corner.

Dogs eyes even look remarkably similar to human eyes. Like us, dogs have a range of eye colors although their predominant color is brown. One important difference between us is that dogs have a third eyelid called a nictitating membrane. Although this membrane is not easily seen, certain diseases and eye irritation can make it stand out. The third eyelid sits in the inside corner of a dogs eye and helps to protect it from irritation by cleansing and lubricating the eye.

Most of the eye diseases and problems seen in dogs are the same as those found in humans. One of the most common problems seen in dogs is due to simple eye irritation. The same environmental irritants that afflict us afflict our dogs. Dust, smoke and chemical pollution are the commonest cause of watery irritable eyes in our favorite pets. Apart from seeing red, teary eyes which are often swollen, you will likely observe your dog rubbing or scratching at their eyes. Look carefully at whether both or only one eye is irritated. Symptoms occurring in only one eye usually mean a foreign body or injury in the eye involved.

Blocked tear ducts can also produce excessively watery eyes in dogs as well as humans. In some dog breeds, such as older Poodles and Shih Tzu’s, you will often see damp matted fur around their eyes that signals tear duct blockages. An expert opinion from a vet is often needed to tell the difference between the different causes of watery eyes.

Another trait that elderly dogs share with elderly humans is the development of cataracts. Most long term dog owners have seen the cloudy milky haze that spreads in the centre of each pupil as the cataracts form. This milky haze is the lens inside your dogs eye becoming opaque and the dog slowly becomes blind. It’s important to distinguish cataract from another change called Lenticular Sclerosis. Lenticular Sclerosis is a condition which looks similar to cataract but where the only the center of the dogs lens hardens and vision remains unaffected. Both problems are seen in elderly dogs.

One significant advantage that aging dogs have compared to humans is that eye damage and blindness does not incapacitate them to the same extent as human blindness. Good hearing and an acute sense of smell compensate well. There are many stories told of blind dogs managing wonderfully well in life and it’s a pity we aging humans are unable to see through the “eyes” of our beloved dogs at times!