You probably think that you are taking care of your eyesight, or at the very least that you aren’t doing anything to actually harm it. In some cases, this will be accurate; some people are expertly looking after their eyes and ensuring that they don’t do anything that can cause damage and affect how well they can see. Most people, however, will have some kind of habit that will be damaging their eyes (either a little or a lot) without them even realizing it. It’s crucial to become more aware of this and to make changes to your lifestyle if need be – your eyesight is too precious not to. Here are some of the habits you need to quit if you want to take better care of your eyes.
Rubbing Your Eyes
Everyone rubs their eyes from time to time. It might be because you have an allergy, dust, or an eyelash has got into your eye, or maybe you’re tired, or you want to stop crying. There are countless reasons why you might run your eyes without even thinking about it; it’s a natural reaction to many different situations.
The problem is, however, that no matter how natural it might be, rubbing your eyes can be dangerous and cause them harm. The issue is that anything in your eye that shouldn’t be there (dust and so on) will rub against the surface of the eye when you rub your eyelids – this means that your eyes will become scratched and that makes the cornea thinner. Plus, you could be adding germs from your hands to your eyes, potentially causing an infection.
Rather than rubbing your eyes, it’s better to use eye drops or splash them with water. If the reason your eyes are sore is that you use a screen for work or your downtime, make sure you take plenty of breaks, so you don’t develop eyestrain or dry eyes.
Smoking
We all know that everyone who smokes should quit for their health and the health of those around them, but it’s also important to quit for the sake of your eyesight. Smoking can even lead to complete blindness in some cases, and at the very least, you might develop sore eyes and cataracts. Although cataracts can be treated with a cataract lens implant, they are still highly unpleasant to have to deal with, and if you ignore the problem, they can become untreatable.
There are two reasons why smoking is bad for your eyes. The first is that the smoke from the cigarette will rise into your eyes, causing irritation and potentially forming cancerous cells. Secondly, when you smoke, your blood vessels become restricted, and this can mean that less blood flows to your heart, and other organs (including the eyes) will shut down to ensure their blood supply is rerouted to the most important organ in the body.
Being Careless With Your Contact Lenses
If you wear contact lenses, you need to be careful with them at all times – careless handling and storage can mean you are causing damage to your eyes when you use your lenses.
Make sure you always take your time when inserting or removing the lenses; if you rush this procedure, you might damage your eyes in the process. It’s also crucial to wash your hands before touching your lenses or your eyes to prevent the spread of potentially extremely harmful germs. Remember to never sleep in your contact lenses; this is a bad habit that you should stop right away.
