6 Common Habits That Could Be Damaging Your Vision
Your vision is more than just your eyesight; part of your overall health.
Eye health isn’t something you can take for granted—especially when American Academy of Ophthalmology Vision problems are predicted to increase dramatically over the next 30 years. In addition to genetic or age-related vision changes, your daily habits may also be harming your eye health. We’ve collected the most common bad eye habits and the precautions you can take to avoid them.
For more information, see What foods should be added to your diet and what you should do Support your eye health every day. remember, regular eye exams Still a must-have to keep your eyes in top condition.
1. Use expired cosmetics
It’s easy to forget that your favorite makeup products have a lifespan, especially when you use them every day. use Expired mascara and eyeliner may put your eyes at risk for infection. When determining when to abandon the product, a good rule of thumb is to look for Post-opening period. This stamp will tell you how soon after opening the product it needs to be replaced. For example, usually Mascara lasts about three months.
Proper storage of cosmetics is also important. Improper storage can affect the lifespan of your product and can lead to bacterial or mold growth, putting you at risk of infection.
2. Reuse contact lenses
If you think you’ll save money by recycling contacts, you may end up spending more in the long run. As someone who has done this and gotten multiple eye infections as a result, I can attest to this The contact lens habit is worth breaking. When I switched to daily contacts and alternated between wearing glasses, I greatly reduced my chances of getting eye infections and kept my eyes healthy.
Switching to a daily journal is worth considering: One study found that people who wear daily Reusable contact lenses carry about four times the risk of Acanthamoeba keratitis than regular contact lensesA rare eye infection that increases the risk of vision loss or blindness in people compared with daily contact lens wearers.
Other Habits You Should Break When Using Contact Lenses This includes wearing them while sleeping, bathing or swimming. Board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. Mackenzie Sward warns, “Sleeping with contact lenses and failing to clean the lenses properly can significantly increase the risk of corneal ulcers caused by bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infections.” As if that wasn’t alarming enough. The concern is that vision loss from contact lens-related complications can be severe and permanent.
Read more: Best place to buy contacts online
3. Not wearing sunglasses
you know your Skin needs sunscreen to protect it from harmful UV raysbelieve it or not, your eyes need to be protected too. Sward recommends wearing appropriate UV protective clothing outdoors or in your car, even on cloudy days. “This is because harmful UVA and UVB rays in the atmosphere increase the risk of macular degeneration, cataracts, eyelid skin cancer and other eye diseases,” she explains. To protect your eyes, Sward recommends choosing sunglasses with 100% UV protection whenever you go out.
“Cumulative UV exposure and damage only increases the risk of macular degeneration, cataracts, pterygium and skin cancer,” she explains. These conditions may be permanent or require surgical treatment to correct. People who work in occupations that involve more outdoor work, such as construction or landscaping, are at risk for certain illnesses related to UV damage higher, so they should pay more attention to protect themselves.
Read more: Best Prescription Sunglasses
4. Not wearing protective glasses
You should also wear protective eyewear when playing sports or doing work where there is a risk of eye injury. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “estimates that approximately 2,000 people suffer work-related eye injuries every day, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology estimates that there are 30,000 sports-related eye injuries in the United States each year,” Sward said. Many of these injuries are preventable and often involve foreign objects becoming lodged in the eye, such as dust, wood, metal or plant debris. Other injuries that can be sustained due to a lack of eye protection include blunt force or direct trauma from a fall or a larger object (such as a tool hitting the face).
5. Smoking
Apart from the known Smoking poses many health risks May cause, it can also damage your eyes. Smoking cigarettes can double your weight Risk of macular degenerationwhich can cause vision loss in the part of your eye called the macula. Smoking also damages the retina and increases the chance of developing cataracts, which cloud the lens of the eye and can also lead to vision loss. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, smokers approx. Three times more likely to develop cataracts Compared with non-smokers, people are four times more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration. Therefore, if you are a smoker, it is in your best interest to quit the habit.
6. Spending too much time on screens
We all agree that we can limit the time we spend on our smartphones, laptops and tablets. Reducing the time spent with these items also benefits our eyesight. digital eye strain or Computer Vision Syndrome is a condition that happens when you stare at a computer Or too much screen time on your phone. It can cause dry eyes, blurred vision, headaches, back pain and other uncomfortable symptoms.
Swader recommends taking frequent breaks from the screen to relax your eyes and wearing a pair of prescription lenses designed for computer use. “It’s important to see your eye care professional regularly to make sure you’re wearing the appropriate corrective lenses and to be screened for eye conditions that may not have any symptoms,” she says.
