It is essential that our eye health is always a priority. However, many of our daily habits can contribute to the onset of glaucoma and vision loss.
Mistry, professional eye doctor at Vision Direct, has compiled some daily habits related to both short- and long-term vision problems. In it she offers professional advice to take care of our eyes by making some simple changes in the day to day.
1. DRINKING COFFEE
Coffee culture is important in England. In fact, the UK drinks approximately 98 million cups of coffee per day. However, excessive caffeine intake has been linked to eye spasms and increased intraocular pressure, conditions that increase the risk of developing glaucoma.
But how much is too much? Although this depends on countless factors, some good indicators would be nervousness, fairly high heart rate, insomnia, headaches, muscle tremors and eye spasms. Regulating caffeine intake to a moderate level will reduce your risk of developing eye conditions.
2. NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP
Sleep hygiene has been found to be at the root of many problems, as it influences mood, learning ability, concentration, and information retention. Eye health is just one more on the list of negative consequences of poor sleep.
A study published in the journal BMJ Open, based on 409,053 participants, shows that there is a relationship between poor sleep habits and the onset and progression of glaucoma. These bad habits can be sleeping too much, not getting enough sleep, snoring, daytime sleepiness, and insomnia.
It is usually considered that the ideal is 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep during the night. But having good sleep hygiene is much more than going to bed early. Reducing exposure to blue light in the hours before going to bed, creating the right conditions for uninterrupted sleep, and reducing caffeine intake are all measures that can help you sleep better.
Sleep hygienists also recommend not drinking plenty of fluids before bed, as walks to the bathroom in the middle of the night are the main reason for sleep disruption.
3. UNPROTECTED UV EXPOSURE
Unprotected exposure to ultraviolet radiation can lead to an eye disease called photokeratitis. UV light has the potential to damage all structures of the eye, ultimately leading to vision loss. The most common conditions are corneal lesions, cataracts, and macular degeneration.
Fortunately, the solution is as simple as it is obvious: wear sunglasses. They protect your eyes from UV radiation just as sunscreen protects your skin.
It is good to keep in mind that not all sunglasses offer the same protection and that, in addition, at some point it will be necessary to change them for new ones. Some indicators that it is necessary to renew them are wear, scratches and the feeling that the crystals lose opacity. If you spend a lot of time in the sun, having a pair of glasses (and wearing them regularly) would be a good investment for overall eye health.
Do not let the clouds fool you either, also cloudy or cold but bright days can damage your eyes. As strange as it may seem, these problematic UV rays continue to pass through clouds on cold but bright days, and are especially dangerous if there is snow, as they reflect off it and reach the eyes from multiple directions.
4. TOO MUCH TIME STARING AT THE SCREEN
What is your favourite hobby? TikTok? Video games? YouTube?
Spending a lot of time on your phone or computer can lead to “digital eye strain,” which manifests itself in the form of headache, blurred vision, dry eyes, and pain in the upper body, around the neck.
The blue light emitted by these devices, with a short wavelength and high energy, can damage the retina. When we use them for a long time, we tend to blink less and this can make us feel dryness and discomfort in the eyes.
To reduce the risk of eye damage from blue light, it’s important to take frequent breaks and have good eye care habits, such as adjusting screen brightness and contrast and making sure the screen is at an appropriate distance. Using a screen filter can also help reduce exposure to blue light.
You can also incorporate the 20-20-20 rule into your daily routine. This consists of getting into the habit of taking your eyes off the screen every 20 minutes and looking for 20 seconds at an object about 20 feet (6 meters) away.
5. USE MAKEUP AFTER ITS USEFUL LIFE
When a person who usually puts on makeup finally finds a good mascara or a nice (and also expensive) makeup palette, it is normal that it costs a lot to get rid of it. You may be tempted to keep it, but expired makeup can harbor infection-causing bacteria that, in turn, could contaminate your eyes.
Although an expiration date appears in makeup, all can deteriorate over time depending on their useful life. This shelf life depends on how you use and store it. Using unsterilized fingers or applicators increases your chances of bacteria being transmitted and your risk of infection.
The solution to this problem is to renew makeup products when necessary. The duration of use is usually indicated by a symbol of a bottle or tube on the back of the product.
You should also have good hygiene practices such as not sharing makeup products and storing them properly to avoid contamination.
If you already have an eye disease, it is recommended that you use hypoallergenic products to reduce the risk of infection.
6. NOT EATING VEGETABLES
Not consuming the right amount of fruit and vegetables can contribute to deficiencies of vitamins A and C, two very effective antioxidants.
Over time, this lack of vitamins can increase the risk of developing eye diseases such as macular degeneration, cataracts and night blindness.
One way to avoid future eye problems is to eat vegetables! A Harvard study of 100,000 men and women over the age of 25 found that people who eat about 10 servings of leafy greens a week are 30 percent less likely to develop glaucoma than those who don’t.
7. SMOKING
Smoking causes oxidative stress, which has the potential to lead to inflammation in many structures of the eyes, for example in the head of the optic nerve.
Unfortunately for smokers, there is no way to counteract the negative effects already caused by tobacco. However, quitting smoking and talking to your doctor or ophthalmologist about taking certain supplements is a step in the right direction.
8. FORGETTING TO REMOVE YOUR CONTACT LENSES
When you’re comfortable, it’s sometimes easy to forget you’re wearing contact lenses; However, not removing them before doing certain activities such as sleeping or swimming can have very bad consequences for your eyes.
Both wearing contact lenses overnight and wearing them longer than recommended can cause eye infections. Wearing contact lenses for too long can produce symptoms of dryness and, in more severe cases, cause inflammation of the cornea due to decreased oxygen in the eye.
Some simple steps to avoid this include setting alarms on your phone to remove contact lenses before bed, placing reminders next to the toothbrush, and making sure you store and clean contact lenses thoroughly.
9. RUBBING YOUR EYES
We rub our eyes mainly because of tiredness as they bite or bother us, but the problem with this is the spread of bacteria or infections.
Think about it: a simple visit to the supermarket puts you, and therefore your hands, in contact with the germs of many people. Therefore, rubbing your eyes is an easy way to spread bacteria to the eye.
In addition, frequent and intense eye rubbing can cause intraocular pressure to increase, a factor that predisposes to glaucoma progression.
Good personal hygiene and being aware of hand washing should help reduce the risk of transmitting bacteria and dirt to the eyes. If your eyes are constantly irritated, you should probably visit your eye doctor or pharmacist.
10. STRESS
Stress can directly affect the health of our eyesight, causing from mild conditions to more complex problems, depending on stress levels, our predisposition and vulnerability.
If stress-related vision problems are under control, they are usually not as severe. The most common stress-related eye disorders are eye spasms and eyestrain.
If you suffer from these symptoms, go without hesitation to the eye doctor. One of the solutions may be to perform activities that reduce stress such as meditation, exercise and breathwork.