Your eyes are an important part of your body that you need in order to function every single day. If you were to lose your eyesight, just think about how different your life would be than it is today. Big things like your job or driving, but also everyday things, like getting up and around your house, or taking a walk outside with your dog. Bad eye habits can be more damaging than you think.
It’s extremely important to take care of your vision—and the sooner, the better. You may not be aware of some of the most common unhealthy habits people have that can affect the long-term health of your eyes.
Reading in Poor Lighting – Reading in poor lighting can cause a lot of strain on your eyes. Similarly, staring at your smartphone and reading tiny text for extended period of times is one of the most common bad eye habits and can also cause a great deal of strain on your eyes.
Sleeping with Your Contacts – If you’re sleeping with your contacts in, it’s time to stop this bad eye habit. You are not only at risk of infection, but you can also permanently damage your eyes. Further, outside of sleeping, wearing your contacts for extended period of time anywhere can cause a plethora of problems, so take your contacts out and let your eyes take a break whenever you can. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one million people in the U.S. have gone to the eye doctor to treat infections from wearing contacts.
Using Cheap or Expired Eye Makeup – Think about all of the things that you apply near your eyes—mascara, eye shadow, eyeliner, eyelashes, creams, and more. Anytime you put products near your eyes, you risk certain infections or damage to your eyes. This risk is even greater when you use products that are cheap or expired. Further, sharing eye makeup with others is also a potential risk for increased infection or damage to your eyes. It’s recommended that you replace your eye makeup products after 3 months.
Not Protecting Your Eyes from the Sun – Everyone knows that the sun can cause a great deal of damage to your body. It’s why so many people lather up in sunscreen when they go outside for extended period of times. This is why it’s important to protect your eyes from the sun. First, you should never look directly at the sun for any reason. Grabbing a hat or sunglasses (particularly sunglasses with UV protection) will help to protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays.
Swimming Without Goggles – If you’re going to out at the pool, make sure that you grab a set of goggles. There are a lot of chemicals and unknowns often found in pools, so it’s important that you protect your eyes by swimming with goggles.
Rubbing Your Eyes – Your eyes are itchy, so what do you do? The immediate response is to rub your eyes, but what you are forgetting is that your hands and fingers contain countless germs and by rubbing your eyes, you risk causing an eye infection. Further, rubbing your eyes vigorously or frequently can scratch and damage the surface of the eye.
Smoking and Exposure to Second-Hand Smoke –The chemicals found in cigarette smoke can cause macular degeneration, which can lead to vision loss, as well as damage the eye tissue.
Not Seeing Your Eye Doctor – Last, but certainly not least, not seeing your optometrist to regularly check your eyes is a recipe for disaster. It’s not just for your vision, but it’s also a way for your doctor to check for any other eye diseases or problems.
So, how did you do? You might not be guilty of all of these bad eye habits, but you can certainly see how doing a few of these habits over time can add up to a lot of strain and risk of damage to your eyes. Take some time to put together an action plan on how to better care for your eyes today! For any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact Advanced Eye Medical today to ensure crystal clear vision. Your eyes will thank you!