Certain bad habits hurt your eyes! Avoid these things for good #eyeheath.

1. Eye rubbing

Many people have a habit of rubbing their eyes. This bad habit not only increases the chances of eye infection such as conjunctivitis, but it also may also lead to increase in your spectacles power.

There is also a vision threatening condition known as “keratoconus” which can develop due to excessive eye rubbing.

What to do if you have itchy eyes? Do not rub them! Instead visit your eye doctor and find out the reason why your eyes are itching. There could be two reasons for itchy eyes, you could either have an allergy which can be easily treated with eye drops, or it could be because you need new glasses.

2. Excessive screen time

Using your phone and laptop for a long time can lead to digital eye strain.

Limit your digital screen use. Using blue-cut coating on your spectacles can also help.

If your job needs you to work on a digital screen for a long time, you could follow these tips to reduce digital eye strain.

Spend more time outdoors. Play outdoor games, go for a short trip, read books, paint, listen to music or do anything that takes your mind off the screens for a while and rejuvenates your mind, body and soul.

3. Smoking

Smoking is bad for your overall health. Not only does it cause serious lung diseases and cancer, it also takes a toll on your eyes.

Smoking is known to cause cataracts, retinal diseases in your eyes and reduce your vision.

If you do smoke, the best time to quit is now!

4. Staying up late at night

One of the down sides to increasing use of social media and communication apps it that it keeps us glued to our screens for long hours. Most people stay up at night, checking their phones or viewing laptops.

Staying up at night causes eye fatigue and will lead to eye strain. It also causes dark circles, accelerates signs of ageing and makes you look and feel tired.

A good night’s sleep is one of the essential things for a healthy body and healthy eyes. And the old saying, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes you healthy, wealthy and wise” still holds true.

5. Not wearing your glasses

If you have glasses, please wear them. Trying to work without glasses can lead to unnecessary eye strain.

Not only that, not wearing glasses, especially in children, can cause permanent reduction in vision due to a condition called as “Lazy eye” or “amblyopia“.

Also, if you wear glasses, you need to visit your eye doctor regularly to ensure that your glasses prescription is up to date.

You could also look up for these tips to take good care of your glasses.

6. Eating unhealthy food

Good food is important for overall health. Eye health is no exception!

That burger or soft drink you had for the sake of your taste buds can affect your vision in the long run. Eating unhealthy food can lead to several eye diseases like cataracts and retinal disorders.

Besides, unhealthy food leads to obesity, increased blood cholesterol, raised blood sugar, and high blood pressure. All these factors will increase the risk of certain retinal diseases that could lead to blindness.

So what to eat for good eye health? You could read this other blog of mine in which I have listed 10 antioxidant rich foods that are good for your eyes!

7. Not wearing eye protection

Eyes are sensitive and delicate structures that are prone to injury. So always remember to protect your eyes.

Especially if you are cleaning using harsh chemicals, remember to wear your protective glasses to avoid chemical injury to your eyes due to an accidental splash. Similarly, if you like to swim, never forget your swimming goggles. You really wouldn’t want chlorinated water inside your eyes, would you?

If you are working with metal, wood, glass or anything that has a chance of breaking into splinters that could hurt your eyes, ensure that your eyes are protected to avoid injury.

If you are going out in the sun, make sure to protect your eyes with sunglasses!

And last but not the least, if you are riding a bike or a scooter, always wear your helmet.

Vision is precious and sometimes eye injuries can be severe enough to cause blindness, so why take a risk?

So now that we have come to the end of this article, do you have any of these bad habits? If you do, it is time to change now!

If you have any questions, feel free to drop in a comment below or email me at neha.pednekar1489@gmail.com

I’ll meet you soon in my next blog, till then take good care of your eyes and stay healthy.