8 everyday things that you may be doing that can hurt your eyes and what can be done about it
Every day, we encounter different activities that hurt our eyes. These activities range from spending all day in front of the screens, rubbing itchy eyes to get a soothing feeling and even applying to much of the eye drops. If you are doing all the above, you may be causing harm to your eye without even noticing. This article talks about some of the other ways you may be harming your eyes, and what you can do instead.
- Staring at screens all day
We must admit that since the COVID-19 and lockdown measures being put in different countries, we spend most of our time indoors, watching the TV, and replying messages on our phones. All these activities cause harm to the eye. Digital eye strain is a condition that is known to cause discomfort to the eyes. It occurs when we stare at the screen for long periods usually longer than two hours. With the increased technology, staying off the computer screens is very challenging especially since most of our involve working on the computer. Some of the ways that you can minimize potential harm when using computer screens include the following.
- Good posture. Ensure that you maintain a good posture when working because good posture goes a long way. Adjust the height of your chair in such a way that you can sit up and your legs can rest on the ground. The knees should be bent at 90 degrees.
- Play around with the display settings on your monitor. Adjusting your monitor’s display can help with preventing your eyes from harm. The brightness of the screen should not be the main source of lighting. Work in an environment with natural lighting and ensure that the screen brightness is low. If you are still experiencing discomfort, increase the text font. Also, the contrast of the background should be comfortable.
- Reduce the blue light. Blue light helps when we do not want to deal with excess brightness. When the sun sets, you can switch to a setting that reduces the amount of blue light to a comfortable level. Night-time settings on the phone emits an orange or red light, which is usually friendly and easier on the eyes. This type of light helps you sleep peacefully. Research shows that too much use of blue light an hour before sleep can interfere with sleep quality. Therefore, it is recommended that instead of scrolling through social media before sleep, trying reading a book or close your eyes and listen to a podcast.
- Take breaks. Here, the 20/20/20 rule applies. For every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and stare at something that is at least 20 feet away.
- Rubbing eyes
Rubbing your eyes when they feel itchy or burning can give temporary relief, but it causes a long-term harm to your eyes.
- You may have touched different dirty surfaces, making your hands to be full of bacteria. When you transfer this bacteria to your eyes, it will cause harm to your vision.
- Rubbing your eyes when you feel like there is a foreign particle inside the eye also provides temporary relief to the eye, but continuous rubbing can end up causing injury to the eye. This is why eye drops and sterile eye wash are better options for this problem.
- Rubbing of the eye is also linked to thinning of the cornea which can result to a degenerative eye condition known as keratoconus.
- Using expired eye makeup
Using too much eye makeup also causes harm to the eye, especially if the makeup gets inside the eye. Washing off may provide temporary relief but the pain will last for some time. Just as using too much eye makeup is dangerous, using expired makeup is even worse. For instance, mascara lasts for only three months, and using it past this time gives room for bacteria collection, and when put inside the eye, can transfer bacteria to the eye. This leads to an eye infection.
- Skipping scheduled eye exams
Going for regular eye visits is important since it gives you the chance to know if you are having any vision problems that have not yet shown. You may think that your eyes are healthy, but the only way you can be sure about this is when you schedule regular appointments with the doctor. More eye problems can also be scanned during this time and the necessary treatment plans given.
- Wearing contact lenses for too long
Wearing contact lenses is important since it helps with temporary vision correction. However, putting them on for longer hours causes potential damage to the eye. Furthermore, wearing contact lenses in the shower is not advisable since water gets inside the eye, hence causing eye irritation and itching. Leaving your contacts on for longer periods opens channels for eye infection.
- Choosing not to sport sunglasses
Although most people wear sunglasses for fashion, choosing the right shade is important. Just as the skin suffers when it is exposed to too much sunlight, so does the eyes. Choosing the right shade of sunglasses is important as it minimizes the amount of light getting inside the eye while making vision clear. If you spend most of your time outdoors in the sun, then sunglasses should be part of your everyday eye wear.
- Overusing eye drops
Using eye drops when not prescribed and over using them causes potential harm to the eyes. Eye drops should be used in moderation and for the specified period only. This is because they work well and provide the soothing effect when used in moderation s compared to when overused. Redness-reducing eye drops when used in excess, constrict the blood vessels which results to even more redness forming in the eye. You should use eye drops sparingly.
- Not wearing safety goggles
If your work entails putting on safety goggles then you should have them on, because failure to put the goggles on when you should causes harm to the eyes.