If you find yourself rubbing your eyes frequently or spending too much time looking at screens, you might be hurting your eyes without even knowing it.
Some quirks seem to be hardwired and can have a detrimental effect on your eyes. However, bad habits are just bugs in a system, and with a few dedicated ways, it is possible to deprogram them.
Here are the quick fixes for some of the most common bad habits that can hurt your eyes.
1. Screen Time
Like many people, you may have to spend most of the day at work looking at a computer or cellphone. At home, you probably spend time on screens checking email, paying bills, reading books or watching TV shows, and all using your laptop, smartphone, or tablet. Even though the use of technology is inescapable, too much screen time can lead to adverse side effects such as blurred vision, headaches, and eye strain.
Our Tip: Screens are everywhere, and it is not practical to suggest you can’t use them at all, but taking a break frequently (a digital detox) can do wonders for your well-being. Start small and try limiting your screen time to one hour before bed and consider taking digital breaks on the weekends.
2. Rubbing Your Eyes
Itchy eyes are annoying, and rubbing your eyes may seem harmless, but frequent eye rubbing can cause severe damage to your eyes.
Our Tip: You can use eye drops to cleanse your eyes and flush out dirt. A doctor may have to prescribe medicine to treat conjunctivitis. A warm compress may also help itchiness, dryness, red-eye, and infections. If you’re rubbing your eyes as a habit, simply resisting the urge to rub your eyes would help!
3. Sleeping in Contacts
Removing contacts is such a chore, especially when all you want is to go to bed. But going to sleep with contacts is harmful to your eyes. It blocks oxygen from reaching your cornea and may cause a bacterial eye infection.
Our Tip: Don’t sleep in your contacts, not even a nap. It won’t do you any good.
If you accidentally fall asleep in your contacts, remove them as soon as possible. If they do not come off easily (because they seem stuck to your eyes), don’t tug at them. Instead, put extra lubrication (like multipurpose contact lens solution) in your eyes to take them out safely. 13 You may want to give your eyes some break at least for a day before wearing them back. If your eye remains irritated, our eye doctor immediately.
4. Sleeping with Makeup On
Slept on the couch with a full face of foundation, eye shadow, and mascara? You don’t need us to tell you this one, but sleeping in your makeup is also a big No-No! Not only for the couch but also for your eyes.
When eye makeup gets into the cornea (the front part of the eye), it increases the chances of getting a corneal infection or a scratch.
Our Tip: Gently wash off your eye makeup each night before bed. Selecting solutions that are hypoallergenic, non-toxic, and free of germs should provide you with the safety you need and also get the job done. If you are having any specific problems with your eyes, we suggest you speak with one of our ophthalmologists.
5. Smoking
The long list of risks associated with smoking gets longer. Not only smoking tobacco (cigarettes, cigars, or pipes) can cause lung disease, cancer, and other health problems, but it can also harm the eyes. Glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and dry eye are some of these problems. Also, a baby’s eyes can be affected if the mother smokes during pregnancy. Quitting smoking can help save your vision.
6. Forgetting to Visit an Eye Doctor Regularly
Did you know that eye doctors may even be able to detect other health issues during a comprehensive eye exam along with other eye-related concerns?
Some of the health issues such as diabetes, high cholesterol, thyroid diseases, etc. may discover during an eye exam. Yet a fair amount of people might avoid an eye exam. Be a busy schedule or the belief that if nothing hurts, then everything is fine.
Our Tip: Even if you do not notice a problem, a trained ophthalmologist or optometrist can spot any deficiencies during the early stages of development.
Plan a trip to your expert eye doctors at Shinagawa, just like you’d go to a primary care physician for a checkup.
Call our Patient Care Lines: (+632) 7-368 5238 l (+63) 917 862 7454 l (+63) 921 217 0517 for inquiries, questions, and appointments or talk to our consultants via LiveChat here on our website.
