Our eyes are the most sensitive sensory organs. Knowingly or unknowingly, we cause a great damage to our eyes, every day, both inside and out. An unhealthy lifestyle can cause numerous problems to us. However, the first impact is visible only on our eyes. The area around our eyes is most likely to show the first signs of eye ageing. Here we mention the 7 most prominent unhealthy habits which cause our eyes to age way before time. These 7 unhealthy habits you must avoid to keep your eyes healthy. Have a look – 1) Rubbing Your Eyes We often rub our eyes too mercilessly when they feel strained or itchy. It leads to tearing up of the blood vessels present under the skin around our eyes. The breakage of these blood vessels doesn’t only cause dark circles, drooping eyelids, and puffiness under eyes but it also degrades our vision. Rubbing the eye also causes Keratoconus. Thus, to get rid of the itchiness and strain, use a cold compress or a moisturizing eye drop instead of rubbing your eyes. 2) Avoiding Sunglasses Whether it is a sunny day or one with a sky full of clouds, you must never step out in the daytime without a pair of sunglasses. The sun emits UV and HEV rays. The radiations of both of these sunrays are harmful to our eyes. The rays can cause problems such as Cataract, Macular degeneration, and cause harm to our vision. Therefore, a pair of good quality sunglasses is a must have for you. 3) Improper Eating Habits The chase of our lives has taken a great toll on our eating habits. If you are too much into eating junk food and usually avoid a staple diet then you must get ready to lose your vision too soon. Lack of intake of required vitamins and minerals can cause weakening of the eyesight. A balanced diet of fruits, green leafy vegetables, fish and eggs, and nuts ensures the health of your eyes. 4) Smoking Saying that the effects of smoking are unhealthy will be an act of undermining the harms it can cause to your body. If you are habitual to smoking then you must know that this habit is not only harming your lungs but is also gradually affecting your vision. People who smoke are prone to numerous eye problems. Macular degeneration, cataract, dry eyes, uveitis, etc. are few of the eye diseases which occur due to smoking. Moreover, it also affects the people around you. Read Similar Article: Smoking and Its Impact on Eye Health 5) Insufficient Sleep After an entire day of sitting against a computer screen, our eyes require adequate rest. Therefore, you must sleep for at least 7 hours a day. Excessive eye strain can cause dryness, irritation, and itchiness to the eyes. It also leads to weakening of the eyesight. 6) Wearing contact lenses while sleeping It must have been a long and tired day but taking out those contact lenses from your eyes won’t take a lot of time. Sleeping with your eyes covered in contact lenses can cause great damage to the eyes. It occurs because with your eyelids shut the eye do not get enough oxygen. Moreover, wearing contact lenses while sleeping does deprive our eyes of the required oxygen, it causes redness, irritation, and itchiness in the eye. 7) Insufficient intake of water Water is a magical remedy to cure eye strain. Adequate intake of water avoids dehydration and enables tear build-up which keeps our eyes moisturized. Thus, a sufficient intake of water helps to avoid eye strain, itchiness, irritation, and redness. Some Healthy Habits on Eye Care in General: We went through some of the major unhealthy habits that you must avoid to keep your eyes healthy. Let’s take a look at some of the things we can do to keep our eyes healthy and our vision sharp in general.
- Eat a Balanced and Nutritious Diet A balanced and nutritious diet is good not only for your eyes but your overall health in general. Important nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, lutein, and vitamins C and E play an important role in fighting off eye problems like age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Some healthy foods include green leafy vegetables, fish like salmon and tuna, and protein sources like eggs, nuts, and beans.
- Exercise regularly and Take Care of Your Body Another healthy habit is to ensure you exercise regularly and take care of your body adequately. Daily excercise helps you stay away from cardiovascular diseases and other diseases like type-2 diabetis, which can lead to chronic eye problems. Other important things to do in regards to taking care of your body include:
- Managing your blood glucose levels.
- Avoiding tobacco in any form.
- Drinking healthy drinks like green tea.
- Incorporate Habits that Prevent Digital Eye Strain Digital Eye Strain is a new eye problem epidemic and affects people of all ages. It refers to the discomfort our eyes experience when we use digital screens for prolonged periods of time. Since we use technology to do everything in today’s digital age, it is hard to escape digital eye strain. Here are some habits you can incorporate in your daily life that prevent digital eye strain:
- The 20-20-20 Rule: For every 20 minutes of working on a digital screen, you should ideally look at some twenty feet away for twenty seconds. This helps in relaxing your eye muscles and allowing them to rest.
- Make blinking a conscious act. It has been reported that the average rate of blinking goes down when we are looking at a digital screen. This leads to eyes which are not moisturied properly and leads to chronic dry eye syndrome, which is a part of digital eye strain. By remembering to blink, you protect your eyes from becoming too dry.
- Practice proper posture when working on a computer. Our posture matters a lot when we are working on digital screens and the effects of digital eye strain can be minimized when you’re practising posture that is appropriate and healthy
