Our eyes tend to be something we take for granted until there is an issue with their health or our vision. Eye health is a critical part of maintaining good vision and overall health throughout your life. However, there are several mistakes people make each and every day that could be putting their eye health at risk. Here are the top 5 eye mistakes to avoid to ensure that your eyes stay healthy for years to come.
An annual eye exam is an important tool for checking in on the health of your eyes. Many people fail to get an annual eye exam because they think their vision is fine. It is important to note that vision checks are only a small part of what is going on in an annual eye exam. Your optometrist is also checking the health of the cornea, retina, and optic nerve. Issues with any part of the eye need to be diagnosed by an optometrist so the proper treatment and care steps can be taken.
Failing to wear proper eye protection is extremely dangerous to one’s eye health. When outside, it is important to wear UV protection sunglasses. Exposure to UV rays from the sun has been linked to eye problems such as macular degeneration, cataracts, and even vision loss. Additionally, eye protection should be worn in windy conditions to protect the eyes from debris and eye injuries.
Eye protection may also be chosen by those who stare at a computer screen for extended periods of time each day. Computer glasses or “blue light blocking” glasses have become more popular as they help reduce fatigue, eye dryness, and other symptoms people feel when staring at a computer screen for too long.
Your eye doctor has probably repeated this a thousand times, but please do not sleep in your contact lenses! Make it a habit to take your contacts out every night to properly disinfect them and give your eyes a break. Contact lenses reduce your cornea’s ability to get oxygen, so keeping them in all night is extremely damaging. Additionally, sleeping with your contact lenses in increases your chances of developing an eye infection or other health problem.
While we are on the topic of bedtime, make sure you are also washing your makeup off. Eye makeup sitting on your lids and lashes all night can be extremely irritating to the skin and eyes and can actually lead to an infection. So take out your contacts and wash your face before heading to sleep!
Are you failing to wear your glasses or contacts when you should? Is your current prescription not quite up-to-date? Straining your eyes to see is never good for you. Your vision changes over time, so it is normal to need an updated prescription in order to prevent straining your eyes. Wearing the correct prescription glasses or contacts will help your eyes work better and can help reduce instances of headaches or dizziness that are often accompanied by straining the eyes.
Pain in your eyes should absolutely never be ignored. The eyes are relatively sensitive, so it is vital to see an eye specialist if you experience any pain or an injury to the eye as it could ultimately affect your vision. Pain in the eyes is often neglected, even though this pain could be the sign of a number of very serious conditions.
Make your eye health a priority this year, and start by scheduling an annual eye exam at Marano Eye Care. We will perform necessary eye tests to ensure that your eyes are in great shape, and address any eye conditions you may be experiencing. If eye pain or discomfort are familiar to you, contact us to be seen by an eye specialist in New Jersey. We look forward to helping you see better and attain greater eye health!
