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Common causes of bad eyesight are rooted deep in an unhealthy lifestyle and eating habits. Or, it may as well be a side effect of a pre-existing medical condition. But, eliminating age-related vision problems (as they are bound to happen anyway), there are some common habits we all are guilty of that hurt our vision.
Refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism are mostly hereditary. However, there are unhealthy habits that you have formed over the years and now your eyes are paying the price.
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The following are 7 such habits you need to cut back on.
Screen Time
Working for long hours on your laptop or computer can welcome the symptoms of eye strain. Your eye will feel dry and strain to see after a long session of screen time. While it is true that blue light filter glasses help you combat eye strain, you must watch your screen habits and limit digital consumption when necessary.
Make sure you take breaks every 20 minutes and give your eyes some rest. In the time off, move your eyes to change the focus. Performing close up tasks for a long time can make you nearsighted.
Also, do not forget to blink whenever your eyes feel dry. Doing so will restore the natural moisture of your eyes and your eyes will get some relief.
Lack Of Sleep
If you are not getting 6 to 8 hours of sound sleep every night, you become more vulnerable to vision problems. As you give your body rest while lying in the bed you need to give similar consideration to your eyes.
After a long day at work, do not make your eyes work overtime at night. Make sure you get the right amount of sleep. When you sleep well, your eyes get lubricated and energised for the next morning. Do not indulge in screen time at night as it is one of the most common causes of lost sleep.
Rubbing Your Eyes
We rub our eyes when something gets in them or they feel too tired. It may seem like a harmless job but it’s not. Rubbing your eyes often leads to reshaping of the cornea in some rare cases which triggers refractive errors.
Also, when something gets in your eye and you rub it, the object may go even deeper in the eye and cause problems such as conjunctivitis. If you live in a windy area where it’s difficult to protect your eyes from the flying dust and debris, buy cheap glasses online with side shields or wide lens areas. They will protect your eyes from foreign objects.
Smoking
If you think it’s your cardiovascular health and lungs that smoking causes harm to, you need to add eye problems to the list as well. Yes, smoking is one of the leading factors behind severe eye condition.
Smoking increases the inflammation levels in your body. This puts extra pressure on the tiny blood vessels in the eye which can even make them tear up. Smoking is related to a number of ocular problems such as cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma and retinal detachment.
Not Getting Regular Eye Exams
We don’t take our eye health seriously until the situation gets out of control. Regular eye exams are important even when you don’t experience any issues with your vision. They detect any developing eye condition so you can take action as soon as possible.
Also, eye tests can reveal a lot about your health in general. If there’s something wrong with it, your optometrist will detect it and refer you to a health specialist for further diagnosis. And why pay for these tests when the NHS provide a free eye test in the UK.
Not Wearing Sunglasses
We care so much about our skin. We put on sunscreen when stepping out in the sunlight. Don’t care so much about our eyes though. Because if we do, we won’t leave your eyes naked in the hot sun.
No matter how bizarre you find it, UV rays destroy your retinal health and put you at a higher risk of developing macular degeneration and cataracts. So you better not forget to wear your shades the next time you step out in the daylight.
If you have a prescription, you can easily find online glasses that come with a tint and optical lenses. These are called tinted glasses. They protect your eyes from the sun and correct your vision at the same time.
Working In Dim Lights
Working in low light levels increases the contrast for our eyes and they have a hard time adjusting the focus. This tires them out leading to the bitter feeling of eye fatigue. However, too bright lights aren’t healthy for your eyes as well. When working on your laptop or computer, make sure the surrounding light levels are optimised as per the brightness of your screen.
Conclusion
There is not an easy fix for eye problems. You need to be mindful of your habits. Also, while you are making lifestyle changes, be sure to make some changes in your diet too. Eating foods rich in vitamin A, C and E will strengthen your eye health from within.
