Your vision is one of the most important senses we have. Are you taking your vision for granted?
Most of us have busy lives but imagine performing your daily activities without your vision or reduced vision. Eye care should not be overlooked and it’s important to listen to your body and eyes.
Annual Exams
Do you have your eyes examined on an annual basis? Most people visit the doctor for a physical annually. It is a good idea to visit your eye doctor each year also to check your vision. If you’re over the age of forty, it is extremally important to visit your Ophthalmologist annually! Sight robbing diseases like glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, and diabetic eye diseases can be found early and treated.
Computer and Smartphone Use
Our world has adopted the use of computer screens, tablets, and smartphones. They seem to be everywhere — work, home, ATM machines and even at the gas stations pumps. They overwork our eyes. The constant staring at a screen can cause your eyes to become tired and even cause headaches and a host of other issues. Screen watching cause our eyes to blink less also causing dry eye syndrome. It is key to follow some simple eye exercises when using computers and smartphones. Look at something far away for 20 seconds and then something close for 20 seconds. Do this every 20 minutes to exercise your eye muscles. Also, ensure you keep screens at a proper distance from your eyes. Spending too much time in front of blue screens is not healthy for your vision.
Contact Lens Care
Many people wear contact lenses, an acceptable solution to correct vision issues. However, it is so important to follow good contact lens habits. To ensure you keep your eyes healthy, use the solution your doctor recommends for your contact lens and clean your lenses regularly. Take them out when you sleep. If you have disposable lenses, ensure you are switching them out as frequently as your Ophthalmologist recommends.
Think again if you shower with your contact lenses in. A nice shower feels good but it’s not good for contact lens wearers. They mix with germs in the water and can lead to an eye infection. A good rule of thumb is to remove lenses before showering. This same rule applies for swimming.
Makeup
Do you leave makeup on at night? Not a good idea, eyeliner, mascara, and eyeshadow left on while you sleep can lead to serious eye infections. You should remove all your makeup completely every night. Use a quality makeup removal method and wash your face thoroughly before bed to ensure all makeup particles are removed.
Keep your eye makeup clean and avoid old makeup to avoid eye infections. Anything that comes in contact with your eyes and face can form bacteria and should be washed and replaced on a regular basis. A general rule of thumb for eye makeup is to replace mascara and eyeliner every 3 months. Eyeshadow may last a little longer, but the tools such as brushes and sponges that you apply it with should also be cleaned or replaced regularly.
Eye Protection
Sunglasses
Protect your eyes from the harsh sun’s rays. Don’t forget to wear sunglasses. Your “shades” should be rated to block 99% to 100% of both UVA and UVB light and should be polarized to eliminate glare. Most everyone has a cool pair of glasses. Don’t forget to bring them when you are out and about and remember sunglasses are cool to wear and protect your eyes year-round!
Protective Eyewear
Eye injuries occur in the workplace and it’s very important that you wear proper eye protection to prevent eye injuries. Eye safety should never be taken lightly. Workers need to be aware of the risks of eye injury and practicing eye safety at work is a must. If your job requires the use of safety glasses or goggles use them, it makes a difference!
Sports Eyewear
Active lives sometimes require eyewear. Many sports today require players to wear protective eyewear. Sports-related eye injuries occur more frequently than ever with our increased sports activities today. Don’t be the player that suffers from an eye injury. Wear the right eye protection for your sport and protect your vision.
Family History
Having an annual eye exam is important but it is also important for your doctor to know if any eye conditions run in your family. When your ophthalmologist is armed with your family history, he can check for any known issues regularly and start treatment right away if a problem is discovered. Did you know that research shows that two of the most common causes of blindness “Glaucoma” and “Macular Degeneration” may be linked to your family genes!
