Healthy habits for healthy eyesight

Did you know that your overall health can impact your eye health as well? That’s why maintaining a healthy vision includes much more than going for a regular vision screening. Here are some tips for optimum eye health.

Stop rubbing your eyes

Eye rubbing is a common, seemingly harmless habit that often goes unnoticed. It is a response to irritation, but it has serious implications on your eye health and vision. Keratoconus is probably one of the most serious consequences of eye rubbing. Eye rubbing causes the thinning and misshaping of the front eye structures (cornea) which results in severe visual abnormalities. Itching and burning eyes are also not always caused by tiredness. Those uncomfortable eyes can be a symptom of allergies, blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids) or Dry Eye Syndrome.

All of these conditions need to be treated by an eye care professional to prevent any damage to your eyes.

Practise good eye make-up hygiene

Eye make-up can be an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, which can cause unsightly and sometimes dangerous eye infections. All damp eye make-up like mascara and liquid liner should be thrown away three months after opening, to prevent germ build-up. Making sure all makeup is properly removed before you go to sleep is something you can do to prevent eye make-up from blocking important glands

in your eyelids. Those glands are responsible for helping your tears to function, and if they are blocked, blepharitis and dry eye disease are some of the expected consequences.

Know your risk factors

Medications can also have mild to severe effects on the eye, thus it is important to educate yourself when you are starting new medication. Remember that prevention is better than cure!