New Year, New Habits for Healthy Eyes
- Posted on: Dec 15 2018
We are headed into a New Year with an eye on great things for the future. If like us, you’re considering what habits you want to develop in the coming months, we just so happen to have a few in mind. Of course, they revolve around supporting good vision and long-term eye health.
Take Cover
At this time of year, what we usually want to take cover from is the cold. However, there is still a vital necessity to protect our eyes (and our skin) from the sun. The ultraviolet light in sunshine causes cumulative damage in the eyes, increasing the risk for glaucoma and retinal disease. Sun exposure is also particularly harsh to the skin around the eyes. Therefore, we do ourselves a favor when we take cover under a cool pair of shades.
Re-Stock Your Makeup Bag
If you haven’t removed anything from your makeup bag since summertime, now is the time to get to it. Eye health experts suggest that makeup is tossed after three months because, after this amount of time, enough bacteria has accumulated on brushes and in tubes and on palettes that the risk of eye inflammation and infection increases significantly.
Take a Hands-Off Approach
Our eyes and hands don’t need to be friends, even though they are technically related by blood. It’s only natural to instinctively rub the eyes when they feel itchy, irritated, or tired. However, this is a habit that needs to be replaced with a new one. Instead of rubbing your eyes, take a hands-off approach. Add a few lubricating eye drops to soothe itching and irritation. If necessary, dampen a soft cloth and blot the eye, but don’t rub. This could damage the cornea, spread bacteria, and stretch the delicate skin around the eyes.
Put That Screen Down
It is no secret that people in our country love our digital devices. Our television and computer screens, smartphones and laptops and other devices, though, are damaging our eyes. When staring at a screen, we blink less. Also, the eyes look too closely to center when viewing a screen up close, which can create errors that degrade vision. To save your eyes, take a break.
The team at Silverstein Eye is proud to provide patients from the Morristown area with friendly, personal care. Schedule your visit with us by calling 908.879.7297.
Posted in: Eye Care
