Redeye, dark circles, panda eyes – we all have our own way of describing the effects of too little sleep on our faces. Unfortunately, not all consequences are visible to others. An unhealthy lifestyle can also leave traces on your eyes. Excessive stress, a sedentary way of life, and especially bad habits can cause long-term damage to your vision and eye health. Thankfully, it’s never too late to take action and reverse the effects as soon as you notice something is off. These 5 daily habits can be detrimental to your eye health if left unchecked:
Smoking
Smoking has many adverse effects on our health, and that includes our eyes. Smoking can cause a number of eye diseases and conditions, like cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and even blindness. It can also cause dry eye, sties, and eye infections. All of these can lead to impaired vision and even blindness in extreme cases. Smoking also causes an accelerated aging of the eye, which can lead to vision loss even in non-smokers, so it’s best to avoid it as much as possible.
Stress
Stress is a major cause of eye strain, leading to a number of short-term and long-term problems. Stress also affects the quality of sleep, causing sleep deprivation, and sleep deprivation can in turn lead to an increase in stress. This negative spiral can form in a blink, but luckily, it can be stopped by keeping stress levels at a minimum. Stress can cause eye fatigue, poor vision, and headaches. It can also affect the muscles around the eyes, which can lead to wrinkles, dark circles, and puffiness. Even if you don’t suffer from eye diseases, stress can also lead to dry eyes due to the constant blinking and tearing as a result of this feeling. Dry eyes can lead to blurry vision, discomfort, and even eye infections. If you experience any of these, try to reduce your stress levels as much as possible.
Computer Vision Syndrome
Computer Vision Syndrome (also known as computer eye strain or digital eye strain) occurs when the eye muscles are overworked due to prolonged computer use. This can lead to dry eyes, blurry vision, headaches, and neck pain. It’s best to take breaks from your computer, but if you’re looking to reduce the risk of computer-related eye strain, get a proper eye rest, such as a pair of computer glasses. Make sure they have the proper UV protection, as computers emit harmful rays that can damage your eyes.
Lack of exercise
While it’s true that exercising your muscles can lead to eye damage, exercising the right way can actually help improve your eye health. Exercising regularly can reduce stress, which we’ve already discussed is bad for your eyes. It can also improve your sleep, which is crucial for your eyes, as they need to be rested to function properly. Regular exercise can also slow down the aging of the eyes, which is great news for seniors. Make sure to get the right amount of exercise, as too much can actually cause more harm than good.
Excessive screen time
Screen time can lead to dry eyes and blurred vision, but it can also cause eye damage. Blinking is an essential way to remove debris from your eyes, but staring at a screen for extended periods of time can mean that you blink less often. This can lead to redness and irritation within the eyes. Regular breaks while using screens can help alleviate this problem, as can getting an eye rest such as computer glasses, but the best thing you can do is get more exercise. The more active you are, the more often you’ll blink, thereby cleaning your eyes better.
Bottom line
Eye health is just as important as any other type of health, but it’s often overlooked. Most of the habits we’ve discussed here can be stopped with a bit of self-control, but it’s important to be aware of them in the first place. If you often notice your eyes feeling tired, or you notice symptoms of eye damage in yourself or someone you know, try to fix the problem as soon as possible by changing your habits for the better.
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