3 Unhealthy Habits That Damage Your Eyesight
Your sight is one of your most precious senses. It allows you to navigate obstacles throughout life effectively and safely, provides you with the ability to enjoy visual entertainment, and grants you the ability to look upon your friends and loved ones. Optometrists and opticians at clinics like Anderson Family Vision Care are able to help you safeguard your eyesight and your ocular health by providing you with healthy resources and sight aids such as contact lenses and prescription glasses. You should still be aware of the harmful aspects of your daily routine. Here are three unhealthy habits that negatively affect your eyesight.
Forgoing dark glasses puts you at risk.
Ultraviolet rays can prematurely age your eyes. UV ray exposure to the eye over a short time period has the same effect as as sunburn, causing you to experience irritation and teary eyes. Exposure to ultraviolet rays over a longer period can cause further damage, including macular degeneration. Wearing dark glasses while you are outdoors helps to protect your eyes. Shield your eyes from harmful UV rays by wearing sunglasses in bright areas such as snowy slopes; snow is highly reflective and can bounce the UV rays back into your eyes.
Smoking cigarettes increases incidence of disease.
Cigarette smoking increases your risk for a number of dangerous diseases; it can also negatively affect your eyes. When you smoke cigarettes, you increase your risk of suffering from cataracts and macular degeneration. You also run the risk of increasing your blood pressure, which in turn causes intraocular pressure to increase, leading to vision loss over time. Total blindness can also occur if symptoms go unchecked. Smoking cessation programs are available; consult with your healthcare professional.
Staring at a screen all day damages your vision.
There are screens everywhere you turn—from your computer to your cell phone. Looking at a screen for long periods of time can damage your vision, give you headaches, and cause pain in your neck and shoulders. To alleviate these symptoms, talk to your optometrist about vision aids such as computer glasses and progressive lenses, which make it easier for you to adjust your prescription for different needs. Further, you should also practice the 20x20x20 rule to relieve your eyes. Every twenty minutes that you work on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, look at a point twenty feet away from you for twenty seconds. This helps to relieve eyestrain and allows you to reset your posture.