Do you remember as a kid your parents telling you that sitting too close to the TV would wreck your eyes? Sorry Mom and Dad you are wrong- the American Academy of Ophthalmology says that there is no evidence that sitting to close to a television causes lasting eye damage. But there are plenty of other things we do that can damage our eyes.
But we need to take care of our eyes- and many of us don’t. Here are a few tips that will help you protect those eyes.
For contact users
Buy a new case every three to four months. Over time bacteria builds up inside the case, even if you change solution daily. These germs build up inside your case and latch on to the surface of your contacts- where they multiply.
Remember to change the solution in your case daily, simply topping off the solution in your case allows bacteria to grow. Sterilizing your case weekly by placing it in boiling water for five minutes is another way to maintain clean contacts.
And when you change your contacts always wash your hands first with warm, soapy water.
Don’t use spit or tap water to change your contacts. Spit is loaded with bacteria, and tap water can contain harmful amoebas—bacteria-like organisms that can cause Acanthamoeba keratitis, an infection that can leave you permanently blind.
That’s why you should always use contact lens solution to change or rinse your contacts. Distilled water or saline drops are safe alternatives if you don’t have any solution around. If you have no other options, use cooled boiled tap water, boiling sterilizes the water, killing infection-causing bacteria.
Touching your eyes
Rubbing your eyes can rupture blood vessels, making your eyes look bloodshot. Ugly but not harmful- but rubbing your eyes can also transfer bacteria and viruses from your hands to your eyelashes and eyelids, upping the risk for infections like pink eye.
And rubbing eyes can make them feel irritated and make you want to rub them more (like eating potato chips.)
Out of habit we touch our face almost 16 times an hour, found one Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene study. This increases our chances of our hands coming in contact with our eyes. To keep those germs from reaching your eyes, try to avoid randomly touching or scratching them.
Use protection
Almost half of all eye injuries are caused by things like home repairs, yard work, and cleaning. Men are at a higher risk for eye injuries than women. So, google up and protect them when doing yard work, construction, maintenance or even heavy duty cleaning. Flying debris can be a real eye hazard.
And finally, don’t forget the sunglasses. Just like wearing sunscreen we need to protect our eyes from the damage that can be caused from the sun. Sunglasses are not just a fashion statement but are a needed tool for those spending time in the sun.