Daily Habits That Affect Your Vision
Looking for simple ways to protect your vision? Changing a few of your habits could improve eye comfort and help you avoid conditions and diseases that may affect your eyesight. These daily habits could spell trouble for your eyes:
Rubbing Your Eyes
Rubbing may feel good when your eyes are tired or itchy, but the habit isn't as harmless as it seems. Rubbing your eyes aggressively could cause a corneal abrasion, a tiny scratch on your cornea, the clear tissue over your iris and pupil. Abrasions are painful and can allow bacteria into your eye, causing an infection. If bacterial infections aren't treated promptly, temporary or permanent vision loss may occur.
Rubbing your eyes may also increase your risk for keratoconus, a condition that occurs when the cornea thins and becomes cone-shaped instead of rounded. Keratoconus symptoms include:
- Blurry or Cloudy Vision
- Sensitivity to Light and Glare
- Trouble Seeing Well at Night
- Frequent Changes in Eyeglass or Contact Lens Prescriptions
- Headaches
In a research study published in the Journal of Ophthalmology, researchers noted that rubbing the eyes with the back of the hand or knuckles could increase the risk for keratoconus. Rubbing the eye vigorously changes the structure of collagen in the cornea. Collagen is a protein that helps give the cornea its rounded shape.
The researchers also noted that sleeping position could affect your keratoconus risk. People who rest an eye on a hand or forearm while sleeping are most at risk.
Smoking or Vaping
Smoking raises the risk of cataracts that cloud your eyes' clear lenses. It also increases the likelihood of macular degeneration, a disease that affects central vision.
Vaping isn't any better for your eyes. According to a literature review published in International Ophthalmology in 2021, vaping devices contain cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals, and pollutants. These substances can disturb the tear film and cause changes in visual sharpness with long-term use.
Smoking and vaping also increase your risk for dry eyes.
Poor Contact Lens Care
You may be more likely to develop a vision-threatening eye infection if you:
- Don't Wash Your Hands Before Touching Your Contact Lenses or Eyes
- Don't Clean Your Lenses as Recommended
- Use Dirty Contact Lens Cases or Don't Replace Your Cases Every Three Months
- Wet Your Lenses with Saliva or Water Instead of Rewetting Drops
- Sleep in Your Contact Lenses (if they're not meant to be worn overnight)
- Wear Your Lenses While Showering or Swimming
Snoring
Snoring caused by sleep apnea could increase your glaucoma risk, according to a 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis published in Eye in 2023. Researchers noted that patients with obstructive sleep apnea had a 40% higher risk of glaucoma. Glaucoma can cause permanent vision loss by damaging the optic nerve. The nerve sends electrical impulses from the eyes to the brain. Treating your sleep apnea is a simple way to lower your glaucoma risk.
Not Wearing Sunglasses
Sunglasses protect your eyes from the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) A and B rays. Long-term exposure to UVA and UVB rays may increase your risk for cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Wearing sunglasses year-round is an easy way to protect your vision.
Using Screens
Focusing on digital screens for work or play can lead to digital eye strain, a condition that may cause:
- Blurry Vision
- Double Vision
- Dry, Irritated Eyes
- Sensitivity to Light
- Eye Fatigue
- Headaches
- Neck and Shoulder Pain
Optometrists recommend trying the 20-20-20 rule to improve eye comfort when using digital screens. The rule is simple. For every 20 minutes you use a digital screen, look at an object at least 20 feet in the distance for 20 seconds. While using screens, blink every few seconds to keep your eyes moist and comfortable.
Overusing Eye Drops
Using eye drops too often may cause blurry vision, light sensitivity, and discomfort. Do you use eye drops to get the red out? The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) notes that redness can return after using redness-relieving eye drops that contain tetrahydrozoline. In some cases, the redness may be even worse than before. Eye drops that contain brimonidine have a lower risk of rebound redness, according to the AAO.
Regular visits to the optometrist help you protect your vision. Ready to schedule an exam? Contact our office to make your appointment.
Sources:
Wiley Online Library: Journal of Ophthalmology: New Keratoconus Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Case Control Study, 9/28/2022
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2022/6605771
PubMed: International Ophthalmology:
Nature: Eye: Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and Glaucoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, 3/28/2023
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41433-023-02471-6
Healthline: Can Eye Drops Be Overused? And More FAQ
https://www.healthline.com/health/dry-eye/can-eye-drops-be-overused
American Academy of Ophthalmology: Redness-Relieving Eye Drops, 4/7/2023
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/treatments/redness-relieving-eye-drops
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Risk Behaviors for Contact Lens–Related Eye Infections Among Adults and Adolescents — United States, 2016, 8/18/2017