Do you often find yourself rubbing your eyes or spending hours on your phone? These seemingly harmless habits could be damaging your eyesight and overall eye health. Many people unknowingly engage in habits that ruin eyesight and eye health. In this article, we’ll explore these habits and share practical tips to protect your eye health for years to come.

 

Habit 1: Excessive Screen Time

Spending long hours on digital devices like smartphones and computers can lead to digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome. Symptoms include dry eyes, headaches, blurred vision, and neck pain.

What You Can Do: Follow the 20-20-20 rule—every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to give your eyes a break. Use blue light filters and take regular breaks.

 

children use phone, long screen time, damaging eye health, eye vision, eyesight

Habit 2: Skipping Regular Eye Exams

Many eye conditions, such as glaucoma or macular degeneration, develop slowly and show no symptoms until they reach an advanced stage. Regular eye exams help detect these issues early and prevent further deterioration.

What You Can Do: Visit your eye doctor annually, even if you don’t have noticeable vision problems, to catch any early signs of eye conditions.

 


Habit 3: Rubbing Your Eyes

Rubbing your eyes may seem harmless, but it can damage the delicate tissues around your eyes, leading to issues like corneal abrasions or infections. Frequent rubbing can also worsen conditions like keratoconus, a progressive thinning of the cornea.

What You Can Do: If your eyes feel irritated, use lubricating eye drops instead of rubbing. For chronic itching, consult an eye specialist.

Here’s a video about a guy who kept rubbing his eyes and almost become blind due to the habit.

 

Habit 4: Not Wearing Sunglasses

Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays can damage your eyes over time, increasing the risk of cataracts, macular degeneration, and photokeratitis (a sunburn on the cornea).

What You Can Do: Wear sunglasses that block 100% of UVA and UVB rays whenever you’re outdoors, even on cloudy days.

 

woman wearing sunglasses to protect from uv light, protect her eyesight, eye vision and eye health

Habit 5: Poor Diet

A diet lacking in essential nutrients like vitamin A, C, E, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids can affect eye health. These nutrients help protect the eyes from oxidative stress and prevent conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration.

What You Can Do: Incorporate foods like carrots, spinach, salmon, and nuts into your diet to ensure you get the necessary nutrients for eye health.

 

foods that are good for eyes health, eye vision and eyesight, salmon, prawn, nuts, omega-3, avocado, broccoli

Habit 6: Smoking

Smoking increases the risk of several eye conditions, including cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, and dry eye syndrome. It also restricts blood flow to the eyes, which can damage the optic nerve over time.

What You Can Do: If you smoke, consider quitting to reduce the risk of eye diseases and improve overall health.


Conclusion: Protect Your Eyes by Breaking Bad Habits

 

Our daily habits have a significant impact on eye health, and small changes can make a big difference. By managing screen time, wearing sunglasses, eating a balanced diet, and visiting your eye doctor regularly, you can maintain healthy vision and reduce the risk of eye problems. Start making these changes today to protect your eyesight for the future.

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