By Tula Karras, Redbook
Just say no to sleeping in mascara.
Take a good look at your daily habits: Chances are, they affect one of the most important parts of your body — your eyes.
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Stop Staring
Too much daily screen time reduces blink rates, suggests Dr. Scott E. Schacther, OD, a California optometrist. That's a big deal because blinking forms a layer of tears that protects the eye and clears out dead surface cells. "When dead cells accumulate on the eye surface, inflammation can occur and eyes dry out," he says. Left untreated, dry eyes can lead to scratching of the cornea, infections, and vision issues. He suggests setting an alarm to go off every 20 minutes as a reminder to close your eyes and give 'em a break.
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Start Treating Your Allergies
All that itching and rubbing can weaken the cornea — the transparent, outermost layer of the eye. Watery eyes can be an inflammatory response that don't have the same positive lubricant effect as natural tears, says Dr. Maria Pribis, PhD, OD, an optometrist in Connecticut. Oral antihistamines are notorious for drying out eyes, so consider any of the widely available eye drops, or allergy shots instead. You can also use cold compresses to reduce inflammation.
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Stop Seeing the Blues
The blue light from our computers, phones, and any artificial light source can cause eye strain. Your smartphone likely has a setting that filters out the "blueness" of the backlit screen at night. The benefits: cutting out the bright blue light that makes it harder to fall asleep and sparing your eyes some serious strain.
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Start Getting Your Eye Vitamins
Zeaxanthin, that is. This nutrient is key for eye health, say experts. The macula, which is the central part of the retina, needs it to protect the eye from light damage. You can only get zeaxanthin from a few foods such as yellow corn, orange bell pepper, egg yolks, pumpkins, and oranges. Because it's tough to get enough through diet alone, a supplement formulated with vital eye nutrients, like Ocuvite from Bausch+Lomb, can help you get the zeaxanthin needed to support your eye health.*
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Stop Reusing (and Overusing) Contacts
It's tempting to wear your lenses longer than recommended or even sleep in them after a long day. But the more you reuse contacts, the higher the risk of introducing bacteria into your eye from handling them between wearings. You'll also up the chance that lenses will develop a cloudy biofilm buildup that affects your vision, says Dr. Schachter. Plus, wearing contacts longer than you're supposed to, or sleeping in them, dries your eyes out. All of this can lead to swelling of the cornea, vision issues, and irritation that can damage the eye.
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Start Loving Eye-Healthy Foods With Lutein
Along with zeaxanthin, your eyes also need lutein to keep the pigment in the macula at enough levels to filter light, say experts. Lutein is found in kiwi, grapes, squash and honeydew and leafy greens like spinach and kale. Ocuvite's line of daily supplements, which includes a multi and gummies, makes it easy to get high levels of lutein that protect the macula and support your eye health.*
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Stop Staring at the TV
If you're staring into a computer screen all day or binge-watching TV all night, remember to get some distance — literally. "I tell patients to follow the 20/20/20 rule," says Pribis. Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds."It helps relieve eye strain and prevent the kind of eye muscle fatigue that leads to irritation and can cause blurriness," she explains.
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Start Wearing Sunglasses
Most of us think of cataracts — the clouding of the eye's lens that diminishes sight— as an inevitable "old age" condition. But one cause of cataracts is daily sun exposure accumulated over a lifetime, which damages the eye, Pribis explains. Sunlight also causes the macula to break down and can even give your cornea a "sunburn" in the short-term. Look for polarized sunglasses that are labeled as blocking 98-100% of both UVA and UVB rays.
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Stop Sleeping with Your Eye Makeup On
"All the preservatives in cosmetics can cause harm to the ocular surface," says Dr. Schachter, who sees women everyday who are suffering from makeup-related irritation. "Try to keep mascara on the tips of the lashes only, and never put eyeliner on the inner lower or upper lid, because that's where the openings to your oil glands are."
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Start Reeling in Omega 3s
These fatty acids are one of the most nourishing nutrients you can feed your eyes. They help maintain healthy eyes and tear production.* Eating two to three servings of wild-caught fatty fish (salmon, sardines, anchovies, tuna) each week is a great way to harness the anti-inflammatory effects of omega 3s. Walnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds are good sources, too.
