Establishing healthy habits is essential to maintaining good vision health. Here are 10 tips to follow, even if you aren’t experiencing any deficiencies in vision.
1) Wash your eyes
Best if in the morning as soon as you wake up.
To wash your eyes, you can use an anatomically shaped eye bath. Using an eye bath, simply fill the cup with still, bottled water or a saline solution; position the bath on the eye; tilt your head back, then rotate the bath to the right and then to the left. Repeat 3 times.
If you do not have an eye bath, you can use sterile gauze dipped in warm water or in a saline solution.
2) Keep your eyes hydrated
To prevent dry eye, it is important to drink lots of water, especially in the drier winter months, to hydrate your eyes from within. For red or dry eyes, eye drops containing eyebright and chamomile are an excellent solution.
3) Remove makeup
Removing your makeup every night is essential. During the day, dust, smog and other impurities can build up on and around your eyes, which can cause irritation. Remove your makeup before going to bed to avoid issues such as styes, conjunctivitis, or other irritations.
4) Remove content lenses
Contact lenses must always be removed before removing makeup, because makeup and other grime can get caught between the lens and the eye. Always remember to take out contact lenses before going to bed. Also, even though it is possible to take a shower wearing contacts, it’s always best to take them out before showering, as the lens could come into contact with shampoo or soap and, more importantly, with water, which is known to be a vehicle for the sort of bacteria that can cause infection.
5) Eat healthy
Orange, yellow and red fruits and vegetables, as well as foods that are rich in vitamin E, such as nuts, are our primary allies in maintaining healthy eyes. Eating lots of carrots (which our mothers have always told us are great for our eyes!), peppers, oranges, nectarines, tomatoes, squash, apricots, peaches, strawberries, etc. is great for the eyes, as are foods that are rich in Omega 3, such as many types of fish and other seafood.
6) Wear sunglasses
Sunglasses should be worn whenever sunlight could enter the eyes. In the mountains or on the water, where the sun’s rays are strongest, they are absolutely essential. Protecting your eyes from UV rays is fundamental in preventing a range of vision disorders, such as inflammations of the conjunctiva, the retina, or the cornea.
Purchase certified lenses from an optician. Inexpensive sunglasses are often of poor quality and produced in countries that lack sufficient quality guarantees. We recommend lenses that protect against UV rays up to 400 nm (such as our NoUV lenses) and against blue light, such as our Blue Natural lenses (because the blue light from the sun is 20 times greater than what is emitted by electronic devices).
7) Good posture and vision training
Sit upright especially when working in front of a computer. Remember to take frequent breaks from the screen to prevent computer vision syndrome (a.k.a. “digital eye strain”). A good rule of thumb is the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet (6 meters) away for 20 seconds. Read more about vision training exercises here.
8) Ambient lighting
Give preference to natural lighting, particularly when working or reading. When working from home, position your workstation perpendicular to the light source, but avoid glare on the screen. The lighting should not be too dim or too bright. Use LED bulbs, not florescent, and consider a desk lamp to complement the indirect, ambient light.
9) Protect your eyes from blue light
Within the visible spectrum, there is a type of light, below a wavelength of 400 nm, that can harm the eyes. This high-energy visible (HEV) light is also known as “blue light” because it falls within the blue-violet end of the spectrum. It is a type of light that is emitted both by the sun and by artificial light sources, such as LED computer screens and the screens of phones, tablets, and televisions. Prolonged, unprotected exposure to this HEV light can harm the eyes, and the retina in particular, and increases the risk of age-related macular degeneration. To avoid damaging your eyes, it is important to wear glasses with lenses that block blue light, such as our Blue Natural lenses.
10) Enjoy nature
Spend time outdoors, immersed in the beauty of nature. Gazing out on the distant landscapes, especially ones with lots of color, appears to be very good for your retinas. Find time to relax your eyes by appreciating beauty in general, such as flowers, but also art or other pleasing images. Both your eyes and your brain will benefit, as the chemical reactions this triggers will help detoxify your retinas from harmful external stimuli. When you’re tired, take a walk in the park. It will even boost your mood!
N.B. All of these tips are intended as general suggestions and are not to be taken as medical advice. For specific diagnoses of vision disorders, you will need to consult an eye care professional, such as an optometrist or ophthalmologist.