Changes in visual acuity caused by aging, environment, and diseases are often imperceptible initially, meaning proper eye care and regular monitoring are critical to early detection and treatment.
8 Tips to Protect Women’s Eye Health
Let’s look at some of the best ways for women to protect their eye health. For women, protecting eye health should be an essential focus of a healthy lifestyle; between pregnancy, menopause, and generally longer life expectancy, women can be at greater risk of eventually developing a variety of eye conditions throughout life compared to men.
1. Use Good Makeup Hygiene
One essential tip for women who regularly wear makeup is to practice proper hygiene, especially regarding eye shadow, eyeliner, and mascara. Make sure to thoroughly remove any applied products at the end of the day before going to bed. Sleeping with makeup still applied can easily clog up tear ducts and trap bacteria and dust, leading to scratches and infection.
Also, ensure that you are replacing your makeup and application brushes regularly to help further avoid any risk of infections. General recommendations for products are:
- Eyeliner and mascara: Replace every three months
- Eyeshadow: Replace every 1-2 years, depending on the cleanliness of the palette.
- Brushes and applicators: Wash weekly and replace every 1-5 years.
2. Wash Your Hands
Even though we shouldn’t, most of us instinctually rub our eyes. Ensure your hands are washed and cleaned regularly to help prevent introducing bacteria or dirt.
Keeping your hands clean is especially important if you wear contact lenses. Our eyes are one way many viruses enter the body, so help your immune system and keep your eyes free of irritants.
3. Wear Sunglasses Consistently
We know sunscreen protects our skin from harmful ultraviolet (UV) light. Putting on a pair of sunglasses helps to protect our eyes from the same risk. Skipping on a slightly overcast day may seem fine, but the brightness doesn’t directly correlate to radiation.
UV radiation can raise the chance of developing an eye disease, especially cancer, macular degeneration and cataracts. While extremely bright lights, like direct sun, can slowly damage the retina and optic nerve.
When selecting a pair of sunglasses, choose one that offers complete eye coverage and blocks UVA and UVB radiation. Never pick up sunglasses that don’t say 100% UV protection. Blocking both is essential to maintain eye health. And when possible, reach for a polarized pair to give optimized protection.
4. Remember Eye Protection
Most eye injuries across all ages come from accidents that occur during sports, hobbies, or other physical activities. Eye trauma can generally be categorized into blunt, penetration, and radiation. Eyes are sensitive, and even what might appear to be a slight issue at first can hide more substantial damage or put you at greater risk of problems as you age.
Protective eyewear comes in many styles and types, depending on your needs. From typical safety glasses and goggles for hobbies to stylish sports glasses you might see on TV.
5. Eat Healthy Foods
The best foods for eyesight are high in particular nutrients or vitamins. A diet full of healthy foods for our eyes won't give you superhuman vision or cure eye conditions, but it can help our eyes' overall health. It also means your body stays healthier. Foods that especially help promote eye health include:
- Dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, and broccoli.
- Eggs
- Fish
- Citrus fruit
- Carrots
- Almonds or peanuts
Many eye conditions have been linked to health conditions such as diabetes. That means a good diet that keeps you healthy and your eyes healthy. That can have a significant impact down the road.
6. Give Your Eyes a Break
There is often no avoiding screens. From school, work, and our favorite forms of entertainment, we, by habit or need, spend a significant amount of time every day in front of screens. All this time spent in front of screens can be tough on our eyes. Many Americans experience some form of Computer Vision Syndrome, which leads to headaches, dry eyes, and even blurred vision.
Give your eyes a break or at least an easier time with the following steps:
- Take Frequent Breaks: Every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. Furthermore, get up from your desk every hour for a few minutes for a short walk and break from looking at a screen completely.
- Increase Text Size: Though you want to fit everything on one screen, it is better for your eyes to increase your computer’s text size.
- Minimize Glare: If your computer screen has a glare, turn it away from the light or window.
- Practice Proper Posture: Make sure your posture supports your efforts by centering your computer screen or laptop in front of you, about an arms-length away, and just below your natural eye level. Sit up straight and use a good chair as well.
- Reduce the Light: Do not sit in the dark, but try to reduce the amount of overhead and side-to-side light.
7. Avoid Smoking and Vaping
Along with all the other harmful effects of smoking on your lungs and cardiovascular system, smoking increases your risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Tobacco smoke can also cause dry eyes for you or those around you who are exposed to it secondhand.
Similarly, vaping increases oxidative stress in your eyes and can contribute to diseases like cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. The most common side effect of vaping is dry eye.
8. Schedule an Eye Care Appointment
You should have your eyes examined at least annually, even if you have 20/20 vision. Many vision problems have very gradual onsets, and having a regular check-up allows you to set a baseline for your normal vision and catch those changes early when they can be most easily addressed.
If you notice something changing between visits, schedule your next appointment sooner. This is especially true if you are or think you may be pregnant or are going through menopause. Hormonal changes will cause many symptoms in your eyes, like blurry vision, irritation, light sensitivity, redness, or dry eyes. If these symptoms become more than a minor annoyance, it is worth discussing with your eye doctor.
More Resources and Specialist Expertise
Asheville Vision and Wellness has been helping patients throughout the mountains of western North Carolina with their eye care needs since 1989. We provide comprehensive eye care from annual exams, management of chronic conditions, prescription glasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses.
Come see what sets us apart and put yourself on a path to healthier eyes. You can conveniently schedule an appointment online or call on weekdays at 828-747-9260 during our office hours. We would be more than happy to help determine a care plan that helps keep you seeing clearly.