EYES
With it being National Eye Health Week from September 18-24, discover the nine daily habits that could be damaging your eyesight and what you can do to reduce and even put a stop to them.
REDUCE CAFFEINE
Excessive caffeine intake has been associated with eye spasms and elevations in intraocular eye pressure (IOP), increasing your risk of developing glaucoma. ‘How much caffeine is too much depends on a myriad of personal factors but some good indicators are heightened nervousness, noticeably elevated heart rate, insomnia, headaches, muscle tremors and eye spasms,’ says Nimmi Mistry, professional services optician at Vision Direct (visiondirect.co.uk). If your eyelids often go into spasm or flutter, try regulating your caffeine intake to see whether that helps.
SIMPLE SWAP Try herbal tea instead. Most are not teas but “tisanes” so don’t contain caffeine!
LESSEN THAT STRESS!
Easier said than done… but eye twitches can also be caused by stress. If stress-related vision problems are under control, they tend not to be as problematic. ‘The most common stress-related eye disorders are eye twitches and visual fatigue. The number one remedy is a visit to the optician if you are experiencing these symptoms, but remedies can include stress-reducing activities such as headspace, exercise and breath work,’ says Nimmi.
DON’T RUB YOUR EYES
We rub our eyes mostly due to tiredness, itchiness and discomfort, but the issue with this lies in the spreading of bacteria or infections. On top of this, intense and excessive rubbing can increase the intraocular pressure of the eye, a predisposing factor in the progression of glaucoma. ‘Good personal hygiene and being on top of washing your hands should help minimise the risk of delivering bacteria and dirt to your eyes. If your eyes are persistently itchy, it might be worth visiting your optician or pharmacist,’ says Nimmi.
EAT YOUR VEG!
Stave off future eye issues by eating your greens. Not consuming adequate amounts of fruit and veg can contribute to deficiencies in vitamins A and C, both effective antioxidants. Over time, these deficiencies may increase the risk of developing eye conditions such as macular degeneration, cataracts and night blindness. ‘A study at Harvard conducted over 25 years found that those who ate 10 servings of leafy greens per week were 30 per cent less likely to develop glaucoma,’ says Nimmi.
AVOID EXCESSIVE UV EXPOSURE
Too much UV light has the potential to damage all structures of the eye, which ultimately leads to decreased vision. The key reported conditions are corneal damage, cataracts and macular degeneration.
Sunglasses can help as they block UV rays from your eyes in the same way sunscreen does for your skin (although note that the light can get in around the s
