Watch out! These eye habits are "stealing" your eyesight. How many of them do you have?

Do you have the following eye habits : not wearing glasses for myopia, rubbing your eyes when they itch, and staying up late to check your phone even when your eyes are dry and tired?

Recently, Ms. Duan, 25 years old, from Changsha, developed symptoms such as blurred vision and eye fatigue due to the above habits. After examination by a doctor, she was diagnosed with refractive error, anisometropia and visual fatigue.

October 15, 2024 is the 41st International Day of the Blind. Li Qiongying, deputy chief physician of the Health Management Center of Hunan Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment (Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Affiliated to University of South China) , reminds everyone to pay attention to eye hygiene. Some inadvertent little habits may cause damage to vision. Have you ever "fallen into the pit"?

Pitfall 1 - Not wearing glasses for myopia

If myopia reaches a certain degree and is not corrected with glasses, you have to look close to see things. At this time, the ciliary muscle and lens are under great pressure, and you are prone to visual fatigue . You have to squint when looking at distant objects, which puts pressure on the eyeball and over-stretches the extraocular muscles, causing myopia to increase rapidly.

Tips

After a formal eye examination, wearing the right glasses is the key.

There is only one truth, that is, if you are nearsighted, you need to wear glasses.

Pitfall 2 – Abuse of eye drops

1. Damage to the ocular surface structure

Most eye drops contain preservatives in addition to therapeutic ingredients. Long-term use can easily damage the ocular surface structure and affect the normal functions of the conjunctiva, cornea, and tear film .

2. Inhibit tear secretion

Long-term use will inhibit the secretion of tears in the eyes. The reduced secretion will cause dry and uncomfortable eyes, and there is a risk of causing eye diseases such as dry eyes and keratitis .

3. Cause complications

Long-term use of eye drops containing hormones may lead to complications such as cataracts, glaucoma , and in severe cases, blindness.

Tips

The key to preventing dry eyes and visual fatigue is to use less electronic products, reduce the time of continuous close-up eye use, follow the 20/20/20 principle (look at something close for 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet (6 meters) away for 20 seconds), do eye exercises and press the acupoints around the eyes regularly to relax.

Pitfall 3 – Lying on your side while playing with your phone

When lying on your side and playing with your phone, only one eye is facing the screen, while the other eye is blocked or at a poor angle, resulting in uneven adjustment and focusing burdens for both eyes. This long-term practice may lead to worsening of myopia on the side closer to the screen and a large difference in the degree of both eyes, i.e. anisometropia. This habit of using the eyes is particularly detrimental to the development of vision, especially for teenagers whose vision is not yet fully developed!

Tips

If you want to play with your phone while lying down, it is best to raise your hands high, at least 30 cm away from your eyes, and do not play with your phone for too long.

Pitfall 4 – Turning off the lights and browsing your phone

In a dim environment, the light from the screen will be more dazzling, causing tension in the muscles around the eyes, increased intraocular pressure, glare, and inducing dry eyes, visual fatigue, decreased vision and other problems. In addition, in a dim environment, the pupils will dilate and the eye angle (the channel for tear outflow) will become narrower. If this continues for a long time, it may increase the risk of glaucoma .

Tips

If you want to check your phone before going to bed, it is better to turn on the lights and try to limit the time to half an hour .

Pitfall 5 – Rubbing your eyes violently

Various germs are easily carried on hands. Rubbing your eyes may allow dirt to enter your eyes and increase the risk of infection, such as conjunctivitis, keratitis, sty, etc. If you rub your eyes too much, it may cause subconjunctival hemorrhage or damage the cornea, affecting the corneal morphology, causing astigmatism, increasing the degree of astigmatism, and more seriously causing deformation of the eyeball and pointed cornea, which is medically called "keratoconus".

Tips

If you feel discomfort in your eyes, don’t rub them. Blink first, or rinse them with saline solution. If necessary, see an ophthalmologist.

Pitfall 6 – Forgetting to take off your contact lenses in the shower

In a warm and humid environment, microorganisms can easily breed. Bath water contains many microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc. Contact lenses will absorb these small things and then come into contact with the eyeballs, increasing the risk of corneal infection.

Tips

Before taking a bath, remove your contact lenses, rinse them, and soak them in a special disinfectant container.

Pitfall 7 – Not protecting your eyes from the sun

Ultraviolet rays can darken and age the skin, and the same is true for the skin around the eyes. Too much and too strong ultraviolet rays can damage the cornea in the short term, causing eye pain, congestion, photophobia, and tears. These symptoms usually appear within a few hours after exposure to strong ultraviolet rays, and are called "ultraviolet keratoconjunctivitis." Studies have shown that people who spend a long time outdoors without wearing protective glasses or sunglasses have a significantly increased risk of conjunctival and corneal damage.

Tips

In addition to sun protection for other parts of the body, you should also pay attention to strengthening eye protection.

Source: Health Management Center of Hunan Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Institute (Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Institute affiliated to University of South China)

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(Edited by YH)