The eyes are major organs and they need proper care and attention. However, often people take their vision for granted – they do things that might be damaging their vision. As one of the top eye hospitals in Kolkata, we discuss with you a few everyday habits that can hurt your vision and cause eye discomfort, pain, and even eye infection.
Habit 1: Rubbing your eyes:
- This may seem like a harmless thing to do, but rubbing your eyes vigorously can actually affect your eye health.
- When you rub your eyes, there is a chance of keratoconus – which can weaken the structure of the cornea.
- Every day your hands come in contact with many bacteria and germs. When you rub your hands with dirty hands, you increase the risk of transferring the germs into your eyes, thus increasing the risk of eye infection.
Habit 2: Too much screen time:
- Staring at digital screens all day can cause eye discomfort.
- During the Covid-19 pandemic, the digital screen timings have increased as education, work and entertainment have moved online.
- According to a study, nearly 23% of the Indian population saw their eyesight weakening due to the increased screen time during the pandemic. The study found that in 2020, the average Indian spent around 6 hours 36 minutes staring at a digital screen.
- When you are spending too much time on TV, browsing the internet, or staring at your phone, you’re less likely to blink, which means your eyes can get dry, red and itchy.
- To avoid dry and itchy eyes, follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Habit 3: Not wearing sunglasses outside
- Extensive exposure to UV rays damages the retina, putting the eyes at the risk for eye conditions such as cataracts, macular degeneration, pterygium, and photokeratitis.
- Always buy sunglasses with UV protection.
Habit 4: Wearing old contact lenses or not storing them properly
- Wearing old contact lenses increases one’s risk of suffering from eye infections.
- Other reasons for eye infections include sharing contacts with others, sleeping in your contacts, and wearing ill-fitting contact lenses.
- Store and keep your contact lenses in a hygienic way. Keep the case clean and replace the case every 3 months.
- Wearing contact lenses while showering or swimming can cause eye infections.
Habit 5: Using expired eye makeup
- Discard expired eye makeup. Using expired or old eye makeup can lead to eye irritation and infection.
- Before applying an eye makeup product, always check its expiry date.
Habit 6: Skipping regular eye exams
- Regular eye checkups can help in the early detection of eye conditions. Some eye conditions do not show any early signs and they can be detected only through comprehensive eye exams.
Note: If you are looking for a top eye hospital in Kolkata for an eye check-up, visit or book an online appointment with Disha Eye Hospitals.
Habit 7: Uncontrolled smoking
- Smoking is injurious to health. It can cause health problems such as cancer or lung disease and can also harm your eye health.
- A few of the eye conditions related to smoking are glaucoma, cataracts, dry eye, and macular degeneration. Gradually quitting smoking can help save your vision as well as your overall physical health.