Eye health is very important, especially if you’re trying to prevent blindness. If you want to avoid developing eye diseases like glaucoma or macular degeneration, then you need to avoid certain habits that can damage your eyes over time. In this article, we’ll talk about the most common bad habits that can lead to blindness and how they can affect vision.
Smoking
Smoking is a leading cause of blindness, both sudden and gradual. Cigarette smoke can cause cataracts and macular degeneration, which are two leading causes of vision loss in the elderly. Smoking also damages the optic nerve and can cause glaucoma, dry eye syndrome, allergic reactions such as conjunctivitis (“pink eye”), or inflammation of the eyelid tissue called blepharitis.
Rubbing Eyes very frequently
Rubbing your eyes is one of the most common habits that people have. However, it can be quite harmful to your eyes as well. Rubbing them very frequently can lead to infections like conjunctivitis, or even corneal ulcers which can cause permanent vision loss if not treated on time.
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Corneal abrasions: These are very painful and happen when you rub your eyes so hard that the top layer of your cornea gets scraped off.
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Corneal dystrophy: This condition occurs when a person has chronic dry eye syndrome for long periods of time, which may lead to scarring in their cornea due to its tearing nature being constantly exposed due to frequent rubbing of eyes by either themselves or someone else trying hard enough (usually children).
Excessive drinking
Drinking alcohol excessively can push to optic nerve damage. Alcohol can cause inflammation, which leads to scarring and swelling of the optic nerve. If this happens over a long period of time, it could eventually result in atrophy (shrinkage) or even complete loss of vision.
Looking at the screen for too long
If you spend a lot of time looking at the screen, it can lead to eye strain. This can cause dry eyes, headaches and even blurred vision.
If you experience any of these symptoms, try taking breaks from the screen every 30 minutes or so and look into the distance for 5-10 seconds. You can also use an app like Flux or f.lux that will automatically change the color temperature in your display based on your location and time of day.
A diet that’s low in antioxidants
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A diet that’s low in antioxidants can cause loss of vision and other vision problems. Antioxidants are important for the health of your eyes, as they help to remove free radicals from the body. Free radicals can damage cells, including ones in your retina (the light-sensitive layer at the back of your eye). Eating foods rich in antioxidants is one way to fight the effects of these dangerous particles. Foods rich in vitamin C and beta carotene are great sources of antioxidants, but there are many others as well. You can also increase their intake by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables or drinking green tea or fish oil supplements daily.
Use old make up
Makeup is a wonderful thing that can instantly change your appearance. It can be used to accentuate your best features, and it can even hide flaws. But the longer you have it, the more likely it is that bacteria or other contaminants will build up on your makeup.
Every time you use old makeup after its expiration date, you risk infection of your eyes and eyelids by bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes (previously known as Streptococcus viridans), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli (E. coli), Serratia marcescens and Proteus mirabilis — all of which are common causes of eye infections! These bacteria are not only present in opened containers but also on unopened packages because they come from the hands of others who may have touched them before you purchased them or opened them for their first use.
Sun exposure without sunglasses or sunscreen
Sunlight is harmful to the eyes, and too much exposure can cause damage that could lead to blindness. Sunglasses and sunscreen are effective in protecting the eyes from harmful rays. They should be used whenever outside during daylight hours—before going out in the morning and before coming back home at night, as well as any time you spend in a place with lots of natural sunshine (like at the beach or on a boat).
Sunglasses should also be worn for extended periods of time when driving or otherwise using vehicles that may block out sunlight since this type of environment can prevent you from seeing changing light conditions ahead of you.
Blindness can be prevented by eating a good diet, not smoking, and limiting alcohol.
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Don’t smoke or eat a poor diet.
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You need to be careful with your eyes and the things you do with them.
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Don’t drink alcohol too much, rub your eyes, or use old makeup that is past its expiration date.
Conclusion
We have all heard the saying that you are what you eat. While this is true for most aspects of our health, it’s especially true when it comes to preventing blindness. As we’ve seen, there are many different foods and nutrients that can help keep your eyes healthy, but there are also plenty of bad habits that can lead to eye problems. If any of these sound like something that applies to you or someone else in your life—whether it be excessive alcohol use or rubbing one’s eyes too much—take note! We’d hate for anyone out there to lose their sight because they didn’t know how important it is to take care of their eyes on a daily basis.
