You Are Making Your Eyesight Worse With This Simple Habit!

Eye care is one of the most sensitive subjects for people. Not only is your life largely dependent on your eyesight but even the slight loss of it can cause you significant worries and be a cause of major lifestyle changes. While eyes are sensitive, they have mechanisms in place to protect themselves! Your eyelashes are not just meant to sit there and look pretty, but they, along with your eyelids help keep the dirt, dust, and even harmful bright light away from your eyes. We spoke to doctor Dr. Ashwin Santosh Shetty, Consultant Ophthalmology, Aster CMI Hospital to understand what causes your eyesight to weaken and what are some factors of it that we may not know.

While there are many things that can affect your eyes, one of the reasons why you may cause your eyesight to weaken is by rubbing your eyes! Doctors often urge people to keep their hands away from their eyes because it can be harmful, Dr Santosh tells us that rubbing your eyes, even when irritated or itchy is not ideal. Your hands come in contact with numerous surfaces, accumulating dirt and germs. Rubbing transfers these contaminants to the eyes, increasing the risk of allergies and infections. He also goes on to add, “Constant eye rubbing leads to weakening of the cornea, especially in younger people. That is a big risk factor in the cornea becoming weak and developing keratoconus and those kind of problems. So, that is the reason we tell them not to rub their eyes.”

Can Pollution Make Your Eyesight Worse?

Dr. Santosh tells us that it could, but not directly. We all know that pollution affects our body, it doesn’t exactly cause direct issues unless you are allergic to pollution. Pollution introduces harmful substances into the air, water, and food, which impacts various bodily functions, including vision. Air pollution, in particular, can cause allergies and eye irritation, leading to eye rubbing and further complications. Therefore, pollution has an indirect but significant impact on eye health.

As mentioned above, your eye has inbuilt protection models to help itself, like so it has the cleaning system as well, which is tears. Tears keep your eyes moist and wash away dirt, dust, and anything else that gets past your eyelashes and eyelids. They also help fight germs. According to max healthcare, airborne pollutants can cause issues to your tear functioning which keeps your eyes lubricated, it leads to dryness and irritation.

Can Glycerin and Other Eye Drops Be Useful Here?

Many people often opt for over-the-top counter medication like cooling eye drops to keep the functioning going and reduce the itchiness and dryness. But Dr. Santosh suggests it is better to visit a doctor if you are facing such issues. According to him, Glycerine is not recommended for direct use in the eyes. If you experience eye irritation or itchiness, it's crucial to consult an eye doctor. "For high to severe itching, we may even need to use short course steroids. But these glycerine coolants and all are not recommended without prescription. If you have a problem, go to an eye doctor. And depending upon the severity, they will treat you and take the medicines for only as long as recommended. "

What Can You Do To Protect Your Eyes?

More young people are wearing glasses these days, but it's not because of anything new. According to Dr. Santosh, this is simply a result of more people focusing on studies. Eyesight problems are also common, especially as people age. "It usually starts around 39 to 41 years old, which is earlier than expected, but it's a natural process," he explains. Some days, near vision may seem fine, while on other days, it may feel blurry, which is normal. Younger people may also have minor vision issues but might not wear glasses for them. Dr. Santosh advises seeing an eye doctor to find out the exact cause and get the right treatment.