*This is a collaborative post with Théa sharing some tips on taking care of your eyes and looking after them well*
Our eyes are a very important part of our body and our sensory system, but I strongly suspect people don’t think much about them unless they are worried they may have a problem with either their eyes, eyesight or the area around their eyes.
I wear glasses and contact lenses and have a minor genetic eye condition that impacts one eye. I also suffer from hay fever and allergies and my eyes can get dry, sore and feel very tired or can be very watery and itchy. So, I am very aware of my eye health and what works and what doesn’t for me.
There are many things that can impact your eyes from the job you do, to environmental factors like weather and pollution. Looking at a screen all day can make your eyes tired and dry. Working in hot or smoky environment can affect your eyes. You may also notice your eyes get dry or irritated if you smoke. If you struggle, like me with seasonal allergies, that can impact your eyes and how they feel too.
Keeping your eyes feeling good helps you to feel good. When my eyes are tired and sore, or dry and irritated I don’t feel my best.
So I try to look after them. After all they do an important job and I want them to look and feel good.
Dry eyes can happen for all sorts of reasons and eyes can also suffer from something called Blepharitis which is where your eyelids can feel sore and inflamed. It’s linked to dry eyes but it isn’t an infection. I sufferer from both of these issues and try to prevent them from happening if I can.
There are also conditions like conjunctivitis and styes which can be treated easily but are best prevented from happening in the first place. Both are infections in the eye area and can be painful and unpleasant, as well as infectious and if not treated can lead to more serious issues.
So here are my tips for helping keep your eyes looking and feeling healthy.
Sleep. As silly as that sounds, your eyes need sleep just as much as the rest of your body does. I know if I have had a bad night of sleep or worked a night shift, my eyes show it. Making sure you are getting enough sleep can help.
Stop smoking – we all know smoking is bad for us but if you smoke it can be impacting the health of your eyes and you should try and stop.
Protect them from the weather: wearing good quality sunglasses in bright sunshine, can help. If you ski or do winter sports, you need to protect your eyes too.
Give your eyes a screen break: staring at screens can be tiring for your eyes. Walking away from a screen every hour for a few minutes can help. Also using a good daylight bulb to provide natural light works well.
Be careful when you wear make-up: people still don’t realise that make up like mascara and eyeliner have expiry dates and that you need to keep those things clean and as hygienic as possible so you don’t expose your eyes to bacteria and risk a nasty infection. Never share eye make up and make sure you use them within their expiry dates and if they smell or look funny do not use them.
If you wear contact lenses ALWAYS make sure you follow your opticians instructions for putting them in and out and caring for them and your eyes. Never use anything but contact lens solutions or eye drops that are safe for eyes wearing lenses. Unless you have special lenses you should never sleep in them, and you should never lick or wash your lenses in tap water. Also never share your lenses with anyone else.
Always take off eye make up carefully and use a gentle product designed for that. Don’t go to sleep in eye make up. It doesn’t help your eyes or your skin and doesn’t feel or look good when you wake up with crusty eyes.
Be careful with make up and skincare products and only use them as instructed. Don’t use skincare that isn’t designed to be used around your eyes, and if something irritates or upsets your eyes, stop using it.
Use safe products designed to care for your eyes. Théa have a range of products specially created to treat and care for common eye issues like dry eyes and are easy to use and carry around with you for daily use or when you need them. You can prevent and treat dry and tired eyes and sore eyelids very easily with their eye drops and treatments.
If you have sore eyes that don’t seem to be getting better with basic eye care treatments then it’s always best to seek medical advice promptly because some eye issues can lead to potentially serious infections that could cause permanent damage and losing your sight is not something worth risking.
Don’t pluck or pull out your eyelashes. If you do have eyelash extensions then make sure you are having them done by someone reputable who practices their job carefully and is qualified to do so.
Take allergy medication (as prescribed or instructed) to help keep your eyes as well as possible during allergy season or when you know you may be exposed to allergies.
And don’t ever put anything in your eyes that isn’t meant to be there. I know this sounds silly but I have seen people put craft glitter in their eyes or buy unprescribed cosmetic lenses from the internet. Our eyes are very sensitive and vulnerable, and you need to take care with what you put on and in them.
If you buy eye drops, or gels, make sure you opt for preservative free products!
Our eyes, they say are the windows to our soul. If we take care of them, they will help us keep seeing the world…
Have you got any tips I might have missed for taking care of your eyes?