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 FAQ 

  By ABC NEWS

10 Worst Eye Care Mistakes You are Probably Making
1. Not Getting Annual Eye Exams

There are no pain receptors behind the eye, so if you have a broken blood vessel or a tumor back there, you wouldn't know it until it starts to interfere with your vision or worse.

 

2. Sleeping In Contact Lenses

The American Academy of Ophthalmology study revealed that the risk of developing a corneal ulcer is 10 to 15 times greater in extended-wear contact lens users than those who only wear their contacts during the day. And don’t even think about sleeping in any other type of contact lens. “You’re depriving your cornea of oxygen, and that’s a great way to cause infection and encourage bacteria to grow.”

 

3. Staring At Devices All Day & Night

Follow the 20-20-20 rule: For every 20 minutes you look at a screen, take a 20 second break to look 20 ft away (or into the distance)! This allows your eyes to refocus on something else. Also, make a conscious effort to blink because you may not have been doing enough of it before while on the computer or when reading a book!

 

4. Smoking
Consider quitting especially if you are a contact lens wearer! Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, bad breath, yellow teeth, aging skin and even life threatening vision and eye problems. It increases the risk of cataracts (2x), macular degeneration (3x), uveitis (2x), diabetic retinopathy (2x), dry eyes (2x) and are more likely to go blind (4x)! The good news is that once you stop smoking at any age it can significantly reduce your risks.

 

5. Applying Eyeliner To Your Waterline

When you put liner inside your eye, you’re mixing it with your tears. If you’re wearing contacts, your lenses then get coated in tiny makeup particles, which can deprive your eyes of oxygen. And even if you’re not wearing contacts, those makeup particles can also be carrying germs that can cause infection.

6. Sleeping In Your Makeup

Hitting the hay without washing your face can do more than leave mascara stains on your pillow; it can also clog the glands around your peepers and lead to irritated skin, pimples, and even styes (painful, raised bumps) that can appear on or around the eyelids.

 

7. Using Generic Contact Lens Solutions

These solutions have cleansers that kill bacteria on your lenses, so you want to make sure all of those ingredients are still doing their job. The same thing goes for the lenses themselves, which sit in a sterile solution that can break down over time. Instead use Optifree, Biotrue, or a hydrogen peroxide solution such as PeroxiClear or ClearCare for a nice deep cleanse. 

 

8. Relying On Redness Reducing Drops
The kind you buy in the drugstore (Ex: Visine or Clear Eyes) contain vasoconstrictors, which shrink blood vessels and temporarily make your eyes appear less red. They also contain preservatives and other chemicals that can make your problem even worse in the long run, and it’s only a matter of time before you experience a rebound effect. Use Systane Ultra or Systane Balance!

 

9. Touching & Rubbing Your Eyes

Rubbing too hard can lead to broken blood vessels

and inflammation. Your eyes are protected by mucous

membranes that can easily collect dirt and germs so they are a great place for bacteria to grow especially if you haven't washed your hands.

 
10. Not Wearing Sunglasses
You can be blinded by what you can't see! In the long run, failing to wear proper UV protection results in cataracts, macular degeneration, pterygiums, corneal burns and even skin cancer on the eyelids. Make sure your glasses provide protection against UVA and UVB (invisible forms of radiation) and wear them whenever you are outdoors since UV penetrates through clouds (90%) and even reflects off sand (15%), snow (80%) and water (100%)!
 
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