5 Daily Habits That Affect Your Eyesight

Your eyes are precious, and maintaining good eyesight is essential for a healthy life. In this fast-paced digital age, adopting the right daily habits can make a significant difference in the long-term well-being of your vision. From limiting screen time to practicing proper eye hygiene, these five daily habits can greatly impact your eyesight. Join us on a journey to explore how simple choices, like a balanced diet and regular eye exercises, can safeguard your eyes and promote optimal vision, ensuring you continue to see the world in all its vivid beauty for years to come.

Dr. Ajay Sharma Chief Medical Director of EyeQ shares five daily habits that can jeopardize your vision:

1. Excessive Screen TimeThe world is saturated with screens. They are on televisions, computers, smartphones, tablets, and pretty much everywhere. Screen time refers to the amount of time people spend each day looking at screens. Excessive screen time can impair vision and end up causing strain, especially in children. People who spend more time on screens may also spend fewer hours staying active and engaging in any sort of physical exercise. Therefore, make sure you have strict controls on how much time your children are spending on screens.
2. Smoking ExtensivelyQuit smoking or don’t start at all. Smoking is as harmful to your eyes as it is to your lungs and heart. Smoking has been closely tied to an elevated risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and optic nerve damage, all of which can result in vision loss. Moreover, cancer is a major trigger of vision loss in adults over the age of 50, and it apparently doubles your odds of contracting these conditions.
3. Not Regulating other Health ConditionsYour eyesight can gradually deteriorate if you don’t take care of chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, thyroid, etc. Hypertensive retinopathy, for example, refers to retinal microvascular symptoms that evolve in response to high blood pressure. Symptoms of hypertensive retinopathy are common in adults aged 40 and up and are predictive of stroke, congestive heart failure, and cardiovascular mortality- independently of traditional risk factors.
4. Not Maintaining Adequate Sleep and ExerciseA lack of productive sleep can show complications such as dry eyes, red eyes, dark circles, eye spasms, and light sensitivity. Sleep deprivation has also been linked to physiological changes in the body, such as hormonal and neuronal changes. These changes can further exacerbate poor vision. Similarly, staying indoors and not engaging in any physical activity weakens eyesight. Although shortsightedness is partly genetic, researchers have discovered that children who spend more time indoors are much more inclined to be short-sighted compared to those who participate outdoors on a daily basis.
5. Not Staying HydratedWater is required by our cells, organs, and tissues in order to regulate body temperature and other biological functions. Water, in the shape of tears, also aids in keeping our eyes moisturized. It is natural for dust, impurities, and other particles in the atmosphere to reach our eyes. Without moisture in the eyes, one is more likely to develop dry, red, or swollen eyes. Therefore, it is critical to keep your body hydrated by consuming sufficient amounts of fluid day in and day out.