The human eye is a complex part of our bodies, and if you want to ensure you can enjoy your eyesight for as long as possible, you need to avoid this one thing.
After cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Jeremy London shared his words of wisdom with those looking to protect their hearts, Dr Amanda Redfern, an ophthalmologist and assistant professor at Oregon Health & Science University’s Casey Eye Institute, shared her tips on eye health.
Eyes contain over two million working parts, and they are responsible for 80 per cent of all learning we can do.
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Keeping them in the best condition is something that is incredibly important for your overall health.
So, when she dropped around Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson’s HuffPost’s Am I Doing It Wrong? Podcast, they asked the question, and she explained it comes down to one thing.
What is the worst thing you can do to your eyes?
According to the expert, there is one thing that’s ‘bad’.
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Redfern said: “It’s real bad. Don’t do it.
“It’s like a game of Russian roulette.”
That dangerous thing you could do is to sleep with contact lenses in.
What happens when you sleep with them in?
She shared that it’s dangerous because ‘you can get a corneal ulcer, which is an infection on part of the eye that a contact covers.’
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She explained: “It’s not going to happen every time, but when it happens, it’s terrible.
“It can be so bad you could, in really terrible cases, lose your eyeball.”
If it doesn’t get to that point, you might just end up with a scar on your cornea, but ‘if that scar is in the center of your vision, that could affect your vision permanently, unless you get a corneal transplant.’
So, it’s best not to risk it.
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How do you avoid the risk?
Redfern warned that if you engage in activities which cause your contact lenses to become compromised, it can be dangerous.
These activities include wearing them in while swimming in a pool or lake or even showering.
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She said: “The problem with contact lenses is that it will sandwich bacteria between the lens and your cornea, and you can get infected and then have all the complications we talked about.
“In general, we frown upon anything where your eye is going to expose to something nonsterile.”
That means you also need to keep tap water away from your lenses.
On the off-chance you were on holiday and forgot to bring contact lens solution, Redfern explained that sleeping with them in or using tap water are both ‘awful options.’
She said: “I’d rather you [throw the contacts out] and just walk around a little bit blurry for the weekend.”
How to keep your eyes healthy?
Use eye protection.
The eye expert shared that eye protection is the single best thing you can do for your eye health.
She shared: “I always wear eye protection if I’m doing a house project where I’m hammering, sawing — anything where something can fly at my eye.
“Always wear eye protection, because I actually spend half my time seeing hospital consults and the trauma that you see is just crazy.”
Britt Jones