If you feel like your eyes aren’t working as well as they used to, you may be correct. There are six sneaky culprits that cause individuals to experience poor eyesight. One or more of these factors provided by Dr Bishop & Associates may even be affecting your vision.
1. Tanning
Tanning, whether you do it indoors or out, is harmful to your vision. While you’ve likely heard of the effects that ultraviolet (UV) light has on your skin, it also affects your vision. The sun’s UV rays can damage the retinas of your eyes if you sunbathe outdoors. Use of an indoor tanning bed has the same effects.
2. Smartphones and Tablets
If you’re like most people, you likely spend several hours every day looking at screens. From desktop and laptop computers to the smaller screens of your iPad or smartphone, your eyes may experience problems with dryness and acuity after hours of uninterrupted use of these devices. When you’re using these gadgets, your eyes don’t blink as much, leading to a loss of natural lubrication. This can cause visual strain, headaches and dry eye.
3. Close-up Work
Similar to the use of screened devices, spending many hours each day doing close-up work like reading, knitting or sewing can strain your eyes. Your eyes may lose lubrication and your vision may become blurred. Taking breaks from these tasks can alleviate some of the strain on your eyes.
4. Pregnancy
Pregnancy changes nearly every aspect of a woman’s body. These changes are the result of drastic shifts in hormone levels. Many women find that their vision worsens during pregnancy. In some cases, the changes in vision are permanent.
5. Lack of Sleep
Without enough sleep, you may find that your vision is blurred. Your eyes may feel heavy and you may even notice double vision or floaters. Taking stimulants may worsen the effects on your vision. Conversely, taking medicines to help you sleep can also cause blurred or double vision.
6. Allergies
Allergies can make your eyes watery and cause double vision, blurriness and floaters. Rubbing your eyes may cause small injuries that restrict the pupil’s ability to constrict and dilate in response to light.
Any sudden vision changes or loss of vision at any time is a symptom of a serious condition and warrants a call to the physician. Many eye problems can be prevented by regular visits to your eye doctor.
*Our content is not intended to provide medical advice or diagnosis of individual problems or circumstances, nor should it be implied that we are a substitute for professional medical advice. Users / readers are always advised to consult their Healthcare Professional prior to starting any new remedy, therapy or treatment. Your Wellness Group accepts no liability in the event you, a user of n-gage and a reader of this article, suffers a loss as a result of reliance upon or inappropriate application of the information.