Tips for proper eye hygiene

Various environmental factors, such as UV rays, air conditioning, pollution or dust can damage the health of our eyes, favouring the appearance of various diseases such as infections, dry eyes or cataracts.

In addition to these issues, not taking the right precautions at work can also lead to the erosion of our eyesight. To counteract these negative effects it is necessary to carry out good eye hygiene.

What is eye hygiene?

Eye hygiene is a broad concept that goes beyond the correct and frequent cleaning of the eyes and what is around them, such as eyelashes or eyelids. It also includes preventive measures at work and even in leisure activities.

Eye hygiene tips

  • Clean the eye area carefully and frequently. Eyelids and eyelashes protect the eyes from drying out and foreign bodies. For this reason, these areas must be specially cared for, using special wipes and gels and carefully removing any traces of make-up (if used) and eyelashes when you wake up.
  • Take care of the environment where we are. Both in our own home and in those places where we are going to spend many hours we must try to create a healthy environment: airy, well lit and without excessive humidity.
  • Prevention factors at work. Electronic devices can irritate our eyes, causing the dreaded visual fatigue. With simple measures such as placing the computer about 40 centimetres away and inclined 20 degrees to avoid reflections, as well as lowering the brightness of the screens, we will reduce the negative impacts on our eyes.
  • Rest your eyes. We should get used to taking five-minute breaks every two hours of work at least. A simple eye massage or, even simpler, looking out the window towards the horizon is the most effective way to avoid eye fatigue, as well as relaxing our mind.
  • Do not touch your eyes with dirty hands. A question of logic that we sometimes forget or perform unconsciously and that can cause us infections.
  • To protect our eyes from the outside. Good sunglasses, preferably polarized, will effectively protect us from UV rays and other weather conditions, such as wind.
  • Practice sport safely. Sport is very good for our general health and for our eyes, provided that the right measures are taken. Protective goggles are essential in adventure or speed sports, such as skiing or cycling.

Eye hygiene products

Physiological saline solution

The physiological serum is a sterile solution of sodium chloride at 0.9% water. It has a great advantage: its salt concentration is equal to that of human blood, which makes it an excellent product for the care of our body.

As far as the eyes are concerned, it is a totally harmless product, so it does not harm them in any way. For this reason, it is perfect for eye hygiene, as it does not cause any kind of irritation.

It can be used in case of conjunctivitis to clean the eyes with the help of a gauze and then apply the specific eye drops prescribed by the doctor.

Sterile gauze or wipes

They are very practical for eye hygiene, although in the case of blepharitis and other problems, it may be inadvisable to use them so as not to worsen the irritation, and they should be replaced with special swabs or wipes.

Products for make-up removal

Make-up removers are practical for removing make-up residues, which can cause infection. However, the make-up remover itself can cause eye irritation, so it should always be used carefully and in the direction of the nose, to avoid contact with the eyes.

Infusions and other natural remedies

The eyes are extremely delicate organs, so infusions and other natural remedies should not be abused to treat conjunctivitis and other problems, as they can cause a stronger infection than they are intended to cure.

In addition to all this set of measures, we must add an even more important one: to go regularly to the ophthalmologist to check our eyesight and make sure that everything is going well.

Certain ocular pathologies, such as glaucoma, do not give symptoms in their most primary stages. However, they can be detected with the appropriate tests, so that early treatment can be started to eliminate the problem without causing any type of sequelae.