There’s more to self care than meets the eye. For some, it’s about taking some time to relax and unwind in times of stress or uncertainty. But it can also include prioritizing healthy practices and developing helpful routines.
Both aspects of self care can be beneficial to ocular health, says optometrist Melanie Akau, OD, FAAO, clinical instructor at the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
“There is a lot we can do to support eye health,” she says. “Whether we’re at work or enjoying time outdoors, it’s important to be mindful about how we’re taking care of our vision and eyes.”
Try incorporating these ocular self care tips into your routine to boost eye health all while supporting overall well-being.
Self care gurus can easily work eye health into their nightly routines by making sure to remove all makeup around the eyes, especially mascara and eyeliner, which can sometimes be persistent.
“This can increase the cleanliness of the eyelashes and eye lids and can help with irritation and other dry eye symptoms,” Akau says. “When you’re washing your face, maybe spend a little extra time around your eyes with a gentle soap to remove that residue from the day. Bacteria that live on our eyelid margins can also build up, so this is a good step for anybody.”
Additionally, contact wearers should follow the guidelines for their specific contacts to avoid infections and bacteria that can harm the eyes. In some cases, infections can scar the cornea and affect vision. Akau recommends contact wearers talk with their eye doctor if they have any questions or concerns about their lenses, prescription, or are experiencing symptoms that may be a result from wearing contacts. This can include blurry vision, redness, pain, or light sensitivity.
What’s good for the body is generally good for the eyes, so keep up with that weekly fitness class, daily walk, and healthy snack. Eating foods rich in vitamins and healthy fats can help contribute to good health and lower risk factors associated with many eye diseases, as can regular exercise.
Taking control of your blood pressure and blood sugar are also important for the eyes, Akau says.
Ocular self care also translates into daily life on the go. Sun protection in particular is an important factor in shielding eyes from potential dangers. Avoiding ultraviolet rays (UV) protects vision and keeps eyes healthy. Polarized sunglasses and transitions, glasses that darken when activated by UV rays, are good options to block these rays, Akau says.
Even in cloudy weather and in the wintertime, this protection can be crucial. Photokeratitis, often called snow blindness, is essentially a sunburn of the eye and happens when UV rays damage the surface of the cornea. In winter, sunlight reflecting on snow or ice can cause these corneal burns. Appropriate eye wear is a must.
Even when vision seems normal, a regular eye exam is important because it can alert health care providers about underlying health issues that may not be showing any symptoms yet but could have long term implications.
Common systemic diseases like diabetes, for example, can have serious impacts on ocular health. Damaged blood vessels in the eye are visible during a dilated eye exam and tip off health care providers that more care may be needed.
Children should have an eye exam each year to keep up on developing eyes. In adulthood, depending on your health, you may be able to stretch those visits every couple of years, but Akau warns that glasses and contact lens prescriptions are only good for one year in many states, so seeing an eye doctor to keep up on those prescriptions is ideal.
A good night’s sleep is another important self care measure that enhances eye health.
“There are a lot of nutrients that are generated and toxins that are cycled out of the eyes while we sleep,” Akau explains. “Sleep also allows some rehabilitation of the surface of the eye, which is exposed during the day.”
For people who feel that their eyes or tired or strained from long days spent at the computer, it can be helpful to practice the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes of screen time take 20 seconds to look at something more than 20 feet away. This allows the focusing system of the eyes to rest.
“Dry eye symptoms including eye irritation, burning, and fatigue may be more common when we’re staring at screens and phones,” Akau says.
A warm eye mask can help some patients with dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction, which may be amplified during periods of stress, by softening the natural oils that occur in the meibomian glands that line the eyelids and keep the watery layer of the tear film from evaporating.
“The idea is that that using a warm eye mask melts and encourages the release of the oils to increase comfort and decrease those symptoms. It can also be a nice 10-to-15-minute moment of relaxation from our busy world,” Akau says.