An annual eye exam is essential to ensuring good vision and minimizing disease risk, but proper eye care shouldn’t end there. Several eye doctors recently shared some things they don’t do in order to maintain good ocular health. Among them:
They don’t sleep in contact lenses. “I never sleep in my contact lenses unless the contact lenses have FDA approval for extended wear because of the risk of painful eye infections and cornea damage,” said Dr. William McLaughlin, an optometrist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
They don’t stare closely at a screen for too long without breaks. “When people look at a phone, laptop, or book too closely for an extended period, it can increase the risk of myopia in young people and cause eyestrain for people of all ages,” said Dr. Ella Faktorovich, an eye doctor and founder of Pacific Vision Institute.
They don’t ignore a sudden vision change. “I would never ignore a sudden onset of a shower of floaters – spots in the vision – and flashing lights, especially if accompanied by a curtain crossing the vision,” said Dr. Barbara Mihalik, an optometrist at The OSU Wexner Medical Center. “All of these can be a warning sign of a retinal tear, break or hole that can lead to a retinal detachment.”
They don’t smoke or vape. “Smoking and vaping are some of the worst activities that one can do for both one’s general health, especially for the eyes,” said Dr. Avnish Deobhakta, an ophthalmologist at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. “There are very severe diseases that destroy the parts of the eye that are irreplaceable, such as the retina, which occur much more often in people who smoke.”
Read the complete list of eye doctor don’ts at HuffPost.com.