1. Overlooking UV Protection
The sun’s ultraviolet rays don’t disappear on cloudy days, and they penetrate windshields, windows, and reflections off surfaces. Without proper UV-blocking sunglasses, your eyes absorb harmful radiation that can increase your risk of cataracts and macular degeneration over time.
Wear UV Protection
If you are outside during the day, you should wear sunglasses. At a minimum, you want to keep your eyes protected at peak sun times, but you can’t go wrong wearing sunglasses longer than those few hours.
Many people grab sunglasses that lack genuine UV filters. Instead, choose eyewear labeled 100% UVA/UVB protection, or use clip-ons or prescription lenses that block UV. There are options at multiple price points; quality sunglasses don’t have to cost a lot of money.
Beyond Sunglasses
You can layer protection by adding other sunblocking items to yoru routine. Pair a hat or umbrella with sunglasses for even more sun protection.
You can also use shades in your car to stop the sun from glaring so brightly in your second and third rows. Many newer cars come with retractable shades in the back seats. You can purchase sun shades as well.
2. Prolonged Screen Time with No Breaks
Staring at screens without taking breaks strains your eye muscles, dries out your tear film, and can lead to headaches, blurred vision, or irritation. People often work or scroll for hours without blinking enough or shifting focus. Over time, this fatigue accumulates and becomes chronic.
Screen Break Tips
At a minimum, you should be using the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds). You can also adjust your screen’s brightness or contrast to reduce strain.
If you can, switch between screen and non-screen activities while you are working. Avoid doing all of your screen tasks in a lump. Your eyes will benefit if you are able to stagger your screen time.
3. Wearing Contact Lenses Incorrectly
Contacts can offer great convenience, but misuse is one of the most dangerous mistakes people make. Sleeping in lenses not meant for overnight wear, swimming with contact lenses, skipping cleaning steps, or extending use beyond the recommended period all increase the risk of infection, corneal ulcers, or oxygen deprivation.
You might feel fine now, but minor infections or irritations can escalate quickly. Always follow your eye care professional’s advice on wear time, hygiene, and replacement.
Tips for Proper Wear
A lot of improper contact lens use stems from being tired or not wanting to be inconvenienced. There are ways to make the tedious part of contacts less frustrating.
Have Contact Solution Readily Available
Keep contact solution in multiple places. Have a bottle in every bathroom, at work, and in a purse if you carry one. This will make it easier to clean your lenses when you need to.
Habit Stacking
Habit stacking is when you combine two or more tasks that need to be done at the same time so you’ll remember to do them. Remove your contacts every evening when you do something else you always do no matter what. This can be when you brush your teeth, change out of your work clothes, or at a set time every evening.
If you find yourself keeping your lenses in because you will read or watch TV after you have gotten ready for bed you can set a nightly alarm to remind you instead of grouping this task with other routine steps. You can also decide to use your glasses for the winding down part of your evening.
Set Calendar Reminders
If you continue to use lenses after they expire you can set reminders in your phone calendar to get a new pair. Put a reminder in your calendar right after you open a new box for the next time you should open a new pair of contact lenses. Then you won’t have to second guess about the expiration date or how long you have been wearing them.
4. Rubbing Your Eyes Aggressively
It might feel satisfying to rub an itch or relieve fatigue, but rubbing your eyes can harm them in several ways. The pressure can irritate or scratch the cornea, push debris into the eye, or even contribute to thinning of the corneal tissue. In people with certain conditions, it may increase eye pressure.
How to Get Relief
Sometimes there is an underlying reason our eyes beg to be itched or rubbed. If you are unsure what is triggering it you can use artificial tears or a cool compress to find relief.
If you know what is bothering your eyes you can find a solution to treat the underlying cause. Allergies are a common culprit. Use an allergy medication if your eyes are bothered by seasonal or environmental allergens. This can help cut down on the symptoms and remove the need to rub your eyes.
Elimination Test
Skincare products are another common source of eye irritation. Stop using all your normal skincare and makeup brands and replace them with a colorless and scentless option. If your eyes are less irritated in a few weeks you know it is because of a product you are using. You can start to add products back into your routine one by one. This will help you narrow down what is bothering you.
If your eyes feel itchy or bothered and the skin around them also seems irritated, you can see an eye doctor and a dermatologist to get to the bottom of it.
5. Ignoring Nutrition, Hydration, and Lifestyle
Your eyes are not immune to your overall health. Poor diet, dehydration, and lack of exercise all take a toll.
For example, insufficient intake of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, C, and E, and antioxidants can weaken your retina, while dehydration can lead to dry eyes and blurred vision. High blood sugar, high blood pressure, and obesity also raise the risks of glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy.
Make Impactful Health Decisions
Nourish your body and eyes together. Drink enough water, eat a diet rich in nutrient, and stay active. Leafy greens, fish, and colorful fruits all have nutrients our eyes need. Make sure you’re eating something from one of these categories each day.
If your struggle to get enough of the vitamins and fatty acids your eyes need you can discuss supplement or vitamin options with your doctor.
6. Using Improper Lighting
Dim lighting or overly harsh, unshielded light both stress your vision. When reading or working under insufficient light, your eyes strain to distinguish details.
On the other hand, glare from bright overhead lighting or direct reflections can wash out contrast and make focusing harder. Yet many people persist in bad lighting habits, such as desk lamps pointing directly at screens, bright overhead fixtures, or reading in semi-darkness. Adjust lighting to avoid glare and use indirect, well-diffused sources that allow your eyes to rest.
As you age you need more light than you used to to avoid eye strain. If you find yourself squinting or struggling to see you probably need more or less light.
7. Skipping Regular Eye Exams
You might think that if your vision seems fine, there is no need to see an eye doctor. But many eye diseases develop silently without any noticeable symptoms early on. By the time vision is noticeably affected, it may be more challenging—or impossible—to reverse damage.
Avoiding the mistakes in this article won’t guarantee perfect vision forever. But a combination of regular eye exams and doing all you can to improve your eye health will decrease the chances of struggling with an eye infections, disease, or issue down the line. Schedule an eye exam to help you stay on track with your eye health.
