See Clear

Some things that cause damage to your eyes, and therefore your vision, are obvious. Everyone knows getting poked in the eye is bad, for example. But there are smaller things that many people do habitually that can cause damage to your vision as well, like staring. Staring is something you may think you never do, but you may be surprised. Pay attention to how often you blink while watching TV, playing video games, or typing on the computer. You just might find that you forget to blink sometimes. Blinking provides a brief rest and needed moisture to the eye, and is important, so you want to avoid staring for long periods of time. But staring and forgetting to blink is only one less obvious activity to avoid for optimal vision.

Avoid rubbing your eyes too aggressively. Be gentle with your eyes; they’re delicate. Rubbing too hard can rupture blood vessels. Avoid reading under inadequate lighting. Low lighting can cause your eyes to have some trouble focusing on the page in front of you. This means that you could be reading for sustained periods with out of focus eye lenses. This tension makes your eyes work harder, harming the vision and adding unnecessary strain.

To keep your vision healthy, it’s a good idea to protect your eyes from light – both from the sun and artificial light and avoid overexposure. Wear sunglasses at all times when daylight is present, even if it is cloudy and doesn’t seem sunny. Harmful UV rays pierce through cloud cover and harm the eyes, so invest in UV protection sunglasses as an eyecare precaution. Light bulbs can be damaging to your vision, too, so try to avoid quick adjustments between light intensities, like driving at night, when feasible.

If at all possible, try to avoid stress. Sometimes the things you want to avoid for your general health, like smoking or drugs, are bad for eye health as well. Stress can exacerbate any medical issue, including eye strain and even more harmful conditions. Be aware of your stress and try to limit the tension in your mind and body.