The human eye is a wondrous factor.
It’s thought-about the physique’s most advanced organ after the mind and incorporates over 2 million working components. About 80% of all studying occurs by imaginative and prescient.
So how can we hold our eyes in tip-top situation? And what ought to we by no means do if we wish them to remain as wholesome as doable?
That’s what we — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, the hosts of HuffPost’s “Am I Doing It Improper?” podcast — requested Dr. Amanda Redfern, an ophthalmologist and assistant professor at Oregon Well being & Science College’s Casey Eye Institute, when she just lately dropped by our studio.
″[Sleeping with contact lenses in your eyes] is dangerous. It’s actual dangerous. Don’t do it,” Redfern informed us, including that this even applies to naps. “It’s like a recreation of Russian roulette.”
That’s as a result of you may get a corneal ulcer, which is an an infection on a part of the attention {that a} contact covers.
“It’s not going to occur each time, however when it occurs, it’s horrible,” Redfern stated. “It may be so dangerous you would, in actually horrible circumstances, lose your eyeball.”
In much less extreme conditions, Redfern stated you would find yourself with a scar in your cornea.
“If that scar is within the heart of your imaginative and prescient, that would have an effect on your imaginative and prescient completely, until you get a corneal transplant,” she stated.
Redfern additionally warned us to not have interaction in any exercise that would trigger lenses to change into compromised or contaminated, together with swimming in a pool or lake whereas carrying contacts and even showering with them.
Carol Yepes / Getty Photographs
“The issue with contact lenses is that it’s going to sandwich micro organism between the lens and your cornea, and you may get contaminated after which have all of the issues we talked about,” she stated. “Generally, we frown upon something the place your eye goes to reveal to one thing nonsterile.”
That features utilizing faucet water to rinse or retailer lenses.
When requested what she would recommend if somebody have been on trip and forgot to carry contact lens answer, pushing them to decide on between sleeping whereas carrying contacts or utilizing faucet water to retailer them, Redfern refused to choose both alternative.
“Each of these are terrible choices,” she stated. “I’d relatively you [throw the contacts out] and simply stroll round slightly bit blurry for the weekend.”
One factor Redfern does need us to do to maintain our eyes wholesome? Use eye safety extra frequently.
“I all the time put on eye safety if I’m doing a home venture the place I’m hammering, sawing — something the place one thing can fly at my eye,” she stated. “At all times put on eye safety, as a result of I really spend half my time seeing hospital consults and the trauma that you simply see is simply loopy.”
If you find yourself getting one thing lodged in your eye, don’t attempt to take away it your self. As an alternative, tape a paper cup over your eye and instantly see a medical skilled.
“Pulling it out in an uncontrolled vogue [could cause] the internal contents of the attention to return out with it,” Redfern stated.
She additionally busted some myths about different actions which may be dangerous or useful for the eyes (spoiler alert — studying in the dead of night isn’t going to damage your imaginative and prescient), why we get floaters (and once we ought to see a physician about them), and plenty extra.
Hearken to the total episode wherever you get your podcasts.
For extra data from Redfern, try her Instagram web page.
This text initially appeared on HuffPost.
Additionally in Goodful: 19 “Rubbish” Trendy Traits Folks Refuse To Partake In Regardless of Their Recognition
Additionally in Goodful: “He Thinks This Is Hostile And He Is Appropriate” — Ladies Are Sharing The “Unhinged” Methods They Apply Microfeminism That Reaally Grind A Small Man’s Gears
Additionally in Goodful: 17 “Unhealthy” Habits That Are Significantly Harming Your Well being, Straight From Docs And Scientists
Learn it on BuzzFeed.com