4 Things I Wish I Knew About Eye Health

Published in

The Wink

7 min readSep 8, 2021

It’s never too late to learn.

Let’s face it: There’s a lot to learn when it comes to health and wellness. From skin health to heart health, each area of wellness has its own set of rules and guidelines to follow. Yet, there’s one area of health and wellness that continues to be overlooked and underestimated: eye health.

Most people don’t think about the health of their eyes unless they are causing them problems. For the most part, you trust your eyes to do their job no matter what, and even if you have vision problems, you’ve probably settled into a straightforward routine.

Taking care of your eye health isn’t complicated, but it is necessary. Keep reading to learn more about four of the most important eye health lessons.

1. Unhealthy eating can affect your eyes.

Eating healthy is beneficial for all areas of health, and eye health is no exception.

On the flip side, an unhealthy diet of highly processed foods that lack nutritional value may not provide enough nutrients to support optimal vision and eye health. In fact, studies suggest that fat-filled snack foods — particularly those rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — may increase the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the leading cause of vision loss in Americans.

Similarly, a study found that refined carbohydrates may also increase the risk of ARMD, as the refining process often removes important vitamins and nutrients.

Too much sodium can also be detrimental to your eye health. High-sodium diets may be associated with the development of age-related cataracts.

On the other hand, eating a balanced diet can contribute to better eye health. Eating a diet low in fat and rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help not only your heart but also your eyes. This isn’t surprising: your eyes rely on tiny arteries for oxygen and nutrients, just as the heart relies on much larger arteries. Keeping those arteries healthy will help your eyes.

Vitamins A, E, and C are especially important for eye health, as well as antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin. Omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to promote retinal health.

2. Your eyes need to be protected.

Your eyes work hard for you and deserve the same TLC you give the rest of your body. This includes protecting your eyes from UV rays, digital eye strain, eye infections, and more.

Protection from UV rays

In the same way you wear sunscreen on sunny days to protect your skin, your eyes need protection from harmful UV rays as well. UVA and UVB rays from the sun can cause both short- and long-term damage to your eyes and can affect your vision. Not protecting your eyes can put you at risk for:

Photokeratitis: Just like the rest of your skin, the cornea (the clear outer covering on your eye) and the conjunctiva (the white part of your eye) can get sunburned, causing painful inflammation.
Cataracts: Cataracts are a clouding of the eye’s lens, which can affect your vision.
Age-related macular degeneration: Age-related macular degeneration is the top cause for loss of vision in people over 50.

Aveo daily contacts have built-in UV protection. Our class II UV blocker protects your eyes from, on average, 97% of UVB and 87% of UVA radiation, whether it’s coming from the sun or a mobile device screen. But don’t forget to still wear your sunglasses when outside!

Find out more about UV rays and eye health.

Protection from digital eye strain

If you are on your computer or smartphone for extended periods, you may have experienced digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome. Digital eye strain symptoms include tired eyes, difficulty concentrating, headaches, blurred vision, and more.

Digital eye strain can cause your eyes to become more dry than normal, so it is important to keep them as lubricated as possible. Aveo daily lenses are designed to keep your eyes moist with AquaLock, which mimics a hydrophilic molecule that occurs naturally in your eyes. AquaLock creates a cushion of hydration against the surface of your eye and keeps your contacts 96% hydrated even after 12 hours of wear — and it’s integrated right into the lens, so it won’t wear off or dissipate like a coating.

3. Choosing the right contact lenses matters.

When selecting contact lenses, comfort, affordability, and effectiveness are probably at the top of your checklist. But not all contact lenses are made equal, and choosing the right ones can make a difference for your eye health.

Daily contact lenses

The first decision is whether you are going to choose monthly or daily contact lenses Daily contact lenses, such as Aveo Hello or Joy lenses, are better for your eye health than monthly contact lenses. By throwing them out at the end of the day, you throw away the bio-buildup and even allergens that can adhere to the lens. Even if you clean your monthly contact lenses every day, it’s impossible to keep them as clean as daily contact lenses.

Lens material

The material that your contact lenses are made from can be the difference between all-day comfort and lenses that are dry by the afternoon. Aveo uses Omafilcon A hydrogel lens material with exclusive AquaLock technology that repels bio-buildup and locks in moisture. Our lenses are super breathable and swap water and oxygen under the lens for fresh moisture and oxygen from the air so that it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing contacts at all. If you have astigmatism, Aveo Joy toric lenses are engineered with SteadyView, a unique modified prism ballast design that helps reposition the lens correctly in your eye with every blink so that you get maximum comfort and crystal-clear vision.

Start your 10-pair trial now.

4. There are wrong ways to wear contact lenses.

If you’ve been wearing contact lenses for awhile, you probably don’t think too much about how you wear them. There are, however, certain things you should definitely not do as a contact lens wearer.

Sleeping with contact lenses

Wearing contact lenses while sleeping puts you at significant risk of developing an eye infection. The cornea requires oxygen and hydration to keep your eyes healthy, and when your eyes are closed for long periods of time, the oxygen and moisture substantially decrease. Not to mention, a dark, low-oxygen, moist environment is ideal for all kinds off bacterial growth that can lead to eye infection.

You should always remove your contact lenses before you sleep, but if you happen to fall asleep with them in, don’t panic, but remove them immediately. If you use daily contact lenses, be sure to throw them away after your nap — even if you’ve only worn them for a few hours. Reusing the contact lenses could both cause immediate discomfort and long-term infections.

Take a break from contact lenses for a day to help your eyes reoxygenate and reduce the risk of infection.

Swimming with contact lenses

Exposure to any type of water while wearing contact lenses isn’t advised, and swimming with contact lenses can be particularly dangerous. As you swim, the lenses can absorb the water, trapping potential bacteria, viruses, or other harmful pathogens against your eye.

Swimming in rivers, lakes, or oceans is even worse than swimming in a pool, as there are many different types of bacteria that may be killed by pool chemicals.

If you can’t swim safely without wearing your contacts, wearing goggles (you can even get prescription goggles) is your best and safest option. If you happen to swim with your contact lenses in, be sure to throw them out immediately after swimming and pop in a fresh new pair.

Wearing contact lenses beyond prescribed duration

Perhaps you’ve thought, “I’ll just wait to replace my contacts with a new pair…what’s the worst that can happen?”

Wearing your contact lenses beyond the prescribed length of time (i.e., wearing monthly lenses for longer than a month) can lead to not only discomfort, but also serious eye conditions such as giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC) or even corneal ulcers. Over time, protein builds up on your contact lenses and can cause big, painful bumps to form under the upper eyelid.

In fact, Aveo started as a result of our founder Cecile overwearing her contact lenses and developing a serious condition that nearly cost her vision. This sparked a passion for eye health, and she committed to making daily contact lenses that would promote better eye health for everyone.

Daily contact lenses are the safest option for your eyes. Because you throw out the old pair each night and put in a fresh pair each morning, you won’t risk wearing them past their intended duration and can avoid the harmful effects of protein buildups.

Healthy eyes are happy eyes.

Don’t wait until after you’ve developed a serious eye condition to start thinking about your eye health. Simple lifestyle choices such as eating well, protecting your eyes, and choosing the right contact lenses can lead to healthier, happier eyes.