Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all non-essential businesses are closed, including optometry clinics. Here are some tips to help you avoid eye infections or injuries, and to keep your eyes in tip top shape to get you through these next few months of isolation!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Practice good contact lens habits
2. Don't buy contact lenses online
3. The 20/20/20 Rule for Digital Eye Strain
4. Manage Dry Eyes related to Digital Device use
5. Limit screen time for children
6. Wear safety glasses while doing home DIY projects
7. Take caution with sharp objects & chemicals
8. Don't forget your glaucoma drops
9. Keep up with a healthy diet & exercise
10. Wash your glasses
1. Practice good contact lens habits
During this time, it’s more important than ever to practice good hand hygiene as well as good contact lens hygiene. Bad contact lens wearing habits are the most significant contributor to microbial eye infections of the cornea, which can lead to irreversible vision loss. Microbes can include bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi.
Never sleep in contact lenses; this is the most significant contributing factor to bacterial keratitis.
Never wear contact lenses in water (e.g. in the shower, or while swimming). Microscopic parasites (acanthamoeba) in the water can infect your eyes.
You should also clean your contact lens case regularly with contact lens solution since contact lens cases can harbour a lot of bacteria.
The American Optometric Association has a complete list of guidelines for good contact lens hygiene to prevent eye infections.
2. Do not order contact lenses online
During this time, you may be experiencing more difficulty in ordering contact lenses and may be running low in supply. However, purchasing contact lenses online is ill advised for numerous reasons.
For starters, there is no way to verify that the contact lenses are sourced directly from the manufacturer, and some online companies use outdated lens technology that is not approved by Health Canada. But most importantly, purchasing contact lenses online means that an optometrist is not assessing the health of your eye, or the fit of the lenses on your eye. A poorly fitting, incompatible lens can cause long-term damage to your eye.
Instead of putting the health of your eyes at risk, call your regular optometrist and ask if they might be able to ship the order directly to your home. Or simply wear your glasses more often instead to “save” your unopened contact lens packages, which will remain sterile as long as the expiration date is valid.
3. The 20/20/20 Rule for Digital Eye Strain
Since we are all sheltering in, we are spending a lot of time staring at our screens, but this can take a toll on our eyes. 50-90% of digital device users experience Digital Eye Strain (or Computer Vision Syndrome) which results from spending too much time on our laptops, smartphones, and TVs.
Symptoms may include: dry irritated eyes, redness, grittiness, eyestrain, blurry vision, and headaches – especially towards the end of the day.
Eye strain or fatigue can result from focusing on near objects for a prolonged period of time, which requires active engagement of your internal eye muscles. By following the 20/20/20 Rule, you allow your eye muscles to RELAX by focusing on a far away object. If you can also get up for a quick stretch or move around, that’s even better!
4. Manage Dry Eyes related to Digital Device use
Staring at a screen reduces your blink rate, so long periods of screen viewing can lead to dry eyes. 30% of people experience dry eye symptoms associated with digital device use.
Remember to blink while using your devices! Blinking stimulates your tears to be secreted.
Lubricating eye drops/artificial tears keep the eyes hydrated — preservative-free is best
Use a heated eye mask to help your Meibomian glands to secrete tears (NOTE: a hot towel is not effective as it does not maintain the necessary temperature)
Use an air humidifier at your desk, which helps to reduce tear evaporation
5. Limit screen time for children & spend time outdoors
This is THE biggest natural eye care tip! Screen time should be limited for children for healthy physical & cognitive development.
The excessive use of electronic devices and near-focused work indoors is associated with higher rates of myopia (nearsightedness). Myopia requires correction with glasses, and rates of myopia are increasing more and more with our modern lifestyles.
Studies have shown that when children spend more time outdoors, progression to myopia can be reduced.
Understandably, it may be more challenging to get your kids outdoors safely right now, but just do your best! If you have a backyard, it would be a great time to engage the children with some fun backyard activities together. You could even do fun indoor activities together that don’t involve a screen — get creative and make some lasting family memories!
Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) recommendations for children’s screen time limits:
Infants & Toddlers: ZERO hours
Ages 2-5: 1 hour/day
Ages 6-18: 2 hours/day
6. Wear safety glasses
Being homebound gives us a great opportunity for home DIY projects! However, it is important to wear safety glasses to prevent any sharp projectile objects from penetrating the eye—even tiny particles can cause trauma to the eye and are very painful.
Safety glasses that have met certain hazard requirements will have “ANSI Z87” etched on them. Regular glasses do not provide adequate protection for your eyes.
7. Take caution with sharp objects or chemicals
Take extra care with any objects that come near your face and might scratch your eye, such as face masks, mascara wands, or even children’s fingernails! Scratches on the cornea are very painful since the cornea is highly sensitive.
Take care not to spill or splash chemicals (such as bleach or household cleaners) into your eye. Do not store these products on a high shelf, and make sure to close the lids tightly. A chemical burn on the eye can lead to permanent damage and vision loss.
If you get chemicals in the eye, rinse your open eye with a constant stream of cool water for at least 10-15 minutes, and call an eye doctor immediately.
8. Don't forget your glaucoma drops!
Since optometrists are only seeing patients for emergency visits (as directed by the government), patients with glaucoma are not being monitored as closely. It is therefore more important than ever to take your daily glaucoma drops in order to manage the eye pressures and minimize any pressure fluctuations.
The average person takes only 70% of the prescribed drops due to forgetfulness. Here are some tips to help you remember!
Set a daily alarm on your phone to remind you to drop
Link the drops to another activity (e.g. right before/after you brush your teeth) to make it a consistent daily habit
Make a paper calendar sheet (and put it in a visible place) to check off when you have dosed
Don't hide bottles in cabinets or places you won't see it — leave them in plain sight
If you need a refill prescription, call your eye doctor!
9. Keep up with a healthy diet & lifestyle
A healthy diet and lifestyle will not only improve your immune health and make you more resilient against the coronavirus, but it will also reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases and the many vision-threatening eye diseases that may accompany them!
This includes diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and autoimmune diseases. These conditions also put you at a greater risk of developing a severe illness with COVID-19.
Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, managing stress, getting quality sleep, and quitting smoking will do wonders for your body's ability to ward off both acute infection and chronic disease.
10. Wash your glasses
Don’t forget to wash your glasses from time to time as well! You may not realize how often you touch your glasses throughout the day when you adjust them.
Use your fingers to clean your glasses with lukewarm water and mild soap, and wipe dry with a soft towel or lens cloth.
Final Thoughts
Always call your optometrist for any eye-related emergencies instead of going to the ER; this will help to reduce the burden on ER doctors. Canadian optometrists are seeing patients for urgent care during COVID-19 closures.
Hope you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy during this time!
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