For many people, autumn is a time for enjoying the outdoors. Camping under crisp, starry skies, picking apples, sitting around a bonfire—these activities and more are some of the hallmarks of the fall season.
Here are four ways to make sure your eyes stay healthy this fall, and throughout the rest of the year.
Protect those peepers when raking leaves.
Raking or blowing leaves can send pieces of plant material into your eyes. This could lead to an eye infection called fungal keratitis. As with any yard work, be sure to wear protective glasses or goggles to keep your eyes safe. Also, if you wear contact lenses, disinfect them right afterwards.
Avoid the horrors of non-prescription costume contact lenses this Halloween.
Decorative contact lenses can really enhance a Halloween costume. However, wearing costume lenses not prescribed by an eye doctor who has examined your eyes can lead to frightful consequences. Besides being illegal, non-prescription contact lenses may be ill-fitting and non-sterile, causing painful, sometimes blinding eye infections. Be sure to have an eye exam and get properly fitted for the colored contacts you want.
Keep your eyes moist during autumn’s cooler, dryer weather.
With fall breezes may come burning, stinging and watery eyes. Dry, cold air is the culprit, often causing dry eyes. Keep your eyes moist with lubricating artificial tears. And try to avoid overly-warm rooms, wind or hair dryers—things that dry out your eyes even more.
Reap the harvest of fall’s eye-friendly foods.
Autumn’s bounty is a feast for healthy eyes. Full of antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin A and other nutrients, enjoy the season’s fruits and vegetables, such as:
- apples
- pears
- pomegranates
- squash
- turnips
- cauliflower