Prevention Is Better Than Cure: The Top Tips To Keeping Your Blinkers Healthy

We take some things for granted, and having a healthy pair of blinkers is definitely one of those things!

We should take care of our eyes and keep them in top shape. Cold, heat, sleep, reading, work, hobbies, television, sports-our eyes experience it all with us.

We’ve divided our quick expert eye-care tips into two parts. This week we're looking at keeping your eyes healthy with makeup and how to keep your blinkers in top shape in the workplace.

Batting Our Lashes... How To Keep Our Eyes Healthy With Makeup

We’re certainly guilty of it. Not straying anywhere further than ten feet from the house without at least a coat of mascara on. It’s okay to be a fan of makeup, you just need to know how to avoid the uncomfortable allergies, the dry eyes, the injuries and infections. In short, how to keep your eyes sparkling and healthy.

1. Cosmetics are not required to have an expiration date, but they do. Check out your makeup’s expiration date in our guide to old and new makeup. Keep in mind that from the moment you open the product, it’s vulnerable to contamination from airborne bacteria. A good rule? When in doubt, throw it out!

2. Try not to share your cosmetics with anybody. Bacterial or viral infections, such as pink eye, are a common occurrence among those that share the same mascara or eyeliner products. Not pretty.

3. Wash your application brushes frequently using mild soap and water. Cosmetic tools are a breeding ground for bacteria and germs.

4. Your makeup might be running out, but don’t use water to thin cosmetics. The addition of water could also harbor fungus and bacteria growths by weakening any preservatives present to protect the product.

 

Make sure your eyes are clean before going to bed at night.

5. Keep your cosmetics in a cool, dry storage place. Proper storage of cosmetics to avoid moisture and humidity is essential to your eye health. Avoid storage of makeup in the bathroom. Because of hot showers, hot baths, extreme temperature changes and high humidity, the bathroom does not provide a cool and dry environment for makeup. Instead, store your makeup in something portable such as a makeup case or a tin of some sort.

6. If you do contract an eye infection, avoid wearing makeup until the eye is completely healed. If your eye infection was viral or bacterial related, throw away your old makeup and replace with new to prevent reinfection.

7. Are you a contact lens wearer? Whether you wear soft or hard contact lenses, makeup application and removal are equally important. Under normal circumstances, you should insert soft contact lenses before applying makeup while hard contact lenses should be inserted after. However, because of the likelihood of debris entering the eye, eye makeup removal should occur after the contact lenses are removed. This applies to both soft and hard lenses.

Long Hours At The Computer... How To Keep Our Eyes Healthy In The Workplace

Long hours on the computer can result in eyestrain, headaches, dry eyes and other symptoms. Follow these precautionary measures and avoid the discomfort…

1. Observe your workplace from an ergonomic point of view. Computer workstations should be strategically placed in a room that allows you to face into an open space beyond the computer screen. This will give you the opportunity to be able to focus on objects at a distance to periodically rest the eyes. Equally important is the location of the monitor.

2. Use a newer flat-panel screen monitor with a high quality glare filter. This will ensure optimal comfort at the computer. Eliminating glare and distracting screen reflections with an anti-glare screen will ease visual stress symptoms.

Judge your workplace critically... how can you improve it to benefit your eye health?

3. Judge your workplace’s lighting. Poor lighting conditions from bright overhead lighting and glare from windows could have a direct effect on your viewing comfort causing eye strain. To combat this problem, reposition your desk so that you are not in front of a window or if you must, install blinds or shades to control the excessive natural brightness.

4. Take visual and mental breaks. To relieve the eye muscle of the strain involved from working close-up, take quick breaks every 15 to 20 minutes by looking away into the distance for two minutes. After every hour or two, get up and walk a little. Stretch the arms, neck and shoulders.

5. To avoid uncomfortable dry eyes, rest your blinkers by closing them for a few minutes. Consciously blink more often. You could even use lubricating eye drops for continual comfort.

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GloHealth members who have chosen the Eye Care Personalised Package can claim up to €20 back for an eye exam. For more information on this package,, see GloHealth.ie