What environmental factors cause eyesight deterioration, and how to protect our eyes from them?

We live in a world of evolution where things are constantly changing. Our fast-paced life is affecting our planet immensely. This impact ultimately comes back to us like an echo. We have filled the roads with poison emitting smoke from vehicles which causes pollution. In turn, all this toxicity is affecting our health.

Along with overall health issues, our eyes are also being affected by environmental factors. More people are wearing prescription glasses today than ever. Many companies are offering instant delivery of eyeglasses as people are looking for the fastest way to get prescription glasses to save their time and energy. The emergence of online eyeglasses companies such as Overnight Glasses, LensDirect, EyeBuyDirect, etc has made it easy to get people their specs in less than a day. 

One of the greatest factors affecting our eye health is the depletion of the ozone layer. According to the World Health Organization, harmful UV radiation causes cataracts that affect 18 million people on average. Our eyes are the most delicate part of our body. They are highly susceptible to pollutants and toxins. Environmental elements can cause serious eye diseases such as macular degeneration.

Effects of Environmental Elements

The most significant environmental influence on the eye is dry eyes, also known as the sicca syndrome. This condition occurs when the lacrimal fluid present inside the eye doesn’t moisten the eye. 

This may also be caused by the artificial temperature maintaining devices like heaters or ACs. These make the tear film evaporate due to excess heat. Also, with the advent of screens, there has been a negative impact on the eye health of thousands of humans. Fine dust particles and car exhaust fumes make the air quality bad, which can, in turn, hurt your eyes.

How to protect our eyes from Environmental Element 

Protection from controllable elements

It is essential that we protect our eyes from toxins and pollution present in the atmosphere. There are many chemicals that we deal with in our daily lives. Having awareness about them is essential as it will help us in avoiding them.

There are certain environmental factors that we can control. These include smoke from cigarettes, toxic household cleaning supplies, cosmetics, etc. You could switch to non-toxic alternatives to avoid exposure to toxic chemicals present in cleaning products. There are many eco-friendly brands available for cleaning supplies and cosmetics. These products cause less harm and work just as effectively as the products you are using. This way, you could eliminate potential damage to your eyes.

Protection from non-controllable elements

There are certain factors that are out of your control. These uncontrollable factors include the climate and air quality-related factors. You cannot change the air that you breathe until you move to a secluded spot in the woods.

But there are certain ways in which you could protect your eyes from harmful chemicals present in the air. One of these is using lubricating eye drops for keeping the eyes moist and preventing dry eyes. There are many such protection lubricants available in the market. You could ask your eye doctor to prescribe the one that would work best for you.

Also, wearing sunglasses when you are outdoors during the daytime is a very smart move. Even if the weather is cloudy, the damaging UV radiation of the sun is still present, so do not take off your sunglasses due to pleasant weather. Also, if possible for you, limit exposure to the sun during the peak sun hours. Stay indoors and do not leave indoors unnecessarily.  

Cold weather,  like the intense heat of the sun, is another enemy for the eyes. Due to cold weather, your eyes can dry up, causing many eye issues. For protection, you could use artificial tears. Also, protective eyeglasses should be worn in cold weather. When the weather is cold, your eyes frequently get irritable and watery. For protection, prescription sunglasses can also be custom-made for convenience. 

For people suffering from chronic diseases like asthma, it is best to stay indoors when the air quality gets poor due to pollutants.  Going outdoors in bad air can cause irritation in your eyes. Although your eyes have a natural cover in the form of your eyelashes and eyelids, unfortunately, these cannot stop air from entering your eyes. Therefore, all poisonous materials present in the air are sure to touch your eye and cause damage. Before going outdoors,  you could check the quality of the air online at your local air quality health index. If your town has rare bad air quality days, you could go out as you wish, but refrain from exposing your eyes to the bad air quality days by staying indoors. 

Conclusion

There are many other factors present in the environment that have an adverse effect on your eye health. Being aware of these issues is critical as then you could avoid exposing your eye to these and protect your vision.