Does Your College Student Have Any of These Poor Eye Health Habits?

Does Your College Student Have Any of These Poor Eye Health Habits? | Children's Eye Health & Safety Month

8/1/2017

There’s a lot to think about as you send your child off to college this year. Of course, you want him or her to do well, make friends, and stay healthy. With all the studying he or she will be doing, it’s important your child’s eyes stay healthy too. But has your child developed habits that could be hurting his or her eyes?

While some habits may seem harmless enough, certain habits may be increasing your child’s chances of vision problems. The good news is that with a little information and encouragement, your college-bound child can break bad habits and keep his or her eyes healthy.

The following are six common habits that can put your child’s eye health at risk:

Sleeping in Contact Lenses

After a long night, your child may go to bed exhausted and forget to take his or her contacts out. Although some lenses are FDA approved for extended wear, not all contacts should be worn overnight. Sleeping in daily-wear contact lenses can increase the chances of an eye infection. While falling asleep with contacts in one time may not cause any issues, we recommend talking with your child and letting him or her know that he or she should avoid doing so on a regular basis.

Forgoing Sunglasses

Whether your college student is heading to the beach, exercising, studying outdoors, or walking to class, making sure his or her eyes are protected from UV rays is important. Too much UV exposure can increase your child’s risk of various eye diseases, including cataracts and cancer. Some such diseases may not show up for years, but other conditions such as pterygium, growths on the conjunctiva (the mucous membrane that covers the front of the eye and lines the inside of the eye), can develop in teens and young adults.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology, recommends wearing sunglasses that are labeled 100 percent UV protection. Full-coverage and wraparound-style sunglasses are good options, as they tend to block more UV rays from different angles. However, it’s important to make sure your child has good sunglasses that are comfortable, stylish / attractive, and well liked so he or she will actually wear them.

Be sure to talk with your child about the importance of wearing sunglasses on cloudy days, when UV rays can still damage eyes, and during the winter. Sun damage can occur any time of the year, and sunlight reflected off snow can cause eye damage just as sunlight reflected off water can.

Vigorously Rubbing Eyes

Whether due to irritation, fatigue, or itchy eyes, most of us rub our eyes from time to time. While rubbing our eyes may seem harmless, vigorous rubbing can lead to eye damage. If a foreign object gets stuck in our eye, for example, rubbing can scratch the cornea, the transparent layer forming the front of the eye. Hands can also transmit bacteria and viruses, which can cause eye infections such as pink eye or conjunctivitis. Talk with your child about the risks of rubbing and touching his or her eyes, particularly if you notice that he or she rubs his or her eyes a lot at home. You can also set up an appointment with an ophthalmologist to check your child’s eyes if he or she complains of dry, itchy, scratchy, or tired eyes regularly.

Overdoing Eye Drops

Whether your child is using prescription eye drops or over the counter products, it’s essential only they be used only as directed. Overuse of eye drops can irritate eyes over time, and over-the-counter eye drops should not be used for extended periods of time. If your child complains of irritated or red eyes, you can suggest that your child rest his or her eyes and place a cold compress over the eyes for a few minutes.

Smoking

Of course, not all college students smoke cigarettes, but it’s important for you and your child to know the risks of smoking to health, including eye health. Smoking can lead to health problems even for young people. According to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation, smoking may increase the chances of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by up to four times. The chemicals in cigarettes can decrease blood and oxygen to the eyes, which may speed up degeneration. We encourage you to find out if your child smokes, speak with him or her about the risks of smoking to health and eye health, and find out if your child’s college has a smoke-free campus.

Smartphone Overuse

Walk around any college campus, and you’re likely to find students on their cell phones. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, long periods of staring at a smartphone won’t cause permanent eye damage, but activities such as continually reading text messages or the latest comments on Instagram can lead to eyestrain, dry eyes, and blurred vision. Encourage your child to put his or her phone down at least every 20 minutes to give his or her eyes a break.

We hope you find these tips helpful and your child has a wonderful and successful year at college. We also hope that with these tips and some healthy habits, it will be a safe one for his or her eyes! If you have any questions about your child’s eye health or behaviors that could be affecting his or her eye health, please do not hesitate to contact us. If your child has not had a routine eye exam, including a vision screen, before leaving for college, please call us at 508-746-8600 to schedule an appointment with one of our ophthalmologists.

Stay tuned to our next post for ways your child can prevent eye infections at college this year.