Fast food and prolonged sleep: 5 habits that will make you blind

Experts from the World Health Organization have estimated that there are approximately 2 billion people worldwide with blindness and severe visual impairment. At the same time, in almost half of the cases, blindness could have been avoided. This would be possible with prompt diagnosis, proper treatment, early prevention and lifestyle changes.

More than half of cases of vision problems develop after age 50, but severe impairment can occur at a younger age. Scientists from the University of Illinois have calculated that women suffer from severe visual impairment and blindness 2 times more often than men. It is possible that this is due to the influence of hormones.

It is clear that avoiding wearing sunglasses, ill-fitting glasses, sleeping with contact lenses (especially if they are old and expired) and the habit of not removing makeup before bed are harmful to eyes. But we have collected 5 other habits that impair vision, are harmful to the eyes and can lead to blindness.

Smoking is bad – this is of course not news. Smokers are more likely to suffer from lung diseases, problems with the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, as well as oncological diseases, such as lung cancer and tumors of the larynx.

However, most smokers don’t realize that smoking can cause blindness. First, smokers are 2-3 times more likely to develop cataracts, a clouding of the lens that makes everything look like a haze.

Second, we know that smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to suffer from macular degeneration. With this disease, the retina is affected, vision gradually deteriorates and then completely decreases to zero. Retinal macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of blindness worldwide.

Not getting enough sleep is bad in every way. Reduces immunity, affects brain function, impairs memory and the ability to solve a variety of problems. Also, lack of sleep does not have the best effect on vision. However, it has been shown that those who sleep longer do not always have the best health. Sleeping more than 9 hours is bad for your cardiovascular system and can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

American doctors, who published the results of their study in 2019, found that sleeping too short (less than 3 hours) and too long (more than 10 hours) increases the risk of developing glaucoma. With glaucoma, the optic nerve is affected, with the progression of the disease, complete blindness is possible.

In general, those who slept around 7 hours were 3 times less likely to develop glaucoma and blindness than those who slept too little or too much.

The abuse of hamburgers, fries and other not very useful products can also cause blindness. Confirmation of this is the case that happened to a British teenager in 2017.

The young man went to the doctor with complaints of fatigue and blurred vision. The examination showed that the guy couldn’t see very well, and a number of tests confirmed that he had anemia and severe vitamin deficiencies. There was obviously not enough vitamin B12, copper, selenium, zinc and vitamin D in the body. The young man was prescribed vitamin complexes and received advice on nutrition. It turned out that he ate a lot of fast food, white bread, crackers and sausages. Even after nutrition improved and vitamin levels returned to normal, vision did not improve.

A diet with excess fats and a lack of vitamins and microelements led to damage to the optic nerve, and therefore the deterioration was irreversible.

An important part of our life happens in front of the screen of a computer or a smartphone. We stare at screens for hours. All the while, the eyes are exposed to the blue light emitted by screens and monitors. This light damages the photoreceptors located on the retina, leading to macular degeneration, which we have already discussed above. Its progression leads to the development of blindness.

There are several options for protecting against blue light – these can be special glasses or special protective screens that block blue light and prevent it from reaching the retina.

It’s a shame to throw away the mascara, because you’ve been using it for a year, and it’s still like new? Feel free to throw it away, because in a good way it should have been done 3-4 months after starting use.

Mascara is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria. They can cause photophobia, itching, conjunctivitis, inflammation, and yes, blindness. Those who use contact lenses belong to a special risk group – they are more vulnerable to bacterial infections.

Not only is expired mascara dangerous, but also eyeliner, and even one with a normal expiry date. Bacteria can also accumulate on its tip. To somewhat reduce the risk of infection, sharpening the pencil just before use and some sort of disinfection of the rod will help.

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