Eye care tips for the Festive Season
23 December 2021
How to keep your eyes healthy while waiting for Santa!
With only 48 hours left till Christmas Day, we can bet that many of you are now well and truly in the Christmas spirit and ready for the holidays! Pretty soon we will all be waking up to see what gifts Santa has bought us, before digging into a delicious Christmas meal surrounded by our friends and family. However, there are still a few things to bear in mind while you’re having fun celebrating this year. Certain things such as alcohol, or even the moisture of the air in the room you’re in, can harm your vision and eye health. Make sure you follow our top tips below to ensure your eyes remain healthy throughout the festive season.
5 Top tips for healthy eyes this Christmas
There are a few tips you can follow to ensure you are looking after the health of your eyes as much as possible this holiday season. Some of these tips include:
- Eating eye-friendly festive foods: Christmas is a time where dieting isn’t really taken into consideration, and for good reason! It’s the one time of the year when people can happily indulge in delicious festive food without feeling too guilty about it. However, certain foods such as turkey, salmon and Brussels sprouts are known to benefit your vision and eye health as they are packed full of vitamins and nutrients. These can include omega-3, lutein and zeaxanthin. Try to include some of these foods in your Christmas meal to ensure your eyes are receiving all the nutrients they need to function properly.
- Moderating your alcohol consumption: It’s not uncommon for people to consume alcohol in excess at Christmas time while indulging in the festivities, especially while drinking festive drinks, such as mulled wine. Be wary of your increased alcohol consumption, however, as alcohol is known to have negative effects on the eyes. Drinking too much alcohol can cause dry eyes, distorted vision, and migraines, amongst other effects. Try to stick to the recommended daily limit when drinking this Christmas, to avoid that nasty hangover on Boxing Day!
- Using eye drops: During winter, the increased use of central heating indoors is one of the biggest culprits behind dry eye syndrome, which can leave your eyes feeling dry, gritty and sore. There’s already a lack of moisture in the air during the colder seasons, and central heating only adds to that by speeding up the evaporation of the eyes’ moisture. We also spend a lot of time inside during winter and Christmas time, increasing our exposure to dry air indoors. If you tend to experience dry eyes during the winter, using eye drops can help combat dry eyes. Eye drops will keep your eyes lubricated and can help alleviate any irritation. Don’t let dry eyes ruin your festive fun!
- Wearing sunglasses: When the UK is blessed with snow on Christmas Day (once in a blue moon), it’s always a real treat to go out and play in the snow with our loved ones – but be wary of the weather outside. Dry eyes can be one of the effects of winter on our eyes, but colder weather can also affect our eyes in other ways. Cold weather can lead to excess tearing, light sensitivity, redness, snow blindness, and changes in vision. Wearing sunglasses outdoors can reduce your risk of developing these conditions, as the sun’s UV rays can still impact our eye health even in the winter.
- Practising good eye makeup hygiene: Christmas is the perfect time to get into the party spirit (depending on COVID), with many Christmas parties happening across the festive period. Many of us enjoy getting dressed up and wearing makeup to attend these Christmas parties. However, if good hygiene habits are not followed while wearing eye makeup, the chances of developing an eye infection are much higher. If you’re dressing up for Christmas this year and going for a fancy makeup look, avoid sharing eye makeup with others. This can cause cross-contamination, spreading bacteria that may lead to an eye infection. You should also dispose of your eye makeup every three months, as this can put you at risk of contracting conjunctivitis. It’s not exactly the Christmas gift you want!
We hope you’re all looking forward to a lovely Christmas break, despite all of the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic at the moment. By following our helpful tips above, you can make the most of the Christmas holidays while knowing that your eye health and vision are being cared for. From all of us here at Ultralase, we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
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