10 things opticians wish the patients knew

We all take our eyes for granted. But we would have more appreciation for them if we knew what marvellous pieces of engineering they are.

Okay, so I am an optician but I’m not trying to judge anyone here. To me, optometry is a mutual partnership between opticians and patients. Gone are the days when eye doctors used to tell their patients what to do and they dutifully followed them.

Today, it’s more about both of the parties having the right information to make the right decision. However, there are always some things that the doctor knows better. So, I’m sharing with you the 10 most important things I wish my patients already knew (but they don’t).

Makeup can cause eye injuries

Next time while doing cat-eye makeup or lengthening the lashes, make sure you know about the potential injuries it could lead to.

If the mascara brush rubs too hard on your cornea, it can scratch the delicate front surface of your eye. Not only will it be extremely painful, but it might also turn into an infection.

Moreover, you should remove your eye makeup thoroughly and make sure the makeup product doesn’t get inside your eyes. Although it’s a rare occurrence, the particles of makeup could stay on the surface of your eyes and develop conjunctivitis or other allergic reactions.

Regular eye tests could save your life

When an optician gets uncomfortably close to a patient’s eye, they’re doing more than just checking if everything’s alright in there. Opticians use state of the art tools that could also detect health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, diabetes and tumours.

They are trained for years to pick up these skills. So, if you think that visiting an optician for an eye test is a waste of your time, you’re wrong.

You could also get these tests for free from Specscart. We offer a free eye test to everyone in the UK so you don’t have any excuses to skip your eye exam.

Your Eyes love water

If you ask someone with flawless skin what’s their biggest beauty secret, they’ll give you a cliche answer that they drink a lot of water.

While it’s true that the cells and tissues in our body are made up of water, so drinking plenty of water is bound to make your skin healthy from within, does it do the same for your eyes?

Well yes, your eyes love water. It keeps them from running dry and ensures that your lacrimal glands never run out of tears. Drinking enough water every day is important for your health, especially if you are a woman as women suffer from dry eyes more than men.

Prescription glasses don’t weaken your eyesight

There are so many people who need vision correction but they avoid wearing eyeglasses as they believe that it’ll make their vision even worse. But, this couldn’t be more false.

Prescribed glasses are safe for your eyes. They correct your vision and prevent it from going worse.

And if you’re thinking about how often you need a new prescription, I would say it depends on your age. If you’re a young adult, you should do it every year. But, if you’re in your 40s, you can wait for 2 years.

There are certain signs that tell you that you need glasses. So make sure you keep an eye out for them and book an eye test with us if something feels wrong with your eyes.

We give you our honest opinions

Okay, if someone walks into the store and try a frame that doesn’t look good on them, a good optician won’t sit around and lie about it. They care about your vision as much as they care about how you look in your glasses.

Being opticians, they know how fussy people can be when it comes to wearing glasses. So, helping them find the right frame is the best thing they can do to boost a patient's confidence.

Screen time is no good to your eyes

I can’t stress this one enough. Staring at a bright screen all day invites a number of symptoms ranging from eye pain to dry eyes.

Even though these symptoms go away on their own after a while, why would you want to put up with them even for a short period of time? Use blue light blocking glasses to prevent the likelihood of digital eye strain and enjoy your screen time.

Every eye has the same colour

It’s easy to be struck by the charm of blue or green eyes. But, did you know that every pair of eyes have the same colour?

Blue, green or brown, the perceived eye colour depends on how thick the iris tissue is. And, it’s normal for the eyes to change colour as you grow older. What’s abnormal is when both eyes grow into two different colours.

Sometimes, it’s in your genes

While we always say that bad eyesight is often the doing of your bad lifestyle, sometimes your genes are to be blamed.

Just like health-related diseases, eye problems also run in the family. If your parents have a refractive error, then you’re more likely to get it as well. But, if you don’t, consider yourself lucky and practice useful tips to maintain a healthy vision.

Your eyes get dry in the winter

Just like your skin, your eyes also feel a bit dry in the winter. As the cold weather sets in, it’s normal for your eyes to get red, feel irritated and gritty.

As the air is drier in winter, your tears evaporate quickly and the surface of your eyes feels dry. Run a humidifier in the room to prevent dry eyes in winter and lubricate your eyes using artificial tears or eye drops.

Smoking could damage your vision

Smoking increases the risk of developing macular degeneration and cataracts. These are the two most common causes of blindness in people in the UK.

Smoking damages the tiny delicate blood vessels in the retina which may lead to vision loss. It’s never too late to quit smoking. If you don’t want to be bothered by these eye problems, make sure you quit smoking now.

Final Thoughts

These are some of the important things that every optician wants you to know. Hopefully, this blog will help you to equip your knowledge in the best possible manner.