Party Eyes
A guide to looking after your eyes during the festive season!
The Christmas party season can play havoc with your eyes so the Eyecare Trust has produced some hints and tips to help keep your eyes sparkly and bright.
Smoke Gets in your Eyes
Smokey atmospheres, late nights and drinking alcohol can all place stress on our eyes and they can often become dull, red, puffy, tired or irritated and, although there is nothing physically wrong with your eyes, you may not be pleased with how they look.
A quick fix for relieving your eyes from any discomfort is to place a cold compress made from a wet tea bag or a slice of cucumber over each eye then lie back and relax for 5-10 minutes. Afterwards your eyes should feel soothed and revived.
The best way, however, to put the sparkle back into your eyes is to get a good night's sleep!
Popping Corks
Every year at least half a dozen people are admitted to Moorfields Eye Hospital in London with injuries sustained from cracking open the bubbly. A champagne cork is about the size of an eye socket and can be extremely painful and damaging. Iain Anderson, Chairman of the Eyecare Trust advises: "Although the effect is less dramatic ALWAYS place a cloth over the cork and gently twist it out of the bottle."
Christmas trees also pose an unlikely danger to your eyes. If you get a poke in the eye from a Christmas tree branch, immediately rinse the eye out with water. If it is still sore after 12 hours then visit your nearest A&E department.
GlamourEyes
There's a growing trend towards wearing coloured contact lenses in both contact lens wearers and non contact lens wearers. So, if you want to make an impact at the office Christmas party with the latest fashion accessory but don't want to damage your eyes - always ensure that you have your lenses fitted by a qualified optometrist and then carefully follow their advice on wearing and caring for your lenses.
Never sleep in false eyelashes as there is a danger that the glands in your eyelids may become blocked and cause an infection. Always remove them before going to bed and gently wash your eyelids with some clean water.
Be Prepared
Contact lens wearers should always make sure that they carry a back-up pair of glasses. If you lose a lens over Christmas it may take some time to replace.
If you take out a contact lens never put it back into your eye without cleaning it first. Never clean them with tap water. If you are going to a party always take your lens case and travel size bottles of solution.
To keep eyes looking healthy and bright year round the Eyecare Trust recommends that you eat a healthy low fat diet with lots of fruit and vegetables; make sure that eyes are protected from the sun by wearing sunglasses with maximum ultraviolet protection; wear proper eye safety equipment when partaking in eye hazardous work or sport; and take periodic rest breaks from your computer or other close work to relax your eyes.