Did you know that rubbing your eyes is bad for your health…and your appearance?
As someone prone to seasonal allergies, I’m guilty of massaging my eyes all throughout the day. (Working at a computer for 10 hours a day doesn’t help either.)
Experts say that any rubbing is destructive; “No rubbing is good rubbing, so if you’re doing it more than even twice a day, that’s too much” said an optometrist.
Consider that the skin under your eyes is the thinnest on your body and so delicate that constant rubbing can injure that skin. Not only can the constant abrasion hurt your eyes, but it can also actually age you.
1. Dark eye circles.
Excessive rubbing ruptures delicate blood vessels surrounding the eyes, leading to skin discoloration and those unsightly circles under your eyes.
2. Wrinkles.
The skin surrounding the eyes loses elasticity, resulting in a droopy and wrinkled appearance.
3. Eye infection.
Rubbing introduces bacteria on the hands to the eyes, risking infection.
4. Corneal abrasion.
Potential irritants present on the surface of the eyes will cause more damage to the eye when rubbed.
So what can you do?
First, see your eye doc to see if you suffer from dry eyes because now there are a number of prescription drops that over time will help.
If you suspect it’s allergies, then get on a good regime of decongestants.
For eye strain, remember to follow the golden rule of taking 15 min breaks for every 2 hours of device use. We make sure to look away from the screen every 30 minutes or so, and to blink, which refreshes the eyes with fresh tears.
If none of this helps, then you may have what is called Blepharitis, a fancy word for eyelid inflammation. Just buy yourself some eyelid wipes (we use OcuSoft) from Amazon and use those until your eyes improve.
Once you get out of the habit of rubbing your eyes the better!