It’s no secret that we’re all creatures of habit. But what if some of the habits that you have are damaging your eyes? Here are some common habits that are potentially dangerous for your eyes:

• Sleeping in contacts. We’ve all been there. It’s late and you don’t want anything to stand between you and getting some sleep. However, sleeping in contacts makes you six times as likely to get a corneal infection. Not to mention sleeping in contacts can dry your eyes out.
• Overusing eye drops. Non-prescription eye drops can be used for dry eye or even allergy relief. The main purpose of these types of drops is to alleviate the redness in the eye. If you abuse the eye drops, it could make the eye more irritated and red.
• Rubbing your eyes. The temptation to rub your eyes can be great, whether you have something in your eye or even if you’re tired. It’s important to resist that temptation to avoid harm that could come to your eye as a result. If there is a particle in your eye and you rub it, you risk scratching your cornea. In addition, rubbing can break the small blood vessels under the skin, which can cause puffy eyes and dark circles.
• Not wearing sunglasses. Sunglasses are a necessary accessory year-round. The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays are damaging to our eyes even on overcast Prolonged UV exposure can lead to bloodshot or swollen eyes, hypersensitivity to light and cataract formation.
• Skipping an eye exam. Too often, yearly eye exams are missed. Not only can your eye care provider detect serious eye diseases such as glaucoma or cataracts, but they can detect other illness such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
• Excessive screen time. Though screen time in today’s age is almost unavoidable, excessive use of digital devices can impact your vision health. We tend to blink less when staring at our screens, which can easily dry out our eyes. Additionally, blue light emitted from digital devices can cause eye strain and disrupt your circadian rhythm, making it harder to fall asleep.