Eye Health No No's

Eye health is a part of health in general just as dental health. Many people ignore it as I once did. If you don’t take care of yourself you are prone to develop issues of any kind. In my particular case it involves the lack of regard or care for my eyes.

It wasn’t until one evening when my vision in my right eye became an absolute fog for about an hour. I almost had a panic attack. I was crying in my head saying over and over again “God no I don’t want to be blind.” From there on I went to an optometrist only to discover ...I CAN SEE! Wow I could’ve told them that. Any who, underlying eye issues I developed overtime were a result of not caring for my eyes when performing certain activities including chemicals.

Let’s start with chlorine! Swimming is fun and most people during summer months go to pools that have a ton of it and open their eyes underwater. That is a no no number one. Community pools are the worst. It is actually one of the leading causes to the spread of conjunctivitis because the bacteria thrive in pools. In addition the chlorine gas with the water produced from your eye form hydrochloric acid which can cause blindness. Even that I did not know. Big thanks to C.P Troppman for goggles in 1916. Let’s keep wearing them.

Bleach, syn-propanethial-S-oxide from cutting onions, oven cleaner, ammonia, detergents, pool cleaner even vinegar are chemicals in common cleaning supplies. Maids, janitors, nannies, parents or germophobes use them often. (Side Note: You should use them often if you know anything about microbiology and all of the dirt, germs, mites, bacteria, fungi and viruses that can adhere to our clothing and hard surfaces in our homes.) No no number two do not use product with these chemicals without gloves, protective eyewear and a dust mask or even in non-ventilated areas. If some of these harsh chemicals get on your skin and you absorb them they can cause rashes, chemical burns, nerve and tissue damage to skin and eyes.

In conclusion the side effects of bleaching clothes without gloves and getting bleach all over my hands were simply hand eczema. The side effects of bleaching my hair and inhaling the fumes at salons or in the process of cleaning resulted in my sudden development of asthma. As a result of not wearing protective eye wear during such or during swimming in chlorinated pools, I suffer from dry eyes, burning eyes, redness, floaters, difficulty seeing in bright light and blurred vision at random times. These are not coincidences! Pay attention to yourself. It is the only way you can know yourself to stay in health.