Better_HomesandGardensAustralia-February_2017

betterhealth

1

Be make‑up savvy
Sharing is caring,
but not always!
Never share make-up
tools, brushes,
pencils, shadows
or mascara, as they can harbour
bacteria. Ideally, wash your brushes
once a week and leave them to air-
dry. Replace mascara every three to
four months – sooner if you’ve had an
eye infection such as conjunctivitis.
Also important: never head to bed
without removing your eye make-up!

2

Eat for your eyes
Healthy fats
from oily fish, egg
yolks, nuts, seeds
and avocados, along
with the nutrients
in antioxidant-rich leafy greens and
colourful fruit and veg – including carrots,
obviously – are essential for healthy eyes.

3

Shade up

Whatever the

weather, a divine

pair of sunnies will

protect your eyes

against harmful UV

light as well as keeping you firmly on

trend. Have a few pairs on hand to

suit your mood or outfit. If you play

certain sports or love to DIY around

your home, protect your peepers with

task-specific safety glasses – not so

sexy, but necessary nonetheless.

4

Don’t smoke

Once upon a time,

lighting up seemed

like a reasonable

thing to do but

today, not so much.

Apart from anything else, smoking

markedly increases the risk of

serious vision loss. Why risk it?

Avoid second-hand smoke too.

5

Be screen wise

Eye strain,

headaches and vision

disturbances are on

the up thanks to the

amount of time we

spend gazing at our computers, tablets

and smart phones. Realistically, we aren’t

putting down our devices anytime soon,

so a little damage control is required.

Exercise your eye muscles by frequently

switching focus – look up from the screen

and out into the distance. Open your eyes

wide, blink slowly several times, then

close and scrunch them tightly for a few

seconds. Look up, down and sideways

• heck, do the hokey-pokey, anything to
  give your peepers a break! Power down
  before you hit the sack too – screens
  emit a blue light that upsets melatonin
  production and can disturb your sleep.

6

Speaking of

sleep...

Get enough of it! If

you often wake feeling

like you’ve gone three

rounds with a sheet

of heavy-duty sandpaper, it’s a clue you

need more pillow time. It could also be a

sign your eyes aren’t producing enough

natural lubrication. Dry eye can be treated

with over-the-counter ‘tear’ drops but

have it checked out by your doc anyway

to rule out more serious conditions.

6

steps to

healthy,

beautiful

eyes

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS, FEBRUARY 2017 bhg.com.au 165