Taking Care of your Eyes this Christmas
The party season is upon us and no doubt a few of us will have that extra Sherry that takes us beyond what is really good for us.
Excuse the pun – but optics are not good for our optics! We will see the room spin when we lie down. We can even see double (not just the Gin and Whisky types).
Alcohol and Your Eyes
Alcohol relaxes our control on the eye muscles, which means we start getting confused messages from our eyes about where the horizon is. As the two eyes stop co-ordinating, we find it difficult to judge just how far away objects are. This is why some people spill more than they drink towards the end of the night, as they make vain grasps for a glass that seems to move at the last second.
For the contact lens wearers among us, this lack of co-ordination can be quite a problem. Taking lenses out of the eye safely is one thing (that is if you remember to get them out at all!). Cleaning them and putting them away hygienically can become a tricky operation when the brain and hands are not in sync.
Plan Ahead
As an eye care specialist, I say plan ahead for your nights out this Christmas!
Get your contact lens storage routine ready to go before you go out, or consider getting some disposable lenses for parties. Disposable lenses can be binned at any time of the night when you feel the alcohol beginning to hit. If you plan to do this, remember to take your back-up glasses with you! For those that do not have up-to-date glasses, now is the time to get some - even if you have to ask Santa for an early present.
All of this is even more important for those of you not waking up where you expected (enough said!).
Christmas Catastrophes
These are a few things to definitely avoid this Christmas:
Champagne Corks
Too many accidents happen as people grapple with champagne bottles, looking down at the top of the bottle waiting for that missile to come flying out, at great speed, straight into their faces. That cork is the perfect size to fit into your eye socket. Unfortunately, that’s where your eye wants to be as well – not a good combination!
Eyeballing
For those that do not know what this is - good - no one should ever know!
For those of you that do know... Do you fancy stripping the top layer of protective cells from the front of your eyes? Then waiting 24 hours while the extreme discomfort wears off before you find out if you have any permanent damage to your sight? If so, carry on throwing neat spirits into your open eyes (oops – now you all know!).
Sharing Contact Lenses
Especially sharing the novelty ones, unless you are really so close to someone that you want to share everything, even your bacteria, viruses and ensuing corneal damage. If someone is wearing contact lenses as a novelty, they are more likely to care less about looking after them properly.
If you any concerns about what you have put your eyes through over Christmas make sure you get a professional opinion from your optometrist. Have a great Christmas and make sure you can see the New Year in!
Christmas Opening Hours
This year, we close on Christmas Day and open again on 2nd January 2014. We are already taking appointments for 2014, although we are often able to offer advice and guidance without an appointment.