I’m sharing some of the random and important things I’ve learned on my journey with the eyes since the great epic a year and a half ago.
Hello friends! what are you doing I hope you are having a great day so far! I have client calls all day so I have my drinks by my side (Organize greendecaf Dangerous coffee with Malk, and LMNT citrus water) and I’m ready.to.go. My plan is to take some movement vitamins in between calls to shake my legs a bit.
(Jeans are sold here // The sweater is Farm Rio)
For today’s post, I wanted to talk about the eyes! I think many of you can relate, but whenever I’m going through something (or someone in the family is), I learn as much as possible about it. I read as many books as I can get my hands on, amuse myself through podcasts, scan threads and articles online. I become hyper-focused and my whole life is consumed by this whole thing, learning as much as I can.
I feel like I could give TEDx talks on a few random topics, from Sensory Processing Disorder (something one of the kids went through years ago and completely resolved), affiliate marketing, pelvic floor and Dimensionality, lifestyle and nutrition for autoimmune symptoms , and after the past year, I feel like MGD, dry eyes, and blepharitis are.my.jam.
While learning about eye health (so I can keep my own eyes in check), I’ve come across nuggets and strategies that have made a huge difference for me, so I thought I’d share them today.
Please note that this is not medical advice. Always talk to your doctor before making any changes. Just sharing my own experience.
For more on my eye condition, check out the full podcast episode here. (I need to have a follow-up episode because at this point in time, my Lupus markers were positive, but when we retested last December after making HUGE life changes, they were negative.)
(new contacts and glasses. Warby Parker it’s my favorite!)
all things I’ve turned to for eye care over the past year and a half
– Eyelid cleansing is a game changer. I can’t believe I went so many years without using an eyelid wipe. I would wash my eyes with facial cleanser (this is my passion) but eyelid wipes are the next craze. They have horrible ingredients but they work.
– You know I’m all about the 3 S’s with nutrition (a smoothie, soup or salad every day), but there are also 3 S’s for the eyes: Never shower, sleep or swim with your contacts in. WHO KNEW. No one ever told me this in my 20+ years of wearing contacts before I started having problems. I always swam and showered with my contacts in. Now whenever I’m near the water, I wear prescription sunnies. I got it too prescription glasses and a respirator mask for Hawaii and it was worth it! It was amazing to snorkel with sea turtles and fish and be able to see everything clearly without worrying about ocean water getting into my contacts.
The glasses also help me be a *fun mom* since I don’t have to worry about my eyes getting splashed.
– Omega 3s make a huge difference and many of us don’t get enough. I take a high quality Omega 3 supplement (this is my favorite!) every day and eat sardines for lunch 2-3 times a week. Kids love them too! I’ll share my favorite methods for eating them in an upcoming post. Diet can absolutely affect eye health, so it’s a good reminder to focus on leafy greens, healthy fats, and antioxidant-rich foods.
– How allergies affect eye health and how the eyes feel and how gut health affects allergies. When I was going through my worst eye flare-ups, my allergies were out of control. I would react when I was in a dusty building or around my pets hair, I would break out when I was outside, I couldn’t tolerate high histamine foods (especially anything smoked, aged or fermented) and my eyes itched constantly. I did some tests to check my gut health and it was a mess.
The CBO protocol was a huge step in the process of healing my gut and knock on wood, I am almost allergy free. (I also did some other functional labs and made quite a few lifestyle and diet changes.) I had an appointment with an allergist this fall (which I booked a year ago) and canceled because my symptoms are gone. I was shocked that I could take the kids to the cat cafe (with a Claritin in my pocket just in case) and felt great afterwards!
– Warm compresses are everything. They make my eyes feel great all day and when I’m out or on the computer more than usual I can use one for instant relief. These are my all time favorites and while I wish they weren’t disposable, they work better. (I like it too Bruder mask when we are at home, which is reusable.)
– You cannot wear daily contacts more than once. Womp womp. I would never wear the same pair two days in a row, but sometimes I would wear them for practice, take them off and soak them in a solution, then put the same pair back on later in the afternoon. Not anymore. If they touch my eye, they go in the trash afterwards. It’s just not worth it.
– Hydration also makes a huge difference. Make sure you drink enough water each day, but not *too much.* Too much water can cause us to lose minerals, so I replenish with minerals and/or LMNTs throughout the day.
– When you’re at home, just wear your glasses. I’ve been a contacts addict for 20+ years, but in the last year, I’ve started wearing my glasses more. At first it was so they could heal my eyes, and now it’s so they can get as much oxygen as possible. I wear my glasses all day while on calls and on the computer and then put in contacts after I pick up the kids from school if we’re going to be running. I see better and function more efficiently in my contacts, but my eyes feel less tired if I type and work with my glasses on.
-The 20-20-20 rule. For every 20 minutes you are on a screen, look at something at least 20 meters away and blink for 20 seconds.
– We only have one set of eyes and they are kind of important so it’s worth taking the time to take care of them. When I first started my eye care routine, I was kind of annoyed because it’s one more thing I have to do every day. We brush our teeth, we exercise, we take time to prepare healthy foods, it’s worth 15-20 minutes to do an eye compress, clean the eyelids and take some supplements. 😉
It’s wild because by wearing my glasses more often and actually taking care of my eye health (supplements, cleansing, sleep, hydration, compresses), for the first time since I started wearing glasses when I was 4, the my recipe BELOW. . I’ve been -5.25 since high school and now I’m down to -5.00 which I’m pretty excited about.
So tell me, friends: do you wear glasses or contacts? Anything you learned that helped you??
xoxo
Gina
The best products for dry eye and blepharitis
My personal healing journey
CBO protocol review by Dr. Cabral
Tips and strategies for dry eye
