pink eye at school

I have some of the best memories from when I lived in the dorms at UCLA, however, I remember a lot of sleepless nights, countless hours at Powell Library, and finals hell week.  Dorm living can be lots of fun, but also pretty stressful. I’m here to give you some great tips and tricks for a successful school year that involve your eyes and vision!

Conjunctivitis (aka Pink Eye)

Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the conjunctiva (thin layer of tissue that lies over the white part of the eye). When irritated, it looks pink. There are a few causes to the inflammation such as viruses, bacteria, and allergies. Viral and Bacterial conjunctivitis is pretty contagious especially around campus. Symptoms can include watery or colored discharge, redness, eyelids shut closed in the am, and pain. Treatment can include artificial tears, proper cleaning of your eyelids, and antibiotic drops..  If you think you may have conjunctivitis avoid touching the eyes, wash your hands frequently, and throw away eye makeup that you may have used. If you are a contact lens wearer, stop wearing them until it has been treated and resolved.  Please visit your Eye Care Provider of Optometrist at the Health Center to get properly diagnosed and treated.

Dry Eyes From Studying

Dry eyes and eye-strain can be caused by Blue- light emissions on our screen as well as decreased blink rate! When the eyes don’t blink as much, they are not getting refreshed by needed tears, thus drying the front surface of the eyes. There is a great 20/20/20 rule that I live by. For every 20 minutes on the screen, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Also, try and spend time outdoors and away from your computer as much as possible, especially during heave study times.  Another tip is to keep artificial tears computer side, like systane or refresh to use every 2 hours while studying. (preservative-free drops)

Blue Light From Screens

Blue Light from our screens has been proven to disrupt our sleep cycle. I found that wearing blue light blocking glasses when working on my laptop/phone has significantly helped with my eye strain and even headaches. Blue Light blocking glasses are great for those late-night study days. I love Carrot Eyewear for great quality blue light blocking glasses.  You can also get custom lenses made by your Eye Care Provider if you want a more exact alignment and or prescription lenses.

Sleeping in Eye-Makeup

We have all been there! But, we can’t forget that sleeping in our eye makeup could have serious side effects. Not only will it cause wrinkles and acne, but your pillow could rub it off and it can end up in your eyes. This could cause serious irritation and even infection. I love this Tea Tree Eye Makeup Removal Kit from We Love Eyes for fast and gentle makeup removal!

 

Sleeping in Contact Lenses

As much as we want to crawl in bed after a long day of studying, we have to remember to take out our contacts every night. Sleeping in your contacts just one night can cause infection and irritation that could lead to vision disruption and even worse vision loss.  I always recommend daily contact lenses to avoid cleaning.  With dailies you can take them out of your eyes while in bed and throw them on the floor if you’re too lazy. It may sound gross, but eye infections are even more gross. Just pick them up the next morning and throw away.

If you choose to wear multi- use contact lenses replace your case every month, as bacteria builds up on the case and can transfer to your eye. Don’t forget to also wash your hands before putting on your contacts and also when taking them off.

 

I hope these tips and tricks make dorm room living better!