The woman's guide to eye care

While eye diseases are not really gender specific, the many stages of a woman's life can have an impact on her vision, due to lifestyle habits and hormonal changes, as well as the subtle visual changes that occur as a natural part of aging.

Women in general tend to be more prone to getting eye allergies, irritations and eye infections, including Conjunctivitis, or Red Eye.

A very common reason for this is the use of cosmetics.

Particles from cosmetics such as eyeliner and mascara can sometimes trigger an infection, particularly when there is a surface abrasion on the cornea, causing redness, irritation and eye swellings.

Another cause of infection is bacteria build up in cosmetic tools, so it is important to cultivate the good habit of cleaning make-up brushes regularly and discarding cosmetics that have expired to avoid eye infections or allergic reactions.

"Over-wearing" and improper contact lens handling is quite a common problem among women, who are prone to leaving a film on their lenses, due to the use of hand creams, body lotions, cream-based foundations and oil-based make-up.

Washing of hands before the insertion of lenses, and following the proper instruction of contact lens use - appropriate length of wear and cleaning of lenses - is very important. An alternative to contact lenses would be vision correction through LASIK.

Hormone changes

Changes in the hormonal levels in the body, due to possible side effects from birth control pills or hormonal changes during menstrual cycles and menopause can sometimes also cause physiological and visual changes to the eyes of women.

The fact that women tend to live longer than men also puts them at a greater risk for age-related diseases. As we get older, most of us experience a change in our vision quality. For some it means not being able to see far away and for others it means more difficulty in reading words close up. It can be quite frustrating, particularly if you are not aware and prepared for these changes.

article source:The woman's guide to eye care