I’m sharing some of the random and important things I’ve learned on my eye journey since the great saga, a year and a half ago.
Hello friends! How are you? I hope you’re having an amazing day so far! I have client calls all day, so I have my drinks next to me (green organifidecaffeinated Dangerous coffee with Malk and LMNT Citrus Water) and I’m ready to go. My plan is to take some movement vitamins between calls to shake up my legs a bit.
(The jeans are on sale here. // sweater is Granja Rio)
For today’s post I wanted to talk about 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, I read podcasts, I check out threads and articles online. I become hyper-focused and my whole life is consumed by all this stuff, learning everything I can.
I feel like I could give TEDx talks on some random topics, from sensory processing disorder (something one of the kids went through years ago and is completely resolved), affiliate marketing, pelvic floor and diastasis recti, lifestyle, and nutrition for autoimmune symptoms, and after the past year, I feel like MGD, dry eye, and blepharitis are my problem.
While learning about eye health (so I can take control of my own eyes), I found ideas and strategies that have made a big 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; I’m just sharing my own experience.
To learn more about my eye situation, check out the full podcast episode here. (I need to do a follow-up episode because right now my lupus markers were positive, but when we got tested again last December after I made BIG changes in my life, they were negative.)
(new contact lenses and glasses. Warby Parker It’s my favorite!)
Everything I’ve learned about eye care over the last year and a half.
– Eyelid cleaning changes the rules of the game. I can’t believe I’ve gone so many years without using an eyelid wipe. I would wash my eyes with facial cleanser (this is my option) but eyelid wipes are next level. They have horrible ingredients but they work.
– You know that I am referring to the 3 Ss in nutrition (a smoothie, a soup or a salad every day), but there are also 3 Ss for the eyes: Never shower, sleep, or swim with your contact lenses in. WHO KNEW. No one told me this in the 20+ years I wore contact lenses before I started having problems. I always swam and showered with my contact lenses in. Now when I’m around water, I wear prescription sunglasses. I also have prescription glasses and a snorkel mask for Hawaii and it was worth it! It was amazing to snorkel with sea turtles and fish and be able to see everything well, without worrying about ocean water getting into my contact lenses.
The glasses also help me be a *fun mom* since I don’t worry about getting splashed in my eyes.
– Omega 3s make a big difference and many of us don’t get enough. I take a high-quality Omega 3 supplement (This is my favorite!) every day and has sardines for lunch 2 or 3 times a week. Kids love them too! I’ll share my favorite methods for eating them in an upcoming post. Nutrition can absolutely affect eye health, so it’s a good reminder to focus on leafy greens, healthy fats, and antioxidant-rich foods.
– How much allergies affect eye health and how your eyes feel, and how much allergies affect gut health. When I was going through my biggest eye flare-ups, my allergies were out of control. I reacted after being in a dusty building or around pet dander, became irritable after being outside, couldn’t tolerate high histamine foods (especially anything smoked, aged, or fermented), and my eyes were constantly itchy. . I took some tests to check my gut health and it was a disaster.
The CBO protocol was a great 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 scheduled with an allergist this fall (which I booked a year ago) and canceled because my symptoms went away. I was surprised that I was able to take the kids to the cat café (with a Claritin in my pocket just in case) this summer and felt totally fine afterwards!
– Hot compresses are everything. They make my eyes feel great all day, and when I’ve been outside or on the computer more than usual, I can use one to get instant relief. These are my all-time favorites. and while I wish they weren’t disposable, they work better. (I also like the Grossest mask when we are at home, it is reusable.)
– You cannot use daily contact lenses more than once. Wow, wow. I never wore the same pair two days in a row, but sometimes I would wear them for exercise, take them out and put them in solution, and then put the same pair back on later in the afternoon. Not anymore. If they touch my eye, then they go in the trash. It’s just not worth it.
– Hydration also makes a huge difference. Make sure you drink enough water every day, but not *too much*. Too much water can cause us to lose minerals, so I replenish minerals and/or LMNT throughout the day.
– When you are at home, just wear your glasses. I had relied on contact lenses for over 20 years, but over the past year I started wearing my glasses more. At first it was so my eyes could heal, and now it’s so they can receive as much oxygen as possible. I wear my glasses all day while making calls and on the computer and then put in contacts after picking up the kids from school if we’re going to be running. I see better and function more efficiently with my contact lenses, but my eyes feel less tired if I write and work with my lenses.
-The 20-20-20 rule. For every 20 minutes you spend in front of a screen, look at something that is at least 20 feet away and blink for 20 seconds.
– We only have one pair of eyes and they are quite important, so it is worth taking the time to take care of them. When I started my eye care routine, I was a little upset because it’s one more thing I have to do every day. We brush our teeth, we exercise, we take the time to prepare healthy foods, it’s worth spending 15-20 minutes making an eye compress, cleaning our eyelids, and taking some supplements. 😉
It’s crazy because by wearing my glasses more frequently and taking care of my eye health (supplements, cleansing, sleep, hydration, compresses), for the first time since I started wearing glasses, when I was 4 years old, my prescription went down. . I’ve had a -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 contact lenses? Anything you learned that helped you?
xoxo
gina
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Dr. Cabral’s CBO Protocol Review
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