We are all biologically engineered to protect our eyes

We are all biologically engineered to protect our eyes With our bodies having various mechanisms and systems built in to protect itself, it’s no surprise we’re hardwired to stop any harm coming to our eyes. This is, of course, a great evolutionary adaptation. We are incredibly conscious about anything coming near them, including wasps, sand, and child-sized fingers. It can become somewhat problematic, though, when you’re faced with the situation in which your eyes aren’t functioning correctly and the body…

Here’s to the readers, the adventurers, the young-at-hearters

Here’s to the readers, the adventurers, the young-at-hearters If Dylan Thomas’s 1947 poem, “Do not go gentle into that good night”, could be summed up in one line, it would be: “Old age should burn and rave at close of day”. But it can’t be. Although short and concise as it is, Thomas crafted every single word to try and convey the full power of his feelings on a very personal matter, his father’s imminent death, and get across exactly why…

Staying hydrated — And why it’s important for your eyes

Staying hydrated — and why it’s important for your eyes You know when you’re dehydrated. No matter what you do and how many litres of water you drink, you just can’t seem to take enough fluid in. This is weird when you think that dehydration is when more water leaves the body than enters the body. The thing is, though, whereas water can only enter the body through one inlet in your face, it can leave the body in many,…

Why are prescription sunglasses so expensive?

Why are prescription sunglasses so expensive? If it wasn’t bad enough that you have poor eyesight, you also have to pay for the privilege of wearing the clunky medical apparatus we call eyeglasses. But to rub it in even more, if you want to avoid headaches, eyestrain, UV damage, and generally bumping into things while protecting your eyes from the sun, you also have to dish out a fortune for prescription sunglasses. There’s no way around it. You can try wearing…

Flying Long-distance With Contact Lenses

Flying Long-Distance With Contact Lenses On top of the jet lag, swollen feet, and missing bags, after a long flight, the last thing you want is dry, irritated eyes. But so is the life of a contact lens wearer. We’re so used to it, in fact, that it often takes our partners or friends to alert us to our red, puffy, bloodshot eyes before we realise, damn — we’ve still got our lenses in. Normally you just take them out for…

Looking after your eyes on the London tube

Looking after your eyes on the London tube Take a ride on the London underground and you’re destined to see sights you won’t have seen anywhere else. Strange characters dressed up as mythical creatures and dominatrix on their way to work. Longtime commuters sprawled out with shoes off and feet up. Even couples celebrating the best day of their lives by getting married on their favourite line. The problem is, as an enclosed, poorly ventilated environment that’s also full of…

Staring at Facebook for 4 hours a day might be bad for you

Staring at Facebook for 4 hours a day might be bad for you Facebook has taken a bit of a bashing recently. Several studies have come out showing the damaging effects it can have on everything from relationships and love life to stress and self-esteem. Even the people who helped build the thing are coming out and declaring it’s “ripping society apart” thanks to its purposely designed “feedback loops”. For a site that calls itself a ‘social network’ and that brought…

How to avoid eye strain

How to avoid eye strain Like migraines, weak glutes, and depression, eye strain seems like just another part of modern day life we have to accept. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t end the work day by rubbing my eyes and blinking like a maniac. There was, however, a time when it was much worse — when I wore contact lenses. My eyes would be instantly as dry as Ghandi’s flipflops if I simply made a sandwich or…

London’s mayor committed to reduce pollution, what that means for your eyesight

London’s Mayor committed to reducing pollution, what this means for your eyesight Think of cities with a serious pollution problem and you think of Delhi or Beijing — places known for their heavy smog clouds that sweep over and blanket whole neighbourhoods for days, weeks, or months on end. Somewhere that doesn’t immediately come to mind, however, with all its talk of protecting the environment and supporting green energy, is London. Yet surprisingly enough — at least for those that…

The risks of coloured or tinted contact lens

The risks of coloured or tinted contact lens Today, contact lenses are sold around the world for many more reasons than solely improving vision. In the East — particularly places like Japan and Korea — circle lenses or ‘Big Eye’ contacts are hugely popular for getting that cute-but-creepy dolly-eyed effect so often seen in anime and manga. In the West, stars like Lady Gaga and Kanye West have helped popularise cosmetic contacts. Here the focus is less on the size…