Nurses: Take Care of Your EYES!

For nurses and other health care providers, it is important to have a clear vision and good eyesight to overcome the problems brought by it while in work, rendering your duties especially when writing on the medical charts of our patients. Here are some ways on how to take care of our Eyes..

Take regular Eye Exam.

While we find time to have a periodic physical exam for your body, find time to do the same for our eyes, even if we think our vision is perfect. The eye exams check and find for more serious eye conditions, like glaucoma and cataracts. Ophthalmologists can tell from our family history and our type of work what kind of risks our eyes may face. We don’t always notice our vision changing because our brains are likely to compensate for changes on a day-to-day basis. Having an annual eye exam can spot problems before they can become major.

Get enough sleep.

This may be the biggest problems for nurses because given the nature of our work, it is impossible to have a regular sleeping pattern and enough quality sleep everyday. However, eye experts say that rested eyes do not suffer from nearly as much as eye strain and dry eye. Rested eyes are more resistant to infections because they are less exposed. One suggestion is to vary the tasks for which we use our eyes to avoid eye strain and myopia or nearsightedness. During free time, use our eyes for something beside watching TV or looking at the PC monitor, like walking or reading.

Limit Exposure to hazards.

It is advisable to ventilate our space when working with harsh chemicals such as chlorine, ammonia, paint and stripping compounds. Likewise, seek low-VOH alternatives for volatility means that free ions oxidize easily and can be caustic. Always use eye protection when working with any chemicals or building materials to protect our eyes from any accidental spills and/or flying nails.

Regular handwashing.

Wash our hands several times on or off duty especially after using the bathroom and eating and/or after using any chemicals. This is important because for those of us who wear glasses, we tend to adjust our glasses and rub our eyes without even thinking. If you have an infection, it is best to wash regularly and do not share the towel use to dry your hands. It is also advisable to use paper instead and dispose of it properly.