A lot of poplin my optical shop ask how they could influence how white the sclera appears on their eyes. And there are a few things you will learn about that influence how white your sclerae appear. Generally speaking, we only discuss natural ways to do this here. Manufacturers of eye drop promoting whiter eyes oftentimes have a good short-term effect while the long-term effects may cause more harm than good to your eyes because of the ingredients in them. But first, let us have a look at how you could influence the white parts of your eye.
- UV Exposure
- Exposure to digital screens
- Poor diet and lack of vitamins
- Allergies
- Smoking
- Heavy alcohol consumption
- High caffeine intake
- Lack of sleep
- Minimal blinking and lubrication of eyes
- Dry eye disease
- Poorly fitted contact lenses
In this list are a few things that influence the white on your eyes temporarily and some of them leave the sclera changed in color for good. There are factors coming from outside influencing how your eyes appear like smoke or poorly fitted contact lenses and there are also factors coming from your body like the lack of sleep or allergies that will result in your eyes showing more redness than white. Here you will find the 11 tips on how to get whiter eyes the natural way.
Remove Poorly Fitted Contact Lenses
As you can see in the picture above the eye looks less white and on the right side, the eye shows a healthier-looking white. This is exactly the same eye but in between both pictures, one year has passed. A contact lens wearer came into our optical store and wanted to order contacts. By looking at her our optician decided it is not a good idea to just render them because the eyes looked more red than white on the sclera.
Our optician then performed a checkup decided eye health is good but the contact lens fit was not correct. We switched the contacts and you could see the eyes turning whiter and brighter from our customer week after week. So do not skip your lens check-ups at your local optician.
Reduce UV Exposure by Wearing Sunglasses
When we talk about UV exposure you can effectively minimize the likelihood of yellow spots showing up on your eyes (Pinguecula) only by wearing sunglasses. Here in the image below you can see those spots. Some people have a natural predisposition but sunglasses generally help with your sclerae looking white.
Allergies Countered With Allergen-Desensitizing
Allergies can be a big factor when it comes to the white of your eyes. Oftentimes allergies influence the tear-film and therefore the wetting of your eye. When the tear film is not optimally distributed on your eye you can expect your eyes to be less bright and white. The problem often is this effect can not only be influenced by your allergy but also by the eye drops you take that work against the symptoms of your allergy. So one way would be to think about allergen-desensitizing to have fewer symptoms and less need for medication.
Poor Diet and Lack of Vitamins
There is strong evidence linked to a poorer diet for example with a lack of omega 3 acids and a lower quality tear film. This could not only influence how your eyes feel if dry or not but how they appear. This is the same problem wetting problem as described before. With a lower quality tear film, dry spots appear earlier on your eye and then your white eyes turn red. So make sure you get a good diet with enough omega 3 fatties.
Quit Smoking
Smoking is also a big factor when it comes to how white your eyes look. Usually when we make checkups and one of our customers shows an improvement in how the eyes appear there is a relation to smoking or changes in their diet. Smoking just makes the tear film quality worse in should therefore avoided to make your eyes naturally whiter.
Reduce Exposure to Digital Screens
Oftentimes when you are in front of a digital screen your blinking rate you blink less and stare more. This is of course not good because your eyes will get dryer with a decreased blinking rate. Try to minimize the time in front of digital screens. If that is not possible remind yourself to blink frequently. A sticker on the side of the screen could help.
Reduce Alcohol Consumption and Caffeine Intake
Both alcohol and caffeine can influence your blood pressure. It is not uncommon for people to have whiter eyes when alcohol consumption and caffeine intake are reduced.
Get Enough Sleep
A lack of sleep oftentimes results in your eyes appearing more red and dull. So make sure your sleep is on point.
Care About Dry Eyes
The improvement of dry eye symptoms can lead to whiter and healthier-looking eyes. There are lubricants, lid hygiene, and ocular nutraceuticals available to improve dry eyes but hardly anyone does something against the symptoms. In the US an estimated 16 million Americans have been diagnosed with dry eye disease.
However, the actual number of Americans suffering from dry eye symptoms is likely much higher. Some reports indicate that nearly half of all U.S. adults experience dry eye signs and symptoms, and a third of the patients in eye care clinics visit with complaints about dry eyes. Still, a lot of people are not informed about the possibilities they have to improve dry irritated eyes. Even simple things like warm compresses can help when done regularly.
Do Not Use Eye Drops To Make Your Eyes Whiter Immediately
Even though the use of eye care products like lid hygiene may take a while before your eyes will appear whiter the wait is worthwhile because the changes made are the natural results. Do not fall for eye drops that claim to make your eyes whiter within an instant. One example is eye drops called lumify. They work by artificially shrinking blood vessels in your conjunctiva. This causes a surge after around 8 hours, when your eyes return to their previous state – and oftentimes even redder than before.
But the ingredients used despite the shrinking effect of the blood vessels could make your eyes even more sensitive in the long run. Because ingredients like benzalkonium chloride and boric acid are well known in the eye care industry for the lasting changes in the cell structure of your eyes. They could change your tear film for the worse and produce dryer eyes. So do not make the tradeoff for short-term whiter eyes when in the long run you will end up with redder eyes.
I wish you a great day.
