When it comes to your eyes, you want to make sure you do things to keep them healthy, such as going to an optometrist annually for that eye exam. However, there are also a lot of things that you are going to want to be sure that you don't do to your eyes if you want to continue keeping them healthy and to protect your vision for as long as possible. Here are some of the things that you don't want to do to your eyes.

Don't expose them to debris in the air

Do not enter into a work area without wearing the proper eye protection. This includes not entering work areas where there are things going on like sawing, sanding and anything else that has small particles floating or flying through the air.

Don't expose your eyes to excessive UV rays

Yes, there are going to be plenty of times when you are outside exposing your eyes to UV rays. For example, you may run outside to check the mail. Now, it can be easy to make that dash for the mailbox without wearing sunglasses. However, what you don't want to do is to leave your home for great lengths of time without sunglasses that will cut down on the UV rays reaching your eyes. UV rays can be damaging to your eyes in the same way they are to your skin. Always make sure the sunglasses you purchase offer UV protection, because there are plenty of sunglasses on the market that make it easier to see in the sun, but that offer your eyes little to no protection.

Don't touch your eyes with dirty hands

Whether you are putting in contact lenses or you have an itch in your eye, you want to be sure you never poke dirty fingers in your eyes. You can end up having very small pieces of dirt on your fingertips that can scratch your cornea. Also, you can have germs on your fingertips that can end up making you sick.

Don't strain your eyes

Whether you are reading a book or doing something on your phone, computer or tablet, you don't want to endlessly stare at the item without giving your eyes small breaks here and there. If you keep staring at one thing close up then it can cause your eyes to become strained which will be uncomfortable and cause them to be bloodshot and itchy.