Eye Health: Why Lash Care Is So Important
This week is National Eye Health Week!
As the leading lash brand, eye health is a key focus for us – it’s our job to educate you on the importance of caring for your lashes and how this goes hand in hand with good eye health.
Why are eye tests important?
The importance of getting your eyesight tested should never be overlooked. On average you should book an eye test every 2-3 years, unless advised otherwise. In a recent survey*, it was found that:
- 22% of Brits noticed their vision get worse during lockdown
- One in five adults in the country say they think their vision has become worse in the past four months
- One in three blame it on too much screen time
We rely on screens more than ever, which could be taking its toll on our eyes. If you think your vision has deteriorated or if you are experiencing any problems (such as sore, dry, gritty, uncomfortable eyes) contact your local optometrist. They will discuss your symptoms and advise whether you need to visit them. Lash artistry is a visually demanding job and is heavily reliant on good eyesight; your eyes can become strained when focusing on intricate lash techniques and fine extensions for long periods of time. Always seek expert advice from a professional optometrist, ensure you’re working in good lighting conditions and prioritise regular eye tests.
How will lash care protect my eyes?
Eyelashes protect our eyes. We have an extremely fast blink reflex, but we also need lashes to help deflect anything that is coming towards the eye that could-do harm. Regular cleansing will help to keep lashes and eyes healthy long term. Although cleansing your lashes is important for removing daily pollutants and bacteria that can build up throughout the day, optometrist Francesca Marchetti explains why we should never skip out on lash care: “Cleansing our eyelashes mean the edge of our eyelids will be cleaned, which prevents damage to the hair follicles. These can become infected by dirt and debris, which in-turn can affect the meibomian glands, which can lead to eye conditions such as Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) and blepharitis.” Removing your eye make-up and cleansing your lashes means you’re much less prone to developing these eye conditions.
Luckily, we’ve made lash care easy with our 3-Step Lash Care System! Discover our Complete Lash Essential Collection to get you started, which includes a lash cleanser and brush that encourages effective lash and eyelid hygiene.
Our Head of Product Development Angela Thiagarajah explains why the Lash & Lid Foaming Cleanser is different to normal cleansers: “It contains Biolin, a powerful, prebiotic active which protects against harmful bacteria to help prevent itching, redness and other irritations. We all have good and bad bacteria on our skin – some are friendly, some are harmful when unbalanced. Biolin acts as a food supplement for the friendly bacteria, whilst the harmful bacteria cannot use the prebiotic as a food supplement. In the presence of a prebiotic, the friendly bacteria recover and grow faster than the harmful bacteria.” As part of a daily hygiene routine, the Lash & Lid Foaming Cleanser can help to soothe and prevent symptoms of blepharitis. For lash extension wearers, use the brush and cleanser 2-3 times a week to avoid over-manipulation of your lashes.
The different length bristles on our cleansing brush allows for a deep clean between lashes to prevent the build-up of dirt and bacteria, which can lead to infections. Francesca explains further why using our lash cleansing brush is beneficial: “Meibomian glands are always producing fats, oils and water. When they become inflamed, it upsets the balance of the gland and the nature of the fats hardens up, which cannot ooze out into the tear film, which can therefore cause evaporative dry eye. By using a lash cleansing brush, you’re giving the base of your lashes (and the meibomian glands) a good ‘massage’. This gets all the good oils and fats moving, which helps to prevent evaporative dry eye syndrome and MGD.” After cleansing, nourish and strengthen lashes with our Lash & Brow Conditioning Serum and Triple Enhance Lash Serum.
Shop the Complete Lash Essential Collection directly from our website.
Handy tips, healthy eyes
There has been an increase in the number of dry eye and blepharitis cases this year; Francesca believes this is directly linked to us all spending more time staring at our screens. Eye strain is becoming more common. “Your eyes are likely to feel sore, dry, gritty and uncomfortable when they are strained,” she explains. “The reason for this is that we blink less when looking at screens. In normal conversation we blink around eighteen times a minute and approximately four times a minute when we’re staring at screens.”
To help protect our eyes, Francesca recommends the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, shift your eyes away from your screen, focus on an object that is about 20 feet away and blink 20 times. The whole process should take about 20 seconds. Sometimes this is easier said than done (especially if your Zoom calendar is fully booked). Try adding a preservative-free lubricant to your eyes when working for long periods of time. Disinfecting your workspace in-between appointments is the perfect opportunity to rest your eyes. Using a preservative-free lubricant before you start work is also a great way to increase the fluid content of your eyes while working.
As face masks are now mandatory in public spaces, everyone is looking to enhance their eyes with lash treatments. However, failing to care for your eye area can impact treatment results. “If you are suffering from dry, sore, uncomfortable eyes, I’d recommend getting checked out by your local optometrist before embarking on any lash treatments,” says Francesca. “If you have an eye condition, the result that you are wanting to achieve simply won’t work… you may be disappointed.” For lash artists, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with tell-tale signs of common eye conditions, such as blepharitis, so that you can tell clients to come back at a later date for treatments if necessary. After all, eye health should always come first. Refer to your contraindications outlined in your training manuals for further guidance.
For more information on eye health, visit http://www.visionmatters.org.uk/.
*Figures taken from: https://lookafteryoureyes.org/media/headlines/2020-2/coronavision-eye-warning/. The survey results are from an online survey conducted by Opinium, with a sample of 2,000 nationally representative UK adults (18+), fieldwork took place from 9th to 11th June 2020.
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