Specsavers Donegal offers essential tips for students going back to college

As students across the country return to college, Specsavers Donegal is reminding them of the importance of looking after their eye and ear health. 

With the academic year bringing new challenges, increased screen time, and a vibrant social scene, prioritising eye and ear care is essential for academic success and overall well-being.

"The college experience can be incredibly demanding, and often, students overlook the foundational elements of their health, like their sight and hearing,” Kerril Hickey, Chairperson of Specsavers Ireland, said. “Clear vision and good hearing are not just about comfort; they are directly linked to a student's ability to learn, participate in class, and enjoy their social life. We want to empower students with the knowledge and resources to protect these vital senses."

Specsavers Top Hearing and Eyecare Tips for Back to College:

Eyecare Essentials:

• Book an Eye Test: Specsavers recommends most adults get an eye test every two years. A comprehensive eye check can detect vision problems, such as myopia (near-sightedness) or astigmatism (caused by an irregularly shaped eye that's more like a rugby ball than a basketball) that can impact reading, screen work, and even driving. Early detection and correction are key.
• Manage Digital Eye Strain: College life is synonymous with screens – laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Specsavers encourages the 20-20-20 rule, this simply means you should take a small break every 20 minutes to focus your eyes on something 20 feet away, for at least 20 seconds. This will help your eye muscles relax and reduce the likelihood of digital eye strain.
• Practice Good Contact Lens Hygiene: For contact lens wearers, good hygiene is essential to prevent infections. Always wash and dry your hands before handling your lenses or touching your eye and avoid sleeping in lenses (unless advised by your optician), as this can increase the risk of infection.

• Prioritise Sleep: Adequate sleep is vital for overall health, including eye health. Lack of sleep can lead to dry, irritated eyes and exacerbate digital eye strain.

Hearing Health Habits:

• Be Mindful of Noise Levels: College environments can be noisy, from lecture halls to dorm rooms and social events. Prolonged exposure to loud noise can lead to permanent hearing damage. Use noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs in excessively loud environments.
• Limit Headphone/Earbud Volume and Duration: Listening to music or podcasts at high volumes for extended periods can damage hearing. Follow the 60/60 rule - listen at no more than 60% of the maximum volume for no more than 60 minutes at a time.
• Recognise the Signs of Hearing Loss: If you find yourself frequently asking people to repeat themselves, struggling to hear in noisy environments, or experiencing ringing in your ears (tinnitus), it's time to get your hearing checked.
• Protect Your Ears During Social Activities: Concerts, sporting events, and parties can expose ears to dangerously high decibel levels. Listening to any sound at a high volume - more than 89 decibels - for more than five hours a week can damage hearing permanently. Consider wearing discreet earplugs designed for music to enjoy the event safely.
• Don't Use Cotton Swabs to Clean Ears: Many people use cotton buds in an effort to ‘clean’ their ears from excess wax, but you’re actually more likely to cause earwax blockage and further issues by doing this. Rather than removing the earwax, it pushes it further into the ear, which leads to a build-up. If you suspect a wax buildup, call Specsavers Donegal to enquire about wax removal services.