Eye language is more important than body language this Valentine's Day

Eye contact is one of the essential elements of good relationships, especially on those first few crucial dates. They send and receive so many of our non-verbal signals like trust and empathy.

So with Valentine’s Day on the horizon, Optegra Eye Clinic Nottingham captures four simple ways in which we communicate with our eyes:

• Eye contact – the amount of eye contact you get should feel comfortable - if it makes you feel uncomfortable it is either too much or too little.
• Eyes and listening – we tend to give more eye contact when we are listening than when we are talking, so when it’s your partner’s turn to talk you should give them more eye contact.
• Eyes and smiles – even though we smile with our mouths we can also use our eyes. Genuine smiles activate a muscle that runs around the eye, that’s why happy smiles are said to ‘reach the eyes’.
• Eyes and emotions - in order to express all manner of emotions we use our eyes in conjunction with other parts of the face, six of which are universal - happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust.

Dr Nabila Jones, Optometrist and Research Associate from Optegra, says: “We use our eyes on a daily basis to communicate without even realising it. As well as conveying positivity, we can also look disinterested or even untrustworthy and deliberately hiding something by avoiding eye contact. And making too much eye contact can come across as analytical, critical or even domineering.

“Furthermore, eye twitching can be an indicator of stress, fatigue, eye strain, caffeine overuse or potential neurological issues, with persistent twitching lasting over two weeks warranting medical consultation to rule out serious underlying conditions.

“Everyone has their own patterns of eye movements and over time we learn those patterns so can easily detect when things aren’t going well. We hope these tips and being conscious of our eyes, will lead to many successful Valentine’s dates!”

Optegra Eye Health Care is a specialist provider of ophthalmic services. Established in 2007, it has completed over one million eye procedures from its 40 eye hospitals and clinics across the UK, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Holland.

As well as providing private vision correction treatments – from lens replacement and laser eye surgery to implantable contact lenses – Optegra treats cataract surgery both privately and through its partnership with the NHS. Optegra also treats medical conditions AMD and glaucoma; and has launched the first ever treatment for people with the Dry form of AMD.

Optegra brings together leading-edge research, medical expertise and state-of-the-art surgical equipment. It performs more than 100,000 treatments annually, both private and publicly funded. Its top ophthalmic surgeons are renowned for their areas of expertise, offering excellent clinical outcomes and great patient service.