Your eyes are delicate and can be quickly impacted by your diet, hormones, and the environment. Dry eye, in particular, can be a result of these factors and many more.
As the air around you gets colder and drier during winter, it is vital to protect them. The proper knowledge will prevent the painful and irritating symptoms of dry eyes.
Keep reading to learn four facts about dry eyes in the winter.
Dry Eye Can Put Your Vision at Risk
Mild dry eye is annoying at best, but it can develop into something worse. Even moderate dry eye symptoms can cause your eyes to become inflamed.
Eye inflammation, in turn, causes them to dry out, even more, resulting in more inflammation, and so on. If you begin to develop severe dry eye, you will experience much worse symptoms.
Severe dry eye can lead to corneal abrasions and scarring that can damage your vision. It is essential to treat your dry eye or any eye problem as soon as possible before it gets worse.
A comprehensive eye exam with your eye doctor can help you prevent damage from dry eyes. Your eye doctor can also help you avoid these painful symptoms from developing in the first place.
Tears Have Three Ingredients
Tears contain three ingredients, water, mucus, and oil. For healthy tears that keep your eyes healthy, you need all three components.
Water is the primary part of a tear. It carries nutrients to your eyes and hydrates them, so they stay healthy and function properly.
The mucus spreads the water evenly across the surface of the eye. It ensures your entire eyeball gets the fluids it needs.
The oil prevents tears from evaporating. It keeps tears on your eyes long enough to hydrate them fully.
Staying hydrated this winter will go a long way towards keeping your dry eye under control. Your body needs an ample supply of water to produce tears, so be sure to drink plenty.
Your eye doctor may discover you are lacking oil in your tears. They can recommend treatment to unblock your oil glands and get more oil in your tears.
Modifying Your Environment Can Help
If the air in your home or office is dry, your eyes will be dry too. While you can’t control the weather, you can ensure the air inside is humid enough.
Use air humidifiers to increase the ambient air moisture in your home to help your eyes. Also, if possible, use radiant heaters instead of convection.
Convection heaters blow air around your home, which can dry out your eyes. And, be sure to seal drafts of cold air in your home to protect your eyes and save on heating costs in the process.
Rubbing Your Eyes Does More Harm Than Good
If you are suffering from dry eye symptoms, it is crucial to resist the urge to rub your eyes. Doing so may give you temporary relief and feel good, but it is ineffective and can easily damage your eyes.
Instead, use eye drops to give yourself long-lasting relief safely. Eye drops can rehydrate your eyes and prevent dry eye symptoms from occurring.
Do you need help managing your dry eyes? Schedule an appointment a Stahl Eyecare Experts in Manhattan, New York, NY, to get relief today!
