The winter brings its share of eye irritations and discomforts. Want to keep your eyes healthy during the winter months? Here are some helpful tips from Mira Mesa Eyecare!
Diet
Keep your eyes moist
- Drink extra fluids.
- Install a humidifier to provide more moisture in the air
- Buy over-the-counter eye drops such as saline, artificial tears, or ocular lubricant drops that help supplement your natural tear layer and slow down evaporation.
- If drops aren’t doing the job, consider applying dry eye gel inside your eyelids at bedtime to restore moisture overnight.
- Also, warm compresses (or just a washcloth immersed in warm water) can help as well.
What are common symptoms of dry eyes?
- Stinging and burning
- Feeling of grit or a foreign body in your eyes
- Mucus in and around your eyes
- Redness
- Eye irritation
- Excess tearing / watery eyes
- Not enough tears
- Blurry vision
- Itchy eyes
Avoid direct heat sources
Don’t spend too much time in front of the fireplace! The heat will cause your eyes to dry out quickly. Also try to avoid drafts and fans, and direct heating vents away from your face. The proximity to vents blasting heat (or cold) can worsen your dry eye symptoms, so add distance between your desk or workspace and a vent or heater to avoid burning eyes.
Protect your eyes from UV light
Whether you’re skiing or shoveling snow, exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays reflecting off of snow or ice can damage your eye’s surface and cause inflammation of your cornea (the clear “windshield” part of your eye) and, even worse, snow blindness. Wear sunglasses with at least 400 UV protection to block both UVA and UVB rays.
Check with your eye doctor
If you’re struggling with dry eyes call our office to see your doctor for an eye exam because not all dry eye can be chalked up to cold weather. In fact, dry eyes can be a symptom of a number of serious health conditions such as Sjogren’s syndrome, diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and thyroid disease. Tell your doctor about any health problems and medications you’re taking to get help to winterize your eyes.
Your 20/20 Vision Starts Here! Mira Mesa’s premier eye care center for the whole family since 1997. Call us today (858) 535-8282. Dr. Pham and our optometrists offer the best in local eye care services with the most thorough eye exams using the latest state-of-the-art technology.
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