You might think of winter as cozy evenings by the fireplace, hot cocoa, and the warmth of a fireplace or indoor heating. However, while we enjoy these comforts, they can also worsen dry eye symptoms!
Indoor heating systems and space heaters can remove moisture from the air in our homes, making dry eye worse. Thankfully, there are ways to avoid dry eye and stay warm during winter. It all starts with visiting your optometrist, who can help you find a personalized dry eye solution.
What Is Dry Eye?
Dry eye is a condition that occurs when your eyes don’t produce enough tears or when your tears evaporate too quickly. Your eyes use tears to keep the eye’s surface lubricated, provide nutrients, and keep particles like dust out of the eyes.
Symptoms of dry eye include go beyond just dry-feeling eyes, other typical dry eye symptoms include:
- Stinging or burning eyes
- Feeling like something is stuck in the eye
- Redness and irritation in the eyes
- Blurred vision
- Discomfort when wearing contacts
- Excessive mucus or tears in and around the eyes
The only person who can diagnose you with dry eye is an eye care professional. However, it is easier for them to diagnose you if you share your symptoms and how often they occur. If you experience any of these symptoms and think you have dry eye, you can take our quiz, and let your optometrist know about your results.
The Role of Heat in Dry Eye
While dry eye can occur in any season, winter presents unique challenges. Research has shown that dry eye is more common in the winter than in other seasons due to reduced humidity caused by indoor heating systems.
The Role of Indoor Heating Systems
Indoor heating systems are invaluable during winter, providing much-needed warmth. However, they also reduce indoor humidity levels, drying out the air. This decrease in humidity can accelerate the evaporation of tears from the eye’s surface, leading to dry eyes. Central heating, space heaters, and fireplaces can all contribute to this issue, creating a dry environment that can impact eye comfort.
In homes and workplaces where heating is consistently used, it’s common to experience dry eye symptoms. Solutions such as humidifiers can help counteract these effects by adding moisture back into the air, making it more comfortable for your eyes. Additionally, slightly lowering the temperature settings on heating devices can help.
Other Causes of Winter Dry Eye
Cold Air & Wind
While indoor heat plays a significant role, stepping outside into cold, windy conditions can further aggravate dry eye. Cold air holds less moisture than warm air, leading to quicker tear evaporation. Winds exacerbate this process by directly affecting the tear film and causing increased tear loss.
Protecting your eyes from harsh winds can help minimize these effects. Wearing sunglasses or goggles while outdoors can shield your eyes from the wind, preserving the tear film and preventing excessive dryness. Avoiding direct exposure to wind gusts by using scarves or hats is also useful.
The Impact of Screen Time
During winter, we often spend more time indoors, which can lead to increased screen time. Prolonged screen exposure can strain the eyes and contribute to dryness. Staring at screens reduces the frequency of blinking, which is essential for distributing tears across the eye’s surface.
Taking regular breaks from screens and practicing the 20-20-20 rule—look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes—can help alleviate eye strain. Using artificial tears or lubricating eye drops can provide relief by maintaining moisture levels on the eye’s surface.
Dry Eye Solutions
Finding the right dry eye solution for you may involve a mix of professional and at-home remedies. When treating dry eye, it is important to consult your optometrist, who can help you find the dry eye treatment plan that works for you.
Professional Dry Eye Treatments
At EyeQ Optical, we offer a variety of dry eye treatments, so no matter what is causing your dry eye, we can work to find a treatment plan customized for you. Some of our dry eye solutions include:
- BlephEx is an eyelid-cleaning procedure that helps maintain healthy eyelids.
- LipiFlow increases oil secretion into your tears by warming the glands in your eyes.
- Lumenis Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) unclogs eyelid glands to increase oil secretion.
- PRN Dry Eye Formula is a nutraceutical supplement that promotes healthy tear-creation.
- Restasis are eye drops that encourage your eyes to create more tears and help with inflammation.
- Xiidra are prescription eye drops that reduce inflammation and promote healthy tears.
- EYSUVIS is a corticosteroid treatment for quick and short-term relief of dry eye symptoms.
At-Home Fixes
One excellent way to help manage your dry eye during winter is to create an environment that supports your eye health. You can use humidifiers to maintain indoor moisture levels or turn down your indoor heating a few degrees to avoid dry air.
Ensure you aren’t consistently sitting in front of direct air vents to help avoid drying out your eyes. You can also take breaks from screens and wear protective eyewear outside to prevent your eyes from drying out.
Another at-home solution could be a warm compress. Warm compresses can be used to loosen oils in blocked glands in your eyelids that may be affecting the quality of your tears. If you want to use a warm compress at home, consult your optometrist about your options.
Avoid Dry Eye this Winter
Dry eye might be common in the winter, but it can be avoided. By keeping up with regular eye exams and telling your optometrist about your symptoms, you can find relief for your dry eye.
At EyeQ Optical we offer many dry eye management options, so you can avoid dry eye symptoms all year! To learn more about your dry eye options, you can book an appointment with us today!
