Preventing Dry Eyes

April 30, 2021

Dry eye syndrome is as common as it is irritating. It can sneak up on you even if you have the healthiest of eyes. Made up of water, mucus, and fatty oils, tears are essential to keep your eyes clean and perfectly hydrated. Therefore, you are likely to experience some discomfort when your body is unable to produce tears properly.

 

With the prevalence of small and large digital displays in modern society, dry eye syndrome is becoming more common. Rather than accept it as an inevitable fact of living in this day and age, you need to take steps to prevent it by making a few simple lifestyle changes. Some of the factors that can cause this condition include allergies, aging, environmental factors, contact lenses, and certain medications.

 

What Are Dry Eyes? 

People experience dry eyes when their tear glands cannot produce enough tears needed to lubricate their eyes. It can be a painful and uncomfortable condition that can make life quite difficult. Essentially, dry eye syndrome describes a condition where a person has dry eyes due to diminished tear production or poor-quality tears.

 

Symptoms

The symptoms here include dry, scratchy, and painful sensations in the eyes, redness, and blurred vision. You feel like there are objects in your eyes. They also include fatigued eyes, sensitivity to light, and mucus around and in your eyes.

 

How to Prevent Dry Eyes

If you have dry eyes, you do not need to despair. You can easily overcome this condition by following a few simple steps. Some of the ways to avoid dry eyes include:

 

Change Your Environment

Various environmental factors can cause dry eyes, smoke, including cigarette and fireplace smoke, as well as dry or windy conditions. Therefore, if you enjoy activities such as skiing, biking, or even driving a convertible, you should protect your eyes from the wind using appropriate eyewear. To add moisture to the air, you should also consider investing in a humidifier for your home.

 

Take Breaks from the Screens

If you often binge-watch your favorite series, spend long hours at work in front of your PC, or indulge in social media on your mobile devices, it can take a toll on your eyes. As you concentrate on a screen, your blink rate reduces.

 

This will prevent your tears from refreshing frequently enough. Therefore, after looking at your screen for 20 minutes, look at something about 20 feet away for 20 seconds and try to do some extra blinking. This will help you avoid both eye strain and dry eyes.

 

Add More Fatty Acids to Your Diet

According to research, consuming more omega-3 fatty acids can eliminate the symptoms of dry eyes. Fatty acids reduce inflammation in your body, including eye inflammation. This allows for higher quality tears and more tear production. In addition to omega-3 supplements, other sources of this fat include fatty fish, flaxseed, chia seeds, soybean oil, palm oil, and walnuts.

 

Other effective ways to prevent dry eyes include:

 

• Artificial tears and specific eye drops

• Never sleep with your contact lenses on

• Placing a warm compress over your closed eyes for at least a minute

• Staying hydrated

• Wearing wraparound sunglasses while outdoors in windy conditions

• Cleaning your eyelids and the surrounding skin and hair
  
   

To learn more about ways to prevent dry eyes, contact Eye Associates of New York in New York, NY at (212) 650-4888 to schedule an appointment today.