When Excess watering may be a sign that you have Dry Eye.
Winter can be a beautiful season, but for many, it comes with a less enjoyable side effect—dry eye. Dry eye? You might have noted a watery eye or perhaps your eyes feeling hot, tired, gritty, achy or blurry with symptoms usually worsening during concentrated tasks such as reading, driving or staring at a screen. Add to the mix cold winds, low humidity, and indoor heating, the winter months can wreak havoc on your eye health. If you find yourself blinking more or rubbing your eyes in discomfort, you’re not alone.
What causes Dry Eye?
Dry eye occurs when the eyes don’t produce enough tears or the right quality of tears to keep them properly lubricated. This can lead to discomfort, irritation, and even damage to the surface of the eye.
Tear production tends to decrease as you age, especially after the age of 50. This is why dry eyes are more common in older adults. Tear production can also be impacted by hormonal changes and other medical conditions.
The quality of our tears can also change with time. Most commonly the meibomian glands in the eyelids that help prevent tears from evaporating too quickly can become blocked or not functioning properly, our tears evaporate faster, leading to our tears becoming more salty causing inflammation of the eye and eyelids.
During the winter months we may spend increased time indoors causing our dry eye symptoms to become more noticeable.
What effect does being indoors have on my eyes?
- Dry Indoor Air. One of the most common issues is the dry air caused by heating systems. When the air is drier, it can cause moisture to evaporate from the surface of your eyes more quickly, leading to dryness and irritation. This is especially noticeable in homes or offices with central heating.
- Increased Screen Time. Winter months often mean people spend more time indoors, which can lead to prolonged screen time on computers, smartphones, or TVs. Looking at screens for extended periods without blinking properly can contribute to eye strain, leading to symptoms like tired, dry, or irritated eyes.
- Reduced Humidity. Many homes and offices can have lower humidity in winter due to heating, which can also dry out the eyes. This may exacerbate symptoms of dry eye, causing discomfort or even making existing conditions like blepharitis or meibomian gland dysfunction worse.
- Less Natural Light. In winter, the days are shorter, so there’s less natural sunlight, which can lead to eye strain from artificial lighting. Also, reduced light exposure can make it harder for your eyes to adjust when you move between different lighting environments, leading to further discomfort.
- Cold Winds and Drafts. When you do go outside, cold winds can further dry out the eyes.
Tips to Combat These Effects:
- Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
- Blink more! When we concentrate of screens we tend to blink less leading to our tears evaporating too quickly.
- Take breaks from screens.
- Use lubricating preservative-free eye drops regularly.
Dry eye rarely causes permanent damage to eyes but it can be very uncomfortable.
Think you might be suffering from Dry Eye and the above tips aren’t helping. Contact our practices in Clifton and Portishead to book an appointment to get your eyes checked.