Disclaimer: These tips are not a substitute for professional medical advice from your optometrist. If you suffer from chronic or severe dry eyes or experience any eye pain, contact your eye doctor.

Common dry eye symptoms

• Red eyes
• Burning or stinging in eyes
• Itchy eyes
• Foreign body sensation
• Light sensitivity
• Contact lens discomfort
• Blurry vision
• Eye fatigue

How to prevent winter dry eyes

1. Blink often. Blinking helps to keep the eyes lubricated and healthy. When we blink, the eyelids spread the tears over the front of the eyes, continuously redistributing the tear film to ensure that the eyes remain hydrated and moist.
2. Try artificial tears. Artificial tears act as a substitute for your natural tears, when your eyes cannot produce enough fluid to maintain moisture. These over-the-counter eye drops or ointments can help relieve mild dry eye symptoms. They can be used as often as needed to increase eye moisture and comfort.

Caution: Avoid using eye drops that claim to remove eye redness, as these drops may help temporarily, but in the long run can actually worsen dry eyes.

3. Clean your eyelids. Your eyelids contain tiny oil producing glands. This oil (meibum) contributes to the tear film, maintaining the tears and ensuring that they do not evaporate too quickly. Cleaning your eyelids from makeup and debris on a daily basis will help to keep your oil producing glands healthy and prevent them from becoming clogged.
4. Warm compresses every night. Warm, wet compresses can help to soothe dry eye symptoms and open any blocked oil glands in the eyelids. Make this part of your bedtime routine to improve eye moisture and help you to relax after a long hard day.
5. Use a humidifier. Dry heat can cause your tears to evaporate more quickly and worsen dry eye symptoms. To protect your eyes (and skin) from drying out, keep a humidifier on throughout the night. Some humidifiers can even be perched on your desk at work, helping to protect your eyes while you’re at the office too.
6. Drink plenty of water. Drinking water throughout the day is not only healthy, but also helps to keep your skin and eyes hydrated. If water doesn’t appeal to you, try adding lemon or brewing some herbal tea.

Please note: While we live in a fast paced world where coffee is one of the most popular beverages, be mindful of your daily caffeine intake because caffeine is a diuretic and can actually worsen your dry eye symptoms.

7. Wear sunglasses outdoors. Sunglasses with polarized lenses will shield your eyes from harsh winter winds that can cause dry eyes, and harmful UV rays that continue to radiate from the sun even when it’s cloudy outside.
8. Visit your optometrist. If your eyes have the tendency to become severely dry or irritated, visit your optometrist before the winter weather sets in. Your eye doctor can discuss the different treatment options that are available to you, including prescription medication and in-office treatments.

Winter dry eyes can be quite uncomfortable and greatly impact your performance of daily activities. Follow these 8 tips to help your eyes stay moist and comfortable this season— you can even include them in your New Year’s resolutions.

The post 8 Ways to Prevent Winter Dry Eyes appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Did you know that snow reflects almost 100% of sunlight and is a major source of UV radiation?

Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause permanent damage to the eyes. Without proper eyewear, not only are you increasing your risk of getting an eye sunburn (photokeratitis), but you are also exposing your eyes to the long term side effects of UV radiation, such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

Aren’t UV rays usually associated with sunbathing at the beach?

This is a common misconception.

Ultraviolet rays are actually a potential threat whenever you are in close proximity to a surface that reflects light.

The light from the sun is called unpolarized light, mainly because the light rays point in different directions, instead of shining in just one direction.

When unpolarized light hits a reflective surface, such as a mirror, car window, water or even snow, the reflected light causes the light rays to point in ONE direction, transforming the light into polarized light.

This reflected polarized light can be quite dangerous for your skin if you’re sunbathing at the beach without any sunscreen, but can also be harmful for your eyes if you are skiing without the right sunglasses.

How do polarized lenses help to protect the eyes?

Polarized lenses are created differently than regular lenses, due to their ‘sandwich’ design. 

A polarized lens contains three layers. The middle layer consists of the polarized material which is stretched into long strands and then laminated between two layers of glass or plastic.

This ‘sandwich’ design allows the polarized lens to absorb the reflected light and prevent the harmful UV rays from reaching your eyes.

Polarized vs. regular sunglasses

Regular non-polarized sunglasses rely on the dark tint of the lens alone to reduce glare. Therefore, many people opt for darker lenses with the mistaken belief that they will offer greater protection.

However, the opposite is actually true— a darker lens will cause the pupils to dilate wider, exposing the eyes to an even greater amount of UV light.

Polarized lenses have the ability to reduce light energy by half without increasing the density of the lens color, and therefore are available in a variety of lighter shades.

One of the first things you will notice about polarized lenses, is that they are comfortable to wear over an extended period of time and they are not too dark— both great features for a long day on the ski slopes.

If you are heading to mountains for a day of skiing, protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays by wearing polarized sunglasses.

Polarized lenses will not only provide the much needed UV protection, but will also limit glare — enhancing your vision and performance.

The post Heading to the Ski Slopes? Don’t Forget Your Polarized Lenses!  appeared first on Optometrists.org.