dry eyes - The Nepali Optometrist

Winter brings cold winds, dry air, and low humidity, which can affect our skin and eyes. Focusing on keeping our eyes moisturized, protected from UV rays, and shielded from harsh weather is important to protect our eyes and maintain healthy vision. However, knowing the reason why winter affects eye health and how with the right measures, can we protect our vision and ensure our eyes remain comfortable and healthy is essential.

Why Winter Affects Eye Health

Winter weather brings unique conditions that can strain our eyes. Here are some common factors:

Dry Air and Low Humidity: The drop in humidity levels during winter, both indoors and outdoors, can lead to dryness in the eyes. Prolonged exposure to such conditions may cause irritation and discomfort.
Cold Winds: Harsh, cold winds can dry out the natural moisture in our eyes, leading to symptoms such as redness, itching, and even watery eyes as a reflex response.
Indoor Heating Systems: Heating systems make indoor environments warm but also reduce humidity, further exacerbating eye dryness.
UV Radiation: Snow reflects nearly 80% of the sun’s UV rays, which can increase our risk of UV-related eye damage, including snow blindness and long-term conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration.
Increased Screen Time: Winter often means spending more time indoors, leading to prolonged use of digital devices, which can cause digital eye strain.

Common Winter Eye Problems

Dry Eye Syndrome: A condition characterized by a lack of sufficient moisture on the surface of the eyes. Symptoms include itching, burning, and a gritty sensation.
Snow Blindness: Also known as photokeratitis, it’s a painful condition caused by overexposure to UV rays reflected off snow.
Redness and Irritation: Often a result of dry air and increased sensitivity to the cold wind.
Watery Eyes: A reflex response to dryness or irritation caused by exposure to cold air.
Infections: Cold weather can weaken the immune system, making your eyes more susceptible to infections like conjunctivitis (pink eye).

Essential Winter Eye Care Tips

To combat these challenges, it’s important to adopt specific eye care practices during the winter season:

1. Keeping Eyes Moisturized

Use lubricating eye drops or artificial tears to maintain moisture in your eyes. This is especially important if you spend long hours in dry indoor environments.
Avoid over-the-counter drops meant for redness relief, as they may worsen dry eyes over time.

2. Wear UV-protective sunglasses

Even in winter, UV rays can harm your eyes. Snow’s reflective surface amplifies UV exposure, making sunglasses essential.
Choose sunglasses that block 100% of UVA and UVB rays.
Wraparound styles are ideal for protecting your eyes from wind and glare.

3. Stay Hydrated

To ensure eye health, maintain proper tear production as well as for keeping our body hydrated, drinking plenty of water throughout the day is essential.

4. Use a Humidifier

Install a humidifier in your home to counteract the dryness caused by heating systems. Maintaining indoor humidity levels between 30% and 50% is optimal.

5. Protect Your Eyes Outdoors

Wear protective eyewear, such as goggles or wraparound glasses, when engaging in outdoor winter sports like skiing, snowboarding, or snowmobiling.
Ensure your eyewear has anti-fog and UV protection for maximum safety.

Avoid Direct Heat

Sitting too close to heaters, fireplaces, or blowers can dry out your eyes. Maintain a safe distance and use a humidifier to add moisture to the air.

7. Follow the 20-20-20 Rule

For those who spend significant time on screens, practice the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds to reduce eye strain.

8. Maintain a Balanced Diet

Include foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin C, and zinc. These nutrients support overall eye health.
Examples include salmon, walnuts, spinach, carrots, and citrus fruits.

9. Remove Makeup Before Bed

Properly removing makeup, especially around the eyes, can prevent irritation and reduce the risk of infections during winter.

10. Visit Your Eye Doctor

Schedule regular eye exams, especially if you experience persistent discomfort or vision issues. An eye care professional can provide personalized advice and treatments tailored to your needs.

Special Tips for Contact Lens Wearers

Winter can be particularly challenging for contact lens wearers. Here’s how to keep your lenses comfortable:

Switch to Moisture-Rich Lenses: Use lenses designed to retain moisture or daily disposable lenses to minimize dryness.
Apply Eye Drops: Use contact lens-safe lubricating drops to prevent dryness and irritation.
Limit Wear Time: Avoid wearing lenses for extended periods, especially in extremely dry environments.
Clean Your Lenses Thoroughly: Proper cleaning and storage are crucial to avoid infections during the winter months.

Lifestyle Adjustments for Healthy Eyes in Winter

Take Breaks from Screens: Limit screen time and take frequent breaks to reduce digital eye strain.
Exercise Regularly: Physical activity improves blood circulation, which benefits eye health.
Get Adequate Sleep: Restful sleep allows your eyes to recover from daily stress and dryness.
Quit Smoking: Smoking can exacerbate dry eye symptoms and increase the risk of long-term eye diseases.

Winter Eye Care for Children

Children’s eyes are more sensitive to environmental changes. Here are a few tips to protect their vision:

Ensure they wear sunglasses with UV protection during outdoor activities.
Use hats or beanies with brims to shield their eyes from direct sunlight and wind.
Teach them to avoid rubbing their eyes, which can introduce irritants or cause infections.
Keep their screen time in check to reduce eye strain.

When to See an Eye Doctor

While most winter eye problems can be managed with preventive care, it’s important to seek professional help if you experience:

Persistent dryness or irritation despite using eye drops.
Blurry vision or difficulty seeing clearly.
Redness, swelling, or pain in your eyes.
Symptoms of snow blindness, such as intense light sensitivity or vision loss.
Any signs of infection, including discharge or excessive tearing.

An eye care professional can diagnose and treat underlying issues, ensuring your eyes remain healthy throughout the winter season.

Conclusion

Winter doesn’t have to be a challenging time for your eyes. By taking proactive steps such as moisturizing your eyes, wearing UV-protective sunglasses, and staying hydrated, you can enjoy the season without discomfort. Additionally, maintaining a balanced diet, using a humidifier, and following good screen habits can further enhance your eye health. Remember, your eyes are precious, so give them the care they deserve, no matter the season!

Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) also known as ‘Digital Eye Strain’ as described by the American Optometric Association is a group of vision and eye-related problems that occurs due to the overexposure of our eyes to digital screens. The most common symptoms of CVS include:

Eye strain (eye ache, double vision, and difficulty focusing)
Headache (often around the forehead and temples)
Dry eyes (irritated and discomfort due to reduced blink rate)
Neck and shoulder pain (usually due to poor posture and prolonged screen use)

DIGITAL DEVICES AND DRY EYES :

In this modernized era, almost every individual is working in front of laptops and computers and using mobile phones. The blink rate is generally 10-15 times per minute. Dry eyes due to prolonged use of digital screens, also known as computer vision syndrome (CVS) or digital eye strain, is a common issue in today’s digital age. Staring at screens for long periods can lead to reduced blinking, which causes tears to evaporate more quickly, resulting in dryness and discomfort

We normally think that our eyes have water (tears) but our eyes have oil and mucus inside them, which are being secreted. There’s a thin coat in front of the cornea called the Tearfilm, that moisturizes and lubricates our eyes. As there’s a decrease in the blink rate, the tear layer decreases causing Dry Eye Syndrome hence not providing nourishment and lubrication to the eyes. This will also lead to eye irritation and discomfort. As found by the studies, eventually the eyes may be vulnerable to infections.

How can we help it?

Staring at screens for extended periods can lead to reduced blinking, which causes tears to evaporate more quickly, resulting in dryness and discomfort. To treat dry eyes, first one must diagnose it carefully by a comprehensive eye examination and history taking. The patient’s blink rate and condition of the eyelid and cornea must be evaluated. Then, after proper refraction, the measurement of the quality and quantity of tears should be done thoroughly. Here are some strategies to help alleviate dry eyes associated with digital screen use:

Follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something at least 20 feet away. This gives your eyes a chance to rest and helps reduce strain.
Blink frequently: Remind yourself to blink more often while using digital devices. Blinking helps spread tears evenly over the surface of your eyes, keeping them moist.
Adjust screen settings: Reduce the brightness and glare of your screen to minimize eye strain. Adjust the text size and contrast for better readability.
Maintain proper lighting: Ensure that the lighting in your workspace is adequate and doesn’t cause glare on your screen. Avoid harsh overhead lighting and position your screen to minimize reflections.
Use artificial tears: Over-the-counter lubricating eye drops can provide relief from dryness and irritation. Use them regularly, especially if you’re spending long hours in front of a screen.
Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day to help keep your body and eyes hydrated. Dehydration can worsen dry eye symptoms.
Take regular breaks: Give your eyes frequent breaks from screen time. Use these breaks to rest your eyes, blink, and focus on objects at varying distances.
Consider computer glasses: Prescription or non-prescription computer glasses with anti-reflective coatings can reduce glare and minimize eye strain during prolonged screen use.
Position your screen correctly: Ensure that your screen is positioned at eye level and at an appropriate distance (about arm’s length away) to reduce strain on your eyes and neck. Correcting sitting position and viewing distance.
Use screen filters: Consider using screen filters or blue light-blocking glasses to reduce exposure to blue light, which can contribute to eye strain and disrupt sleep patterns.

Also,

Adding tears: Usually, mild cases are treated using artificial tear drops. A preservative-free eye drop is preferable for long-term use.
Increasing tear production: Increasing tear production by taking omega-3 fatty acids as a nutritional supplement may help.
Conserving tears: Allowing our natural tears to stay in our eyes for a longer time can help our eyes stay moist.
Reduce evaporation: Reduce room temperature with humidifiers.
Treatment of lids like Blepharitis and lid hygiene is important. If any inflammation around the eyes, a warm compress or lid massage might help.

For CVS: Usually, improving the working condition in front of our screen can help ease our eye irritation and discomfort.

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Top Winter Eye Care Tips for Healthy Vision!