However, many people forget to protect their eyes, which is one of the most important organs in the body. There are ways on how you can protect your eyes during the winter, and you should not neglect it because of the adverse health effects that you may experience.
The freezing air during the winter will suck moisture from everything – from your eyes to your skin. It is also inadvisable to suddenly head indoors and immediately stay at the fireplace because the sudden changes in temperature can dry out the eyes even more.
There are symptoms that you need to watch out whenever the winter season arrives, and it will tell us if there is a problem with your eyes.
The most common symptoms of eye problems that people experience when winter comes are the following: stinging and burning sensation in the eyes, excessive mucus in the eyes, a feeling of sand obstructing your vision, redness, excessive tearing, and watery eyes, and blurry vision.
It is common for humans to experience dry, irritated eyes during the winter, but there are ways on how to prevent it from happening. This article will provide you with the steps on what you should do whenever you experience problems with your vision when the temperature starts to drop.
Let the doctor check your eyes
Every winter, more than 600,000 individuals are diagnosed with dry eyes. The American Association of Ophthalmologists pointed out that there are 3.4 million people who visit their eye care professionals every winter because of the symptoms associated with dry eyes.
The low humidity in the atmosphere during winter and spring is the reason why this condition exists. If you are experiencing dry eyes, you can visit the doctor and let them check your vision to determine if the environment should be blamed for your dry eyes. They need to check your vision because there might be more serious conditions lying underneath.
The most common medical conditions associated with dry eyes include vitamin A deficiency, thyroid disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and Sjogren’s syndrome. You must be telling the doctor about everything that you’re feeling so they can get a complete picture and identify possible causes.
You should also give them an idea about the medication that you are already taking so they can determine if your dry eyes are the result of something else. The doctors are helpful and they will do everything that they can to assist you.
Stay away from excessive heat
During the winter, people would always love to go inside their house and stay at the fireplace to keep themselves warm. However, you should remember that the extreme heat from the fireplace can evaporate your tear film, and it can make your eyes dry. What you can do to prevent this from happening is to stay away from a direct source of heat whenever you are inside a building. If you just came from the outside and decided to stay indoors, remember to keep a safe distance from the fireplace. Do not stay for long directly from the path of the heat.
Wear protective eyewear when going outside
Icy winds can worsen dry eyes, and it is recommended that you wear a protective eye gear when going outside. Sunglasses are the perfect accessories that you can use during the winter season, and some shops specialize in creating the perfect eyewear for the season.
Sunglasses, while being used as a fashion statement, can alleviate the pain that you may experience when you develop dry eyes. This is because the sunglasses would block the light from the sun, as well as the cold air that breezes to your face.
The protection that sunglasses provide are should be constant all-year-round. Aside from the excessive heat from the sun during summer, the cold environment during the winter can also hurt your eyes, and that’s why sunglasses are needed. There is a misconception that the sunglasses are used to protect the eyes from the heat of the sun, but this is false. Sunglasses were made to protect the eyes from the light.
The danger of snow reflecting sunlight during the winter
During the winter, snow reflectivity is too high, and you need to wear sunglasses to protect from the eyes. The light reflected by the window can be blinding, and using sunglasses will help you protect your eyes from the possible damage that can result from it. Another thing that you must remember would be the dangers of the ultraviolet light or UV light for short. The UV light can cause radiation, especially when staying too long under the sun without any protection.
During the winter, the snow not only reflects the light but also the UV radiation. Experts believe that there is a higher chance for the eyes to be affected by UV radiation during the winter than the summer, and because of this, sunglasses should be worn at all times.
Excessive UV radiation entering through the eyes can increase the chances of developing cataracts. Eye cancer can also develop if the eyes continue to receive UV radiation. The most recommended sunglasses to be worn during the winter season are the UV 400 lens, which will give you total eye protection during the cold season.
The reason why you should wear eyeglasses during the winter
- If you are an athlete, you need to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the light, UV radiation, and from other elements that can damage your vision.
- Driving during the winter can be tough, and wearing sunglasses will make it easier for you to drive around the country. It will make your vision sharp, and your eyes relaxed. Wearing it will also prevent you from being blinded by the snow’s reflectivity. People who are driving for a living are recommended to wear sunglasses at all times to prevent any issues from happening.
- Motorcycle drivers also need to wear sunglasses because unlike those who drive vehicles or trucks, they are not protected from the cold breeze. Driving through this deadly cold breeze without sunglasses will result to dry eyes.
- If your job requires you to work outside, wearing sunglasses can help you perform your responsibilities better. If you are a police officer, construction worker, traffic enforcer, or any similar jobs, you need to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the cold, dry air.
What type of sunglasses should you wear during the winter?
There are many specialized sunglasses that you can wear during the winter. What you need to remember is the angle and the distance when you wear it. You should also buy sunglasses that have reflective properties, which can minimize the amount of UV radiation that enters through the eyes. Glasses with frames that are metallic or colored white is the most recommended because it reflects light.
Another type of sunglasses that can provide you with reliable protection during the winter are the ones which feature a dark-colored smoke lens. These sunglasses look cool, and it will make you stylish while at the same time, protecting your eyes from winter damage.
Use eye drops to moisturize the eyes
Over-the-counter eye drops come in handy during the winter season. You can buy it from any drugstore, and remember to apply it on your eyes frequently. You need to keep a bottle of eye drop anywhere you go during the winter and apply it on your eyes whenever you feel that it becomes drier. Eye drops and artificial tears can prevent dry eyes, and it will moisturize the eyes. This would prevent eyes from developing irritation and blurry vision. Other people prefer applying dry eye gel during the winter season, and it is up to you what kind of product you wanted to use, as long as it will help moisturize your eyes during the winter.
Eat foods rich in omega-3 oils
Rresearch studies found out that consuming omega-3 oils will increase the chances of preventing dry eyes because it improves the function of the Meibomian glands. The Meibomian glands are responsible for producing an oily substance that is mixed with the tears. When you eat foods that are rich in omega-3 oils, more protection for the eyes can be developed. The most common foods that are rich in omega-3 oils are fatty fishes, which includes tuna and salmon, palm and soybean oil, walnuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds. Eating these food products frequently will help raise omega-3 oil levels in your body.
Consult the doctor if dry eyes persist
If most of the procedures stated above did not help, you can consult your eye doctor regarding your dry eyes and see if they can assist with a remedy.
Are there other tips that you need to remember to prevent the development of dry eyes?
Aside from the tips stated above, there are additional ways that you can consider to prevent the development of dry eyes. You can try these tips and see if it would alleviate your condition.
- The first thing that you can do is to blink. Opening and closing your eyes will redistribute the team film found in your eyes. This will moisturize the eyes, and it would enable lubrication. This can be helpful if you feel like your eyes are becoming drier. This can also improve your vision during the winter.
- Do not rub your eyes, even if it feels itchy. Rubbing your eyes can result to inflammation, and it would negatively affect the quality of your teams. Painful corneal abrasions can also happen if you keep on rubbing your eyes. The itchy feeling is normal, especially when dry eyes start to develop, and what you can do to minimize the itchy sensation is to use eye drops or artificial tears that would moisturize the eyes.
- Use warm compress to sooth your eyes. Warm compress will improve the circulation of blood in the eyes, and it can also minimize the impacts of a cold environment to your vision.
- Buy humidifiers and use it at home. The humidity in the atmosphere drops during the winter, and this is the reason why the air feels dry. You can use a humidifier to increase the humidity inside your home. Humidifiers can be purchased from specialty shops, and some can be found online.