Dry Eye Treatment Options

If you have dry eye, your peepers might need a little more TLC when it gets cold.

Cold air doesn’t hold as much moisture as warm air. The drop in humidity makes your tears evaporate even faster. And frigid wind blasting across your face doesn’t help. Plus, you probably spend more time indoors with dry, heated air when temperatures are low.

Winter weather can leave you with eye pain, blurry vision, and/or a gritty feeling. Your eyes might tear up when it feels like something is stuck in them. But these watery drops don’t stick around long enough to provide long-lasting moisture.

The good news is there are ways to protect and soothe your eyes this winter.

• Use artificial tears
  • Over the counter
  • Preservative Free
• Make lifestyle changes
  • Blink more – follow the 20-20-20 rule
  • Use Daily Contact lenses or glasses to give your eyes a break
  • Wear sunglasses to protect from the wind
  • Turn heat away from your face (care vents, heaters)
  • Check your medication, some ingredients may make dry eye worse
  • Add more omega-3 to your diet. Healthy fish oils found in fatty fish like Salmon and Tuna (or omega-3 supplements), lower inflammation in your eyes or eyelids.
  • Drink more water
• Try Home Remedies
  • Use a humidifier – this will add moisture to indoor air
  • Apply a warm compress – cover your eyes with constant low heat for about 5 to 10 minutes. This might help boost blood supply to your Meibomian glands. These are tiny glands along the edges of your eyelids. They make the oily part of your tears, which are a key part of your eye’s moisture.
  • Massage and clean your eyelids – this is another way to help the oil in your glands flow better.

Dry eyes in the winter are not uncommon. Wind, low humidity, cold temperatures, and use of indoor heating systems can all dry the eyes. Fortunately, most symptoms will resolve, however, if your sore eyes persist, talk to us.