Experiencing dry eyes can be uncomfortable and irritating. If you’ve found your eyes feeling gritty, irritated, sore, and red, then you may have dry eyes. These symptoms can be a pain, but there are a few things you can do to prevent eye dryness that can really make a difference, especially if you experience these symptoms frequently.
Dry eye occurs when your body doesn’t make enough tears for the eyes to stay wet and lubricated. This can be due to things like spending too much time on digital screens, poor blinking habits, and harsh air conditioning. In this article, eyecare experts R Woodfall recommend how you can prevent dry eyes. Keep reading to find out more.
The 20-20-20 rule
This rule is suggested for those experiencing problems such as dry eyes and digital eye strain, it involves taking a 20 second break from your computer screen every 20 minutes. During the 20 seconds you need to look at least 20 ft away from your screen to ensure your eyes are given a break. This may prevent symptoms of dry eyes if done correctly.
When you’re doing this, make sure to blink often too. Practising good blinking habits can help reduce dry eye symptoms, and help lubricate the eye.
Maintain good air quality
The quality of your air can make a big impact on your eyes. If you’re exposed to cold air conditioning throughout the day, then this could dry out your eyes and irritate them. Instead, turn the air conditioning on and then off every so often, to ensure the air doesn’t come too cold and harsh.
Additionally, you could purchase an air humidifier, to ensure the surrounding air is kept at an ideal moisture level. This could really help prevent dry eyes, as you’re adding enough moisture into the air.
Adjust your screen’s brightness.
If you work on computers all day, then this could be contributing to your dry eye symptoms. Working in front of a screen increases your chances at having digital eye strain, which involves having dry eyes and frequent headaches. To combat this, you could try turning your screen brightness down to reduce the amount of blue light that enters your eyes.
As well as this, most modern computers now have a setting where you can filter out blue light by opting for a yellow ‘night-time’ filter. This can also help reduce the amount of blue light that enters your eyes and prevent some of the uncomfortable symptoms of having dry eyes.
Stay hydrated
Another way you can help your dry eyes is by staying hydrated throughout the day. Hydration is important for many reasons, it’s a key part of staying healthy. Ensure you drink the recommended amount of water each day, this is typically 6-8 cups.
Reduce screen time & wear blue light glasses
If you can, reducing your screen time can really help prevent your dry eye symptoms. Spending less time on a computer isn’t possible if your job revolves around it, so blue light glasses could be the solution for you. Glasses with a blue UV light filter can reduce the amount of blue light from entering your eyes, which we know can help dry eyes.
If you’re experiencing any dry eye symptoms, visit your local optician to receive professional advice and treatment if needed.