Winter is here! And so is the annoying eye dryness and itching! Let’s talk about how you can care for your eyes this winter.

The winter air is dry. It causes your eyes to dry up and become irritable and itchy. And the warm blowers only make it worse!

Sometimes, as a response to dryness, your eyes produce excessive tears, so that you get watery eyes.

Dry eyes or watery eyes, both are annoying, right?

Follow these 9 tips for healthy and shiny eyes this winter.

1. Stay hydrated

Along with winter comes the problem of dryness. Your skin dries out, your lips crack and your eyes will have a burning sensation. While you have moisturising creams for your skin, you could help keep your eyes moist by drinking adequate water.

“Drink 8-10 glasses of water every day, to ensure proper hydration of your body.”

Well hydrated body means well hydrated eyes!

2. Don’t go too close to blowers/heaters

The warming appliances that we use during winters emanate dry heat, which will worsen the dryness problem.

“The dry heat from blowers or heaters causes evaporation of natural tear film of your eyes causing dryness.”

As a result you experience burning and grittiness in your eyes if you go too close to them. Keep your distance from blowers and heaters.

3. Limit your screen time

Looking at a digital screen for too long causes evaporation of your natural tear film and causes dryness and irritation of eyes. This is more so during winters, when the air is already quite dry.

“If your work requires you to work for a long time on a digital screen, follow these tips to reduce digital eye strain while working on your gadgets.”

One of the reasons why prolonged use of digital screens causes dryness is that we blink less frequently while looking at a digital screen. As a result, the rate of evaporation of your tears increases. Make sure to blink adequately to ensure that your tears are spread evenly over your eyes, keeping them moist.

4. Keep your eyes moist

You can use artificial tears eye drops to keep your eyes moist. The drops basically consist of a compound named carboxymethylcellulose 0.5%.

It is a soft gel like substance that keeps your eyes moist and has a cooling effect.

“You could also use humidifiers or keep some houseplants in your room to help retain some moisture in the room air.”

5. Do not skip your sunglasses

You may think that sunglasses are only for summer.

“But, remember, even during winters your eyes need to be protected from harmful UV rays.”

In areas where there is snowfall, there is a condition known as “snow blindness” due to UV rays reflecting off the snow. I’ll be writing a detailed blog on snow blindness very soon.

6. Eat right

Your eyes need Vitamin A and omega 3 fatty acids to help maintain their natural moisture.

“A proper balanced diet rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants is extremely important to maintain good eyesight.”

Include these anti-oxidant rich foods in your diet to keep your eyes healthy and lustrous.

7. Avoid contact lenses

Contact lenses may sometimes cause irritation in your eyes, especially during cold and dry weather.

“Therefore, I would advise you to skip your contacts during peak winter days, especially if you need to work on your phone or laptops for a longer duration. Use your eyeglasses instead.”

One of the major concerns of spectacles users during winter is fogging of the glasses. You could get an anti-fog coating for your glasses to effectively deal with this problem.

8. Avoid touching your eyes

Your eyes may feel itchy, but don’t rub your eyes. Doing so will only increase the irritation and redness.

Also our fingertips are often contaminated and may carry germs. If you touch your eyes repeatedly, you may carry infection into your eyes.

“If your eyes feel itchy during winter, instead of rubbing them with your hands, just place a cotton wad dipped in cool water over closed eyelids. Not only will it help moisturize your eyes and relieve the irritation, it will also help to relax your eyes.”

9. Keep your eyes clean

This is perhaps the most effective eye care tip. Clean eyes are healthy eyes!

Splash your eyes with cool water on waking up in the morning. It will help remove any dirt from your eyes. Wash your face daily before going to bed. Use a clean towel to gently pat your face dry.

If you notice some deposits on your eyelashes, dip a cotton bud in a bowl of warm water mixed with a few drops of baby shampoo and gently scrub your eyelashes with the cotton bud.

If you wear eye makeup, make sure to remove it completely before sleeping. Never share your cosmetics or contact lenses, because you never know someone else could be having an infection that could get transmitted to your eyes.

“Remember, maintaining eye hygiene goes a long way in preventing eye infections and ensuring good eye health.”

So these are 9 simple tips that you can follow to keep your eyes healthy this winter.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or email me at neha.pednekar1489@gmail.com

Remember, vision is precious!

I’ll meet you soon in my next blog, till then take good care of your eyes and stay healthy.