Dry Eyes in Winter: 6 Ways To Prevent Them

It comes as no surprise that the winter season transforms the outside world. It also makes us switch up our daily routines to prepare for the necessary changes that winter brings in.

However, when the chilling effects of the colder months are in full swing, your wardrobe is not the only change you need to make to prepare for the winters. Winters affect our bodies and health too. You need to be prepared for this change too.

From chapped lips, runny nose to frozen fingers, there is no escape to the inconvenience that you may experience in your day-to-day life. However, if there is one part of your body that receives the worst of the winter weather, it is your eyes.

The exposure to harsh winter winds can delay the production of fluids required to support the protective, liquid coating that our eyes require to stay hydrated. Result: Itchy eyes and dry eyes.

Your eyes may burn, you may suffer from blurry vision or even watery eyes to compensate for the dryness. While it may be difficult to resolve dry eyes completely, here are 6 tips to improve your eye health.

Tips to Prevent Dry Eyes in Winter time

1. 1. Keep your sunglasses on

If you are prone to dry eyes in winter, a great way to protect your eyes from winter dryness is to keep your sunglasses on. Keep them with you wherever you go.

2. 2. Keep your eyes moisturized

Winter dryness makes your eyes feel uncomfortable and dry. Many patients resort to over-the-counter eye drops for instant relief, but with a lot of products to choose from, you might damage your eyes even more.

To help your tear film work effectively, it is important to visit an ophthalmologist who can recommend the right eye drops best suited to your eye condition.

3. 3. Keep yourself hydrated

Keeping yourself hydrated is important to maintain healthy eyes. While coffee and tea are beverages that keep you going through the cold winter day, consuming too much caffeine may be dangerous.

Switch your habits up a little and consume healthy fluids such as green tea, earl grey tea, and lemon water that will prevent your body from dehydration. Along with being caffeine-free, these fluids will encourage you to consume more water.

4. 4. Soothe your eyes with a warm washcloth

Patients with dry eyes commonly experience tear secretion. Apply a warm washcloth on both your eyes to restore the right amount of moisture in your eyes. This also soothes irritated, itchy and swollen eyes.

Regular use of a warm washcloth will ease away the symptoms of dry eyes to significantly improve your vision.

5. 5. Follow a nutrition-rich diet

While we take care of our eyes externally, it is also important to keep yourself healthy from within. Consuming a nutrition-rich diet will protect your eyes from eye conditions like dry eyes and macular degeneration.

 Foods you should eat:

Omega-3 rich foods

5. 5. • Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds
      • Flour, pasta, oatmeal
      • Kale, parsley, spinach
      • Salmon, tuna, trout, halibut
      • Palm oil, Soyabean oil

Potassium

5. 5. • Yogurt
      • Bananas
      • Soybeans
      • Sweet potatoes & potatoes

Quick fix for Dry Eyes

5. • Carrot & beet salad
   • Turmeric almond milk
   • Flourless banana pecan pancakes
   • Chicken chopped salad

6. 6. Take a break from screens

While it is inevitable to completely stay away from your computer screen, it is ideal to take breaks every hour to prevent dry eye syndrome.

Make sure you completely stay away from digital devices while taking a break. To start off, look outside the window and locate green objects. This will soothe your eyes.

If you are looking for experienced ophthalmologists in Fresno, visit Insight Vision to effectively treat your dry eyes.

All You Need to Know About Eye Problems Associated with Eye Makeup

“A woman without paint is like food without salt.”
– PlatusFor centuries, cosmetics have played a crucial role in beautifying women. One of the features that women love to enhance is their eyes. In ancient times, Egyptian women applied dark green color to their under the lid and soot or antimony to darken their lashes and upper eyelids. Times have changed and so are the makeup trends.

Continue reading All You Need to Know About Eye Problems Associated with Eye Makeup

7 Eye Safety Tips for Protection against Home Hazards

Every year, almost 50% of the estimated 2.5 million eye injuries occur at home, with the most common sites being the garage or the yard.

Source:  American Academy of Ophthalmology

Most people wear safety glasses at work and when playing sports but the same people won’t think about eye safety at home when cooking, cleaning the yard, or doing work in the garage. All too often, when people are doing household chores, they tend to forget about the risks they take by not wearing protective eyewear. A split-second is all it takes to impair your vision for life so reduce the risk of potential eye injuries at home by following these:

Continue reading 7 Eye Safety Tips for Protection against Home Hazards

The Threat is Real: Air Pollution in California Can Affect Your Vision

In the recent “State of the Air” report released by The American Lung Association, eight of the USA’s 10 most-polluted cities are in California. Bakersfield, Visalia, Fresno, Sacramento, Modesto, and Redding are a few cities in California reported for being highly ozone-polluted.

The Rise in Ozone Pollution

Ozone pollution increases in warmer temperatures. Smog that is formed on warm, sunny days is a mix of toxic chemicals and gases emitted from vehicles and industrial plants. The pollution level has risen to such a high level that it is affecting millions of Americans. Some of the health concerns reported are asthma, lung cancer, premature death, cardiovascular disease, and developmental and reproductive damage.

Continue reading The Threat is Real: Air Pollution in California Can Affect Your Vision

Emergency Eye Care: How to Handle the Situation

A do-it-yourself morning, a game of squash, a simple champagne cap, or cleaning agents… every day our eyes are exposed to many dangers. Although its curved shape protects the eye, it can also be the target of trauma. The front part remains exposed to aggression despite the blinking of the eyelids. A moment of inattention is enough for the eye to be injured.

What Is an Eye Emergency?

Whether it is a shock, a foreign body or a toxic product, the trauma of the eye is always to be taken seriously. A consultation at an emergency eye clinic is always necessary, since the pain is not always sufficient to assess the urgency.

Causes of an Eye Emergency

1. Chemical injury to the eye: Chemicals powders, aerosol, liquids, gases or vapors can enter the eye during daily activities at work or home and if not treated can affect vision.
2. A foreign object in the eye: The eye is exposed to foreign bodies at the workplace or outdoors. Sharp particles such as dust, wood or metal chips, splinters, or fragments of a tool can enter the eye and cause an eye emergency.
3. Cuts and scratches: Rubbing the eye when a foreign body is present, getting poked in the eye with a pointed object results in cuts or scratches and bleeding thereafter.
4. Trauma: Blood vessels in your eye may also burst due to vomiting, sneezing, or rubbing your eyes causing a dark patch. A sudden accident, sports-related eye injury can lead to bleeding under the skin which causes a black eye effect and demands immediate care to save the cornea from damage.

First Aid

Don’t panic and try to calm the person affected. While it is important to rush the person for emergency eye care immediately, a few precautionary steps before you reach out to the clinic can save from potential damage. Here are few steps you can take:

Chemical injury to the eye:

1. Tilt the person’s face such that the eye is facing down and sideways. Flush it with fresh
   water.
2. You can hold the persons face under a tap or shower, if both the eyes are affected.
3. Allow the running water to rinse the affected eye for 15-20 minutes.
4. If the person is wearing contact lenses which do not get flushed out, try removing them after rinsing the chemical out from the eye.
5. Seek immediate medical attention.

A foreign object in the eye:

1. Do not attempt to remove the object or press the eye.
2. Clean your hands with water and soap.
3. Bandage both eyes to prevent any kind of movement of the eyelids. If the foreign object is large, tape a clean paper cup on the eye to prevent any pressure from the bandage.
4. Visit emergency eye care without any delay.

Cuts and scratches:

1. In case of bleeding, wipe it with a clean and soft cloth without applying pressure.
2. Apply a cold compress to control bleeding and avoid swelling.
3. If bleeding continues, cover the eye with a cloth and rush to nearest eye care facility.

Trauma:

1. In case of a black eye or rupturing of blood vessels in the eye, apply a cold compress to
   reduce pain and further swelling or blackening of the eye.
2. Emergency consultation is necessary thereafter.

Although it may be a reflex, you should not under any circumstances force to open an eye, or rub your eyes with your hands. This would scratch the cornea. In the case of a foreign body, even visible, the use of tweezers to try to remove it is prohibited.

When to Contact an Eye Surgeon?

An immediate consultation with an eye surgeon is required when:

• there is a visible eye injury;
• there has been contact with a chemical product;
• the pain remains very strong even after an eye rinse;
• the vision is disturbed or in case of sensitivity to bear the light;
• there is a trauma such as a blow or shock with a small object, even in the absence of disturbing symptoms.

The watchword is caution, it is better to consult an emergency eye care specialist and find that there is no anomaly rather than missing a serious problem. If you are in Fresno, you can just search for ‘emergency eye care near me’ and contact an ophthalmologist in Fresno without much hassle.