The main thing to know about dry eye conditions is that tears produced naturally by your eyes are wonderfully effective in keeping the balanced in everyday conditions. Tears keep your eyes lubed up, reduce your risk of getting an eye infection, wash away any foreign material that’s gotten into your eyes, and keep the surface of your eyes clear so you can see as well as possible. If you don’t produce enough tears, you might wind up with dry eye symptoms.
We provide full Dry Eye consultations and long-term solutions at our practice, so get in touch to see how we can help you maintain comfortable vision.
Here are a few ways to deal with temporarily dry, itchy eyes and other related symptoms.
1. Use artificial tears.
Artificial tears can help with mild cases of dry eye by supplementing the tears your eyes already make. Just don’t confuse artificial tears with drops that claim they’ll get redness out of your eyes. Drops that reduce redness can actually dry your eyes out even more, due to the constricting effect they have on the eyes blood supply.
2. Put a warm compress over your eyes every day.
Your case of dry eye could be a result of a problem with your eyelids’ oil production. Try a warm compress with a washcloth and laying it over your eyes for a few minutes. This heats up your eyelids and may allow more oil to get into your tear film.
3. Wear sunglasses when you’re outside—even if it isn’t really sunny.
Wind can strip your eyes of their tears, leaving with you with dry, uncomfortable eyes. Wearing sunglasses can help protect your eyes from the elements, keeping your tear film intact in the process.
4. Try a Humidifier.
Being in a dry environment can make your natural tear film evaporate too quickly, leaving your eyes feeling like dry. Adding moisture to your environment may help.
5. Give your eyes a break when using digital screens.
If you’re staring at your computer for hours, that can easily lead to dry, itchy eyes because you naturally blink less when you’re concentrating. You should work in breaks for your eyes throughout the day by closing them every so often, reminding yourself to blink more.
For more long lasting solutions, contact us for an appointment. We have the latest technology to treat dry eye conditions.
If you think you have mild dry eye temporarily, you may find that artificial tears can help and we can help you with this during your next eye appointment. But if you find that you need regular use of artificial tears to keep your dry eye under control, or you notice that the symptoms are more uncomfortable, please come see us for an appointment. We will also consider the root cause which can be less about your environment and more about medications that can dry out your eyes, like antihistamines and decongestants, or other health conditions.