Do you have any idea as to why your eyes get watery during winter months?
Well, that happens because cold winds increase the evaporation of moisture from your cornea’s topmost layer and aggravate dryness, which causes dry eyes.
Adding to this problem is the use of heaters and blowers at homes and offices that Sowe use to stay warm.
Though this makes your interiors warm and cosy, it results in the evaporation of tears. Consequently, there is a burning sensation and itching in the eyes which can also lead to excessive tearing and redness, and dryness.
“The reason for ‘dry eye condition’ could be environmental like exposure to air conditioners and blowers or allergens present in the atmosphere. The condition gets aggravated in the winters as the weather is dry too,” says eye specialist Dr Mukta Srivastava, Dr Aggarwal Eye Clinic, informing that the number of cases increase during the colder months.
“There could be secondary reasons as well. Like medicines which diabetes and arthritis patients take cause dry eyes. Long hours of wearing contacts lenses also increase this condition,” she adds.
Many are either unaware or unconcerned about dry eye condition which, if left untreated, can damage your cornea and cause blurry vision.
“People come to us when they have burning sensation in eyes or some foreign body has fallen into the eye, and only upon examination we spot the dry eye condition,” says Dr Srivastava, adding, “the cases are on the rise even among youngsters.”
The good thing is taking some simple measures can prevent this condition:
■ Protect against dehydration. To help maintain moisture in your eyes, drink lots of fluids and make sure you wear a 100 per cent UV protected pair of sunglasses every time you step out. These help prevent loss of moisture by keeping the air between the eyes and glasses humid.
■ Digital eyestrain results in dry eyes because when you are looking at the screen, you tend to blink 50 per cent less. A normal person blinks about 18-20 times per minute but when working on computers, the blink rates falls down to four to six blinks per minute. “Every time you blink, a film of tears is formed over the eye which protects it,” says Dr Srivastava. She advises to look away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes that you stare at the computer screen. For these 20 seconds, concentrate at an object 20ft away.
■ Keep away from direct heat which aids evaporation and makes skin and eyes drier. When indoors with blowers/heaters on, use a humidifier. It adds moisture to the indoor air. When travelling in a vehicle with the blower on, point the vents away from your face.
■ To help retain the moisture in your eyes, consume food rich in Vitamin A and Omega 3 fatty acids. Eat fatty fish like salmon or opt for flax seeds and chia seeds which help improve the function of Meibomian glands, thereby increasing the lipid layer in the tears which further helps retain eye’s moisture.
■ Do hot fomentation for the eyes as well as eyelid massage. This helps remove dandruff (that aggravates in winters) which gets stuck between eyelashes, blocking the tear glands present there.