Why are dry eyes worse in winter?

As cold winter months arrive, many people will live in dry, indoor conditions with the heat on all day, which contributes to the season’s being the most common time people complain about dry, itchy and watery eyes.

In most cases, dry eye can be managed successfully; but colder weather is a common dry eye irritant of which people may be unaware. Dry eyes are often a common complaint for contact lens wearers during the colder, winter months

What causes dry eyes?

Dry eye occurs when there is low tear production, or when the tear quality is poor and the tears evaporate too quickly. When people blink, tears spread evenly over the eye, keeping them smooth, healthy and clear. This is an important step for healthy, comfortable vision.

How many people suffer from dry eyes?

It is estimated that 4.88 million Americans age 50 and older have dry eye, and suffer from irritated, burning and scratchy eyes.

Triggers for dry eyes

A common trigger for dry eye can be the humidity in the air. There are a variety of tools people can use to prevent dry eye in colder weather.

Humidity in winter

On average, the humidity drops in the winter with the colder weather. In addition, most people turn on the heat in their homes or offices to combat the cold. So, what you end up having is lower humidity outside, and even lower humidity inside, making for warm, dry conditions where moisture can evaporate from the eye faster than normal.”

Symptoms Associated with Winter Dry Eyes

Since the winter months can have harsh weather conditions such as wind and dry air, People who suffer from dry eyes during these months often complain of redness, decreased vision, pain, light sensitivity and a feeling of a foreign body in the eye. Since these symptoms can range from mild to severe, managing the causes of winter dry eyes is important in protecting the eyes from damage.

Factors That Affect Tear Film Quality

Tear must be thick enough to prevent evaporation. If the tear film that covers the eyes is not performing its job, vision loss can be the result. There are many different factors that can cause the eyes to lose this important lubricating covering.

• Wind and sunlight
• Exposure to dirt
• Decreased tear production
• Eyelid abnormalities
• Dry environments
• Medication side effects
• Certain autoimmune diseases such as Sjogren’s, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
• Overuse of eyes during activities such as reading or computer usage

Therefore, it is vitally important to protect the tear film that covers the eyes.

Managing Winter Dry Eyes

1. TheraLife – oral dry eye treatment. Give you sustainable dry eye relief all day long from inside out. TheraLife is a patented all-natural oral solution for dry eye relief. Without using drops.   TheraLife is particularly helpful in winter when dry eyes become worse.

Learn more how it works.

Testimonials. 

2.  Direct any heaters you use toward your body, not your face.

Don’t let your attempts to stay warm sabotage your eyes. When your eyes are already dry, blasting them with warm air isn’t going to do you any favors. Air hitting the eyes directly can cause the tear layer to evaporate, So, if you have a space heater at home or at work, make sure it’s not pointed at your face.

Same goes for using the heater in your car, if you drive. Even doing something as basic as using the defroster can be an issue. The air can bounce off the windshield and hit your eyes right where it hurts. If you can, try to defrost your car before you get into it, then direct the warm air toward your feet as you drive. If you need to keep the defroster running, throw on a pair of sunglasses. That should at least help to deflect some of the breeze. It also brings us to our next point.

3. Wear sunglasses that provide full coverage to your eyes when you go outside.

Sunglasses don’t usually get as much play in colder months as they do in summer, but they’re still pretty crucial for combatting dry eye, That cruel winter wind is obviously whipping around cold air, but the air is typically dry, too. Double whammy.

Wearing sunglasses every time you head outdoors to reduce your exposure to dry, frigid winds. If you can find ones with wrap-around frames, even better. Small sunglasses do not protect your eyes from the wind, you need better coverage than that.

4. Use a humidifier in your bedroom or workspace (or both).

In a perfect world, some sort of magical phenomenon would make sure the air around you is always perfectly humid to keep your eyes moisturized. In reality, you might need a humidifier to help you out, especially in your bedroom and your workspace. This will add more moisture to the air where you probably spend the most time, increasing the odds you’ll have happily lubricated eyeballs for prolonged periods of time.

5. Make warm eyelid compresses a part of your morning and nightly routine.

A slew of different factors can cause dry eye. In some cases, you might have what’s called Meibomian gland dysfunction, which is when your Meibomian glands (located under your eyelids) don’t do a good job of producing the outer oily layer of your tears. This can cause your tears to evaporate too quickly, leaving your eyeballs feeling like mini-deserts.

If this is what’s behind your dry eye, using a warm eyelid compress can help loosen up any clogged oil glands in your eyes, helping the oily part of your tears flow and spread a little more easily. A hot wash cloth does not work well because it becomes cold too quickly. You need at least 10 minutes of consistent warm heat to melt the clogging in your meibomian oil glands.

While this is crucial if you have Meibomian gland dysfunction, it may even help if you have other causes of dry eye that affect those glands, For instance, rosacea can clog Meibomian glands, so warm compresses are a must.

6. When you’re using a phone, computer, or other digital screen, pause every 20 minutes to look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

While being glued to your computer might earn your points from your boss, it’s probably screwing you over in the dry eye department.

Binking less using a computer

When you’re in front of a screen, you tend to blink less often than you normally would. The issue there is that blinking spreads your tear film across your eyes to help keep them moist.

As a workaround, taking “periodic breaks” to consciously blink and look at something far away, which should make you blink even more. If you need a more specific number. Every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

7. Clean your place at least once a week, and focus on eliminating dust.

Dust mites, i.e., microscopic critters that feed off your dead skin flakes, are the most common trigger of allergies. If you happen to be allergic to those on top of having dry eye, constantly being indoors in a dusty home isn’t going to do you any favors. Any allergy that affects your eyes will also irritate dry eyes even further,

Dust mites can also cause blepharitis and MGD.

8. Keep your distance from wood-burning fires.

Winter is a great time to get cozy around an open fire, but smoke can increase the evaporation of tears from your eyes, leaving them feeling even more dried out than usual.

The severity of your dry eye and frequency of fire exposure will likely determine your threshold here. If your dry eye is generally under control and you have a one-off hangout in front of a wood-burning fire, your eyes might feel fine. But if you have a fireplace at home, you may want to limit how often you use it. At least make sure you have really great ventilation going when you do use it, and don’t position yourself right in front of the flames.

9. Omega 3 fish oil or Flax seed oil– Although there are no research studies to support the claim, some patients have reported a reduction in dry eye symptoms with regular use of Omega 3 fish oil or flax seed oil tablets.

10. Surgery– In extreme cases, a punctal occlusion may be needed. A doctor will place a silicone plug into the tiny opening that drains tears away from the eyes in hopes of preserving existing tears.

The TheraLife Solution for Winter Dry Eyes

Since eye drops can be harmful to the tear film of the eyes, and most people will only use surgery as a last resort, TheraLife provides a natural solution to dry eye treatment. As a leader in chronic dry eye relief, TheraLife goes directly to the source of the problem: underactive tear secretion.

TheraLife provides relief for winter dry eyes by promoting the body to make its own healing tears. Tears that are lost due to dry environmental conditions, certain medications, or autoimmune diseases can be replaced without the use of drugs or surgery.

How to get started with TheraLife

Complete solution oral dry eye treatment blepharitis/MGD

Effective in 80% of first time users, the TheraLife Starter Kit provides patients with everything needed to fight off dry, irritated eyes: 4 bottles of TheraLife Enhanced, 1 bottle of Omega-3 Fish Oil, 1 bottle of all natural Eye Lid Cleanser, and 1 Hot Compress.

Don’t let the cold, winter months keep you from having eyes that are pain-free and healthy. Try TheraLife today and discover eyes that are as comfortable and cozy as a warm winter blanket

Preventing dry eyes in winter

Here are some ways you can reduce dry eye symptoms this winter:

• Avoid the use of hair dryers, especially when the dryer blows directly into your eyes. Allow your hair to air-dry instead.
• Keep your home as cool as you can tolerate to reduce your heater usage.
• Consider adding omega-3 fatty acids to your diet. These may help to reduce dry eye (plus they’re good for you overall). You can also take dietary supplements. Vitamin D is very helpful for people with dry eyes.
• Wear wrap-around glasses when you go outside. These will help to protect your eyes from drying wind (a common dry eye culprit) during the winter.

Know too that if you get a cold, taking antihistamines can lead to dry eyes.

Examples of antihistamines you may use to treat colds include brompheniramine and chlorpheniramine. However, if you need these medications to treat your cold, just take more TheraLife Eye capsules.

Medication and dry eye

Some medications can make it more likely that you’ll have dry eyes. If your symptoms are very severe in the winter, talk to your doctor about your medication list to see if there are potential alternatives.

Examples of these medications include antidepressants, birth control pills, and medications used to treat blood pressure. Never stop using these medications without a doctor’s permission.

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