If you have ever had dry eyes you know it’s not fun. Your eyes feel scratchy, uncomfortable and sometimes your vision may become blurred and hazy.

According to the Canadian Association of Optometrists, dry eyes are caused by many things including: contact lenses, allergies, hormones, age, environmental conditions, medications, and exposure to UV rays among others. Since there are so many things that cause dry eyes, you may need an individual solution for each situation. Here are five things you can do to relieve dry eye symptoms.

A good practice to get into is to purchase a pair of good quality sunglasses to protect your eyes from future sun damage – especially in the summertime when you are out in the sun more often and UV exposure can affect your eyes. If you don’t have sunglasses, and even if you have been wearing them, but they are of lower quality, it’s always a good idea to keep some eye drops handy.
If you wear contacts, you have another battle to overcome when it comes to dry eyes; some contact lenses are better than others for lubrication. Usually, when you wear contacts for too long, that is when they start to bother your eye. Some preventative maintenance is always a good idea with contacts, and that’s where these come in handy. If you wear contacts, please also check out this important post on wearing contacts for too long.
Working on the computer for long periods is not a great idea for your eyes. Dry eyes are common with those who work on computers all day long. It can be even worse when we work on them all day long and then stare at our phones or TV at night. Make sure you are either using glasses with a blue light coating OR drops like these to keep your eyes moist and in good health.
Did you know, what you eat can contribute to your eye health? Did you also know that there is such a thing as good quality tears? Dry eyes can be a result of tears that don’t correctly moisturize the eye. Omega 3’s are essential when getting those good quality tears that help moisturize and clean the eye.
Keeping your eye clean is vital to combat dry eyes. Cleaning your eyelid and removing dirt, dust, and debris can help limit the possibility of dry eyes becoming a problem. This is especially important for people who work in dirty or dusty environments. These eyelid wipes are a great way to clean, moisturize and soothe the outside of the eye after a long day of work. As a bonus, they also help remove makeup as well.

At Inspired by Rossland Optical, our goal is always, eye health, whether you wear glasses or not. If you don’t wear glasses, you may not have learned the importance of eye care. Please be sure to send this post to anyone you think may need to learn more about taking care of their eyes. Education is key to preventing eye problems down the road.