The holiday season places us in a unique position of busyness. While you shop and cook and wrap and gather with friends and family, remember that your eyes continue to have special needs. Meeting them could mean the difference between gorgeous, glowing eyes, and red, irritated eyes in all those holiday pictures. Here, we will touch on a few easy ways to take care of your eyes this winter season.
Keep them lubricated. The eyes are naturally lubricated by specific glands. During the dry winter season, these glands may not be able to keep up sufficient tear production to moisten the eyes’ surface. It isn’t only the air outside that can create a need for more lubrication, it’s also the air indoors. Heated air exacerbates what you face from the outside environment. To mitigate the dryness during the colder months, consider the value of a small humidifier in your workspace, or a larger humidifier in your home. In a pinch, you could rely on eye drops to sustain comfort. However, long term use should be avoided.
Keep up with that UV protection! It isn’t only the summer sun that shines UV rays into our eyes. Ultraviolet light is present every day of the year. This means there is a chance for damage to the cornea, retina, and other structures. Our need for quality sunglasses doesn’t end as the weather changes. In fact, due to snow, it may intensify. Try polarized lenses to reduce glare, and wraparound sunglasses to protect your eyes, as well as the delicate skin around them.
Give your eyes a rest. There are several ways we can rest our eyes. We can minimize our screen time or get a little more sleep each night. To combat the natural dryness of the season, a great way to rest your eyes would be to move from contacts to eyeglasses. Even a few hours a day without additional lenses eating up your eyes natural moisture can make a big difference.
As the year comes to a close, remember to take advantage of your vision benefits by scheduling your eye exam in our Winchester, VA office. Call 540-722-6200.
Posted in: Eye Health
