Battling Dry Eye in Bad Weather

As the autumn and winter sets in, you might find your Dry Eye symptoms worsen. Exposure to weather can cause Dry Eye Disease as the environment impacts your tear production and quality.

Glaring sunshine, pouring rain, brisk wind, and a winter chill can all have you reaching for your eyedrops and struggling to stop your eyes from streaming. So how does bad weather affect dry eyes and how can we battle it?

What Is Dry Eye?

Dry Eye is an extremely common symptom, affecting one in four people in the UK.[1] It most commonly affects women with one study showing the prevalence of Dry Eye Syndrome in their female participants was 42.3% and 20.4% in their male counterparts.[2]

It’s caused by insufficient or inadequate tear quality which can be affected by hormonal fluctuations, medication, and environmental or lifestyle factors.[3] It can cause symptoms like burning, itching, and stinging sensations in the eyes as well as watering and a sensitivity to light.[4] While dry eye can be managed with treatment, it is very uncomfortable and if left untreated the dryness of your eyes can lead to infections which may cause permanent blindness.[1]

A woman leans forward on a chair, rubbing her eyes in pain with a blanket around her shoulders

How Does the Weather Affect Dry Eyes?

As environmental factors can trigger Dry Eye Syndrome, the weather can have an effect, exacerbating symptoms.

Wind

This may be the most obvious weather condition on the list, but wind can have a serious impact on your Dry Eye Disease. The air moving quickly across the surface of your eye can cause the protective tears to evaporate more quickly. Without lubrication or protection from these tears, your eyes are more likely to become irritated and experience dry eye symptoms.[5]

Additionally, the wind can carry particles of debris which can enter the eye and cause irritation and pain.

Rain

The rain doesn’t have to get into your eyes to cause problems. Short bursts of rain can temporarily increase the humidity, which can affect the ocular surface’s moisture balance. This can trigger your Dry Eye Syndrome symptoms.

A woman stands in an autumn scene with sunglasses on, protecting her eyes from the symptoms of Dry Eye Disease.

Sun

The summer is often associated with beaming sunny days that cause people to grab their sunglasses and protect their eyes. But as it enters Autumn, the risk is still there. The shorter days mean that the low afternoon sun enters our direct line of vision. Exposure to the sun rays can cause tears to dry quicker, aggravating Dry Eye Syndrome.[6]

Cold

In the colder months, you’re likely to look for ways to keep warm and toasty. That means people often turn to central heating and fires – two things which can aggravate Dry Eye Disease.

The central heating dries the air in your home which can make moisture evaporate from the surface of your eyes more quickly. Even outdoor humidity drops during winter, putting you at risk for Dry Eye Disease.[7] When you consider how quickly your skin can dry or you experience chapped lips in the winter months, it makes sense that the cold temperatures will also affect our eyes.

Fires can be a source of irritation whether they’re outdoors or in your home. The smoke can irritate your eyes and increase the feelings of dryness and discomfort.

Dry Eye and Winter Illness

During colder, wetter months you may notice more infections going around like the common cold. This is because some viruses survive more easily in the cold, the cold suppresses our immune systems making it harder to fight the virus and we’re indoors more often (meaning it’s easy to transmit viruses).[8] You may find that one of the symptoms of your illness is itchy, red, and watery eyes.

How Can You Prevent Dry Eye From Weather?

The best way to avoid the weather affecting your Dry Eye Disease is to avoid triggers of your Dry Eye Syndrome. But alongside this, there are other things you can do to manage your symptoms and avoid flare-ups of your Dry Eye Disease.

Stay away from open fires.
Use a humidifier in your home to add moisture to the air.
Stay hydrated. Drink lots of water to increase the levels of moisture in your body during dry seasons.
Ensure any heaters and air vents are positioned away from your face.
Cover your eyes when you are outside in bad weather. Either wear wrap-around sunglasses or shades with a scarf or hat.[9]
Take Vitamin D. In the UK, people tend to suffer from a Vitamin D deficiency in the winter months. There is some research which suggests that Vitamin D supplementation can help treat Dry Eye Syndrome.[10]

When it comes to soothing the symptoms of Dry Eye Disease you can use artificial tears or eye drops like VisuXL® which can help heal ocular surface damage, offering greater symptom relief. Shop for VisuXL® here.  

MeiboPatch® can be a great addition to your night routine during periods of bad weather. The heated compress offers relief and comfort as well as stimulating the normal secretions from the meibomian glands to fight Dry Eye Syndrome.

A woman runs from the camera in a snowy, winter scene with a shawl around her shoulders.

During autumn and winter, periods of bad weather can aggravate symptoms of Dry Eye Disease, but it doesn’t have to control your life. Get help for your Dry Eye Syndrome today and head to @dryeyeandme on Instagram and Facebook to find more helpful tips and tricks.

References

Back to news

Everything You Need To Know About Dry Eye In Winter

As the nights draw in and the weather begins to get colder, many sufferers of Dry Eye Syndrome will be worrying about the winter months ahead and what it means for their condition.

What is Dry Eye Syndrome?

Dry Eye Syndrome is a common eye condition that affects one in four people in the UK. As the name suggests, it is a condition that causes a dryness in the eyes. It’s common and isn’t usually anything to worry about, but there are certain factors which could increase the likelihood of you developing Dry Eyes:
– Age (if you’re over 50 then you may be more likely to get Dry Eyes.)
– Menopause
– Underlying health conditions
– Taking certain medications
– Smoking or drinking alcohol
– Wearing contact lenses
– Prolonged screen time
– Frequently travelling by plane

What are the symptoms of Dry Eye Syndrome?
If you suffer with any of the following symptoms, it may be an indication that you’re affected by Dry Eye Syndrome.
– A stinging, burning, itchy or scratchy sensation in your eyes
– A feeling of having something in your eyes
– More grit in the eyes than usual
– Redness around the eyes
– Blurry vision
– More sensitive to light than normal
– Watery eyes
– Difficulty wearing contact lenses
– Difficulty with night time driving

dry eye symptoms

What causes Dry Eye Syndrome?
The main cause of Dry Eye Syndrome is a lack of lubricating tears to the eyes, resulting in the surface of the eye becoming dry and irritated. This can happen for numerous reasons which we’ve previously listed above , but the change in weather and the onset of winter could also aggravate the condition.

Are dry eyes worse in winter?
While people who suffer from Dry Eye Syndrome usually experience symptoms all year round, these symptoms can get worse in winter.[1] During winter, the air becomes colder and bitter winds can create harsh outdoor environments. This weather causes many people to suffer from cold weather conditions like dry skin or chapped lips, and our eyes are no exception.[2]
Furthermore, increased use of central heating and electric heaters makes the air inside our homes and places of work drier, increasing the risk of dry, itchy eyes inside as well as outside.

How do you get rid of Dry Eyes in the winter?
Although you can’t cure Dry Eye Syndrome permanently, the good news is, there are lots of ways to help relieve symptoms of Dry Eyes in the winter.

Drink lots of fluids
This is important all year round, but especially in winter, as keeping your body hydrated helps to maintain moisture in your eyes.[3] Although it’s hard with Christmas and New Year, reducing your alcohol intake can help to alleviate your symptoms. This is because alcohol increases the sugar levels in your blood, which can cause your lenses to swell and blur your vision. Additionally, alcohol dehydrates the body which can leave your eyes feeling itchy or cause a stinging sensation.[4]

dry eye

Don’t let heat blow directly onto your face
Hot air blowing directly towards your face can reduce moisture in your eyes. So when you are using portable heaters, or car heaters this season, make sure the heat is directed towards your body, not your face, to avoid this problem.[5] Hairdryers could also aggravate Dry Eyes, so where possible, it might help to let your hair dry naturally rather than using a hairdryer.[6]

Don’t get too close to wood-burning fires
We all love a cosy open fire when it’s cold outside. But unfortunately, the smoke can be irritating for sufferers of Dry Eye, especially when the fire is outside as wind can blow the smoke directly towards your face, causing itching and burning sensations. So, it’s best to keep a safe distance away or avoid open fires all together this season if you are suffering from Dry Eye Syndrome. When it comes to fires indoors, ensure that you keep well back and try to keep the door of the stove closed as much as you can.

dry eye

Increase your Vitamin D intake
Research has suggested that Vitamin D could be able to alleviate Dry Eye symptoms by improving factors linked to the coating of tears that cover the front of the eye.[7] The best source of Vitamin D comes from sunlight, but in winter there is much less of this due to the shorter days. To ensure you’re still getting the right amount of Vitamin D, you can either take supplements or choose to eat foods that are naturally high in it. Some of these include sardines, salmon, red meat or egg yolk.[8]

Wear glasses when you go outside
Harsh winds and cold are the main culprits when it comes to making Dry Eyes worse in winter. Whenever you can, try to wear either sunglasses or wrap-around glasses when you go outside. These will help to protect your eyes from drying winds during the autumn and winter.[9]

Take breaks from too much screen time
Throughout winter, many of us may choose to trade walks outside for watching movies indoors. Dry Eye Syndrome has been linked to too much screen time, as when we stare at a screen for a long time, we don’t blink as often. Blinking helps to keep eyes moisturised, so when we spend too much time on the computer or watching TV it can cause them to become irritated or itchy.[10] Taking regular breaks from the screen can help to improve symptoms – even if you just get up to make a cup of tea!

What is the best over-the-counter medicine for Dry Eyes?
Our VisuXL® Gel can be used twice a day to help relieve symptoms of Dry Eye.
VisuXL® Gel forms a protective cushion over the surface of the eye, protecting it from the worst of the winter weather.[11] It provides 12-hour protection with just one drop, enabling you to go out all day in the cold and all night in a heated house without suffering from Dry Eye symptoms.[11]

To find out more about eye drops and to find an eye drop that suits you and your lifestyle visit our VISUfarma Shop.

References

Back to news

View by category

Battling Dry Eye in Bad Weather

What Is Dry Eye?

How Does the Weather Affect Dry Eyes?

Wind

Rain

Sun

Cold

Dry Eye and Winter Illness

How Can You Prevent Dry Eye From Weather?

References

Everything You Need To Know About Dry Eye In Winter

References