#138: How Smoke Affects Dry Eyes
Dec 24, 2021
Happy Holidays. This time of year there are many opportunities to get into smoky situations. Unfortunately, smoky areas are very irritating for those of us who suffer from dry eyes. There are two types of smoke that I find my patients are getting themselves into this time of year. These two types of smoke are coming from fireplaces and from secondhand smoke.
With the weather getting cooler in most areas there are lots of opportunities to come into contact with fireplace smoke. The smoke from fireplaces is particularly troublesome because you want to be close to the fire. It’s making it warmer perhaps it’s part of the atmosphere. Sometimes, the smoke doesn't bother you in the moment, but the symptoms that it may cause even the next day can be particularly painful.
Secondhand smoke can also be hard to avoid this time of year. You want to be social at a party or a gathering and someone else is smoking. It may be difficult to leave the room or ask that person to stop smoking around you. What can we do to protect our eyes from smoke this time of year? Here are three easy strategies you can implement right away.
No. 1) Avoid
The first strategy is to avoid the smoke. As I stated above you could leave the room containing the fireplace or the smoking guests. If you cannot completely remove yourself from the smoke smoky area, then go ahead and try to at least avoid direct contact with it. You can turn your head to the side or put your back to the direct of the smoke to prevent the smoke from getting in your eyes.
No. 2) Relieve
Relieve the irritation that the smoke has caused in your eyes using these strategies. The first is to use preservative-free artificial tears. Go ahead and as soon as you can after having contact with smoke, rinse your eyes using artificial tears. If you don't already have a favorite artificial tear, check out the Guide to Artificial Tears here.
Next, before you go to bed wash your face and perhaps even your hair. Removing the irritants as soon as possible from around your eyes is important. It will allow your eyes to recovery more quickly. I recommend using Eyes Are The Story facial cleanser, and Hypochlorous spray from Twenty-Twenty Beauty.
Finally, use a humidifier in your bedroom that evening. Putting extra humidity into the room can give your eyes the added moisture their craving. The extra moisture can help to calm the irritation.
No. 3) Heal
Heal the irritation from your eyes with prescription medications. These two products are prescription medication, so you will need to see your eye care practitioner to get them.
Use Tyrvaya to restore the homeostasis of your tears. Your tears consist of three layers a mucous layer, a watery layer, and an oily layer. When you are around smoke it causes the watery layer to evaporate more quickly. So, the harmony of the tears on the front surface of your eye is off-balance.
Tyrvaya is a prescription medication used to help your eyes restore homeostasis to the Tear Film. Tyrvaya is a nasal spray that stimulates tear production. Stimulating your own natural tear production can quickly get your eyes back to homeostasis.
The second medication I recommend here is Eysuvis. It is a steroid that is FDA approved for the treatment of dry eye flares. After spending time in a smoky environment, your eyes will be extra irritated. This irritation comes from your body‘s response to the smoke and the eye will produce additional inflammation.
Eysuvis can be used to quickly calm the inflammation. It is safe to use Eysuvis twice a day for a period of a few weeks without worry of side effects from the steroids. Talk with your eye care professional to see if either of these medications are right for your particular circumstances.
So there you have it, multiple ways to enjoy yourself this holiday season without having to worry about the side effects from being in a smoky environment.
Conclusion
It is tough to avoid smoky environments during the holidays. Fireplaces or encountering people who are smoking is almost inevitable. If you suffer from dry eyes and still would like to enjoy these activities follow these three simple rules.
- Avoid prolonged exposure to smoky environments. Leave the room or divert your eyes in a different direction so as not to have smoke blowing directly into the eyes.
- Relieve the eyes. Utilize an artificial tear immediately after exposure to smoke. Make sure that you wash your face and your eyes before going to bed that evening so as not to prolong the time that they irritants are around your eyes. And, you may also want to use a humidifier when you go to bed that night to add extra moisture to the surrounding air.
- If your eyes continue to be irritated after exposure to smoke consider seeing your eye care practitioner for a prescription of either Tyrvaya or Eysuvis. Tyrvaya will help restore homeostasis to the tear film. And. Eysuvis will calm the inflammation caused by the smoke exposure.
If you are a smoker yourself, please get help in quitting. Smoking can lead to earlier onset of cataracts and a worsening of the symptoms of dry eye disease. Studies have directly linked smoking to increasing the severity of thyroid eye disease and macular degeneration. These are serious eye diseases that can lead to vision loss and blindness.
The new year is a great time to make changes in daily habits. There is a lot of assistance online to help. Get a free Cessation Guide at www.quitassist.com. And, you can find free coaching and support groups through the www.cdc.gov website.
Happy holidays to you all. I hope you go out and enjoy yourselves.
