#168: What Causes Dry Eyes? Part 3
In the clinic, I get asked this question all day long, "What's causing my eyes to be so dry?" The short answer is that dry eye is multifactorial. It comes from many different causes. Some of the things we have no control over, like your gender and your age. Women, especially those over 40, are more likely to have dry eye than men. And, we can't change our gender or age. But, there are a ton of causes of dry eye that we can control.
Let's talk about what you can take care or change to help our dry eyes. I like to break this down into three parts. I called it the EYE Method. The first is E for Eyes. The Y is for Your Health. And, the final E is for the Environment.
This week, we will take a deep dive into how your environment helps effects your dry eyes.
E is for the Environment
The environment refers to both your indoor and outdoor surroundings. Depending on the season of the year, there may be different stressors you come in contact with both indoors and out.
Seasons:
Indoors you may be dealing with excessive heaters or air conditioning. Both can be hard on eyes that are already dry. Using a humidifier in the room that you spend them most time in will help add moisture. There are tons of other tips to help your environment depending on the season of the year. I have done previous blogs on Summer, Fall, Winter or Spring. And, if you are allergic to dust or dust mites, these can play a role in how you react to your dry eye therapy all year long.
Outdoor Environment:
Each season of the year has something to offer in the great outdoors. Don't let your dry eyes hold you back from enjoying yourself any season of the year. There are ways to protect your eyes and prevent dry eye flare ups. Check out this blog to survive allergy season when you already have dry eye disease.
Digital Devices
For a lot of you, regardless of where you live or your age, you're spending a ton of time on our digital devices. These devices can dry out your eyes because you're not blinking regularly. And, your eyes weren't designed to staring at screens for extended periods of time. Yet, this behavior is so common these days.
There is a multitude of ways to reduce your eye strain while using digital devices. You can get started with having eye strain relief with just a few changes to the set up of your screen or workstation. Download the Guide to Digital Eye Strain Relief and start to feel better today.
CONCLUSION
Your environment can play a huge role in the dryness of your eyes. Depending on the season of the year, there are steps you can take to protect your eyes from the elements. And, regardless of the season, your indoor environment can take a toll on your eyes as well.
Adding a humidifier to the room you spend the most time in will help add moisture to your surroundings. Dry eyes thrive when given more moisture. Also, your digital device use can certainly contribute to, if not rule, your dry eye symptoms. Utilize the Guide to Digital Eye Strain Relief to get your workstation and monitor set up for comfort.
When you learn to take care of your eyes today, your vision will last you a lifetime.
