Could Your Lifestyle be Blocking Your Dry Eye Relief?
Is it something I'm doing that's making my eyes dry?
This is something my patients ask me about every day. Is it something I'm doing that's causing my eyes to be dry? Well, unfortunately there's something we're all doing that's causing our eyes to be dry. Right now here in Shreveport, Louisiana it's late summer. That means that the weather is hot, and there's lots of pollen in the air.
Environment
Sometimes, it is a factor of your surroundings that are causing your eyes to be dry. One factor to consider is the current season of the year. Summer tends to have more moisture in the air than winter, but having the air conditioners on full blast and pollen in the air is going to irritate your dry eyes.
In the winter, heaters and freezing temperatures tend to dry the air both indoors and outdoors. There is something that could be causing your eyes to be dry, itchy, and scratchy in every season.
Digital Devices
On top of that, you are also using digital devices. I'm sure you're using one right at this very moment to watch this video or read the blog. I used a digital device to record the video and a different one to write the blog. So, they're part of all of our lives. I'm not blaming you for using them, but trying to point out that they have crept in to more and more parts of our daily lives.
Unfortunately, when you use a digital device, you don't blink as often as you should. When you're using these digital devices your blink rate falls to 4-5 times per minute. Whereas, if you were in conversation, you would blink closer to 20 times a minute.
Makeup
And finally, if you're a woman you're probably wearing makeup, and here in the U.S. the beauty industry is highly unregulated. Toxic ingredients sneak their way into your favorite products. Then, you wipe them onto your eyelids and lashes every morning and wear them all day. Over time, these toxic ingredients take a toll on your precious eyes and cause irritation, redness, and watering.
Even if you are aware of the ingredients, sometimes manufacturers change their ingredients or percentages of ingredients without warning. Suddenly the same brand of mascara that you've been loving for years could be causing you problems because the ingredients may have changed without you realizing it.
Conclusion
There are all sorts of things that we're doing in our daily lives that are causing our eyes to be dry, but changes can be made to your environment to make your eyes less irritated. Those changes can be made to both your indoor and outdoor environments.
Digital device use is on the rise. We are not going to give up these tools, but we will continue to integrate them more and more into our daily lives. Make the adjustments you need to keep your eyes healthy while using these devices. If you haven't downloaded it already, check out the Ultimate Guide to Digital Eye Strain here. Use the guide to set up your computer station and check out some of the other recommendations for tips on using your mobile devices.
Finally, your makeup could be contributing to your dry eye symptoms. Download the List of Toxic Ingredients here, and check your favorites to see if any toxic chemicals have made their way into your products.
