Best Options for Winter Dry Eyes

Winter is known for being a very dry time of year. After all, everyone knows the common complaints of people suffering from dry skin in the winter time. Much less known, however, are the issues that plague those with dry eyes. If you suffer with dry eyes in the winter time, you know how awful and itchy they can be. It can feel like there’s no relief to be had!

Thankfully, there are some great treatments for winter dry eyes. If you’re looking to stop your eyes from itching and drying out so much this time of year, consider trying some of these treatments to keep your eyes comfortable in the dry months. After all, no one wants their eyelids to feel like sandpaper!

Best Options for Winter Dry Eyes

Mild Dryness

If you experience some mild dryness and discomfort in your eyes you don’t need some huge thing to help you. Instead, you should opt for a treatment more suite to the scale of your issue. In this case, eyedrops or simple saline solutions will work wonders. If you need something a bit stronger, such as medicated drops, that’ll require a prescription. Normal eye drops are easily available over the counter, though, so you should have no problem getting those.

The kind of dry eye that is normally milder can be caused by looking at computer screens for too long, so there are a few other ways to tackle that. One way is to use “night mode” on your computers. This is a visual mode that changes your computer’s display to lessen the blue light it emits, making it much easier on your eyes.

Ongoing Dryness

Chronic dry eye, or dry eye syndrome, is a bit more problematic than some mild irritation or redness. For those with this ongoing, chronic issue, winter time only magnifies their normal issues with dry, itchy eyes. If this is the case for you, you need to see your doctor. They will be able to help you by prescribing a treatment plan that works for you.

One such treatment is prescription lubricating eyedrops. These eye drops are medicated and contain enzymes that are intended to help your eyes produce moisture on their own. After repeated uses, the drops are meant to “trick” your eyes into producing a healthy amount of moisture. As such, the goal of these drops is to use them until you simply don’t suffer from dry eye syndrome anymore.

Another treatment method is through eye solutions that have steroids. Steroids are used for short term, immediate relief of irritation, redness and itchiness and are only available through a prescription. The use of steroid eye drops is less common and is typically only advised in short-term situations and usually it goes hand-in-hand with other treatments.

Serious Dry Eye Treatments

For those experiencing serious, ongoing problems with dry eyes there are a few other procedures available that are a bit more drastic. For instance, there is always the option to undergo an eye and tear duct cleaning by their doctor. This is recommended in cases of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, which is an uncommon condition.

In the case of a Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, the eye cleaning is used in order to flush the blockage causing the dysfunction from the tear duct. This allows the eye to function normally again. If you feel like your eye dryness is abnormal, speak to your doctor to see if it is a legitimate medical concern like Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.

As for other dry eye treatments, there is also the option to have a punctal occlusion surgically inserted into the openings of your tear ducts. This object causes the moisture excreted by your tear ducts to stay on the surface of your eye for longer. However, as with all surgeries, this procedure is not without risks. It involves the surgical implantation of a foreign object into your body, and so there are potential risks involved.

Potential Complications

If you suffer from mild, seasonal dry eyes then you don’t have anything to worry about if you don’t seek treatment. Over the counter eye drops are more than enough to combat minor eye irritation. However, if you’re experiencing a more serious condition that is causing your eyes to stay far too dry, you need to speak to your doctor.

Leaving some conditions untreated could lead to blurry vision, damage to the eye and sunlight sensitivity. There’s no reason to risk your eye health over some chronic eye dryness. Don’t be afraid to speak to a medical professional!