Have you experienced a burning sensation in your eye, blurry vision, or feel like your eyes are fatigued and you keep squinting? If so, you may be experiencing dry eyes. While dry eye is not serious, it presents discomfort in the eyes.

The condition leaves you with eyes that do not produce enough tears or with tears that are too thin to nourish or lubricate the eyes. This tear instability leads to inflammation and damage to the eye's surfaces.
 

Here is how seasonal changes affect dry eye and how you can adjust and treat it.

 

Dry Eye and Seasonal Changes

Dry eye symptoms increase at the beginning of the fall, but why? During the fall, environmental allergens like dust mites, ragweed, and even mold are present in the air and on many surfaces. These, coupled with the wind, expedite dry eyes.

An increase in dry eyes is also evident in autumn, when the temperature drops and the air gets drier. The same happens when people turn on the heat in the house or office during the fall or winter. The heat suckers out the moisture, and the tears evaporate, leading to eye dryness.

 

Symptoms of Dry Eyes

Here are some of the symptoms that present with dry eyes:

• Irritation and redness of the eyes

• Mucosal buildup in and around the eyes

• Stinging or burning sensation in the eyes

• Excessive tearing: Even if you have dry eye syndrome, your eyes usually produce more tears to remedy the condition

• Blurriness of vision and/or eye fatigue

• Sensitivity to light

• Difficulty driving at night

 

Treatment

Knowing how seasonal changes affect the severity of dry eye, here are ways you can manage or treat the condition throughout the different seasons.
Use a humidifier. A humidifier helps keep your house or office moist and your eyes cool, especially when the heat is on.
 

Eye drops

Eye drops help restore the eyes by hydrating them. These work the same way tears do in the eye. Eye drops can best serve you before going to bed at night and in the morning.

Some of the prescription treatments for dry eye include:
 

Scleral lenses

These are specialty contact lenses that add moisture to the eye's surface.
 

Antibiotics 

 

These are useful in the case of inflammation in the eyes. Inflammation happens because of irritation when the oil glands stop secreting oil into your tears.
Tear-stimulating drugs: These include pills, eye drops, or gels that help produce tears.
 

Self-preventative Treatment

Other self-preventative treatments to consider include:
 

• Reducing screen time

• Getting enough sleep Inadequate sleep leads to a decrease in tear secretion and increases defects in the epithelial cells of the cornea.

• Eating more fish: Omega-3 fatty acids present in fish and fish oil may aid in improving your eye's oil film.

• Avoiding smoky, windy, and dry environments

• Switch to eyeglasses instead of contact lenses.
   

For more on dry eye and treatment, visit Eyediology Vision at our Providence, Rhode Island office. Call (401) 903-4100 to schedule an appointment today.