eye health Winter and
Specsavers – Premier Provider
Winter normally means colder weather and dry air, which could mean that your eyes have different symptoms or needs with the change in season. The team at Specsavers put together some of the top things to look out for this winter, and what you can do to ensure your eyes stay healthy.
Dry eyes Sometimes, people notice that their eyes feel dry or uncomfortable in winter, which can cause irritation to the eyes. Dry eye syndrome, or as it is more commonly known, dry eyes, develops when there is a disruption in the production of tears – either that they evaporate too quickly, there’s an issue with drainage, or that not enough tears are produced. When you have dry eyes, the symptoms can be feelings of dryness, grittiness or soreness that get worse during the day, red eyes, eyelids that stick together when you wake up and temporarily blurred vision. Dry eyes can happen for many reasons, either one or a combination of: • Being in a hot or windy environment – for example in winter you may be going from the cold outside to a warmer office, or it may be windier outside • Wearing contact lenses • Certain underlying medical conditions • Side effects of certain medications • Hormonal changes, such as during menopause Thankfully, treatments are available for dry eye. Your optometrist may give you eye drops to lubricate your eyes, or you could need medication to reduce inflammation.
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Queensland Country Health Fund • Living Healthy Winter/Spring 2021
