Winter and eye health. Specsavers

Winter and eye health 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.

Treatment and tips for preventing sun damage

Apply sunscreen on your eyelids and around your eyes: While the eyelid is designed to protect the eye, the skin is very thin and contains fragile tissues that can be damaged by UV light so it’s important to make sure you apply sunscreen to your eyelids.

Wear a broadbrimmed hat: This will not only provide protection to your head but also your eyes, nose, ears and neck.

Wear sunglasses that have UV protection: For the best kind of protection, buy sunglasses that have polarised lenses as they provide superior vision and glare protection in bright light by eliminating 99.9% of horizontal glare, while also providing 100% UV protection.

Be mindful of the amount of time you spend in the sun: The longer you spend outside, the higher your chance of experiencing sun damage.

Understand your family history: If you have a family history of melanoma or skin cancer, you could be at higher risk of developing those conditions.

Get your eyes tested regularly: The best way to understand if your eyes are healthy and free from damage is to visit your local optometrist. At Specsavers, we recommend that you get your eyes tested every two years, or every year if you’re 65 and over.

Don’t forget winter UV protection!

Living in Australia means that we can be exposed to dangerous levels of UV radiation when we’re outside, even during winter when it’s not as bright and sunny. While our eyelids are designed to protect our eyes, the skin around our eyes is very thin and contains fragile tissue that can easily be damaged by UV light.