What do patients complain about in winter?
The main problem that each of us faces in the winter is excessive tearing of the eyes. Most often, it is caused by a specific reaction of the body, which seeks to protect the visual organs from the influence of low temperatures. Nevertheless, aggravated lacrimation can be not only a natural reflex of the body to sub-zero temperatures, but also to say that eye health needs special attention. For example, such symptoms may signal the development of cold conjunctivitis.
This disease, as a rule, is expressed by increased release of tears in the cold season or in strong winds. Also, many patients come with a violation of the patency of the lacrimal canal in the cold season. It is important to know that only an ophthalmologist can diagnose this pathology, after which the patient will be prescribed appropriate treatment. A frequent reason for visiting an ophthalmologist is dry eyes in winter due to cold and less humid air. A drier atmosphere causes moisture to evaporate from the tear film and results in dryness of the cornea.
Concrete tips on how to protect your eyes in winter and not only
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Remember to use a humidifier at home and in the office, and also take ten minutes of work breaks from the computer and blink more often. Try to avoid indoors saturated with nicotine, which affects lutein, which protects the eye from the negative effects of sunlight.
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The sun’s rays, or rather, ultraviolet radiation, have a very negative effect on eye health. With direct contact with the retina, the rays affect the central vision, which leads to the possible development of macular degeneration, a disease that reduces vision. Be sure to use sunglasses on sunny days, regardless of the time of year.
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Some medications cause dry eyes. These are usually antidepressants and oral contraceptives. The drugs affect the hormonal background, which, in turn, affects the fatty component of the tear, the tear film loses its stability and the eye dries. In parallel with these drugs, it is better to use artificial tears.
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Sometimes dry eye syndrome is not associated with work and lifestyle, but with specific problems. Diseases such as diabetes, conjunctivitis, and blepharitis can also dry out the eyes. In this case, it is necessary first of all to treat the cause – the disease, then the consequence – the dry eye syndrome can go away on its own.
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Even if you regularly remove lenses at night, change them every day and are sure that your containers are sterile, you can still be bothered by discomfort. Lenses disrupt the layers of tears, degrade their quality and dry out the eyes. Ideally, you should wear lenses not every day, but only when necessary. Of course, for a person with poor eyesight, this is simply impossible. Swap lenses for glasses? Again, this is inconvenient for many.
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The eyes can become very sensitive in winter. Decorative cosmetics can make their contribution. You should not additionally irritate the mucous membrane if you see that this is a reaction to new mascara or shadows. It is better to refuse funds or replace them with those intended for sensitive skin, hypoallergenic mascara, for example. Luckily, there are a lot of offers on the market.
Anti-glare glasses for working at a computer are useless
We add that more and more people suffer from visual impairment, myopia and, in general, a growing load on the eyes. The reason for this is the constant presence in gadgets, including before going to bed, working at monitors, reducing physical activity and being in the fresh air. This is especially true in winter, when not everyone is in the mood to take a walk on the street. It’s much more pleasant to sit at home, looking through the social media feed for the hundredth time.
It is also important to remember that after the age of forty, our vision naturally deteriorates, plus let’s not discount heredity. The child inherits the shape of the eyeball, cornea and features of other important structures of the human optical apparatus, so vision problems can occur both immediately after birth and during life. It is important to regularly check your eyesight and instill good habits from childhood. The harmful ones include constantly reading while lying down, malnutrition (the predominance of fast carbohydrates on the menu), excessive loads near (it is necessary to keep your head properly while doing homework, keeping a distance of the length of your forearm). What else is important to remember?
• Be sure to pay attention to chronic diseases that affect the occurrence of dry eyes.
• Purchase a humidifier for use at home as well as in the office.
• When working from home, set an alarm every 10-15 minutes to blink more often while working at the computer.
And finally: anti-glare glasses for working at a computer, glasses with holes for relaxation – all this is a successful marketing ploy. And for the eyes they are absolutely useless!
Photo: Pexels.com
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