Care Your Eyes This Winter...

Dry eyes is a condition many people confront.
It is caused when the tears produced by the eyes
are insufficient in moisture,
lubrication,
and other features
that help keep the eyes remain protected.

It may also be stimulated by environmental aspects
such as weather that irritate the eye and dry up tears.
People with dry eyes
often feel discomfort in a variety of forms
including irritation, inflammation,
or the feeling of something in the eye.
They are diagnosed by a doctor and repeatedly have
a decrease in the amount of tear creation due
to obstruction or just a minimization in tears.
They tend to have the uncomfortable feelings
and symptoms for a longer period of time where
as dry eyes for a person
who works on a computer frequently
maybe more short term.
Treatments for minor degrees of dry eyes
may not be as efficacious for chronic dry eyes
because of the deviating causes.

Tears are a major protective agent for the eyes
as they not only wash away dust from the eyes,
but
also soothe the eyes,
provide oxygen and nutrients to the cornea,
as well as help defend against eye infections
by removing microorganisms that can colonize in the eyes.

It also shows that dry eyes are more likely
if there is a depletion of tears due to reduction
of generation because of age or by weather issues
like windy days which can dry out tears quickly.
Women approaching menopause especially
face dry eyes due to the increase in hormones.

Another factor is that some people are not able
to generate as much natural tears as needed
whether it be from aging, blockage of tear ducts,
or from medication that leads to less yielding of tears.
This problem oftentimes leads to chronic dry eyes
as the person is not able to manufacture tears
and the eyes are not sufficiently lubricated.
Tears evaporate rapidly,
and the eyes are not cleaned properly.

Environmental factors can also play a factor in eyes drying up.
Examples include dusty air,
dry or windy weather,
or fumes like cigarette smoke which can
evaporate tears much speedily
or hamper their effectiveness.

Contact lens wearers usually experience dry eyes
because they contacts seems to work against moisturization.
A deficiency in vitamin A
or
insomnia may also lead to dry eyes.

Symptoms

¡ü
Unpleasantness in the eyes or a feeling
of presence of foreign object in the eyes.

¡ü

Itchiness, redness, and
excessive tearing without relief can all occur.

¡ü
Discomfort after periods of eye strain
like watching TV, reading,
data processing, sewing, etc are possible occurrences.

Remedy

¡ü
Drink plenty of water.

¡ü
Protect the eyes from harsh weather
conditions like wind and dust.

¡ü
Make sure medication
is not causing dry eyes.

¡ü
Eat healthy food containing eye nutrients
especially with vitamin A, C, and E and
if need be take supplements containing flax seed
and Omega-3 fatty acids.

¡ü
When watching TV,
using the computer or other eye straining activities,
take frequent breaks and blink often.

¡ü
People who wear contact lenses
should take them out and keep eyes well hydrated.

¡ü
Get plenty of sleep to keep eyes healthy.

Source: Eye Care Source.com
_________________