The winter may be nice and full of pleasant moments and on the other hand many people are surrounded with dry and irritated eyes. Some of the factors which make the eyes dry include low humidity, cold weather and indoor warming among others. As a result, the tear film that comfort can be kept in the eyes and protection is lost more rapidly which leads to discomfort and lack of moisture.
Dry eyes in winter are quite common and might happen to any individual, even when he/she has his/her eye problem the other part of the year. Educating yourself about the reasons will help you to pay more attention to the way you treat your eyes in the colder seasons.
Cold, Dry Air
The air during winter is not as wet. When the level of humidity reduces, the rate at which tears evaporate on the eyes increases. This makes it a difficult task to make your eyes lubricated especially when in cold winds.
Indoor Heating
Fires place, blowers and heaters humidify air but at the same time. Because the environment inside homes is usually always hot, the eyes may end up drying due to this condition just like in cold weather.
Increased Screen Time
Winter is a period that one spends most of the time in the building, and this is why one spends more time using this phone, laptops, and TV. At screens, the person will tend to blink less and this will reduce the spread of tears and worsen the issue of dryness.
Reduced Blinking
The face will be slightly tensed in cold weather leading to reduced blinking. The evenly distributed tears on the eyes require blinking and thus, any deficiency of blinking would lead to irritation soon.
Wind Exposure
In winter, the winds can even dry the eyes in very minimal amount of time especially when walking, riding or driving. The wind accelerates the speed of tears evaporation and can lead to gritty and watery eyes.
Dehydration
The quantity of water which an individual takes during the winter season is normally less because they are not thirsty as during summer. Mild dehydration can reduce the level of tear and aggravate the symptoms of dry eyes.
Contact Lens Use
Contact lenses can make the degree of dryness worse during winter seasons because the lenses can pick water in the eyes. Indoor air also causes more discomfort to the users of contact lenses.
Allergens and Dust
The routines and closed windows in the indoor environment can provide an increase in dust, pet dander and indoor allergens. These can cause eye irritation, rendering the eye dry and reddish.
Age-Related Changes
The number of tears produced by the individuals decreases with age. This can be worsened by the winter conditions and thus, the conditions of dry eyes become more common with age among elderly people.
Existing Eye Conditions
Patients with these conditions blepharitis, inability of the meibomian glands to work or autoimmune diseases may experience more symptoms of the winter season of dry eyes
