Keep Your Eyes Healthy Through the Winter Months

Blog Post

While sleigh bells start to ring and halls begin to get decked, the weather is turning colder, drier and, well, your eyes might be feeling it. And while you might love walking in a winter wonderland, you might notice that your eyes don’t. Sure, our desert doesn’t see many winter blizzards, but your eyes will still likely notice the change of seasons. Here are a few ways to protect your eyes – and vision – during the wintermonths.

Don We Now Our UV Protection

If you thought winter was the time to pack the sunglasses away, think again! That UV protection is every bit as important during the winter as it is in the summer. Sure, we may get fewer hours of sunlight each day, but the winter sun totes along strong ultraviolent rays that can damage your eyes. Even when the sky is cloudy and gray, UV rays are still around, so keep the sunglasses in arm’s reach. If you’ll be heading to the mountains for some snow play, good eye protection is essential, since the UV rays reflect their harmful rays off the snow and into your eyes.

Keep the Moisture Rocking

If the weather outside is frightful, your eyes will certainly feel it. During the winter, the air lacks humidity (a problem in our area anyway), and the cool, dry air can really leave your eyes feeling dry and irritated. Additionally, using heaters or central heat in the house will also zap the indoor air of humidity, keeping your environment pretty dry. Use over-the-counter artificial tears or eye lubricants recommended by your Las Vegas eye doctor to keep your eyes from getting red, scratchy and miserable.

Adjust Your Routine

Believe it or not, your daily routine could be exacerbating your dry eye symptoms. Little things like blow drying your hair or even your morning coffee (or four) could affect your dry eye symptoms. Keep your eyes lubricated with eye drops prior to using a hair dryer, and cut back on caffeine, which, as a diuretic, can exacerbate dry eye symptoms.

Wintertime is an exciting time – make sure your eyes are preventing you from enjoying it!

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