Dry eye is a common condition that happens when the glands in your eyes are not able to produce enough tears. As a result, your eyes do not get enough lubrication. The lack of tears may happen due to a lot of reasons. This lack of tears results in inflammation and damage in the eyes. Dry eyes are uncomfortable, annoying, cause a feeling of burn, and more. The best way to get rid of dry eyes is to use adry eye heat mask. These masks provide comfort to your eyes and help your eyes to produce tears. But that is not why we are here. Our blog will tell you how to avoid the need for a dry eye mask, i.e., how to avoid dry eyes.

Dry eyes may happen in certain conditions like an air-conditioned room, an airplane, riding a bike, or a long day in front of a computer. There are a lot of treatments for dry eyes, like dry eye relief masks, but other daily life treatments can include a lifestyle change. You can take these measures to control dry eyes. It is even better to take steps to avoid dry eyes.

Symptoms

The symptoms of dry eyes that may affect both the eyes include:

• A burning, stinging, or itching sensation in the eyes.
• Mucus around the eyes.
• Light sensitivity.
• Redness in the eyes
• A sense of feeling something in your eyes
• Difficulty in driving at night
• Watery eyes that happen as a response to dry eyes irritation.
• Blurred eyes

When to see a doctor?

You can consult a doctor when you have been dealing with dry eyes for a long time. Symptoms like red eyes, irritation, or painful eyes for a long term should be a sign that you need a doctor.

Causes

Dry eyes may happen due to a variety of reasons that disturb the tear film. The combination of fatty oils, mucus, and aqueous fluids keep the eyes lubricated, soft and clean. Disruption in any of these layers can cause dry eyes. Using an eye mask for dry eyes at night or day can bring relief to this problem.

The reasons may differ, like hormonal changes, inflamed eyelid glands, autoimmune disorders, or allergic eye disease. For many others, the reasons are increased tear production or decreased tear production.

How to prevent dry eyes

If you experience the symptoms of dry eyes, you need to pay attention to all the situations causing them. Finding ways to avoid those situations can be a great help to prevent dry eyes.

Here are the situations you should avoid:

• Avoid air directly blowing into your eyes. Do not directly blow hair dryers, air conditioners, car heaters, or fans towards your eyes.
• Add moisture to the air. Adding moisture to the air can help keep your eyes lubricated. In winter, you can use a humidifier to add moisture to the indoor air.
• Consider using safety shields like wraparound sunglasses. Safety shields like protective eyewear or wraparound sunglasses can help protect the eyes from dry air or dust entering into your eyes.
• Take breaks from long working hours. If you have a sitting job in front of a computer or read books, it is essential to take breaks. Close your eyes, or take water splashes. Blinking repeatedly helps spread tears evenly all over your eyes.
• Place your computer below eye level. If your computer screen is above your eye level, you will need to open your eyes wider than usual. You should prefer placing your computer below eye level so that you do not have to put pressure on the eyes. This would help reduce the evaporation of the tears when you blink your eyes.
• Stop smoking or avoid smoke. If you smoke, tell your doctor to make a strategic plan to help you quit smoking. Smoke can cause dry eye symptoms even worse.

Preventing the dry eye symptoms can help you avoid itching, redness, pain, and worse effects. If you are going through the disease already, use a mask for dry eye syndrome. It can heal the syndrome in a few days and give relief to your eyes.