Dry eye syndrome is a lot more common than most would imagine. This condition is caused by a lack of tears and low blinking rates. Moreover, the symptoms include dryness, redness, inflammation, itching, burning, and vision loss in rare cases.
If you are suffering from dry eyes, we’ve listed five expert tips for effective relief.
Use the right contact lenses
If your eyesight has deteriorated for any reason, it’s vital to wear prescription glasses, contact lenses or opt for laser eye surgery to uphold vision health. On the other hand, not wearing lenses if you need to can further degrade your vision.
But with this, dry eye sufferers don’t have to wear glasses if they have prescription lens needs; there are special lenses for dry eyes that won’t aggravate your symptoms like regular lenses. You can find the best lenses for dry eyes in this comparison article.
Add fatty acids to your diet
There’s some research to confirm that omega-3 fatty acids can assist with the symptoms of dry eyes. This particular fat is well-known to help minimize inflammation, and it may also be able to provide relief for dry, itchy eyes. A reduction in inflammation may help tear ducts function better.
You can use vegan omega-3 fatty acid supplements or add foods like flaxseed oil, chia seeds, walnuts and hemp seeds to your diet.
Use the right eye drops
All eye drop products are not the same, and if you have dry eyes, you’ll need to choose the right product. Artificial tears, cyclosporine, and autologous blood serum drops are all great choices for dry eyes.
If you’re having trouble finding the right eye drops, it’s wise to consult your optometrist.
Warm compress
Even if you’ve found the right eye drops, it’s still wise to adopt a few more tricks and tools for those odd occasions when your drops run out.
A warm compress is an effective way to get relief from dry eyes. The heat from the compress will relax muscles, reduce eye strain, and decrease inflammation as well. In addition to this, the heat will also provide soothing moisture.
Use a humidifier at home
Humidifiers provide quite a few benefits, from treating dry skin and eyes to relieving sinus congestion and so much more.
Dry eyes can become irritated by dry air, so using a humidifier can significantly affect the severity of your symptoms. Moreover, these devices are also pretty affordable.
When to visit your doctor
Even though there are several at-home remedies for dry eyes that often work quite effectively, it’s still important to know when to visit the doctor.
It’s critical to consult your doctor if you experience burning, stinging, stringy eye mucus, light sensitivity, teary eyes, or blurry vision that’s not subsiding with treatment. These are all symptoms of serious dry eye syndrome, and medical attention is required for further assessment.
That said, if you have tried the above solutions and your symptoms do not improve or worsen, it’s vital to book an appointment with your healthcare practitioner as soon as possible.