How to manage dry eyes
When it comes to safeguarding your vision, adopting a few simple lifestyle habits can go a long way in caring for your eyes.
Dry eye is a common condition that can lead to discomfort and, if severe, even reduce your quality of life.
Studies show1 the syndrome affects anywhere from five to 50 per cent of people around the globe, and is responsible for symptoms ranging from mild irritation to a harsh burning.
However, by understanding the causes of dry eye and adopting a few simple strategies, you can alleviate symptoms and improve your all-important tear film balance.
Why every tear really is precious
Cry Me a River might have been a popular song for Justin Timberlake, but tears aren’t just about expressing emotions; they play a crucial role in protecting our eyes.
They very cleverly keep our eyes wet and smooth and protect them from infections and irritations, like dirt and dust.
Every time you blink, a thin film of tears is swept over the surface of your cornea (the clear outer layer of the eye).
To maintain eye comfort and health, your tear film needs to remain intact between blinks.
If you have dry eye syndrome, you don’t have enough of the right kind of tears to keep your eyes comfortable.
Symptoms of dry eye
If you’re a sufferer, this is some of what you may be experiencing:
- stinging or burning;
- itchiness;
- blurry vision;
- redness;
- tired eyes;
- difficulty wearing contact lenses;
- sensitivity to light;
- mucus around the eyelids, particularly when you wake up; and/or
- a feeling of grittiness, or the sensation of something foreign in the eye (like an eyelash).
Causes of dry eye
As well as irritants and trauma to the eye, things that can contribute to dry eye include ageing (tear production slows down as we get older), too much screen time, exposure to air conditioning, extreme temperatures, windy conditions, and even our dietary choices2.
Alleviating symptoms
While dry eye can’t be fully prevented or cured, you can relieve and protect against symptoms with a holistic approach.
One effective strategy is to take frequent screen breaks and perform blink exercises to reduce eye strain and encourage natural lubrication.
Incorporating warm compresses into your routine can also help soothe the eyes and improve tear film stability.
When it comes to choosing eye drops, it’s important to choose preservative-free lubricants to ensure optimal tear film balance.
NovaTears is a preservative-free lubricating eye drop that relieves dry eyes by preventing excessive tear evaporation.
Made with unique and innovative technology, NovaTears is preservative, phosphate, surfactant and water-free, meaning it’s non-irritating and doesn’t cause blurred vision on application.
Even those with aqueous deficient dry eye (a condition characterised by insufficient production or poor quality of the watery component of tears) will find relief from NovaTears because it’s a lubricating eye drop that reduces excessive tear evaporation.
So elevate your eye care and see the world through brighter eyes.
* This post is brought to you by NovaTears. Always read the label and follow the directions for use.
1 Stapleton et al, 2017, TFOS DEWS II Epidemiology Report, The Ocular Surface, Volume 15, Issue 3, 334-365, retrieved June 2023. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S154201241730109X?via%3Dihub
2 Signes-Soler and Estan, 2019, Nutrition and dry eye: a systematic review, Expert Review of Ophthalmology, Volume 14, Issue 3, 133-150, retrieved June 2023: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17469899.2019.1614442
