Lifestyle Tips to Prevent Dry Eye Symptoms

Dry eyes affect people at some point in their lives. They can be very uncomfortable and frustrating. Here are various things you can do to relieve and prevent dry eyes, depending on the severity.

Food

Eating a healthy and balanced diet helps your body absorb vitamins. However, you must know the foods that help avert and ease dry eye symptoms. Fish like mackerel, tuna, and salmon are rich in omega-3. Leafy greens such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, and spinach have antioxidants.

You can get vitamins E and C from fruits and vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, and oranges. You can also get plenty of vitamins from nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, and chia seeds.

Reduce Your Alcohol Intake

Dry eyes and drinking alcohol go hand in hand. Excessive consumption of alcohol dehydrates your eyes and makes it difficult for them to produce tears for hydration and moisture. Alcohol also makes vitamin absorption and healthy digestion difficult.

All these can affect the health of your eyes, so reduce your alcohol intake to prevent or relieve dry eye symptoms. You can start by trying to take alcohol only during weekends— you will notice significant improvement then.

Reduce Screen Time

Staring at a screen for a long time can cause the urge to rub your eyes. It often occurs because you tend to blink less when using your screens. Hence, your eyes dry out, and tears evaporate quickly. The increased evaporation occurs due to blinking less frequently. Studies show that people blink 66 percent less when working on their computers than when doing other activities.

You can cut down your screen time first. However, the 20-20-20 strategy can help if you constantly use screens for your personal life or career. The method entails looking at an object 20 feet away after every 20 minutes for 20 seconds.

Drink Plenty of Water

Your eyes get dehydrated like the rest of your body. Drinking adequate water helps prevent dry eye symptoms by keeping your eyes hydrated and moist. Experts recommend eight to 10 glasses of water daily for people with dry eye syndrome.

Take Vitamin Supplements

It is always vital to consult your eye doctor before you start a new diet or treatment if you suffer from mild or dry eyes. But if you struggle to protect your eyes by getting the necessary nutrients for your eye protection, you can get vitamin supplements to accomplish that.

Get Enough Sleep

Quality and adequate sleep are vital for general health. Lack of enough rest can exacerbate some health conditions. Opening your eyes throughout the day and not having enough sleep during the night deprives your eyes of nutrients, worsening dry eye symptoms. Hence, it is vital to prioritize your rest and sleep.

Use a Humidifier

Using humidifiers indoors, in your home, office, or any other room can help prevent dry eyes. It helps add moisture to the dry air indoors to ensure your eyes do not dry by protecting the tear film. Humidifiers are a helpful home remedy to prevent dry eye symptoms. You can get humidifiers at relatively low prices.

For more about preventing dry eye symptoms, visit Dr. Greg Wacasey at our office in Longview, Texas. Call (903) 403-2020 to book an appointment today.