Tips for Winter Eye Care

Eye care
Written By Lucinda Howard

Winter can be tough on the eyes and taking good care of your eyes during the colder months can help prevent irritation and other problems.

Winter Eye Health

During winter, you may notice you need to wear your glasses more, especially as you get older. This is because when there is less light available, your pupil expands, reducing the eye's depth of focus and means that you notice blurriness. Make sure you have good lighting, for example, a lamp near the chair where you sit to read, and that you turn it on as soon as it gets dark.

Sunglasses aren’t just for summer. Snow and ice are reflective, so the sun’s rays can reach your eyes below and above. The low sun in winter can be dazzling, so wear sunglasses on sunny winter days, particularly when driving. The dry, cold air can dry the eyes, leading to irritation and redness. To protect your eyes, try wearing sunglasses or goggles outside to shield them from the wind and cold.
(Read our The Most Effective Way to Reduce UV Radiation blog)

Dehydration can make your eyes feel dry and uncomfortable, so drink plenty of fluid, especially water, to keep your body and eyes hydrated. Dry air can be harsh on the eyes, so using a humidifier in your home can help add moisture and keep your eyes from feeling dry and uncomfortable.

Staring at screens for long periods can strain your eyes, so take breaks and look away from screens every 20 minutes or so. During the winter, we tend to spend more time indoors, which undoubtedly means more screen time – especially for those working from home.  Although no evidence suggests that increased time on the computer damages your vision, you may find it tiring to look at a monitor for long periods.
(Read our screen fatigue blog)

The College of Optometrists recommends:

  • Positioning the monitor so it’s roughly arm’s length away from your eyes and, if possible, keep the top of the screen at or below your eye level

  • Minimising any distracting reflections on your screen, e.g., windows

  • Looking at something 20 feet away, for 20 seconds, every 20 minutes

  • Blinking regularly. Focusing on a screen may make you blink less, making your eyes dry and uncomfortable.

It's important to get regular eye exams to ensure that your eyes are healthy and to catch any problems early on. See an optometrist at least once a year, or more frequently if you have a pre-existing eye condition or are at higher risk for eye problems. If you have any issues with your vision, call your optometrist to book an eye examination.

The advice was taken from literature provided by The College of Optometrists.

I look forward to welcoming you to the practice again soon.

Lucinda

*The information presented here reflects general information about winter eye care but of course is not exhaustive

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