Health Is Everything: A Medical Blog

3 Things You Do Every Day That Can Make Dry Eyes Worse

One of the most common complaints people have when they visit an eye doctor is that their eyes are feeling dry and irritated. Some people have underlying conditions that contribute to eye dryness, and this is a diagnosable optometric condition. However, there are also certain things that you could be doing every day that contribute to your issues with dry eyes. If you are frequently dealing with eyes that feel like they are dry, irritated, and tired, it is well worth examining daily habits to determine if there are things you can change that could help. 

Using too many chemicals on your body. 

Perfume, makeup, aerosol deodorant, hairspray, body spray—these are typical finds in bathrooms everywhere, and they can be general parts of morning routines for a lot of people. If you really pile on the products as part of your everyday routine, it is well worth cutting back to see if it helps with your dry eyes. Some products contain chemicals that act as irritants for the eyes. For example, a sweet-smelling body spray may seem harmless, but the chemical used to create that sweet smell could easily be irritating the delicate surfaces of your eyes. 

Not blinking enough to protect your eyes. 

This solution sounds almost simple enough to make some people scoff, but there are changes in the everyday lives of society that have people blinking less in general. Studies have shown that people who are staring at a computer screen will actually blink about 66 percent less often. If you work at a computer screen, spend a lot of time looking at your phone, or play a lot of video games, you may not be blinking near enough to keep your eyes properly moisturized. Try to make a habit out of mindful blinking when you are focused on a screen; you may see a noteworthy difference in how dry your eyes feel. 

Forgetting to stay properly hydrated. 

How much water do you really take in on a general day? If you are the type of person that has a bottle of water in your hand all the time, you are probably not experiencing dry eyes due to dehydration. However, if you're the type of person who opens a bottle of water in the morning and you barely finish it by bedtime, your dry eyes could be related to not drinking enough water. Try to make an effort to take in more fluids and see if it makes a difference. 

For more information about dry eye treatment, contact your eye doctor.