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Dry Eyes: 5 Things You Can Do To Reduce Your Symptoms

by ericparker

Whether from looking at a monitor too long or from wind, lack of hydration or another cause, there are things you can do to reduce dry eyes and computer vision syndrome symptoms.

Dry eyes are one of life’s bits of unpleasantness that you don’t just have to live with. There are things you can do to reduce your symptoms, allowing you to feel better, see better and get more done.

In my case, dry eyes were mostly the result of looking at a computer monitor for more hours every day than I care to admit, but there are other things that lead to dry eyes, including medications, heredity and certain medical conditions.

Remember, your eyes aren’t something to mess around with. If you have symptoms that impact the quality of your life, see a doctor or optometrist. There may be something happening to you that you don’t understand yet.

Your doctor will probably tell you about a number of things you can do to reduce the unpleasant symptoms of dry eyes caused by computer vision syndrome and other situations. Here are five things that make a real difference:

dry eyes

1. Hydrate yourself.

Your dry eyes may be a symptom of dehydration. Drink more water. Getting more water into your system helps you body lubricate all its parts, not just your eyes. Drinking water can also help reduce muscle and joint pain as well as calm an upset stomach, so it’s a great idea for almost all of us.

2. Keep the wind out of your eyes.

We all know that wind dries our eyes, but fans and the air conditioning vents in your house, office and car can dry your eyes more than getting caught in a windstorm. When we’re concentrating on a computer monitor, we often forget to blink, and that means the little bit of moisture we have in our eyes doesn’t get spread around properly. Wearing computer glasses or other eye protection can help keep the wind out and the moisture in.

3. Put a little magnification between you and your task.

For some reason, even those of us with near-perfect vision benefit from low-power magnification when doing small tasks or looking at a computer. This magnification reduces dry eyes and also related symptoms like eye strain and itchiness. For me, low power reading glasses have been one effective tool in clearing up my dry eyes and computer vision syndrome symptoms.

4. Take frequent breaks from close-up tasks.

No matter what you’re using your eyes for, taking breaks will help reduce your eye strain, a condition that’s related to dry eyes. Looking at things at a variety of distances relaxes your eyes, and so does changing the lighting conditions around you.

5. Use over-the-counter lubricating drops.

I use the Blink Eye Drops product for mild to moderate dry eyes, but there are other brands and stronger preparations that might do more good for you. You have to use these drops frequently, but they help reduce the dryness and the symptoms that are related to it.

A Final Note

Keep in mind that antihistamines and a variety of other medications can lead to dry eyes. The condition can also be hereditary. Since I take medicine for allergies and have also inherited a tendency toward dry eyes, I’ve come to depend on my low power reading glasses (((LINK)) and eye drops.

When you take the right actions, you can get your dry eyes symptoms under control and get on with the other details of your life.

Updated: 11/15/2012, ericparker
 
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ericparker on 11/17/2012

I have allergies too. Allergy eye drops help too, but they can actually make things worse over time, so I try to limit my use of them.

katiem2 on 11/16/2012

Very good to know, working at a computer all day plus suffering from allergies causes my eyes to get very dry and irritated. Thanks for the heads up on a solution. :)K

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