Seeing the world around you makes navigating it easier, but sometimes that very environment also contains hazards that make vision more difficult. Things like direct sunlight, heat haze, dust, air pollutants such as smoke, and, if you have allergies, pollen, mold, or other environmental factors that can affect your eyes, may obscure your sight.
In addition to these factors, vision problems can arise from various sources, such as irritation from dry eyes and cold weather conditions. Having one problem is bad enough, but dealing with both can be frustrating. Let’s explore some tips you can use to reduce the impact both of these issues can have on your sight.
Drs. Sunil Thadani, Brian Chado, Elvis Salas, and the dedicated medical team at Maryland Vision Center assist Frederick, Maryland, residents in addressing vision problems that can occur at any time of year, including issues with dry eyes.
Common reasons for dry eyes
Fluid plays a vital role in eye function, doing a lot more than just letting you cry when you get emotional. Tears spread moisture when you’re doing tasks as simple as blinking, and they’re essential for keeping the eyes clean and smooth. Dry eye causes you to produce fewer tears or create the wrong type, leading to itching, burning, blurriness, and a scratchy or gritty sensation.
This condition develops for several reasons, like hormonal changes due to aging, diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, and lupus, swollen or irritated eyelids (blepharitis), staring at digital screens too often, using contact lenses, or undergoing LASIK eye surgery.
Various medications, including antihistamines, beta blockers, sleeping pills, anxiety and depression drugs, and diuretics, also cause dry eyes.
How cold weather makes things worse
Since we look at everything around us to interact with our surroundings, we constantly expose our eyes to the environment. This means that many factors, including air pollution, humidity, temperature, and air currents, can all affect both the quality of your vision and the health of your eyes.
Various climates around the globe increase the risk of having dry eye, whether you’re dealing with the other previously mentioned causes or not. In the U.S., semi-arid, sub-tropical, and low-humidity climates have increased risks of dry eye. During cold weather, the combination of low humidity and cold air raises the chances of developing dry eye and worsens existing cases.