Simple home remedies for dry eyes are various and easy to apply, but first, we need to know the symptoms of dry eyes and how to choose an effective cure.
Common symptoms of dry eyes:
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Itching
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Redness
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Fatigue
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blurred vision
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light sensitivity
So, if you have one or more of these symptoms you may have a dry eye.
Importance of eye tears:
Healthy eyes produce tears all day, these tears help the surface of the eye to be comfortable, smooth, and hydrated and protect it from infection as they wash away dust and debris.
Causes of dry eyes:
Before we know some simple home remedies for dry eyes, let’s take a look at their causes:
• Aging process, especially menopause.
• Side effects of certain drugs like antihistamines.
• Certain medical conditions that affect your ability to make tears like rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, and collagen vascular diseases.
• Allergies.
• Contacts.
Simple home remedies for dry eyes:
1- Warm eye compresses:
Warm compresses are one of the traditional and simple home remedies for dry eyes which are also recommended by doctors to manage specific conditions, as they can improve circulation, soothe information and unclog swollen eyelids.
To use warm compresses just apply a clean cloth soaked in warm water over your eyes while keeping your eye closed to hold it there with gentle massage as long as it improves comfort. Re-soak and re-apply if it’s necessary or when the compress gets cold.
2- Blink more:
Take a phone or computer break, as screen time reduces blink time, we normally blink 10-15 times per minute but this drops to half when we stare at a screen.
Blinking is essential for keeping your eye moist and healthy, so give your eyes a rest and follow the 20/20/20 rule: “every 20 minutes look 20 feet away from your screen for 20 seconds”
3- Stay hydrated:
Water is life, it’s very important to keep every part of your body to stay healthy.
You need at least 2 liters of freshwater about 8-10 glasses throughout the day and it’s not necessary to be only plain water; you can get them from fresh juice or water-rich food like tomatoes, apples, watermelon, etc.
It would help if you also reduced alcohol and caffeine as; they are diuretics and dehydrate you.
Are you still thinking about trying these simple home remedies for dry eyes ?!
4- Get your omega:
You can provide your body with omega-3 either by supplements” tablets or pills” or by eating food rich in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, tuna, sardines, walnuts, vegetable oils like canola, and soybean oils.
These oily fats help the gland that makes oil in your eyes work.
5- Vitamin D:
Be careful that vitamin D is sufficient in your body, as it is essential for every part of your body.
For eye health, it improves tears function, reduces the risk of cataracts, glaucoma and improves eyesight in many ways.
You get enough vitamin D from sunlight or supplements.
6- Sleep well:
It’s right that sleeping is an example of simple home remedies for dry eyes because a Sleeping deficiency can cause dry eyes as it reduces the quantity and quality of tear film production, making it difficult to fight off infection.
So; try to sleep from 7 to 9 hours per night.
7- Wear wraparound sunglasses:
Besides being stylish while wearing sunglasses outdoors, it’s also helpful to protect your eyes from sun and winds that cause tears to evaporate more quickly and thus make your eyes dry.
8- Use a humidifier:
Humidifiers add moisture to the air, so it helps to treat the dryness of the eyes due to dry air, especially in winter or when we use the air conditioner for a long time.
If you don’t have a humidifier you can put a pan of water near your heat or radiator that also adds moisture to dry air.
9- Exercise:
Studies have shown that exercise improves dry eye symptoms as it helps to increase tear volume.
So, it’s your time to do your workout regularly, and don’t forget to do blinking exercise too, just gently close your eyes, pause for 2 seconds, gently open your eyes and relax them and repeat 5 times.
10- Eye drops:
Another way for simple home remedies for dry eyes is Over counter eye drops, they contain lubricants and substances that retain moisture, they are available in traditional eye drops, gels, and ointments. Gels, ointments stay longer so they are preferred for overnight use.
Preservative-free eye drops are recommended but, If there’s any irritation to your eyes you should stop drops and ask your doctor for help.
11- Remove your makeup at night:
Don’t forget to remove your makeup before sleeping, especially eye makeup.
Try to avoid wearing makeup on the water line which is the place along the edge of eyelids where the eyelashes are found and meibomian glands are located.
Putting makeup in that place clogs the gland, and these glands make oil that is important for eye tears.
12- Wash your eyelids and eyelashes:
Use warm water and baby shampoo to wash your eyelids and eyelashes and gently clean your upper and lower eyelids. Really simple home remedies for dry eyes are effortless so what are you waiting to try?!
13- Avoid smoking areas:
Smoking can change the composition of tears that may cause more dry eye symptoms.
Cigarette smoke irritates dry eyes and plays a role in developing dry eyes so if you don’t smoke avoid smoking areas and if you are a smoker try to do your best to give up smoking or at least decrease smoking as much as you can not only for your eyes health but for your general health.
14- Avoid exposure to a lot of air movement:
You can expose to a lot of air while using a hairdryer or from fans so be careful as this air will dry your eyes.
Also, avoid outdoor activities during windy days.
Can simple home remedies for dry eyes make us do without visiting a doctor?
Although simple home remedies for dry eyes are useful, they only help people with simple cases but if your case is moderate or more and you try these. There is no relief of the symptoms thus you must visit an ophthalmologist.
Summary:
Take your eye dryness seriously, and be careful with your health as it is priceless.
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