The cold months mean dealing with cold days and dry eyes again. According to the National Institutes of Health, freezing, dry air can affect your hair, skin, and even your eyes. This results in a condition called dry eyes. Insufficient moisture in the air results in eye irritation. Below are the things you can do to fight off dry eyes during the cold months. 

Maintain Moisture

Keeping the air around you moist is one way of fighting off dry eyes during the cold months. The air outside the house may be dry and cold. But you can change the temperature and air quality inside your home. Most people have dry heating systems. You can put back the moisture into your indoor air with a humidifier while heating it. Humidifiers prevent liquids from evaporating from your skin and eyes. This can stop and even prevent your eyes from itching. 

Humidifiers often attract disease-causing pathogens. That is why you must remember to keep your humidifier clean. Maintaining this habit prevents you from developing different health problems. You can then focus on keeping dry eye symptoms at bay. 

Use Artificial Tears

You can restore the moisture in your eyes by applying artificial tears. These tears can soothe eye irritation and keep the moisture in your eyes. You can get them from drugstores as over-the-counter products. Apply the artificial tears about six times throughout the day. You can choose the contact lens-friendly variety if you wear contacts. 

Purify the Air

An air purifier or exhaust fan can help remove smoke, dust, and other irritants. Proper ventilation can keep the air clean and irritant-free. Stay away from open fires if the smoke is moving directly toward you. Avoiding smoking can also save your eyes from drying and itching. 

Practice Self-care More

Self-care can help with your battle against dry eyes. You can rest more often while working on your computer or reading during the cold months. This can help reduce eyestrain, which can contribute to eye irritation. 

Reduce Caffeine Consumption

Studies show that caffeine is a diuretic. Consuming excessive amounts of caffeine can cause you to lose fluids through urination. This can lead to dry eyes. Even if it is comforting to drink coffee during the cold months, it is still advisable to cut down your number of cups each day. 

Wear Some Eye Protection

Stepping outside can become more pleasant during the cold months if you protect your eyes from the cold and dry air. Wearing a hood or hat while wearing sunglasses is a good way to shield your eyes from cold, dry air, as well as impurities. 

Battling dry eye symptoms during the cold months can prevent you from developing more eye issues. At Lens Lab Express, we aim to help our patients go through fall and winter by guiding them through bouts of dry eye symptoms. We can help them prevent dry eyes from occurring. You can visit our facility in The Bronx, New York, for an in-person consultation. Please call us at 718-329-2020 if you want to schedule an appointment or inquire about our dry eye treatment packages.