So, do you feel like you've tried every single eye drop at the store but still, nothing just seems
to work? Maybe you've even seen an eye doctor and gotten a prescription treatment, but still,
the eyes aren't healing, and your eyes are still dry. Well, the reason your eyes may not be getting
any better is that we all tend to neglect these seven bad habits that make dry eyes worse. So
today, we are going to review these seven common habits and share some tips on how to fix them.
First off, a lot of my patients who come into the clinic complaining of dry, irritated eyes
all tend to share a common lifestyle. I hate to say it, but I'll admit this is something I
am very guilty of too, and that is excessive screen use. Research has shown that we don't
blink as often when we're hyperfocused on digital screens, and when we do blink,
we also tend to not blink our eyes completely, meaning our eyes are more exposed to open air,
and our tear film is more likely to evaporate much faster. So, if you can, try to make intentional
efforts to reduce your screen time and reduce your digital eye strain. The more you strain and try to
hyperfocus on a screen, the more likely you are to have problems with your blinking patterns.
Number two is neglecting your surroundings, as many things in our environment can contribute to
dryness of the eye. When you're outside, certainly wind is a common culprit, but when you're indoors,
you have air conditioning, heating, and fans that you may be using. Even allergies and the humidity
of where you live can all be factors. To help with this, you can get a pair of wide wrapping
sunglasses so when you're outside, wind won't hit your eyes from the side, causing them to
dry out faster. When you're indoors, turn any fans, air conditioning, or heating vents to
point away from your face. Some people do benefit from using humidifiers in their bedroom, office,
or other living spaces. As for allergies, those are a little bit more challenging to manage. Just
be aware of what you could be allergic to and try to eliminate those from your living areas. There
are also eye drops specifically for allergies, but certainly talk to your doctor if they
think those are the best option for you, as some medications for allergies can make dry eyes worse.
Now, number three is something that I see a lot of in the eye clinic. When we examine the eyelids
and eyelashes under a microscope, we often see a large buildup of skin oils, dead skin cells,
and even gross little eyelash mites that live and burrow inside the eyelash follicles. The
presence of all of this leads to inflammation of the eyelids, which we refer to as blepharitis,
and that includes symptoms of redness, irritation, and may contribute to blockage of the oil glands
in the eyelids, which happens to be a major contributing factor for dry eye disease. So,
try to clean your eyelids and eyelashes every 1 to 2 days with some form of an eyelid wipe
or eyelid cleanser. There are many different brands of these products on the market, but
I'll put some of my favorites in the description below so you can check those out. This will keep
your eyelids and eyelashes clean so you don't get that nasty buildup of gunk and irritation.
Number four is unfortunately a very common problem. There are many different artificial tear
and eye drops on the market, and many people just reach for the first one they see. This often leads
to not only those drops not working very well but also, in some cases, may even make their dry eyes
worse. The common culprits for this are the 'get the red out' drops, as these drops have additives
in them that help constrict blood vessels on the eye to make the eyes appear whiter. Unfortunately,
these additives have a rebound effect where the eyes often get more red and more irritated after
you use them. Second is using any generic eye drops that contain a preservative known as BAK
or benzalkonium chloride. This is a very potent preservative that works well as a preservative
but unfortunately is known to be toxic to the corneal surface. That is why you always
hear doctors recommending preservative-free eye drops or looking for a newer eye drop
that is preserved with something other than BAK. This video is not sponsored in any way,
but if you do want to know of a great resource for good eye drops for dry eye and eyelid wipes,
then check out the website HelpMyze.com. Over there, you will find different dry eye care
routines that I put together based on severity and different dry eye symptoms. This is a new website
that I'm working with, as I feel like they are going to make things a lot more convenient and
accessible for eye care. If you do check out the HelpMyze website, please just give me some
feedback. Let me know in the comments what you think of that website and that service.
Now, bad habit number five, and most people won't know that they're, in fact,
doing this. Do you ever wake up, and your eyes are more dry right away in the morning? I always try
to ask my new dry eye patients this because so many people do, in fact, sleep with their eyes
open just a tiny little bit, and this leads to repeated bouts of chronic exposure overnight
that makes it very difficult for the eye to heal. Common ways to manage this include using thicker
eye drop gels and nighttime ointments. Also, look for sleep masks and even special eyelid
tape to keep the eyelids closed while you sleep. Again, there are several brands of all of these,
but I'll put some of my favorites in the description below so you can check those out.
Bad habit number six comes from either not managing or just simply ignoring other health
conditions. This includes autoimmune conditions, diabetes, rosacea, and hormone issues, as all
of these can cause dry eyes to get worse or may at least cause a flare-up of your symptoms. So,
if you do have any other health conditions that you know of, make sure to manage those
and keep them in check as that may help prevent future outbreaks of worsening dry eye symptoms.
Finally, bad habit number seven, and this is again something that I am occasionally guilty
of myself. Just the other weekend, I had a cheat day and allowed myself to enjoy pizza and beer,
which was delicious. But the next morning, I woke up, and my eyelids,
my whole face felt swollen and puffy. It's true that our diets and what foods we eat
can trigger inflammatory events throughout our whole body, and it's been shown that
alcohol can contribute and cause worsening dry eye symptoms for some people. Both diet
and nutrition play significant roles in our eye health overall. If you do want to learn more
about how diet affects dry eye specifically, I did record a live stream several weeks ago,
and I'll put a link to that video up over here to the side so you can check that out. Either way,
though, I hope that this video brings you some awareness to things that could be going
on in your life that may be making your dry eyes worse. Otherwise, thank you so much for watching,
and I hope you have a fantastic day. Keep an eye on it, and we'll see you in that video.