Top Tips for Winter Eye Health

​Winter conditions can be harsh on your eyes, presenting particular challenges and reasons to protect them. Here are some tips on how to look after your eyes this winter.

Make sure your eyes are road-safe
It can be difficult to see when driving in the long dark nights of winter and it’s easy to understand why more accidents happen at night.
​Also, glare from the low-lying sun at this time of year, can make daytime driving more hazardous too - particularly when extra light is reflected from wet or icy roads.
Certain eye problems, like cataracts and macular degeneration, can make you even more susceptible to glare. So, if you have these conditions, take extra care when driving at night or in bright sunshine.

Top tips

• get reflection-free lenses in your glasses to reduce dazzle from headlights
• ​keep sunglasses in the car to protect against the winter sun
• consider polarized sunglasses for extra protection against reflected light 
• make sure your windscreen is clean - inside and out
• have regular eye tests to make sure you're inside the driving standard

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​Avoid dry eyes 
If you have dry eyes, winter can be a particularly trying time. Central heating and increased time spent indoors  can make your eyes more prone to dryness - especially when reading, using computer devices or watching TV. That's because your eyes blink less often during these activities.
Dryness can make your eyes sore, red and irritated. Other typical symptoms include grittiness, itchiness, stinging, burning and temporarily blurred vision. 
In some cases dry eye problems are linked with health conditions, like arthritis, thyroid and rosacea.
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Top tips

• keep hydrated by drinking 6 - 8 glasses of water a day
• eat plenty of oily fish and other foods rich in omega-3's such as walnuts and flax seeds
• consider omega-3 supplements if not getting  enough through your diet
• blink more regularly and follow the 10:10 rule - blink 10 times every 10 minutes when reading etc
• book an appointment at our Dry Eye Clinic for advice on drops and other treatments - there are many different types of dry eye and treatment options vary depending upon the exact cause

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Improve your lighting
The lower levels of light in winter can make reading and close tasks more difficult - especially for older people and those with existing vision problems, like cataracts and macular degeneration. At Eric Mercer's we are partners with Serious Readers, manufacturers of high definition lighting. For more info, call in for a brochure or check out the Serious Readers website.

Top tips

• get an angle-poise light or other reading lamp with an adjustable arm
• adjust your light to shine directly onto whatever you’re reading
• consider modern LED bulbs for extra brightness

 

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