How To Protect Your Eyes During Winter
It’s commonly known that you should protect your eyes during the summer months to prevent damage from the intense UV rays of the midsummer sun, but are you aware that you should protect your eyes during the winter months too? In this blog, I’m going to be giving you an insight into how and why you should protect your eyes during the cold winter months.
So without further ado, let’s jump straight into it!
1. Wear a pair of UV-A or UV-B Sunglasses, even during cloudy days
Those harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays can still work their way through the clouds, even when it’s overcast outside! When it snows, the sun reflecting off snow and icy surfaces can burn unprotected eyes which can result in snow blindness, a painful eye condition that means your eyes will be super sensitive to light. The symptoms of snow blindness usually lasts for up to a week. Wearing sunglasses or even a wide-brimmed hat can prevent this condition from happening.
2. Use Eye Drops to keep eyes moist
Winter brings along with it the most intense mixtures of hot, cold, wet and dry air, as you move from the bracing weather outside to the indoor heat. The dry outdoor air, heat from the fire, and freezing winds can evaporate the moisture in your eyes, causing them to become dry and irritated. Use moisturising eye drops to keep your eyes moist during the winter. You can deflect air blowing from furnace vents by using a humidifier to put moisture back into the room air.
3. Visit your optician
Winter is the perfect time to make an annual appointment with your local optician. They can run some tests to check your vision, diagnose any problems, provide treatment for people with eye conditions, and help you manage vision changes. Your optician can diagnose winter-related eye problems such as dry eyes and conjunctivitis, and provide treatment for different eye conditions that are linked to winter weather. Opticians can also carry out preventive screenings that will detect any issues or concerns early on.
4. Good hand hygiene
Continuing on from my previous pointer, good hygiene is a must during winter with all of the bacteria from colds, flus, viruses, and so on are around. Bringing a bottle of hand sanitizer when you’re on the go and frequently washing your hands is the key to avoiding eye infections like mentioned above.
These are just a few of the many ways you can protect your eyes during the winter months. For more advice and consultation on maintaining eye health, or for more information about my bespoke eyewear brands, get in touch today to see what I can do for you!