Top 5 Tips for Taking Care of Your Eyes During The Winter Months

1. Wear sunglasses in winter
It is important to wear sunglasses all year round, particularly in winter as the sun can still be damaging. Wearing sunglasses in winter is important to protect your eyes from harmful effects of UV rays. The sun sits lower on the horizon and can be as damaging as in summer. Prolonged exposure to the sun can damage your eyes slowly over a lifetime resulting in serious eye conditions such as photo keratitis, cataracts, pterygium and macula degeneration.

2. Use artificial tears eye drops for dry eyes
With more time spent indoors in air conditioning and in front of the fire your eyes can become dry and irritated. If you suffer from dry eyes in winter, try to sit further away from heat and use recommended artificial eye drops to relieve the soreness that comes from having dry eyes.

3. Wash your hands
Winter is a time of year when people are more susceptible to viral infections such as conjunctivitis or pink eye, which is spread through direct contact. Protect your eyes from cross infection by washing your hands regularly throughout the day and do not rub your eyes.

4. Apply the 20-20-20 rule
To give your eyes a break when using a screen for extended periods of time, apply the American 20-20-20 rule. For every 20 minutes you spend in front of a screen, look at an object in the distance, 20 feet away (or 6 metres away), for 20 seconds. This will give your eyes a break and help alleviate dry eyes.

5. Get your lighting right
With the reduced daylight hours we rely a lot more on artificial lighting. Poor lighting conditions can cause unnecessary eye strain, redness, and fatigue headaches. Use multiple light sources in a room to increase the amount of light without relying on a super bright overhead light.