Don't Let Dry Eyes Spoil Your Summer

Jul 18, 2016 in Eye Care

Variety of flowers in a field

Sunscreen: check. Hat: check. Sunglasses: check. Eye drops: check? Although the summer sun is normally more than welcome after a long winter and rainy spring, the warm weather can bring its own set of problems if you suffer from dry eyes. Luckily, the symptoms can be easily managed so you can concentrate on what matters to you this summer.

What are the symptoms of Dry Eye?

Our eyes are lubricated by the flow of tears, which maintains our vision and keeps our eyes comfortable. The tears are secreted by special glands around the eyes and are a combination of water, oil, mucus, antibodies and proteins. These tears also protect our eyes against eye infections.

Dry eye is a fairly common condition where the eyes do not produce enough lubricating tears, or where the tears do not sufficiently lubricate the eyes. This makes the eyes itchy and gritty, and leaves you with a feeling of having sand in your eyes. Dry eyes can make the whites of the eyes appear red, and can also lead to blurry vision.

One confusing symptom of dry eye is excessive watering of the eyes. This happens when the eyes don’t get enough lubrication and the body responds by flooding the eyes with tears. These tears are high in quantity, but low in quality and so don’t provide good lubrication like normal tears.

What causes dry eyes?

Apart from the imbalance in tear secretion, external factors can also trigger the condition, many of which are particularly prevalent in summer:

  • Allergies and hay fever
  • Dry air inside aeroplanes
  • Air conditioning (in the home, car and office)
  • Swimming pools and seawater

Relieving dry eyes

While dry eyes cannot be cured, there are steps that you can take to alleviate the symptoms. The use of artificial tears or drops is the most common treatment for dry eyes. These drops offer lubrication, hydration and protection to the eyes. For chronic dry eye sufferers, it may be a good idea to use eye drops on a regular basis.

Thealoz Duo eye drops are clinically proven to reduce symptoms such as the sore and gritty feeling in the eyes. The formula is dual action, hydrating as well as protecting the surface of the eyes. It is also preservative free, making it suitable for all sufferers including contact lens wearers.

Other steps that you can take to reduce the effects of dry eye include:

  • Keep hydrated by drinking lots of water
  • Turn the air conditioning down at your home or office, and even in the car
  • When outside, wear sunglasses to protect against the sun and wind

Help is at hand

Get summer-ready with a visit to your nearest Leightons Opticians and Hearing Care branch. Our experienced optometrists can offer advice on how best to manage dry eye symptoms. Should eye drops be recommended, Thealoz Duo is available in most of our branches in a travel-friendly unit size, so you can use them all summer, wherever you are.

If you would more information about managing dry eyes or any other eye health conditions, call us on 0800 40 20 20 or visit your nearest branch. Alternatively, you can book an eye exam online.