Can Humid Weather Cause Dry Eyes?

Your eyes need tears to provide adequate moisture for lubrication. However, tears can be unstable and inadequate for various reasons. The instability can cause inflammation that can damage the surface of your eye. Various situations can cause your eyes to dry, including the weather. Keep reading to learn whether humid weather can cause dry eyes.

What Tears Do

Tears keep the eyes smooth and wet. They help you see clearly by focusing light. They are also essential as they protect your eyes from irritants and infections.

Every moment you blink, the surface of your cornea fills up with a tear film. You get dry eyes when your eyes do not make enough tears. Treatment involves keeping them lubricated. You can do so by either adding moisture or reducing the speed of losing tears from your eyes.

Symptoms of Dry Eyes

Below are some of the symptoms that show you have dry eyes:
 

• Scratchy, burning, or stinging sensation in the eyes
   

• Eye fatigue
   

• Eye redness
   

• Difficulty driving at night
   

• Sensitivity to light
   

• Watery eyes due to irritation
   

• Stringy mucus in or around the eyes
   

• Blurry vision
   

• Difficulty wearing contact lenses
   

Humid Weather and Dry Eyes

Humid weather usually has excessive moisture in the atmosphere. One of the most effective ways of defending your eyes against becoming dry is by avoiding things that can reduce their tears, such as dry climates.

Weather that has a humidity of around 45 percent is suitable for your eyes. Hot, dry, or windy climates can cause more harm to your eyes by causing tears to evaporate quickly from your eyes.

Humid weather keeps the eyes moist and eliminates dry eye symptoms. Most people use humidifiers in their homes during warm and dry weather to get the same benefit that humid weather has on dry eyes.

Prevention

You can reduce your symptoms by following the below steps:
 

• Blink regularly when reading or staring at digital screens for a long time.
   

• Avoid drier environments, such as high altitudes, deserts, and planes.
   

• Increase humidity in your environment.
   

• Avoid direct air blowing in your eyes and face.
   

• Take nutritional supplements that reduce dry eye symptoms, such as fatty acids. It is ideal to ask your doctor if you can take dietary supplements to relieve your dry eyes.
   

• Reduce exposure to the sun and dry winds by wearing sunglasses when outdoors.

When to See a Doctor

There are various ways you can treat your dry eyes at home for relief without medical help. However, it is essential to see your doctor if you have tried home treatments for a few weeks and see no relief or improvement.

Contact your doctor if you experience any vision changes or cannot conduct your daily activities due to dry eyes. You also need medical intervention if you suspect that the dry eyes occurred due to an underlying medical condition. Various conditions such as lupus, thyroid disease, or vitamin A deficiency can lead to dry eye.

Your doctor will conduct tests and examinations to evaluate any possible underlying causes for the dry eye problem. They can prescribe effective treatment to resolve your symptoms.

For more about dry eyes, visit Brandon Eyes at our office in Middleton or Madison, Wisconsin. You can call (608) 833-7256 or (608) 833-0301 to book an appointment today.