Tonight in "Medical Monday," an optometrist from BayCare Clinic explains the importance of taking care of your eyes in winter.
Snow and ice reflect the sun's rays and warm air from fires or space heaters used in winter can also be detrimental. Visit Baycare.netor call BayCare's Green Bay Eye Clinic at (920) 327-7000 for more information.
How should we protect our eyes this winter, especially as we enjoy the outdoors?
Fortunately, there are several preventative measures we can take to better ensure our eye health over the course of winter:
* Keep your eyes moist. Warm or hot air from a fire or space heater can dry out and irritate the eyes. To avoid this, sit farther away from the heat source and have a bottle of eye drops handy to help alleviate dryness.
* Wear sunglasses with UV protection. Your shades should block nearly 100 percent of UV light. Add a hat or visor if it’s a particularly bright day.
* Try a pair of goggles. They’ll help provide maximum protection. Find a pair that provides room for you to wear your sunglasses underneath. Make sure they have built-in UV protection.
* Contact your eye doctor. If you have particularly uncomfortable dry eyes or think your eyes may have been damaged by the sun, seek treatment immediately.
Are there other benefits to protecting our eyes in winter?
Protecting your eyes in winter can go a long way toward ensuring overall eye health. Doing so also can help prevent or delay other eye conditions such as cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, cancer and other growths, and wrinkles around the eyes.
Some general eye health tips from the CDC
Have a comprehensive dilated eye exam. You might think your vision is fine or that your eyes are healthy, but visiting your eye care professional for a comprehensive dilated eye exam is the only way to really be sure.
Know your family’s eye health history. It’s important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with an eye disease or condition, since many are hereditary.
Eat right to protect your sight. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables – particularly dark leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, or collard greens – is important for keeping your eyes healthy.
Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing diabetes and other systemic conditions, which can lead to vision loss such as diabetic eye disease or glaucoma.
Wear protective eyewear. Wear protective eyewear when playing sports or doing activities around the home – safety glasses and goggles, safety shields, and eye guards.
Quit smoking or never start. Smoking is as bad for your eyes as it is for the rest of your body.
Be cool and wear your shades. When purchasing sunglasses look for ones that block out 99 to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.
Give your eyes a rest. If you spend a lot of time at the computer or focusing on any one thing, you sometimes forget to blink and your eyes can get fatigued. Try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds. This short exercise can help reduce eye strain.
Clean your hands and your contact lenses – properly. To avoid the risk of infection, always wash your hands thoroughly before putting in or taking out your contact lenses.
Practice workplace eye safety. When protective eyewear is required as a part of your job, make a habit of wearing the appropriate type at all times.
