Dry eyes due to air conditioning

Everyone needs to be clear that dry eyes is a disease that brings us a lot of trouble, and there is currently no way to completely eliminate the root cause of the disease. Dry eyes are caused by not paying attention to eye health, and you must strictly control your lifestyle and diet. Dry eyes are a common problem in life and have many side effects on both eyes. In order to get rid of dry eyes, patients should undergo a comprehensive and targeted ophthalmological examination as soon as possible. Next, let’s introduce what to do if your eyes become dry due to air conditioning?

1. Dry eyes are not just dry eyes

Dry eye is a multifactorial disease caused by lesions of tears and ocular surface tissues, which can mainly cause eye discomfort, visual impairment, and tear film instability, resulting in potential ocular surface damage. It may be accompanied by increased osmotic pressure of the tear film and inflammation of the ocular surface. "Dry eyes refer to tear film dysfunction associated with eye discomfort symptoms caused by reduced tear production and/or excessive tear evaporation. It includes dry eye syndrome, dry eye disease and dry eye syndrome. Among them, only symptoms without substantial damage (signs) are called dry eye syndrome; both symptoms and signs are called dry eye disease; symptoms and signs combined with systemic immune diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.) are called dry eye syndrome." Wang Mei said that the symptoms of dry eyes are sometimes not just dry eyes, but also include tearing, itchy eyes, eye fatigue, burning sensation, foreign body sensation, eye swelling, eye pain, photophobia, red eyes, etc.

2. The evaporation of moisture in air-conditioned rooms makes dry eyes more likely

Many people wonder, why does air conditioning cause dry eyes when it is so comfortable? There is a thin and transparent membrane at the front of our black eyeball, called the cornea, which protects the internal structure of the eyeball and the function of refraction. The tears secreted by tissues such as the eyelids form a tear film on the surface of the cornea to keep the cornea moist and provide oxygen to the cornea. The air in air-conditioned rooms is relatively dry and has poor circulation, which makes the moisture in the tear film on the surface of the eyes evaporate easily, causing insufficient moisture in the cornea, dry eyes, and visual fatigue. In addition, long-term use of computers and televisions will reduce blinking, which will aggravate the symptoms. In severe cases, it may cause keratoconjunctivitis and dry eyes.

3. Relieve eye discomfort and avoid dropping medicine at will

It’s hot in the summer, and we are reluctant to leave the air-conditioned room. So, how can we prevent and treat dry eyes?

The temperature in the air-conditioned room should not be too low. Wang Mei believes that the temperature of air conditioning in summer should not be lower than 26℃. Research shows that the indoor temperature for daily life should be between 26℃ and 27℃, and it should be 1℃ to 2℃ higher when sleeping, and the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor should not exceed 7℃. In addition, open more windows in the room to improve air circulation.

Correct bad eye habits. Take a 15-minute break every 1-2 hours of work; blink or yawn every 15-20 minutes in front of the computer to promote tear secretion and evenly distribute the tear film on the surface of the cornea; eat more foods rich in vitamin A in daily life.