Dry Eyes in Urban India: How Pollution, Screens and Air Conditioning Affect Your Eyes

Urban lifestyle has its own set of benefits such as a good lifestyle,  better healthcare, and a variety of employment opportunities. However, they come with its own set of difficulties, such as longer durations of screen time and staying in air-conditioned rooms for long hours. We are also exposed to a large quantity of pollutants on a regular basis. It causes multiple problems to our bodies and leads to certain eye problems like dry eyes. Therefore, lifestyle and environmental factors have a huge impact on our eyes, especially if they feel tired and unusually watery.

Pollution Impacting Eyes

Air pollution is a common concern in the big cities of India and can cause problems beyond respiratory issues. The exposure of eyes to dust, smoke, and fine particulate matter can cause eye irritation. Exposure in such a polluted environment for long durations can lead to redness and a burning sensation in the eyes. It is essential to wear protective eyewear outdoors and avoid any form of direct exposure to dust and smoke as much as possible.

Screens Can Elevate the Problem

The digital age and ever-evolving urban lifestyle require prolonged screen time in front of our devices such as phones, laptops, and so on.

As a result, digital eye strain and dryness are common symptoms. When we focus too much on our device, we often blink less, which has a negative impact on our eyes. The 20-20-20 rule can be helpful as every 20 minutes, you look at something around 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

Air Conditioning Can Make Things Worse

Air conditioners make us feel cooler in the hot weather, but it can lead to our tears evaporating at a faster rate by circulating dry air. Some of the measures to prevent it is to avoid sitting directly under an AC vent for hours that can make the eyes feel quite uncomfortable. Some measures that can be adopted are keeping the room at a comfortable temperature. If the moisture is maintained in the surrounding air then dry eye can be prevented.

Some Ways To Protect Your Eyes

Living in an urban area can never be an easy thing, especially for our health. The urban lifestyle has its own set of perks and disadvantages. Simple yet effective changes can be adopted, such as keeping yourself hydrated and taking regular breaks. You must also avoid rubbing your eyes frequently. Take regular measures like using sunglasses when outdoors to avoid direct exposure to the sun.

While choosing your eyewear, consider well-known brands like Rawbare. Rawbare’s eyewear has a vast collection of trendy frames that are designed while keeping everyday comfort in mind. It offers Glide Max Frost Fire Polarized Wrap Around Sunglasses and Glide Max Shadow Venom Polarized Wrap Around Sunglasses in order to tackle the problem of dry eye.

But if you consistently suffer from blurred vision for any kind of pain in your eyes then do get your eyes checked once in a while. This will ensure that any kind of symptoms can be detected easily for any underlying eye condition.

Dry eyes can be a common symptom in urban areas, but one can take multiple measures to protect the eyes from any form of discomfort.