How To Avoid (Or Relieve) Dry Eyes

Excessive screen time or pandemic stressors could be behind that gritty feeling in your eyes

Dry eyes are a nuisance for mo stand for others, it’s a nearly debilitating problem. And the pandemic hasn’t made things easier.

In an online survey published in January, two-thirds of respondents reported having symptoms of dry eye. More than one-quarter of those said their symptoms were made worse by wearing a face mask.

But Dr Ira Udell, a professor of ophthalmology at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, US, said that while masks may indeed cause ocular discomfort, an association between mask-wearing and dry eye per se is unlikely.

A more likely explanation of these findings is an association between dry eyes and pandemic-related stress. In two studies of veterans, researchers found strong links between dry eye syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

What causes dry eyes?