Prevention of Dry Eye

Most dry eye is built slowly, by habit and environment - which is good news, because habits and environments can be changed before symptoms ever settle in.

Screen and work habits:

• Follow the 20-20-20 rule - every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Blink completely and often. Screen staring halves the blink rate and makes blinks incomplete; the oil glands only empty on full blinks.
• Position screens below eye level so the eyelids open narrower.
• Take real breaks - the eyes recover during them, just as muscles do.

Air and environment:

• Keep fans and AC vents off your face, at home, at work and in the car.
• Humidify dry rooms - a humidifier, or simply indoor plants and a water bowl, in heavy AC use.
• Wraparound sunglasses outdoors against wind, dust and dry heat.
• Don't smoke, and avoid smoky rooms - smoke is a direct tear-film toxin.

Eye and lens care:

• Contact lens discipline: daily wear limits, never sleeping in lenses, regular replacement, and lens-free days to let the cornea breathe.
• Remove eye makeup fully at night; blocked lid glands begin at the lash line.
• Treat eyelid dandruff (blepharitis) early - lid margin inflammation is the seed of evaporative dry eye.

Whole-body habits:

• Steady hydration through the day.
• Regular omega-3 and vitamin-A-rich food (flax, walnuts, fish; carrots, papaya, greens).
• Review medicines with your doctor if eyes dry out after starting antihistamines, acne or mood medicines - sometimes an alternative exists.
• After LASIK-type surgery, use the prescribed lubricants faithfully for the full recommended months.

And the meta-habit: if your eyes have started complaining by evening most days, act now with these measures rather than waiting for "real" symptoms. Early dry eye is far easier to turn around than the established kind.