During winter, it can seem impossible to keep every part of your body covered and protected from the elements. Just like your hands need gloves, and you need snow boots to keep your feet toasty, there are things that you can do to keep your eyes healthy during the winter as well. Whether you’re living in a humid climate, or dealing with snowstorms, check out these 5 easy things you can do this winter.

Stay Hydrated

It may seem like a no-brainer, but make sure you’re drinking plenty of fluids, especially water. When the temperatures are dropping and winds are blowing hard, it’s easy for your eyes to lose moisture. Without proper hydration, your eyes may feel dry, sandy, or just plain uncomfortable. Drinking at least eight ounces of water every few hours is an easy way to keep hydration at the front of your mind. Pick up a water bottle that you like, and make sure to fill it up when it’s getting low. It may seem difficult at first, but drinking water will soon become a habit you may even enjoy.

Stock up on sunglasses and eyewear protection

There’s a lot of incredibly fun activities to indulge in when it’s cold and snowy outside. Ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, and tubing are just some of the activities we all love. If you know you’ll be spending a lot of time outside, make sure you have proper eyewear protection. It may not feel like it, but the sun is still beating down on you during the winter, and harmful UV rays could be bouncing off the snow into your eyes. If you wear contacts, make sure you’re using sunglasses that protect against 100% of all UV rays. For those that wear eyeglasses, prescription sunglasses are an easy way to stay protected, and still look great.

Apply Eye Drops When Needed

Chronic dry eye is nothing to joke about, but for those that suffer from seasonally dry eyes, artificial tears and eye drops are great tools to have in your arsenal. In the winter, it’s normal for everything from your hair to your skin to get drier, and that includes your eyes. If they start feeling too dry, eye drops are a really easy way to add some extra moisture. Combining liberal use of eye drops and extra hydration through drinking water can make an immense difference during dry winters.

Stay Away From Direct Heat Sources

Staying warm all winter is important, but there are smart ways to do it. If you’re staying inside, make sure to stay away from fire places. You can stay warm even if you’re not directly in front of a fireplace inside. Fireplaces can dry out your eyes and skin, so keeping some distance is a smart way to stay toasty. The same goes for outdoor fires. Don’t stand too close, as the smoke from the fire can aggravate delicate eyes and dry them out if you’re not at a safe distance.

Talk To Your Doctor If Dry Eye Becomes A Problem

If you’re following these tips and your eyes still feel dryer than the Sahara, it may be time to talk to your eye doctor. Dry eye is an incredibly common condition that millions of Americans are diagnosed with each year. Although there’s no cure, dry eye can be managed with prescription medications and artificial tear drops. Don’t let winter get the best of you this season; make the smart choice and schedule a time to talk about your eye health instead.

There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about our eyes. I’m sure you’ve heard of the old myth where if someone hits you in the back of the head while you are crossing your eyes they will get stuck. Well, that is just one of the many silly myths that have come up over the years. The American Academy of Ophthalmology publishes a list of these myths on their website, but here is our “Top 4 Myths About Your Eyes.”

1. “Reading in dim light can damage your eyes” – Reading in a dim light will most likely cause you to strain your eyes, which creates discomfort, but it doesn’t necessarily cause harm to your eyes.
2. “Children can outgrow having crossed eyes” – If left untreated, young children that suffer from strabismus, or “crossed eyes,” can develop poor vision in one eye. Many of those who suffer from strabismus will require the use of surgery, eyeglasses, patches, or a combination of all of them to correct their vision.
3. “Wearing corrective lenses or contacts will make you dependent on them” – This myth can be dangerous because children who suffer from high refractive errors require corrective lenses or they run the risk of never developing normal vision. If contacts are worn over extended periods of time without being taken out, it can cause damage to the cornea and increase your risk of eye infection.
4. “Being visually impaired can cause learning disabilities” – While it is true that learning disabilities are generally caused by how the brain processes what it sees, they are not related to vision problems. Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are two learning disabilities that influence your concentration which affects your ability to learn. Children who have vision problems do have a difficult time learning because they can’t see what is on the board, or read their school books.

It is important to know what is truth and what is myth, because some of these myths can do more harm than good. If you ever have any questions about these eye myths, it is best to see your eye doctor.

Everyone has heard that they should be eating more carrots to improve their eyesight. This is because of the high levels of beta-carotene that is found in carrots which is said to be essential in maintaining healthy eyes. There are actually quite a few different vitamins and nutrients that are considered to be good for your eye health.

Here are 5 other vitamins and nutrients that you should consider adding to your daily intake:

Zeaxanthin and Lutein: These are considered to be important nutrients for your eye health and can be easily added to your diet through the addition of leafy green vegetables and eggs. Quite a few studies have been done that point to a diet with ample lutein and zeaxanthin reducing your risks of developing chronic eye disease, such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

Vitamin C: Found primarily in fruits and vegetables, Vitamin C is an antioxidant. Studies suggest that vitamin C can lower your risk of developing cataracts and taken in conjunction with other vitamins and nutrients it is said to slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration.

Vitamin E: Considered to be a strong antioxidant, vitamin is found in high concentrations in nuts and sweet potatoes. Studies suggest that vitamin E helps to protect cells in your eyes from free radicals that can cause damage to your eyes fragile tissue.

Essential Fatty Acids: These are fats that are considered to be an important part of our diets. These fats are said to fuel our cells, boost our immune system and even maintain our nervous system. Studies show that omega-3 fatty acids are also considered to be important in maintaining proper eye health and retinal function. Fatty such, such as salmon are great sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

Zinc: This mineral is considered to play an essential role in transferring vitamin A from our liver to our retinas, which produces melanin—a pigment that helps to protect our eyes. Zinc concentrates heavily in our eyes, but predominantly in the retina. Studies suggest that ensuring you are receiving ample amounts of zinc in your daily diet will help to protect the inner workings of your eye.

Pretty much everyone uses computers or digital devices for something today. We are constantly exposed to digital screens either at work or in our personal lives and this constant exposure can lead to some eye strain over time. Not a lot of people are familiar with the issues of digital eye strain, even though they could be suffering from it on a daily basis.

According to the 2016 Digital Eye Strain report from the Vision Council 10,000 Americans were surveyed about their eyes and 65% of those Americans suffered from one or more symptoms of digital eye strain. Symptoms of digital eye strain typically include: dry or irritated eyes, blurred vision, eye fatigue and headaches.

So what is Digital Eye Strain?

Well “digital eye strain” can encompass a lot of different symptoms, but ultimately it is the discomfort you start to feel after using digital devices for extended periods of time. There are some simple things that can be done to help protect your eyes from digital eye strain due to daily exposure to digital devices, such as:

Avoid glare on your digital devices screen – Glare can make it difficult to view content on your digital devices screen, which can result in you straining your eyes to see. This will inevitably lead to digital eye strain if left unresolved, luckily you can purchase anti-glare filters for most digital devices.

Don’t forget to blink – This is in fact possible, studies suggest that we blink 66% less often when using a digital device. Blinking is essential in maintaining the health of the surface of your eye and in maintaining clear vision.

Utilize the 20-20-20 rule – It’s easy to lose track of when people using digital devices, but it is important to remember to take short breaks intermittently throughout digital device usage. The 20-20-20 rule suggests that for every 20 minutes you use a digital device, you should spend 20 seconds looking at something that is at least 20 feet away. This purpose of doing this is to refresh your eyes and give them a chance to readjust.

Most people try to eat healthy and take their daily vitamins, but it is easy to forget and cut corners when you’ve had a busy week. It is easy to take our eyes for granted, but they are the second most physiologically active part of our bodies—second only to the brain! This means our eyes required approximately 25% of the nutrients we take in daily to remain healthy. With this blog, we are going to talk about some easy things that can be done to your daily diet to help boost your eyes nutrition.

Here are four quick nutritional fixes that can help to maintain your eye health:

Quick Fix #1: Beans and/or brown rice make a great side dish

Beans and brown rice can complement almost any meal and they are also both fantastic sources of Zinc! Zinc helps to improve your bodies absorption of Vitamin A as well as aids in antioxidant enzyme functions. Zinc is said to help to protect your eyes from developing macular degeneration and night blindness.

Other sources: Shellfish, Cashews, Beef and Spinach

Quick Fix #2: Add some Flaxseed to your smoothies

Who doesn’t love a delicious and nutritious smoothie? Now, time to take that tasty smoothie to the next level! Add in some flaxseed! Not only will this add more depth to the flavor, but it will provide high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids which is said to help maintain a healthy retina.

Other sources: Walnuts, Halibut, Soy and Salmon

Quick Fix #3: Strawberries for dessert

Despite can actually play an important role in your nutrition if you are eating the right things. Strawberries are delicious and sweet, but also provides more Vitamin C than Oranges per serving! Increasing your Vitamin C intake can help to reduce your risks of developing cataracts.

Other sources: Oranges, Kiwis and Sweet Red peppers

Quick Fix #4: Snack on some almonds

Hey! Whoever said snacking is a bad thing? Instead of grabbing that bag of potato chips, grab a handful of delicious almonds! Just a handful of almonds contains enough Vitamin E to fulfill your daily nutritional requirements. Vitamin E plays an important role in helping to maintain your eyes lubrication, which keeps the surface of your eyes refreshed.

Other sources: Vegetable Oil, Pine Nuts, Sunflower Seeds and Tomatoes

Do you like to spend a lot of time outdoors? Spending time in the sun, camping, hiking—these are all things that are great outdoors activities, but it is important to make sure you are taking the right steps to protecting yourself from the sun’s rays. Most people know to protect their skin from the sun, but the dangers the suns ultraviolent (UV) rays pose to your eyes are much less common knowledge.

In light of this, we wanted to take the time to share some information with you regarding UV eye safety and how you can better protect your vision when spending a lot of time outdoors. Here are five things people can do to cut their risk of eye damage from the sun:

1. Choose the right pair of sunglasses – Not all sunglasses provide the same coverage and contrary to popular belief, the darkness of the lens does not determine if the lens blocks UV rays. Only sunglasses labeled as having “100% UV Protection” or “UV400” will protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Even if the weather is overcast you should still wear sunglasses as the suns UV rays still pass through cloud cover and can damage your eyes.
2. Don’t look directly at the sun – I think this should probably go without saying but “DON’T STARE AT THE SUN!” Yes, this can be very damaging for your eyes and can even lead to irreversible damage in certain rare cases. Staring directly at the sun can cause holes to burn in your retina—this condition Is called “solar retinopathy.”
3. Read the labels on your medication – According to a recent survey, one in three adults use medications that can potentially make your eyes more susceptible to UV damage. Some of the common medications that can cause these problems include: Birth control, psoriasis treatments, antibiotics and estrogen pills. If your medication increases your eyes susceptibility to UV damage, then it will be labeled as “causing photosensitivity.” If you see this one the label, make sure to protect your eyes and skin from too much sun exposure.
4. Wear more hats – Sunglasses are a necessary investment for your fun in the sun, but you shouldn’t underestimate the effectiveness of a hat in regards to blocking sunlight. A combination of both is the best way to ensure your eyes are getting the protection they need from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
5. Drive with UV protection – Studies have shown that car side windows on average only block 71 percent of UV rays, in contrast to the front windshield which blocks 96 percent on average. According to studies, only approximately 14 percent of car side windows provide high enough levels of UV protections to guard your eyes and skin from the sun.