If you always feel like having irritated eyes at the end of a work day, or letters on your screen start looking blurry after staring at the computer for so long, you may have dry eye. According to experts, a third of people who work in offices in Europe and the United States suffer from dry eye symptoms. A common reason for this prevalence of dry eye symptoms in offices is the combination of screen time, dry air, and bright lights. 

What Is Dry Eye?

Dry eye is a condition that occurs when the eyes are not well lubricated due to insufficient or unstable tears or environmental factors. It usually causes eye irritation and other symptoms, making your eyes uncomfortable and limiting your vision. The condition causes symptoms like:

• Redness in the eye.

• Irritation of the eye.

• Feeling like sand in the eye.

• Blurry vision.

• Feeling like your eyes are tired.

What Causes Dry Eye in the Office?

Desk jobs and companies whose employees work on computers have routines and spaces ideal for encouraging dry eye symptoms. The most common factors that cut across various workspaces are:

• A lower blink rate that develops when you spend much time staring at a digital screen. 

• Sitting in a room with heating or air conditioning vents.

• An office with dry air blowing in.

• Concentrating on something at a close distance and in the same fixed position for a long time, like reading or working at a computer. 

Tips on Managing Dry Eye 

Start With a Glass of Water

One of the most common reasons for dry eye is the lack of eye lubrication, which relies on the water in your body. Dry eye symptoms are sometimes due to dehydration, which can be avoided by taking more water as the day begins.

Dehydration can make dry eye symptoms much worse than they need to be. You must keep hydrating throughout the day to keep your levels up. 

Change Your Workspace Environment

You can reduce the chances of developing dry eye by changing your working environment, especially the air conditioning. The blowing air vents tend to cause a slight movement of dry air that causes your tear film to evaporate much faster than usual. You can move your desk further from the air vents so that the air is not moving much closer to where you work. You could also turn off the HVAC system if you do not need it. 

Get a Humidifier

Most likely you do not have a choice on whether the HVAC stays on; if so, you could improve your workspace by getting a humidifier. One of the leading causes of dry eye symptoms is the dry moving air that evaporates tears. Adding a humidifier ensures plenty of moisture in the air to prevent or slow down how fast your tear film evaporates due to the moving air. 

Take Breaks

When working, ensure you take frequent breaks to ensure your eyes get enough rest and spread new fresh tears over them. A good rule of thumb is to take a break around every 20 minutes for about half a minute to look at something about 20 feet away. 

For more tips for office workers and professionals for managing dry eye in the workplace, contact Positive Eye Ons Optometry in West Hollywood, California by calling (323) 651-5646​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ to discuss any questions or book an appointment today.