Health Looking after your eyes means taking steps to reduce the effects of mask wearing and excessive screen use.
Looking after your eyes means taking steps to reduce the effects of mask wearing and excessive screen use.
Masks are a necessary part of life in this Covid era, and some people need to wear them for prolonged periods, which is exacerbating a common health problem: dry eye.
This condition affects the surface of the eyes. Symptoms include sore, itchy or watery eyes, blurry eyesight, excessive tearing, redness, stinging or burning sensations, eye fatigue, pain on waking or opening the eyes in the morning and sensitivity to wind, smoke or light.
People have tended to develop dry eye in midlife, and women more often than men, but with increased screen use, it is being seen among a younger demographic. Masks are now contributing, and this new phenomenon already has an acronym, Made (mask-associated dry eye).
“The longer someone wears a mask, the more likely they are to have symptoms,” says optometrist Leigh Plowman. “And if you already have a little bit of dry eye, wearing a maskm for a long time may make it significantly worse.” The problem is that as we b breathe out, the air flows u upwards from the mask a and depletes the layer of moisture that protects the eyes. Natural bacteria in the mouth may also be a factor.
The tear film is a complex structure that contains many ingredients, including lipids, water and mucus, as well as antibodies that are a part of the immune response.
“The longer someone wears a mask, the more likely they are to have symptoms.”
“It works like a wetsuit to protect your eyes,” says Plowman. “And anything that depletes its ingredients can reduce the protection we get.”
An Italian study showed that one in six people experienced mask-associated dry
eye and one in four said wearing masks made their existing dry-eye problems worse.
The type of mask worn seems to make a difference. Researchers have found that more than six hours in a loose-fitting mask can result in increased eye symptoms. So it is better to choose a surgical mask with a pliable nose wire that will fit more snugly and help prevent excess air flowing upwards to the eyes.
Plowman, a dry-eye sufferer, also uses a plastic insert that sits behind the mask and creates more space to breathe properly through the nose. And he wears special dry-eye spectacle frames that shield the eyes from airflow.
Eye drops will supply only temporary relief, as they are drained away very quickly. So, sufferers need to look at other longer-lasting options. To help them, Australia-based Plowman has created the Dry Eye Directory (dryeyedirectory.com), a website with a guide to self-care and clinics in various countries, including Aotearoa, that can deliver treatments.
Self-care may involve applying hot compresses to the eyes, using a wash to keep lids free of bacteria, increasing omega-3 fatty acids in the diet and blinking more often.
“Dry eye can be a progressive condition. If we can treat it early, we’re more likely to keep eyes stable and healthy.”
“When we concentrate on a screen or a detailed task, we tend to blink less fully and less often,” says Plowman. “And if we don’t blink fully, the eyelids don’t meet, so the muscles don’t squeeze oils out of the tiny meibomian glands that line the margins of the eyelids, and they can become clogged.”
There are apps designed to remind you to blink more often and rest your eyes while using a computer. Plowman says these are useful – in fact, he uses one himself – but he encourages dry-eye sufferers to visit a clinic when possible to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.
“Dry eye can be a progressive condition,” he says. “If we can treat it early, we’re more likely to keep eyes stable and healthy.”
One treatment option is LipiFlow, which uses heat and gentle pressure to unblock the glands. Plowman is also a fan of intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy to liquefy oils that have hardened and clogged the glands.
“We treat the top and bottom lids and it helps them to produce better-flowing oils and reduces inflammation around the surface of the eye,” he explains.
Left untreated, dry eye can affect the vision and impact on quality of life, making it difficult to read or use a screen for long periods, wear contact lenses or cope with bright light. It can also lead to corneal ulcers.
“Even younger people suffer from maskassociated dry eye,” says Plowman. “But face masks are critical in helping to stop the spread of coronavirus, so I’m not in any way advocating people should abandon them.” l