Lifestyle Changes With Dry Eye Disease

Before dry eye, I never really paid attention or had to pay attention to the environment I was in. This Christmas I was reminded why it is now so important to pay attention.

Now, my environment greatly impacts how my eyes feel. It also can invoke anxiety, as it can be tricky when you are going to someone else’s house, or if it will be a very dry climate. Here are a few changes I have made to help my dry eye condition.

Changes I made

Removing scented candles and plug-in wall fragrances

I got rid of all my scented candles and plug-in wall fragrances. As someone who loved candles and things that smell so good, my eyes did not agree. I recently went to a family member's home and had to step outside because the cinnamon candle was burning my eyes. These fragrances can be irritating even without conditions, but even more so with. This has made a difference.

How I wash my bedding

I started paying attention to what I was washing my bedding with. Prior to dry eye, I would use very strong perfume-scented laundry detergent, scent boosters, and scented softener. I didn’t realize that my pillow that my eyes touched every night were becoming irritated by this. I have now switched to all non-fragranced things, and my eyes are less irritated.

Humidity

Humidity makes a big difference. I live in a state that is very, very dry. An eye doctor recommended that I buy a humidifier for my room. I noticed that it did help, and now I have a large industrial humidifier in my living room and all bedrooms.

Cosmetics and perfume overhaul

My dry eye doctor helped educate me in “clean beauty,” and I realized a lot of my cosmetics contained ingredients known to aggravate dry eye. I ended up throwing away a lot of it, and now my motto is “less is more.” Another change was not using perfume every day. I didn’t realize how much that irritated my eyes having a strong perfume on. Now I apply it on very rare occasions.

An overall help

That is a small glimpse into some of the lifestyle changes I made when getting diagnosed with dry eye. At first, these changes seemed very depressing. I soon found out that not only did it help with my dry eye, but it also helped my overall health and with making wiser choices.