How Air Conditioning Can Ruin Your Eyesight

Have you ever found yourself with dry, itchy eyes after a drive in your car? Or have you been at home for a few hours and noticed you're rubbing your eyes a bit more than normal? While you may blame things like the sandy atmosphere here in Dubai, there may be another secret cause that you haven't thought about... Your air conditioning. 

Red eyes... The sensation of a foreign body in your eyes... Burning... Itching... Blurred visions... These are all symptoms of dry eye syndrome that can potentially cause harmful damage to your eyesight in the long run. Air conditioning effectively removes the moisture in the air, as the cooler the air, the less vapor it has.

Being in air conditioning 24/7 during our lives here in the UAE, it's no wonder some of us have a spot of red eye now and again. After all, the A/C can become quite dry and if you don't give your peepers a break, you can cause damage to your normal tear production. 

So how can you protect your eyes in the air conditioning? Here's some simple tricks to help...

Eye drops 
Even if you don't wear contact lenses, having eye drops to hand when you're constantly sat in air conditioning helps to lubricate your eyes and protect your tear ducts. 

If you wear contacts, take them off
While you may be someone who prefers not to wear your glasses, for your eyes sake, take them off for a little while. Switching to classes a few days a week or even for a few hours in the day while in A/C can help to relieve dry eyes. Otherwise, you can also look at hydrating brands of contact lenses to help. 

SEE ALSO: 5 simple eye care tips for computer users

Turn the A/C off 
If you're only taking a short journey to work and back in the car, leave the A/C off for a little while during your journey. If at home or work, turn the A/C off for a few hours each day to help restore the moisture in the air. 

Buy a humidifier
Whether it's a large one for your living room, or a small one for your desk, humidifiers help to add moisture back into the air in an air conditioned environment.