Easy Tips to Protect Your Eyes from Smog and Pollution

Smog's effect on your eyes

No, we are not talking about the cosmetic smoky eye effect here. We are talking about the perils of exposing your eyes to the smog and ways to protect it. The word "SMOG" is a derived from the two words " smoke" and "fog."

The smoke combined with the moisture in the fog can be hazardous and irritating to the eyes. The smoke stings and dries out the eyes thereby causing the burning or red eyes.

Smallest speck of a dust particle can cause discomfort in the eye. The air pollution, though not as much visible as a dust particle or a sand particle, has an equal or more lethal effect on our eyes in the long run. Studies point a strong relationship between air pollutants and conjunctivitis.

Effects of smog on vision health

These air pollutants can hurt the eyes with some symptoms being part of the Dry Eye Syndrome as well:

• Redness
• Feeling of dryness
• Burning or stinging sensation in the eye
• Formation of stringy mucus in and around the eyes
• Sticky eyelids
• Blurred vision
• Sensitivity to light
• Intense sensitivity to wind or smoke with watery eyes

Tips to protect your eyes from smog

For those of us living in the metropolitans, we cannot avoid exposing ourselves to these pollutants, as we cannot stay indoors permanently. However, we can surely take some precautionary measures to minimise the effects of the air pollution:

• Stay hydrated - Ensure that you have had enough water/liquids before leaving home to ensure that you stay hydrated for a long time.
• Wear sunglasses - Helps you protect your eyes from dust, debris, fine mud particles blowing in the wind, harsh sunlight, and so on. On a lighter note, they do enhance your looks making you feel like a celebrity.
• Cool compresses - Carry cool compresses that are chemical-free so that you can use them whenever you feel dryness in your eyes.
• Lubricating eye drops - You can ask your doctor to prescribe lubricating eye drops that can restore moisture to your eyes.
• Avoid rubbing the eyes - Do not rub your eyes vigorously if any tiny pollutant has entered the eye. Just wash them with cold water and pat dry. You can also use the prescribed lubricating eye drops to relieve the irritation and pain.

Eyes need utmost care. While we cannot get rid of the pollution overnight or even in the short term, the best we can do is take care of this sensitive organ to avoid any permanent damage.

Do not overlook these symptoms as these can lead to permanent loss of vision. Contact your ophthalmologist immediately if the symptoms become bothersome.