The Top Products You Need For Dry Winter Eyes

As Hilal-Campo mentioned earlier, artificial tears are a reliable and key approach to treating dry eyes, especially preservative-free formulas. She mentioned products that come in single-use vials, such as these from Refresh, which make use as sterile and convenient as possible.

“I recommend that you use them at least four times a day if you have an underlying dry eye, but you can use them more frequently. You can use them as frequently as you need to help soothe and relieve your dry eyes,” she said.

These lubricating drops act as natural tears and are safe for sensitive eyes.

“Other over-the-counter products that are helpful are bottled preservative-free tears, such as the brand iVIZIA,” Hilal-Campo said. “They have a top that filters out the bacteria, so you can use it multiple times without having to throw it away.”

These contamination-free drops promise to offer up to eight hours of nourishing dry eye relief, reduce eye strain and are safe to use with contact lenses.

Another brand of artificial tears in sterile application bottles is the Systane Balance lubricating drops, which prevent tear evaporation by protecting the lipid layer of the eye. The clinical formula promises to offer temporary relief for dry eye symptoms like burning and itching.

“It’s also extremely helpful to use an over-the-counter ointment at night before bed. Many brands that have different thicknesses and different ingredients,” Hilal-Campo said.

According to her, the Retaine OCuSoft PM nighttime eye ointment is an example of a thicker formula that has an oil-based formula containing mineral oil and white petroleum. This preservative-free composition and emollient-rich texture promise to reduce irritation and prevent morning discomfort for severely dry eyes, as well as prevent tear evaporation.

Hilal-Campo said that the Systane nighttime ointment for severely dry eyes is an example of an eye ointment that’s a little on the thinner side compared to the above option because it contains less mineral oil.

“All of these are used the same way – you pull down the lower lid, put a pea-sized amount in the inferior fornix – you can squeeze from the tube, or you can put it on a Q tip – then when you wake up, your eyes feel moist,” she directed. “Your vision will be blurry because it’s like having Vaseline in your eyes.”

Hilal-Campo said that the application of heat through the use of eye masks warms up the oils that are in the meibomian glands so that the oils come out of the eyes more easily and enter into the tear film. This stabilizes the outer tear film so that the tears don’t evaporate as quickly.

“There’s a brand called Bruder,” she said. “To use their heated eye masks, place them in the microwave and put on the eye masks for 10 to 15 minutes.” Hilal-Campo recommends doing this process twice daily.

The Bruder heated eye mask is washable, reusable and naturally antibacterial.

A few years ago, my own personal eye doctor also told me about the benefits of using heat to treat dry eyes and pulled up this exact mask on his desktop computer. I liked that, rather than using a microwave to emit heat, this one has a built-in heat element that turns on when plugged in. It is filled with natural flax seeds to offer a slightly compressive, non-toxic remedy and a design that molds into those awkward gaps around the eyes and nose, which means there’s greater contact with the heat of the mask.

“Keeping a hot or cold mist humidifier on your desktop while you’re doing computer work and not blinking a lot will help keep your eyes and skin hydrated,” Hilal-Campo said, adding that a humidifier placed bedside can also help reduce dryness while you sleep.

Though she didn’t name a brand in particular, she suggests models that bring up the room’s humidity levels to at least 30%. Based on this recommendation, we found this affordable top-filling design by Levoit, which claims to help elevate humidity levels to as much as 55% in large rooms. This cool-mist, 2.5-liter capacity humidifier boasts easier cleaning compared to other filling designs and high-mist dispersion of up to 28 inches. It’s also made with BPA-free plastic.

Hilal-Campo said that if you’re going outside, you can wear wraparound sunglasses or goggles that will protect your eyes from the cold, tear-evaporating winds.

We found these scratch-resistant and UV-protective glasses that feature a wraparound protective guard on either side to minimize wind and that are large enough to fit over existing frames.

“People don’t seem to drink as much water to replace the evaporative dry heat. So, when you’re dehydrated in general, that also leaves less liquid to go into the aqueous of the tears,” Hilal-Campo said.

Getting an adequate daily intake can be challenging, but as a personal fan of Owala’s cult-favorite Free-Sip water bottles, I feel as though they encourage me to drink more water throughout the day. This could be because the clever dual-mouth spout allows drinkers to either sip or swig using the clever dual-mouth spout that conceals a non-folding and easy-to-clean drinking straw. Available in four sizes and tons of colors, these stainless steel bottles keep contents colder for longer and are 100% leakproof.

“Lastly, I recommend over-the-counter omega-3 supplements, like HydroEye or Blink,” Hilal-Campo said. “Both products contain a combination of oils and omega-3, specifically flaxseed oil, that helps support the oil layer of the tears.”

She tells her patients to take two capsules in the morning and two at night, though you should always speak to your own medical care practitioner before taking any supplements.