Eye Care Tip of the Week #10

A Warm Compress Is One of the Best Treatments for Dry Eyes

One of the single best things you can do to help manage or prevent dry eye symptoms is to apply a warm compress over your eyes every day. 

A straightforward and efficient technique for performing warm compresses is to use a washcloth that is heated with tolerably warm water from the sink and directly apply the cloth over your closed eyes for about 5 minutes. To achieve the best results, you should do this every morning and every evening. 

Warm compresses help to loosen the oil within the meibomian glands of your eyelids and improve their viscosity. This oil layer mixes with your tears and prevents them from evaporating, which allows them to stick around longer and hence relieves dry eye symptoms. To an eye doctor, warm compresses are the equivalent of brushing your teeth. 

This Eye Care Tip of the Week is brought to you by: Dr. Ross McKenzie