Your dry eye lifestyle choices explained

No one is disputing that the causes of your dry eye are rooted in physiological changes to your body, this could be due to natural aging, certain health conditions and medications. However, a recent scientific report published in Nature stated that dry eye is increasingly being considered a lifestyle condition. There is mounting evidence that you have it in your power to minimise the severity of your dry eye symptoms through the everyday decisions that you make. In fact, for the mildest symptoms some eye care professionals may initially suggest managing symptoms with lifestyle changes alone.

Remember, because dry eye disease does not go away anything you can do to take control of its progression needs to be given serious consideration. The Dry Eye Zone explains more about these contributory factors and how they impact your dry eye.

Try to limit screen time

With so many working days centred around the digital devices this is easier said than done. However, working at a screen has the effect of reducing the natural blink rate, this means fewer tears are produced and spread over the surface of the eye. You can help protect your eyes my taking mixing up work tasks so you take regular breaks from the screen. And if you are screen dependent make sure you practice the 20-20-20 rule. (Every 20 minutes focus your eyes on an object 20 meters away for 20 seconds.)

Get moving

There is also evidence to link sedentary life styles and a lack of physical exercise to the incidence of dry eye. Furthermore, a regular exercise programme has been shown to reduce symptoms in people who already suffer from dry eye disease. The reasons for this are not fully understood but aerobic exercise is proven to be associated with relief of dry-eye associated symptoms and increased tear production and stability.

Make sure you are getting enough sleep

There is an increasingly significant correlation between poor sleep quality and many health concerns – both mental and physical. Studies have linked a lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep to an increased incidence of dry eye disease. Although the reasons for this are not fully understood the message is clear – get those zzzZZZZZ in and look after your eyes.

Stay chilled

Several studies have indicated that a higher psychological stress level is associated with an increase in dry eye symptoms. It is not clear why this happens, but dry eye disease has long been linked with increased levels of anxiety and even depression. Taking time to relax is important in lots of ways – you can now include your dry eye too.

Do not over wear your contact lenses

We all love the freedom contact lenses offer but they can disrupt the structure of your natural tears. The contact lens wear can destabilise the protective outer layer of your tears (the lipid layer) and allow an increased rate of moisture evaporation from the eye – ultimately leading to dry feeling eyes.

The Dry Eye Zone recommends that you support your natural tears with contact lens friendly dry eye drops through-out the day to minimise any impact

Create the right environment

Simple changes at home can help too. Turn down the central heating to prevent excessive evaporation of moisture from the surface of the eye. You should also try to avoid drying out the air too much, the use of a humidifier will help. Rather than buying a humidifier you could improvise by hanging a damp towel over the radiator.

Fresh air? The jury is out

Although there are studies which link extreme heat or cold weather and wind to increased dry eye issues, there is also published data which indicates that because outdoor activity takes you away from screens and increases exercise levels it will also help reduce the risk of dry eye.

The Dry Eye Zone recommends wearing wrap-around sun glasses (even if the sun is not shining) if you are out and about. That way you can enjoy the fresh air but protect your dry eyes.

Think before you apply make-up

If you suffer from dry eye you do not need to say good-bye to wearing eye make-up, but you do need to make sure you are using good quality products which are free from the harsh chemicals which can make your symptoms worse. Avoiding eye-liner inside the eyelash line is important as it could block important tear producing glands. You can find useful advice on applying make-up with dry eyes at the Dry Eye Zone. 

Think about the bigger picture – diet

Dry eye is an inflammatory disease, the inclusion of anti-inflammatory food sources can be part of a more holistic approach to symptom management. In particular, Omega-3 oils have an anti-inflammatory role which has been demonstrated to help with dry eye.

Increased alcohol consumption was a strong indicator of dry eye symptoms but you can keep the coffee coming – increased levels of caffeine from coffee have been show to help reduce dry eye symptoms.

You can learn more about all things dry eye related at the DRY EYE ZONE. Don’t forget to subscribe to the regular free information and research updates.

If you are experiencing dry eye symptoms then you should ask the advice of your eye care professional. Why not book your next eye examination with an independent optician today.

Sources:

Song, K., Ye, S., Li, S. et al. Patients’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding lifestyle related dry eye. Sci Rep 15, 12050 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-97290-y

Graham, A.D., Wang, J., Kothapalli, T. et al. Artificial intelligence models utilize lifestyle factors to predict dry eye related outcomes. Sci Rep 15, 13378 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-96778-x

Hanyuda A, Sawada N, Uchino M, Kawashima M, Yuki K, Tsubota K, Yamagishi K, Iso H, Yasuda N, Saito I, Kato T, Abe Y, Arima K, Tanno K, Sakata K, Shimazu T, Yamaji T, Goto A, Inoue M, Iwasaki M, Tsugane S; JPHC-NEXT Study Group. Physical inactivity, prolonged sedentary behaviors, and use of visual display terminals as potential risk factors for dry eye disease: JPHC-NEXT study. Ocul Surf. 2020 Jan;18(1):56-63. doi: 10.1016/j.jtos.2019.09.007. Epub 2019 Sep 26. PMID: 31563549.

Navarro-Lopez, S., Moya-Ramón, M., Gallar, J., Carracedo, G. & Aracil-Marco, A. Effects of physical activity/exercise on tear film characteristics and dry eye associated symptoms: A literature review. Cont. Lens Anterior Eye. 46, 101854 (2023).

Hanyuda, A. et al. Relationship between unhealthy sleep status and dry eye symptoms in a Japanese population: the JPHC-NEXT study. Ocul Surf. 21, 306–312 (2021).

Asbell, P. A., Maguire, M. G., Peskin, E., Bunya, V. Y. & Kuklinski, E. J. Dry eye assessment and management (DREAM©) study: Study design and baseline characteristics. Contemp. Clin. Trials. 71, 70–79 (2018).

Wolffsohn JS, Wang MTM, Vidal-Rohr M, Menduni F, Dhallu S, Ipek T, Acar D, Recchioni A, France A, Kingsnorth A, Craig JP. Demographic and lifestyle risk factors of dry eye disease subtypes: A cross-sectional study. Ocul Surf. 2021 Jul;21:58-63. doi: 10.1016/j.jtos.2021.05.001. Epub 2021 May 15. PMID: 33965652.

Wang MTM, Muntz A, Mamidi B, Wolffsohn JS, Craig JP. Modifiable lifestyle risk factors for dry eye disease. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2021 Dec;44(6):101409. doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2021.01.004. Epub 2021 Jan 21. PMID: 33485806.

Wanju Yang, Haoyu Wang, Jinghua Li, Yuan Chen, Yu Zhang, Xiaoxia Niu, Xiujun Song, Yuhong Tang, Dan Chen, Honglin Han, Hai Huang, Ying Bao, Xiaofeng Li, Jianzhang Ye, Yu Zheng, Xiangxi Chen, Chang Liu, Congxiang Wang, Tiehong Chen, Bin Yu, Jingyan Yan, Kuiliang Yang, Han Zhang, Qingyan Zeng, Shaowei Li, Demographic and lifestyle factors associated with dry eye disease in China: A cross-sectional multi-center study, The Ocular Surface, Volume 34, 2024, Pages 146-155, ISSN 1542-0124, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtos.2024.07.007.

Jeremy Chung Bo Chiang, James S. Wolffsohn, Perspectives of dry eye patients in the United Kingdom on risk factors and desired treatment outcomes, Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, Volume 48, Issue 2, 2025, 102340, ISSN 1367-0484,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2024.102340.