Here's A Doctor's Hope When Your Eyes Are Dry Due To Routines Using Masks

Mural gambar warga taat prokes mengenakan masker di tembok wilayah Jalan Wonokromo, Surabaya, pada Maret 2020. (Antara-Moch A)

JAKARTA - Dry eyes when wearing masks occur due to airflow problems. When a person breathes and the mask is not installed properly, the air can flow up and across the surface of the eye.

This condition encourages evaporation and in the end can dry the eyes. So, how to deal with it?

Citing Health via Antara, eye doctor at UCLA Health Vivian Shibayama, OD said dry eyes can be a painful problem and how much someone cares about this in the end depends on the severity of the symptoms

According to him, the first step to help alleviate eye problems is to ensure the mask is installed properly. Masks with nasal buffers that can be formed and ear hooks can be adjusted, can help ensure tighter installations.

If that doesn't work, the cinema specialist at Will's Eye Hospital Dr. Kanesa-thasan recommends folding the tissue into rolls and tucking it under the top of the mask. This is to add additional cushions to the top edge of the mask and prevent air from coming out, similar to placing a towel under the door to avoid the wind.

At night, try to do a warm compress with a warm wash with warm water and stick it to your eyes for a few minutes.

This method can help stimulate the Maybom glands that are responsible for the outer layers of tear oil and push more oil out of the glands.

And, with more oil in tears, the lubricant in the eyes will be less likely to evaporate quickly.

Using eye drops several times a day can also help. However, it only works for someone who doesn't use a contact lens.