The director of the Dingwall branch of Specsavers has offered advice on a common winter ailment
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Gavin Wreath spoke out on the best way to protect eyes during the harsh winter months.
Cold weather can make eyes feel dry or cause them to water, and ears can becoming achey.
Mr Wreath, Dingwall optical director, said: "Dry eyes are very common in the winter months. The cold temperatures, dry air and windy conditions outdoors – combined with the dry air indoors from our central heating – can cause our eyes to become drier as tears evaporate from the eye’s surface.
"This can leave them feeling sore, scratchy and gritty. It also isn’t uncommon for vision to become slightly blurred and in some cases, eyes can even become more watery.
"Usually, glands in your eyelids secrete an oily substance that slows the evaporation of tears between blinks. When these glands don’t function properly, you may get dry patches on your eyes – known as dry eye syndrome. The patches become sore, and extra tears are produced as a reflex. This is the most likely cause of watery eyes.
"While it may sound counter intuitive, lubricating eye drops are usually the best way to treat watery eyes as a result of dry eye syndrome. It is also best to avoid activities that aggravate your symptoms. If you have persistent watery eyes it is always make an appointment to see your optometrist."
He also recommended that people put a bowl of water underneath a radiator in their home to crate some humidity.
The 20:20:20 rule is also important - look up from a screen every 20 minutes for 20 seconds at something 20 feet away.
In regards to protecting ears and hearing, Mallory Peter, Dingwall audiology director, shared her tips.
"Along with higher risk of ear infections this time of year, many will have experienced a painful earache in cold or windy weather. This is because our ears have very little insulating fat compared to elsewhere in the body leaving the nerve endings more exposed to the cold, which can trigger a pain response," she said.
"Cold weather can also trigger conditions such as tinnitus (ring or buzzing in the ears) due to changes in our circulation when the body reacts to the lower temperature. The best thing to do is to try and cover your ears when you go outside to keep them warm.
"Hearing aid users may also find that there is more condensation on their devices when coming in from the cold weather, in the same way your glasses may fog up suddenly. This moisture can condense inside the casing of the instrument which can often damage the sensitive electronics. Although there is no way of preventing this from happening, you can at least give them a wipe with a tissue to remove any excess moisture from the outside of the instrument itself."
For more information or to book an appointment, visit the website.
