Dry Eyes in Winter: Why It Happens and What Helps
Central heating, long hours at a screen and a changing diet all play a part. Here are the causes of dry eyes in winter and practical tips you can use at home.
Heated rooms lower the humidity of the air. In addition, you blink less in front of a screen, so tears evaporate faster from the eye surface. Humidifying the room, taking frequent screen breaks, drinking enough water and using preservative-free artificial tears reduce dryness noticeably. However, if your symptoms continue despite these steps, you need an eye exam, because an underlying cause such as eyelid inflammation may be present.
Why Dry Eyes in Winter Get Worse
Dry eye is a condition in which the tear film is too small in amount or too poor in quality, so the eye surface loses its balance. In winter, several factors come together:
- Dry air: Radiators and air conditioners lower the humidity of a room, so tears evaporate faster.
- Screens: We spend more time indoors on computers and phones. When we focus on a screen, we blink far less.
- Diet and fluids: In cold weather we drink less water and eat fewer fresh vegetables and less fish.
- Wind and cold: Outdoors, the tear layer breaks up more quickly.
“In winter we blink less in front of screens, our diet gets worse, and heating lowers the humidity of the air. Humidifying the room and resting your eyes from time to time helps a lot.”
— Prof. Dr. Fırat Helvacıoğlu, from the video
Dry eye treatment
Prof. Dr. Fırat Helvacıoğlu shares practical tips for the dryness that increases in winter.
Why do eyes get dry in winter?
The tear film is a thin layer with three parts. Dry heated air speeds up its evaporation, and reduced blinking at a screen slows its renewal.
- The tear filmThe oil, water and mucin layers together keep the eye surface moist, smooth and protected.
- Screens and blinkingWhen you focus on a screen, you blink less, and tears evaporate faster from the surface.
- Practical stepsHumidity, regular breaks, enough fluids and the right drops clearly reduce winter dryness.
Symptoms of dry eye
- Burning, stinging, or a gritty feeling as if sand were in the eye
- Eye fatigue that increases toward the end of the day
- Redness and sensitivity to light
- Fluctuating, blurry vision that clears when you blink
- Paradoxically, excessive watering: a dry eye reflexively produces too many tears
Dry eye is very common. It occurs more often in women, after age 40, in contact lens wearers and in the first months after laser eye surgery.
Home Tips for Dry Eyes in Winter
Environment and habits
- Use a humidifier in the room; if you have none, put a bowl of water on the radiator
- When you look at a screen, look away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes and blink on purpose
- Place the screen in front of you, at eye level or slightly below
- Do not point car or air conditioning vents at your face
Diet and care
- Drink enough water during the day
- Eat a balanced diet with fish, leafy green vegetables and nuts
- Keep the eyelid margins clean with a warm compress and lid hygiene
- Stay away from cigarette smoke
A diet rich in omega-3 is good for general health. However, studies on omega-3 supplements for dry eye give mixed results. In a large study of dry eye patients, a 12-month omega-3 supplement showed no clear advantage over placebo. Therefore, I recommend that you talk to your doctor before you start a supplement.
Choosing Drops for Dry Eyes in Winter
Artificial tears are the basic treatment for dry eye. If you will use them often during the day, choose preservative-free drops (single-dose units or special bottles). This is because some preservatives can irritate the eye surface when used frequently. Drops that remove redness, on the other hand, do not treat dry eye, so you should not use them for a long time.
When using drops
- Do not let the tip of the bottle touch your eye or eyelashes.
- Wait at least 5 minutes between different drops.
- If you wear contact lenses, choose drops that are compatible with lenses.
When do you need an exam?
You should see a doctor if your symptoms last for several weeks despite these steps. You should also come if you have eye pain, marked redness or reduced vision. Behind dry eye there may be blocked oil glands at the eyelid margin (blepharitis), rheumatic disease, thyroid disease or the medicines you take. During the exam, we measure the amount and quality of your tears, and we plan treatment according to the cause. For details, you can read our page on dry eye.
Frequently asked questions
Heated rooms dry the air, and we look at screens longer indoors, so we blink less. As a result, tears evaporate faster.
When the eye surface dries out, the eye reflexively makes extra tears of poor quality. Therefore, many people with dry eye actually complain of watering.
Yes, preservative-free artificial tears can be used safely several times a day when needed.
A diet rich in omega-3 is recommended for general health. However, studies on omega-3 supplements for dry eye give mixed results, so talk to your doctor before you start a supplement.
In most cases dry eye is a chronic condition. Even so, the symptoms can be well controlled with the right treatment and changes in habits.
Related pages
References
- Craig JP, Nichols KK, Akpek EK, et al. TFOS DEWS II Definition and Classification Report. Ocul Surf. 2017;15(3):276-283. doi:10.1016/j.jtos.2017.05.008
- Tsubota K, Nakamori K. Dry eyes and video display terminals. N Engl J Med. 1993;328(8):584. doi:10.1056/NEJM199302253280817
- Dry Eye Assessment and Management Study Research Group; Asbell PA, Maguire MG, et al. n-3 fatty acid supplementation for the treatment of dry eye disease. N Engl J Med. 2018;378(18):1681-1690. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1709691
- Toda I. Dry eye after LASIK. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018;59(14):DES109-DES115. doi:10.1167/iovs.17-23538
This article is for patient information only; it does not replace an examination or medical evaluation. The treatment that suits you is decided after an eye exam and measurements. Publication date: September 25, 2026.
Contact Prof. Dr. Fırat Helvacıoğlu with your questions
Prof. Dr. Fırat Helvacıoğlu · Veni Vidi Eye Clinic, Bağdat Cad. No: 257, Caddebostan – Kadıköy / Istanbul