Is Wearing a Mask Causing Your Dry Eyes?

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By now, you've no doubt gotten the message: Wearing a face mask in public is crucial for preventing the spread of COVID-19. Those coverings protect us from the respiratory droplets that come

our way when an infected person coughs, sneezes or even talks. But those masks can come with an unwelcome side effect: specifically, dry eye.

A paper from researchers at the University of Utah, which appeared in the journal Ophthalmology and Therapy, noted a significant increase in the number of dry eye cases at local clinics

among regular mask wearers. This included both people who already had a diagnosis of the condition and were experiencing worsening symptoms, as well as those who had never had a problem with

dry eye, who were coming in and complaining of eye irritation. Professionals are calling it mask-associated dry eye (MADE).

According to the study, the finding “has important implications on eye health and infection prevention, as mask use is likely to continue for the foreseeable future."

Dry eye is a common condition that occurs when your tears aren't providing proper lubrication for your eyes. This may be because your eyes aren't producing enough tears or because the

quality of the tears your eyes are producing is poor. Nearly 5 million Americans know the symptoms, which can range from annoying to downright uncomfortable, all too well. Part of the

unpleasant picture: a scratchy “I've-got-something-in-my-eye” sensation, stinging, burning, blurred vision and redness.

Older people, who are more likely to get dry eye since the eyes’ tear function declines with age, are particularly prone to MADE symptoms, says Thomas Steinemann, M.D., an ophthalmologist

affiliated with MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, and clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Also vulnerable, he adds, are “the large number of us working

from home these days, doing a zillion Zoom calls and staring at our computer screens all day long.” Indeed, studies show that when focusing on a computer screen, people blink a whopping 66

percent less than they normally do, causing the tears that coat the eyes to evaporate more quickly.

Many suspect that the link between face masks and dry eye has to do with airflow. “When you exhale in a mask that doesn't have a tight fit, air can escape from the top of the mask and flow

across the surface of eyes,” says Steinemann. The moving air dries out the tear film, a thin layer of fluid covering the eye's surface. Poorly fitting masks can also cause problems, pulling

down the lower eyelids slightly, causing incomplete eyelid closure.