Everyone knows that proper hydration is a necessity for your overall health, but it might surprise you to learn how much your eyes depend on you drinking enough water. If you skimp on water through the day, these three things could end up being a problem for you.
1. Pressure
Eye pressure is a critical part of eye health. When pressure is too low or too high, it can potentially damage the tissues of your eyes. This can lead to discomfort, outright pain, or even blindness in severe cases. Eye pressure is closely linked to blood pressure. When your blood pressure isn't in a healthy range, it may cause the pressure in your eyes to follow suit. Unfortunately, dehydration can increase a person's blood pressure, so it's important to get enough water daily.
2. Dryness
Many people suffer from dry eyes, which can be due to environmental factors, like spending a lot of time in air conditioned spaces. However, it's also important to maintain your body's own natural hydration. Although you may not notice it, your eyes are constantly using tears produced by your tear ducts to keep the eyes lubricated and healthy. When your fluid intake is too low or you're otherwise dehydrated, this process doesn't work as well. This can leave your eyes feeling dry and sensitive.
For dry eyes, you should increase your water intake and consider using organic saline eye drops. These can help to lubricate your eyes naturally without any unwanted toxic pesticides or chemicals, but it's important to boost your natural hydration, too.
3. Tear Quality
Speaking of tears, if you wake up and notice that your vision seems blurry and that the surface of your eyes appears shiny or sticky, it may be due to dehydration. When you sleep, your tear ducts continuously lubricate and flush your eyes and the tear ducts themselves with naturally-produced tears. This helps to prevent toxins from building up in your tear ducts, and it's also why you can sometimes wake up with salty dust in the corners of your eyes. This is left over from the lubrication process.
Unfortunately, when you're dehydrated, there may not be enough water for your tear ducts to adequately flush out. This means that you can wake up with a sort of mucusy film on your eyes that successfully made it out of your tear ducts, but not off the surface of your eyes. Typically, you can get rid of this film by rinsing your eyes out with eye drops, but you won't' have this problem in the first place if you drink enough water.
Your body is naturally designed to use and rely on water. If you're not drinking enough, you're doing yourself a disservice. These and many more eye problems can be prevented or treated simply by drinking water and ensuring that you're getting the right minerals and vitamins to support eye health. If you're not sure if you're taking good enough care of your eyes, consider consulting with a natural eye health professional. They'll take a look at your diet, water intake, and overall health to make a tailored plan to get you back on track and to ensure that your eyes are healthy and comfortable for years to come.
For more information on natural eye care, contact your local eye doctor.
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