If you live in a city with a lot of pollution, your lungs are not the only part of your body that are at risk. If you are not careful, pollution can cause several eye problems, ranging from irritating to severe. Air pollution like gas, particles, and debris can get into your eyes and scratch your cornea or cause other symptoms like itching, burning, dryness, or redness.

When you are in an area with poor air quality, it is important for you to take steps to minimize the amount of damage air pollution can cause. Consider practicing these tips that will help protect your eyes from air pollution.

Limit Exposure to Pollution

One of the easiest ways to protect your eyes from pollution is to stay indoors on days when pollution levels are high. By limiting your exposure to the pollution, you are keeping your eyes safe from pollutants in the air. While indoors, run a humidifier or consider purchasing an air filtration system to help protect your eyes.

Wear Protective Eyewear

If going outside when the pollution is high is unavoidable, you should take precautions to make sure you are keeping your eyes as safe as possible. Wear protective eyewear like sunglasses when you head outside. Avoid wearing contact lenses if possible as these lenses can cause further eye problems if they collect particles. When you come back inside,wash your eyes well to rinse out any pollutants.

Avoid Touching Your Eyes

While this can be easier said than done, especially when pollution is aggravating your eyes, you should always avoidtouching your eyes if you want to protect them from harm. Many people aretempted to rub their eyes when they feel dry or irritated, but this only aidsthe spread of germs and particles to the eyes. Therefore, this increases yourrisk of scratching your cornea or otherwise damaging your eyes.

Use Eye Drops

Eye drops can help alleviate the symptoms of dry eye while also keeping your eyes free of particles and pollutants. Eye drops will help you protect your cornea from harmful elements in the air, so you should use them regularly when you are in areas with high pollution. While other actions, like blinking frequently, can help keep your eyes moist, they are not a substitute for using eye drops.

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