Covid-19 Masks Inflame Dry Eyes

Masks & Dry Eyes

Why Your Eyes Are So Red and Itchy Lately

Mask wearing is critical to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but regularly wearing a mask for more extended periods can cause side effects. Maskne (acne from a mask), foggy glasses, and facial irritation are joined by yet another unpleasant effect, COVID Mask-Associated Dry Eye or MADE. 

So, since you likely need to wear your mask for the foreseeable future, you’ll want to learn more about how to fix dry eyes for dry eye relief.

What are the Symptoms of Dry Eye?

Contrary to belief, dry eyes are usually NOT caused by not producing enough tears.  Scientists and doctors estimate that over 85% of chronic dry eye cases are related to Meibomian Gland Dysfunction or MGD.  Basically, MGD describes the condition where glands in your eyelids that produce protective oils become clogged.  Without these oils to coat the outside of your tear film, moisture rapidly evaporates from your eyes, and you begin to suffer from one or more symptoms of dry eye syndrome. 

• Stinging or burning sensations
• Itchy eyes
• Feeling like something is in your eye
• Redness
• Light sensitivity
• Blurry vision

Many things can contribute to the development of dry eyes.  It could be your medications, eye make-up, laser eye surgery, wind, smoke, dry air, or too much screen time. And now, it could be about wearing your mask to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. All these add up, so dry eye symptoms have become even more common lately.

How a COVID Mask Causes Dry Eyes

Exactly how a COVID mask causes dry eyes has not been scientifically researched yet because it is so new. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any theories.

It could be that the changed airflow behind the mask contributes to dry eyes. As you breathe out, the air flows out the top of your mask and into your eyes. The evaporation then dries out your eyes.  

Sure, it sounds reasonable, but people using taped masks with a seal reducing or eliminating the airflow have dry eye symptoms, too. So, the guess in that situation is that the tape interferes with your lower eyelids’ normal movements. Masks that don’t fit well also interfere with lower eyelids, so it’s difficult to blink normally.

A Journal of Ophthalmology and Therapy report notes, “Widespread use of face masks, while essential for the prevention of novel coronavirus transmission, may cause ocular dryness and irritation.” The report goes on to say that those wearing masks regularly, for extended durations, appear to be more likely to show dry eye symptoms.

These new patients have not struggled with dry eye symptoms in the past. Still, symptoms are more common in the elderly, immunocompromised, and in-clinic staff who wear masks most of their working days.

How to Fix Dry Eyes Caused by Wearing a COVID Mask

If you suddenly notice dry eye symptoms, act quickly! Don’t continue to suffer! And don’t risk having dry eyes as a chronic condition after you stop wearing a mask.

• First, make sure you wear a well-fitting mask. Try several masks to see what fits your face shape best. Find a mask with a moldable nose bridge and adjustable earloops for a tighter fit.
• If you still have your breath escaping into your eyes, roll up tissue and tuck it under the top of your mask. The tissue adds a cushion that prevents air from escaping, like a towel by the base of a door avoids a draft.
• Some mask wearers find medical tape across their nose to seal the mask works well, but some tape causes skin irritation. Just remember to tape your mask to your cheek and not near your lower eyelid, so you don’t interfere with blinking.

How to Fix Dry Eyes with EverTears™

Many over the counter treatments for dry eye symptoms fall short because they deal with only a part of the problem and generally don’t address the underlying cause of dry eyes.  These therapies often require arduous, inconvenient routines.  Using artificial tears multiple times a day or wearing a non-sterile microwaved dry eye mask for 10-20 minutes gets tiresome, especially when you see no results.

So, a doctor in London invented EverTears! Combining a sterile, self-heating warm compress for dry eyes with a pre-moistened eyelid cleaning pad into one therapy reduces the time and expense of multiple products. Save time and money with one proven effective treatment!

Now we finally see sustained dry eye relief for patients with an effective, affordable, and easy to use treatment that addresses not just the symptoms but the cause.

– Dr. Michel Guillon

Many describe using EverTears medicated wipes and warm compress for dry eyes combination therapy as “a spa treatment for my eyes!”

Patented EverTears is an easy, affordable, over the counter (OTC) treatment you can buy without a prescription. For the first time, all of the most highly recommended therapies for dry eyes are combined in EverTears.

How EverTears Works to Relieve Dry Eye Symptoms

A simple, quick, and affordable treatment can improve your dry eye symptoms from wearing a COVID mask in just minutes a day. Three steps only take about 5 minutes!

• Activate the heat in less than 20 seconds
• Apply the warm compress to the eyelids 2-3 minutes
• Gently wipe the eyelid clean and repeat on the other eye

So, keep wearing your mask to protect yourself and others from the spread of COVID-19. But don’t suffer from dry eye symptoms any longer! Dry eye relief is now available without a prescription with EverTears.  RESOURCES: Moshirfar, M., West, W.B. & Marx, D.P. Face Mask-Associated Ocular Irritation and Dryness. Ophthalmol Ther 9, 397–400 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40123-020-00282-6