The holiday season is here and everyone is thinking about parties, presents and spending time with family and friends. Here at Davis Eyecare Associates, your Chicago eye care specialists, we’re also thinking about your eye health!

We want to make sure you enjoy all the festive fun and don’t spend the holidays dealing with an eye injury or visual discomfort. To make sure that happens, here are our Christmas tips for healthy vision over the festive season:

1) Drink lots of water

With temperatures in the low thirties, dry, windy weather and the heat turned up high at home, your eyes could feel drier than usual. If you’re indulging in some rum-filled eggnog or other alcoholic beverages, staying hydrated will be even more challenging. Dehydration makes it harder for your eyes to stay lubricated so make sure you drink lots of water and if your eyes are still feeling dry, visit your eye doctor in Oak Lawn to enquire about which eye drops could help.

2) Drive with your sunglasses on

The sun sits lower in the sky in winter and that means more glare on the roads. Snowfall can make glare worse. Whether you’re driving across the city, state or country, make sure you wear a pair of designer eyeglasses to protect your eyes against glare and make your drive a safer one.

3) Take care when decorating

Cutting and decorating the tree is all good fun until someone gets their eye poked with a pine needle or decoration. If you’re tree-cutting, wear protective eyewear. If you’re decorating the tree, make sure someone holds the stool or ladder still when you’re reaching for the top. If you’ve got young kids around too, avoid putting up decorations that could easily break if they’re pulled off or fall.

4) Take a break from the screen

Christmas Day can finally give you time to sit back and watch the game or browse online for those impending after-Christmas sales. But extended screen time reduces your blink rate and as blinking keeps your eyes lubricated, you could end up with tired, dry eyes. Follow the 20-20-20 rule; take a break every 20 minutes for 20 seconds and look at something 20 feet away.

5) Avoid social smoking

It’s easier to avoid smoking when you’re busy at work or juggling the usual daily chores. But when the holiday season arrives, and you find yourself at parties, you might be tempted to give in to some social smoking. Smoking, even for a short while, can dry your eyes out and should you find yourself getting hooked, it can lead to an increased risk of a whole host of eye diseases. So if someone offers you a smoke, politely say no.

Take these tips on board and enjoy the holidays with healthy vision. If you’re worried about any aspect of your eye health and want to enjoy peace of mind this Christmas, book an appointment with one of our experienced eye doctors at Davis Eyecare Associates. We’ll be happy to help you see clearly this Christmas and year-round.