Is it better to use hot or cold compresses to relieve dry eyes? The answer to this question is finally here!

Recently, I received a question from a patient: I use the heater frequently now, and my eyes are dry, feel like there is something in them, and are painful. Someone recommended cold compresses. But I saw that many patients with dry eyes in the patient group were using hot compresses. Doctor, what should I choose?

Why do some people use cold compresses while others use hot compresses?

In dry eye home care, whether it is cold or hot is indeed a puzzling question. Today, Wuhan Aier Eye Hospital experts will answer it together!

Why does dry eyes occur?

In fact, everyone is familiar with dry eyes. To put it simply, it is the symptoms of dryness and stinging of the eyes caused by reduced basal tear secretion or excessive evaporation.

The surface of our cornea is covered with a tear film, which is used to protect the eyes from moisture. The tear film is composed of three layers: the innermost mucin mixed layer, the middle layer is the water layer, and the outermost layer is the lipid layer. If any of these layers has problems, the tear film will be unstable and dry eyes will occur.

Dry eye disease caused by different reasons has different treatment methods: for example, if the mucin layer is unhealthy, eye drops can be used to promote the goblet cells to secrete mucin; if the middle aqueous layer is lacking, preservative-free artificial tears can be used; if the outermost lipid layer is reduced, various means can be used to promote the meibomian glands to secrete oil.

So should you apply cold or hot compress?

The most common ways we hear about relieving dry eye symptoms are cold compresses and hot compresses. Many people find this strange, because aren’t these two completely different methods?

Yes, both cold and hot compresses can help relieve dry eyes. Eye patches on the market contain ingredients such as mint and borneol, which have a similar effect to cold compresses. Steam eye masks, on the other hand, use the principle of heating, which is similar to hot compresses.

So what is the difference between cold compress and hot compress, and how should you choose?

Cold compress

To discuss the effects of cold compresses, we need to introduce the concept of cold receptors. Cold receptors are widely present in human surface tissues and are very sensitive to temperature changes. They can cause nerve reflex reactions to regulate and protect the human body.

The human ocular surface also has abundant cold receptors. If the cold receptors are activated by cold compresses, it can induce a neural reflex arc to increase the number of blinks and increase basal tear secretion.

Some studies have shown that local cooling of the ocular surface can indeed increase basal tear secretion and improve dry eye syndrome.

Therefore, for dry eyes with reduced tear secretion, cold compresses can be used for treatment to promote basal tear secretion.

It is recommended to apply cold compress for about 15 minutes each time, 2-3 times a day.

Heat

The therapeutic effect of hot compress is to increase the temperature of the meibomian glands, liquefy the lipids in the meibomian glands, and facilitate secretion. At the same time, it increases local blood circulation and reduces inflammatory responses.

Therefore, hot compress is very important for treating dry eyes caused by meibomianitis (which can account for up to 70% or more of dry eyes).

There are many ways to apply hot compress to the meibomian glands. Now there are professional hot compress eye patches with a constant temperature of around 42.5 degrees, which are easy to use.

Here are some simple and easy-to-use hot compress methods (but when the eyes are in the inflammatory stage, hot compress cannot be used and you should go to the hospital for examination in time):

Hot towel compress

Use a clean towel and pour 40-50℃ hot water on it. It should be the same temperature as bath water before you can put it on your eyes for hot compress to ensure that your eyes are not damaged.

Generally repeat 3-5 times, about 10-15 minutes.

Fumigation and hot compress

You can use a cup that you drink water everyday, fill it with 4/5 of the hot water, and you can see the steam rising. Similarly, test the temperature with the back of your hand first, and if it is not hot, you can use the steam to apply hot compress to your eyes.

Keep your eyelids closed when applying hot compress, and each time should not be too long, about 5 minutes.

Eye mask hot compress

There are some professional hot compress eye masks now, the temperature of which is kept constant at around 42.5 degrees. It is more convenient to choose a reliable product.

One use lasts about 15-20 minutes.

No matter which hot compress method you use, you need to clean your eyes and face before applying the hot compress, especially for girls, who must remove their eye makeup.

In addition, although hot compress can relieve some discomfort, it cannot cure the disease. If the problem of dry eyes and visual fatigue is serious, you should still find an ophthalmologist for a careful diagnosis. Doctors also have more professional treatment methods, such as meibomian gland massage, OPT, LIPIFLOW, etc., which are more effective and more lasting for the treatment of dry eyes caused by meibomian gland dysfunction.