September 17, 2025 • 10 mins
Protecting Your Eyes This Fall: Expert Advice from Dr. Elise Kramer
As the crisp air of fall rolls in, so do unique challenges for our eye health. Between drier indoor air, seasonal allergies, and increased screen time, many people experience irritation, fatigue, or dryness that can make daily life uncomfortable. Fortunately, there are simple ways to protect your vision and keep your eyes feeling refreshed throughout the season.
Dry Air & Heating SystemsWhen temperatures drop, heaters go on—and humidity levels plummet. Dry indoor air pulls moisture from your eyes, leaving them irritated or gritty. Dr. Elise Kramer, a Harvard-trained eye health expert, recommends using a humidifier to restore moisture in your home and following the “20-20-20” rule: every 20 minutes of screen use, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
Ragweed AllergiesFall is peak season for ragweed pollen, a major trigger for itchy, watery eyes. Allergic conjunctivitis can make it difficult to focus, especially outdoors. Dr. Kramer suggests wearing wraparound sunglasses to block pollen and using preservative-free artificial tears to flush irritants from your eyes. If symptoms persist, over-the-counter antihistamine eye drops may help.
Screen FatigueShorter daylight hours often mean longer evenings indoors—often spent in front of computers, phones, and TVs. Extended screen time can cause digital eye strain, leading to headaches and blurred vision. Dr. Kramer advises adjusting screen brightness to match your environment, keeping screens at least 20 inches away, and ensuring you blink frequently to keep eyes lubricated.
Final WordFall is a beautiful season, but it does bring eye health challenges. With a few proactive steps—like humidifying your home, guarding against allergens, and managing screen use—you can keep your vision clear and comfortable. Thanks for joining us for this timely conversation with Dr. Elise Kramer.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/late-night-health-radio--2804369/support.
As the crisp air of fall rolls in, so do unique challenges for our eye health. Between drier indoor air, seasonal allergies, and increased screen time, many people experience irritation, fatigue, or dryness that can make daily life uncomfortable. Fortunately, there are simple ways to protect your vision and keep your eyes feeling refreshed throughout the season.
Dry Air & Heating SystemsWhen temperatures drop, heaters go on—and humidity levels plummet. Dry indoor air pulls moisture from your eyes, leaving them irritated or gritty. Dr. Elise Kramer, a Harvard-trained eye health expert, recommends using a humidifier to restore moisture in your home and following the “20-20-20” rule: every 20 minutes of screen use, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
Ragweed AllergiesFall is peak season for ragweed pollen, a major trigger for itchy, watery eyes. Allergic conjunctivitis can make it difficult to focus, especially outdoors. Dr. Kramer suggests wearing wraparound sunglasses to block pollen and using preservative-free artificial tears to flush irritants from your eyes. If symptoms persist, over-the-counter antihistamine eye drops may help.
Screen FatigueShorter daylight hours often mean longer evenings indoors—often spent in front of computers, phones, and TVs. Extended screen time can cause digital eye strain, leading to headaches and blurred vision. Dr. Kramer advises adjusting screen brightness to match your environment, keeping screens at least 20 inches away, and ensuring you blink frequently to keep eyes lubricated.
Final WordFall is a beautiful season, but it does bring eye health challenges. With a few proactive steps—like humidifying your home, guarding against allergens, and managing screen use—you can keep your vision clear and comfortable. Thanks for joining us for this timely conversation with Dr. Elise Kramer.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/late-night-health-radio--2804369/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yes, and yes, it is extremely common. We see it
actually in most people, and you can have dry eye
without knowing it. And sometimes it takes that little trigger
like dehydrated air from heating systems, ragweed, allergies and increased
screen use can all trigger these symptoms, right, and then
(00:21):
it just like it almost happens overnight, but it was
really there the whole time. And that's why I've partnered
with Their Tears to remind everyone that caring for dry
eyes isn't just about comfort, but it's also about finding
solutions for long lasting relief.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
It's funny because I recently was at my optometrist and
she said, oh, you have dry eye. I didn't know that, yeah,
And that's why I asked the question because my wife
has dry eye and often uses there are tears actually
(01:01):
on a regular basis. Now I'm using it using them
as well. What else can we do to prevent dry eye? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:13):
So I think every eye is different, right, For example,
like you feel it, your wife feels it, so she's
treating it, and you didn't know you had it, which
means you probably didn't really have symptoms.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
So everyone's different.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
And their Tiers really addresses that with options like preservative
free drops, gel formulas for overnight relief, there's products for
every day or all day relief, and that range really
allows people to choose what works best for their lifestyle.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
So whether you're working or you're outdoors it's nighttime. And
also like don't wait until discomfort becomes a bigger problem,
Like if you know you have this or something's off,
just definitely prioritize treating that. And there's simple steps like
that you can do at home or you're in your office,
like adjusting indoor humanity, staying hydrated super important, right, drinking
(02:03):
water and blinking your eyes frequently, so taking breaks from
your screen that can also help. But for persistent dryness,
options like their tears can really make a difference.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
How do we stay away from our screen? I mean
I live, it's great.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Yeah, and most people do.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
I think it's you know, we have this fun rule
in optometry, which is the twenty twenty twenty rule, which
is basically every twenty minutes, taking like a short twenty
second break and looking twenty feet away.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
And that allows you to really just take breaks.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
And I tell people to leave their their tiers next
to their computers so that it kind of reminds them
to blink, but also to use the drops throughout the day.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Also, and you're from Montreal, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
I am, Yes, I am from Montreal.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
My father in law was from there and always promised me,
I'm trying to think of a pepper beef salt bey. Anyway,
it was instead of ASTROMI it was it was something.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
And I finally smoked meat.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Probably smoked meat, right, That's that's like, Yeah, that's that's
what I'm Trella is known for.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yeah, exactly. We tried to sneak some into the US
when we were there and they took it. Uh with eyes.
Preservative free would seem to me to be the way
to go because there can be complications from preservatives.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
I love the preservative free formulations. That's it's a great formulation. Again,
I think you know, one of the key things about
their tears is also that it's really the only over
the counter dry.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Eye drop with five vital electrolytes.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
So electrolytes are what we have in our natural tiers
and so these are sodium, potassium, by carbonate, magnesium, calcium,
and so that balance really supports hydration that lasts and
that can really make a difference with even when seasonal
dryness is really bad.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
And then, as you mentioned, having.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
No preservatives is also great, and their tears has a
great preservative free formulation.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
You specialize in ocular surface disease. What is that?
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah, so that's a fancy way of saying dry eye
and allergies, but you know all these things. Basically, ocular
surface disease really means inflammation of the of the eye,
like on the surface, right, And so a lot of
things contribute to that, and so dry eye is one.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Of those things.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Allergies is another one of those things. And when again,
when you have these triggers like drier air less humidity
in the air, that leads to either not producing enough
tears or tiers evaporating too quickly, and that imbalance causes
the inflammation.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
So that's what I specialize in.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
And when you have eye care that science back like
their tears, these key ingredients that I was telling you
about really work together to support hydrated and balanced eyes
and that leaves them feeling nourished and comfortable.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
One of the things that we mentioned is that you
can have dry eye like me and not know it.
Should everybody be squirting their eyes on a regular basis,
just in case.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
It's a good question.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
So I think it's important to you know, get your
eyes checked by an eye care practitioner who can determine,
you know, if you do have underlying dry eye, and
then you know if you do, like you may not
have symptoms as you mentioned, or you may have symptoms
once in a while.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Or all the time.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
And so it's important to you know, ask your eye
care practitioner. And I think there are tears is a
great eye drop to have. It's it's got all the
science back formulations, it's got those five electrolytes that I
was telling you about that mimic the natural tears, And
so asking your I care practitioner.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
About it and what happens if you have dry iron,
you don't use drops of any kind.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
So without them, your eyes, like I said, it really
sometimes don't produce enough tears. And sometimes they do produce
enough tears, but they evaporate too quickly, and certainly when
you're on a screen and you're not blinking enough, that
can just exacerbate and just make it worse. And that
tearfilm instability leads to inflammation, which leads to more tearfilm instability,
(06:34):
which leads to more inflammation. So it's this vicious cycle, right,
and their tears really gives patients peace of mind knowing
that they're using something that's created by experts and that's
proven in studies with long lasting reliefs. So that level
of science gives you more than just comfort. It really
gives that the relief that you're using something truly effective.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
And can can dry eye affect your vision.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Yeah, so when the eyes are dry and you have
tearfilm instability, that leads to inflammation, which can lead to
fluctuations in your vision because before your eye itself, there's
actually a layer of tears, and if that tearfilm is unstable,
then it can cause visual fluctuation.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Think of like your.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Phone camera when it's not clear, when it's dirty a
little bit, that can lead to photo being blurry, right,
And so it's the same kind of thing with your eyes,
very much like a camera. So if that tearfilm is unstable,
then it can cause a vision to fluctuate. So that's
why these it's important to look for key ingredients in
the eye drops that you're using that support hydrated and
(07:46):
balanced eyes, Like there are tears which leaves them feeling nourish, uncomfortable.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
And as people get older with cataracts, glackcoma and things
like that can tear. If there are tears and eye drops,
can they at least help make the situation comfortable.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
So you know, the cataracts in glaucoma don't really affect
the ocular surface per se. There's a lot of glaucoma
drops that have preservatives which can exacerbate dryness, so make
dryness worse sometimes. And I think having a balance also
(08:31):
and using a drop that can help restore that tear
film stability is important in these situations. And obviously every
situation is different. And I think you know one thing
about there are Tears is that it addresses Like I said,
it has different formulation preservative free drops, gel formulas and
(08:53):
products for every day that just has to be tailored
to you and your lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Doctor Kramer, thank you very much for sharing this information.
I know that in coming weeks I will be squirting
more their thera tears because I've been told to do
that on a regular basis. And if you want information
on theratis, it's very easy go to theratears dot com
(09:23):
and that's th h e R A tears dot com
and I'm looking for some of that smoked meat when
you go back home.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Same here. Thank you so much again for having me.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Thank you. This is late night Health
Yes, and yes, it is extremely common. We see it
actually in most people, and you can have dry eye
without knowing it. And sometimes it takes that little trigger
like dehydrated air from heating systems, ragweed, allergies and increased
screen use can all trigger these symptoms, right, and then
(00:21):
it just like it almost happens overnight, but it was
really there the whole time. And that's why I've partnered
with Their Tears to remind everyone that caring for dry
eyes isn't just about comfort, but it's also about finding
solutions for long lasting relief.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
It's funny because I recently was at my optometrist and
she said, oh, you have dry eye. I didn't know that, yeah,
And that's why I asked the question because my wife
has dry eye and often uses there are tears actually
(01:01):
on a regular basis. Now I'm using it using them
as well. What else can we do to prevent dry eye? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:13):
So I think every eye is different, right, For example,
like you feel it, your wife feels it, so she's
treating it, and you didn't know you had it, which
means you probably didn't really have symptoms.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
So everyone's different.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
And their Tiers really addresses that with options like preservative
free drops, gel formulas for overnight relief, there's products for
every day or all day relief, and that range really
allows people to choose what works best for their lifestyle.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
So whether you're working or you're outdoors it's nighttime. And
also like don't wait until discomfort becomes a bigger problem,
Like if you know you have this or something's off,
just definitely prioritize treating that. And there's simple steps like
that you can do at home or you're in your office,
like adjusting indoor humanity, staying hydrated super important, right, drinking
(02:03):
water and blinking your eyes frequently, so taking breaks from
your screen that can also help. But for persistent dryness,
options like their tears can really make a difference.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
How do we stay away from our screen? I mean
I live, it's great.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Yeah, and most people do.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
I think it's you know, we have this fun rule
in optometry, which is the twenty twenty twenty rule, which
is basically every twenty minutes, taking like a short twenty
second break and looking twenty feet away.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
And that allows you to really just take breaks.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
And I tell people to leave their their tiers next
to their computers so that it kind of reminds them
to blink, but also to use the drops throughout the day.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Also, and you're from Montreal, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
I am, Yes, I am from Montreal.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
My father in law was from there and always promised me,
I'm trying to think of a pepper beef salt bey. Anyway,
it was instead of ASTROMI it was it was something.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
And I finally smoked meat.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Probably smoked meat, right, That's that's like, Yeah, that's that's
what I'm Trella is known for.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yeah, exactly. We tried to sneak some into the US
when we were there and they took it. Uh with eyes.
Preservative free would seem to me to be the way
to go because there can be complications from preservatives.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
I love the preservative free formulations. That's it's a great formulation. Again,
I think you know, one of the key things about
their tears is also that it's really the only over
the counter dry.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Eye drop with five vital electrolytes.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
So electrolytes are what we have in our natural tiers
and so these are sodium, potassium, by carbonate, magnesium, calcium,
and so that balance really supports hydration that lasts and
that can really make a difference with even when seasonal
dryness is really bad.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
And then, as you mentioned, having.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
No preservatives is also great, and their tears has a
great preservative free formulation.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
You specialize in ocular surface disease. What is that?
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah, so that's a fancy way of saying dry eye
and allergies, but you know all these things. Basically, ocular
surface disease really means inflammation of the of the eye,
like on the surface, right, And so a lot of
things contribute to that, and so dry eye is one.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Of those things.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Allergies is another one of those things. And when again,
when you have these triggers like drier air less humidity
in the air, that leads to either not producing enough
tears or tiers evaporating too quickly, and that imbalance causes
the inflammation.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
So that's what I specialize in.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
And when you have eye care that science back like
their tears, these key ingredients that I was telling you
about really work together to support hydrated and balanced eyes
and that leaves them feeling nourished and comfortable.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
One of the things that we mentioned is that you
can have dry eye like me and not know it.
Should everybody be squirting their eyes on a regular basis,
just in case.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
It's a good question.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
So I think it's important to you know, get your
eyes checked by an eye care practitioner who can determine,
you know, if you do have underlying dry eye, and
then you know if you do, like you may not
have symptoms as you mentioned, or you may have symptoms
once in a while.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Or all the time.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
And so it's important to you know, ask your eye
care practitioner. And I think there are tears is a
great eye drop to have. It's it's got all the
science back formulations, it's got those five electrolytes that I
was telling you about that mimic the natural tears, And
so asking your I care practitioner.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
About it and what happens if you have dry iron,
you don't use drops of any kind.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
So without them, your eyes, like I said, it really
sometimes don't produce enough tears. And sometimes they do produce
enough tears, but they evaporate too quickly, and certainly when
you're on a screen and you're not blinking enough, that
can just exacerbate and just make it worse. And that
tearfilm instability leads to inflammation, which leads to more tearfilm instability,
(06:34):
which leads to more inflammation. So it's this vicious cycle, right,
and their tears really gives patients peace of mind knowing
that they're using something that's created by experts and that's
proven in studies with long lasting reliefs. So that level
of science gives you more than just comfort. It really
gives that the relief that you're using something truly effective.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
And can can dry eye affect your vision.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Yeah, so when the eyes are dry and you have
tearfilm instability, that leads to inflammation, which can lead to
fluctuations in your vision because before your eye itself, there's
actually a layer of tears, and if that tearfilm is unstable,
then it can cause visual fluctuation.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Think of like your.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Phone camera when it's not clear, when it's dirty a
little bit, that can lead to photo being blurry, right,
And so it's the same kind of thing with your eyes,
very much like a camera. So if that tearfilm is unstable,
then it can cause a vision to fluctuate. So that's
why these it's important to look for key ingredients in
the eye drops that you're using that support hydrated and
(07:46):
balanced eyes, Like there are tears which leaves them feeling nourish, uncomfortable.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
And as people get older with cataracts, glackcoma and things
like that can tear. If there are tears and eye drops,
can they at least help make the situation comfortable.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
So you know, the cataracts in glaucoma don't really affect
the ocular surface per se. There's a lot of glaucoma
drops that have preservatives which can exacerbate dryness, so make
dryness worse sometimes. And I think having a balance also
(08:31):
and using a drop that can help restore that tear
film stability is important in these situations. And obviously every
situation is different. And I think you know one thing
about there are Tears is that it addresses Like I said,
it has different formulation preservative free drops, gel formulas and
(08:53):
products for every day that just has to be tailored
to you and your lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Doctor Kramer, thank you very much for sharing this information.
I know that in coming weeks I will be squirting
more their thera tears because I've been told to do
that on a regular basis. And if you want information
on theratis, it's very easy go to theratears dot com
(09:23):
and that's th h e R A tears dot com
and I'm looking for some of that smoked meat when
you go back home.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Same here. Thank you so much again for having me.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Thank you. This is late night Health
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.