I Have Chronically Dry Eyes And This Is The $29 Product That My Doctor Recommended

Just 10 minutes a day with this electric heated eye mask can help your eyes produce more tears naturally.

Ever since I became a contact lens wearer many years ago, chronic dry eyes and I have become fast and familiar friends. That gritty feeling and overly red appearance only gets exacerbated by staring at a computer screen for long periods throughout the day. After a recent visit with my eye doctor, where I expressed my dryness-related woes, he pulled up this $29 electric eye mask on his computer and told me this would be an effective solution —and reviewers agree.

In all transparency, this wasn’t the first time an eye professional told me that heat application could help with dryness. However, this was the first time I had been suggested an option that was electric and didn’t require a microwave, wet washcloths or other more cumbersome methods that don’t stay hot.

The Aroma Season eye mask is filled with natural flax seeds to offer a slightly compressive, non-toxic remedy and a design that molds into those awkward gaps around the eyes and nose, which means there’s greater contact with the heat of the mask. The mask is also slimmer compared to previous renditions, which can be better for a more precise wear.

According to the brand, this mask uses a graphene heating element, which generates a deeply penetrating infrared heat that can assist with more than just eye dryness, but also styes, ocular migraines and more. The five temperature settings can be controlled using the attached controller, which can also be used for scheduling timer functions, an important safety feature if you accidentally end up falling asleep with the mask on. According to my eye doctor, just 10 minutes a day can be all you need to help with dryness symptoms, though it can vary from person to person.

To find out exactly how heat works to improve eye dryness I also reached out to an eye specioutside of my own healthcare provider. Dr. Anat Galor, a Miami, Florida-based ophthalmologist and clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said that in some individuals, abnormalities of the Meibomian glands — which are the glands in the eyelids that produce the oil component of tears — contribute to dry eye symptoms.