Don't hold back, tears are good for eye health, emotional wellbeing

It is officially the most depressing day of the year and the dark, cold days are enough to make anyone feel down.

But rather than keep your feelings bottled up, Specsavers is urging Brits not to hold back their tears.

A good cry offers a relief of emotion - and does wonders for your eye health too.

Specsavers clinical spokesperson Dr Nigel Best says: "When we don’t have enough tears to lubricate our eyes they can become dry and irritated and we can even start to get slightly blurred vision."

This dryness which occurs when we do not have enough lubrication in our eyes is often referred to as dry eye syndrome, and can be extremely uncomfortable.

Dr Best says: "When an individual has a dry eye the surface of the eye becomes inflamed.

"This inflammation further damages the cells which are responsible for tear production, resulting in a vicious circle of increasing inflammation and dryness."