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Dry eye: How you can treat it...

Red eyes, itching, blurred vision: these are the most common symptoms of dry eyes that affect many people making their daily life difficult.

Most people have experienced at some point in their lives the unpleasant feeling of itching, excessive tearing, redness and itching caused when dry eyes develop. For many people, however, dry eye is not a temporary nuisance, but a persistent problem that affects their quality of life by making their daily life difficult. 

What is dry eye and what causes it?

Dry eye syndrome develops when the tear ducts do not produce sufficient amounts of tears or when the tears produced are not of sufficient quality. Dry eye syndrome can have many causes. One of the most common causes is the aging process. As we age, our bodies produce less oil, 60% less at age 65 than at age 18. Without the necessary “lubricant,” the oily layer cannot cover the entire tear film, leaving areas of cornea dry.


Other factors such as heat, dryness and wind, high altitude and cigarette smoke also cause dry eyes. Many people experience dry eyes when reading or working in front of a computer screen. Frequent blink breaks provide hydration to the eyes and relieve symptoms.

Contact lens wearers may also experience dryness because contact lenses absorb the tear film, creating long-term protein deposits on the contact lens. Also, certain medications, thyroid problems, lack of vitamin A and diseases such as Parkinson's can also cause dry eyes. Women often experience dryness during menopause due to hormonal changes.

Treatment

The most common treatment approach is artificial tears. Many find relief only by using artificial tears on a daily basis. Some of these products are watery and relieve symptoms for a short time. Others are thicker and adhere to the eye for a longer period of time. Preservative-free artificial tears are more often recommended because they provide more relief, and because they are preservative-free they do not cause additional irritation