Dry Eye information
What is dry eye?
Dry eye is the loss or reduction of the eye’s normal ability to produce tears and/or the evaporation of the tears that are produced. It is one of the most frequent causes of visits to an eye care professional. A variety of factors may cause or contribute to this problem.
- Aging
- Medications, including antihistamines, birth control pills, diuretics, cardiovascular medications, pain relievers, and anti-inflammatories
- Eye strain from reading or computer work
- A dry environment
- Capping of the oil glands
What are the symptoms?
Typical symptoms of dry eye include
- Stinging or burning
- A gritty feeling
- Discharge that forms a crust at night
- Excess tearing
- Difficulty wearing contact lenses
How can you prevent dry eye?
There are three approaches to restoring the eyes’ moisture.
Minimizing drying
- Avoid dry situations, such as an overheated room, wind, and smoke
- Outdoors, wear wraparound glasses to reduce the drying effect of wind
- Hot compresses on the eyes to keep the oil (protective outer layer) producing glands in your lids open and flowing
Add lubrication
- Use eye drops to add moisture directly to your eyes, or if wearing contact lenses, use rewetting drops
- Use a humidifier
Conserve your own tears
- Your eye doctor may choose to temporarily or permanently close the canals that drain tears from your eye to your nose
Produce more tears
- Continued use of oral omega 3 supplements have shown to stimulate tear production
