The Causes and Treatment Options for Dry Eye Condition
People suffering from this condition experience the following symptoms:
- Blurred vision
- Eye irritation
- Red eyes
- Fatigued eyes
- Discharge
What Are Its Causes?
- Medication
Mucus, water, and oil are the main components of tears. Certain types of medication, such as antidepressants and anti-histamine, are known to lower mucus production. These medications can facilitate the development of the dry eye. To avoid this, always consult with your doctor if you are experiencing eye dryness after taking any prescribed drug.
- Ageing
As you age, the chances of contracting the syndrome and the severity of the condition rises. People past 50 years of age are the most affected because of the decline in tear production asyou age. The use of artificial tears and extra lubrication is encouraged to relieve the dryness in such patients.
- Use of computers
Staring at a computer for long hours often leads to headaches, tension, and eyestrain. More so, it causes eye irritation and dry eyes as the act of staring at the monitor lower the number of times you blink. This results in tears evaporation at a rate beyond normal. However, regular blinking can help prevent this as the eyes get more lubrication. If this does not help, consider taking short breaks every once in a while.
- Deficiency in vitamin A
Vitamin A is known to improve one’s visual acuity and promotes the overall health of your eyes. You can boost the supply of vitamin A by eating the following foods: peppers, broccoli, spinach, carrots, fish, and eggs.
- Menopause
Dry eye is a condition that is greatly influenced by body hormones. This explains why some women will experience the symptoms during menopause or pregnancy. These hormones tend to stimulate tears production and are likely to cause an imbalance resulting in low tear production.
- Sjögren’s syndrome
This auto-immune disorder compels the white cells to destroy both the salivary and tear glands. This lowers tears production. Your physician may prescribe steroids or lubricating eye drops. If both are not efficient, you will have to opt for a silicone plug insertion surgery. The silicone plugs are used to preserve your tears.
Other Factors
Other factors also facilitate the thriving of dry eye conditions. Below is a list of the factors that we, at Founders Eyecare, have highlighted for you:
- Exposure to wind
- Allergies
- Dehydration
- Low humidity
- Smoking
- Laser surgery
- Auto-immune diseases
- Blepharitis
Treatment
For people with mild or occasional symptoms of dry eye, artificial tears can be used to suppress the symptoms. However, if the symptoms do persist, you will have to reconsider other treatment options depending on what triggers the condition.
Some of the various remedy options will focus more on improving the quality of your tears or reversing the factors that caused it. Some of these procedures include:
- Eyelid massage and light therapy–This treatment works best for people with a severe condition. It involves massaging the eyelids after undergoing intense light therapy.
- Unblocking the oil glands – There are various ways of unclogging the glands. You can either choose to use eye masks or warm compresses.
- Partial or complete closure of the tear ducts – This treatment is suggested to people whose tears leave the eye quickly. Silicone plugs are used if the patient chooses to close the ducts partially while thermal cautery offers a permanent solution.
- The use of tear-stimulating drugs – These drugs are used when there is low production of tears for the sole purpose of increasing its production. The drugs come in the form of pills, eye drops, or gel.
- Making eyedrops from the patient’s blood–This option is used mostly by people who have an extremely severe condition such that any other form of treatment is ineffective. The blood sample taken from the patient is processed to get rid of the red blood cells present. The resulting matter is then combined with a solution made from specific salts to form autologous serum drops.
- Adopting the use of drugs that help reduce inflammation of the eyelid – Eyelid inflammation forces the oil glands present in your eye to stop secreting oil in your tears. The use of antibiotics reduces the inflammation, thus reducing the symptoms of dry eyes.
Book an appointment or visit our clinic today and receive all types of optometry services from trained professionals. We are located at 4344 Woodlands Blvd STE 100, in Castle Rock, Colorado.