Recognizing Dry Eyes Syndrome and It's Treatment

If you've ever had burning, itchy, red eyes, you're likely one of these people who badly experience dry eye syndrome, which is often called"DRY EYE". The condition badly affects more than 26 million people in America. Almost half of all the adults experience dry eyes simultaneously, and acute cases may enhance likelihood after the age of 50. 

Both women and men appear to suffer from dry eyes at various rates. If you're female, you are nearly twice as likely to experience dry eyes than men of a similar age due to the hormonal changes caused by menopause and pregnancy.

If you're one of those many who struggles with dry eyes syndrome, don't have to suffer. Knowing the causes and symptoms of the condition can help you determine effective treatments. Most of these can be self-administered.

Some Common Symptoms of Dry Eye Syndrome

The dry eye syndrome symptoms can vary across various people, and dry eye syndrome is a diagnosis if you badly experience the following symptoms.

• Redeye's
• Light sensitivity
• Itchy eyes
• A feeling of dryness in the eyes
• Sore or burning eyes
• Blurred vision

A standard/common but somewhat counter-intuitive symptom of dry eyes is watery eyes or excessive tear production. This is due to the dryness on the surface of your eyes triggering tears as a protective mechanism. However, badly these excess tears do not alleviate dry eyes as they do not stay present enough to counteract the condition.

Reasons for Dry Eye Syndrome

Various factors can contribute to dry eyes, and age is an easily identifiable and common contributor. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), many people over the age of 65 experience causes of dry eye syndrome.

However, the environment is also another common reason for dry eyes. If you spend a lot of time in windy weather conditions or outdoors in dry climates, you're likely to experience dry eyes. Indoor air quality is essential. Ceiling fans and air conditioners move air around a house, removing humidity from the air and allergens and stirring up dust that can lead to dry eyes. However, if you fly frequently, may you notice that the dehydrated air in planes causes eye issues.

A modern reason for dry eye symptoms is smartphones, television, tablets, and computers. Almost average adults spend more than 10 hours in a day looking at the different screens. People tend not to blink as frequently and entirely when staring at the screen, enhancing tear evaporation and dry eye symptoms.

Eventually, different medications and health conditions can contribute to dry eyes. Common issues like diabetes, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis have been liked to dry eye syndrome. Medications that lead to dry eyes include antidepressants, widely used drugs such as birth control pills and antihistamines, and blood pressure medications.

Treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome Problem

A vast range of treatments exists for dry eyes, and their use depends on the persistence and severity of symptoms. For different people, over-the-counter eye drops formulated to simulate tears will alleviate dry eyes. For more severe cases or those caused by the underlying condition, your eye specialist may suggest other treatments.

If you can't respond well to the artificial tears, your eye specialist may prescribe a cholinergic drug, which increases natural tears production. However, ointments or prescription drops are used to reduce eyelids' inflammation, preventing glands from introducing oil that increases lubrication and helps you prevent evaporation into your tears.

Moreover, if you've severe dry eye symptoms that don't appear to respond to other treatments, another alternative is autologous blood serum drops. However, these eye drops are made by removing the red blood cells from your blood and mixing it with the salt solution to mimic your tears' composition.

Sometimes medications and eye drops don't work, but physical changes to the eye parts control the hydration will. In few patients, tear ducts that drain tears can allow them to drain quickly. In these situations, doctors plug the ducts with removable silicon device which is called punctual plugs. However, your eye specialist can permanently close the ducts with the procedure called thermal cautery.

Moreover, all other physical techniques for alleviating dry eyes include a procedure called LipiFlow, which gives a gentle massage to the eye to unblock clogged oil glands. Those glands can be unclogged by a combination of pulsed massage and light.

Self-Care to stop Dry Eyes

There're different steps you can take to prevent dry eye syndrome and establish simple routines. Some of these steps are:

It was blinking when reading from a tablet or phone or using a computer.

I am drinking plenty of water to keep your body well hydrated.

You are taking dietary supplements, like those containing omega-3 fatty acids, to help you avoid the causes of dry eye syndrome.

She was wearing sunglasses when outdoors to protect herself from wind and block both UV rays.

The commonly prescribed routine that takes a bit of getting used to is daily washing of eyelids and eyes with the baby shampoo. When you get past the idea of rubbering soap into your eyes, you may find that it's a relaxing, comfortable ritual that can prevent dry eyes but can treat mild cases of dry eyes syndrome.

Eventually, the essential part of self-care is knowing when to consult your doctor. While symptoms of dry eyes syndrome are obvious, they affect everyone differently. It is possible for a person experiencing agonizing symptoms to have a mild case of dry eyes while another person does not realize they have severe dry eye issues until a doctor recognizes it. They are seeing an ophthalmologist or optometrist once a year.

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