Imagine blinking and feeling like sandpaper is scraping across your eyes. Hurts really bad, doesn’t it? Wait! How would your eyes feel if they were on fire? A constant burning sensation that wants you to drown your eyes in ice-cold water.
Unfortunately, this is what having dry eye syndrome feels like. Questioning what it is? Why does it happen? And what are the treatment options? Well, stick with us till the end, and you will learn all you need to know about dry eye syndrome and treatment.
Understanding Dry Eye Syndrome
Medically known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, dry eye syndrome occurs when your eyes don’t produce enough tears or when the tears evaporate too quickly.
Now, of course, tears play a vital role in maintaining the health and comfort of the eyes. They provide lubrication and protect against foreign particles and infections. So naturally, when the balance of tear production and its drainage is disturbed, it causes a lot of discomfort.
What Causes It?
A number of factors, some within and some completely out of your control, can cause dry eye syndrome. Here’s a quick breakdown for you:
- Age: As you grow older, the tear glands may produce fewer tears. This may lead to a decrease in tear volume and quality. Thus, dryness.
- Dry Environments: In dry environments with low humidity levels, such as heated indoor spaces during winter months, the air lacks moisture. Consequently, the tear evaporation increases. When tear evaporation rates exceed tear production, the eyes become dry and irritated. Thus resulting in dryness, burning, and discomfort.
- Windy and Dusty Conditions: Fast and harsh winds increase the rate of tear evaporation from your ocular surface. Furthermore, as the wind blows across the eyes, it disrupts the protective layer of tears. Thus leaving the ocular surface vulnerable to dryness, irritation, and foreign particle exposure.
- Medical Conditions: Certain medical conditions such as autoimmune diseases (e.g., Sjögren’sSjögren’s syndrome), diabetes, thyroid disorders, and rheumatoid arthritis can affect tear production and contribute to dry eye syndrome.
- Medications: Antihistamines, decongestants, antidepressants, hormone replacement therapy, and medications for high blood pressure and acne are among the many medications that can cause or worsen dry eye symptoms.
- Screen Time: Excessive and long use of digital devices can lead to decreased blinking and reduced tear production, resulting in dry eye symptoms.
Also Read – The Role of Nutrition in Eye Health: Foods for Better Vision
How Do You Recognize It?
If you have dry eye syndrome, you are likely to experience the following symptoms (they can vary in severity):
- Dryness
- Grittiness or a feeling like there’s some foreign particle in your eye
- Burning or stinging sensation after long hours of reading or screen time
- Redness and irritation
- Inflammation
- Blurred vision during activities that need constant visual focus
- Overtearing of the eyes to compensate for the dryness
Also Read – 5 Common Eye Conditions: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments
What You Can Do?
Fortunately, there are a number of ways to help you overcome and manage the pain and hassle that dry eye syndrome brings. Here’s a quick breakdown for you:
Artificial Tears
Over-the-counter artificial tear drops can provide temporary relief by supporting natural tear production and lubricating the ocular surface.
Prescription Eye Drops
Your doctor may prescribe you special eye drops to manage the inflammation and increase your tear production.
Punctal Plugs
These are tiny devices that are inserted into the tear ducts to block drainage. As a result, they keep tears on the ocular surface longer, providing sustained relief from dry eye symptoms.
Lifestyle Changes
Small lifestyle changes can create a great impact. For instance,
- Taking regular breaks from digital screens
- Using a humidifier to add moisture to the air
- Wearing sunglasses outdoors
Nutritional Supplements
Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish oil supplements, can help improve the quality of tears and reduce inflammation associated with dry eye syndrome.
Conclusion
Dry eye syndrome does not need to be a constant discomfort in your life. If the issue persists and becomes difficult to manage with eye drops and plugs, your eye specialist in Mumbai may also introduce you to some in-office treatment options. The goal is to take proactive steps to find relief and restore comfort to your eyes.