What You Should Know About Dry Eyes

Overview

Dry eyes are a common problem that many people experience. Dry eyes result from insufficient amount of tears, which provide nutrients and moisture to the eyes. These tears allow a person to achieve clear vision and they also maintain the health of the front structure of the eyes. The tear film also provides nutrients to fight off infection and wash away dirt and debris that enters the eye. The tear film consists of three layers: the top lipid layer, middle aqueous layer, and bottom mucin layer. A deficiently in any or all of these layers can cause a person to have blurred vision and dry eye symptoms.


Symptoms

Some of the typical symptoms of dry eyes are redness, burning, inflammation and watering eyes. When the eyes are not moist, the body can overcompensate and produce too many tears. Another symptom that some patients may experience is having a sensation of sand within the eye. When the tear film is abnormal, the underlying epithelium can become pitted. This pitted layer does not give the eyelid a smooth layer to blink against. So a patient feel like there is something within the eye based on this irregularity.


Causes

There are multiple causes of dry eyes. The main causes are as follows:

- Age: As we get older our eyes produce fewer tears. This is more common in females secondary to fluctuations in hormone levels and menopause.

- Environment: Air conditioning, hot air heat, dust, and dry climates can cause dry eyes.

- Smoke: Specifically, cigarette smokes dries out ones eyes.

- Medications: Anti-histamines, anti-depressants, decongestants, birth control pills and some hypertension medications can cause dryness.

- Contact lens wear: contacts can dry the eyes out by decreasing the normal wetting ability of the eyes.


Treatment

The first line of treatment for dry eyes is starting a moisturizing drop. The patient will begin administering one drop of moisturizer to each eye up to six times a day. If there is a moderate level of dryness a more viscous gel or ointment may be used before bedtime.
Dryness can also be relieved when adding an omega-3 supplement or flaxseed oil. This helps in rebuilding the lipid layer of the tear film.

If a patient does not improve with the about treatment they will be started on Restasis or have punctal plugs placed within their eyelids. Restasis is a drop that is administered twice a day. It helps the patient produce more of their natural tears and decreased inflammation. Restasis can take up to sixty days to begin working effectively. Punctal plugs come in a collagen form and a permanent silicone form. These plugs block the tears from draining off the eye. The process itself takes less then a minute an eye is done within the office.

Please contact your eye care provider to find out if you have dry eyes and what treatment will work best for you. To find out more about dry eye treatment at The Nielsen Eye Center or to schedule an appointment, please call 877-373-2020 or go to www.golasik.net.