Dry Eyes: Crying won’t fix it

With days getting warmer and flowers beginning to bloom, spring is finally on its way, and so therefore is dry eye syndrome.
 
Dry eye is a common condition that occurs when you don’t have enough tears to properly lubricate your eyes. Eyes produces tears whenever you blink, which helps keep your eyes feeling comfortable.
 
Some people’s eyes don’t produce enough moisture, or produce poor-quality tears that dry up too quickly. The drying out of the surface of the eye can create an irritating sandpaper-like feeling, discomfort, blurred vision, and increased sensitivity to light.
 
Other symptoms include:
 

• burning, stinging or itchy eyes
• gritty feeling/foreign body sensations
• tired or red eyes
• contact lens discomfort
• irritation from wind/smoke

People who have dry eyes may experience the following complications:
 

• Eye infections. Your tears protect the surface of your eyes from infection. Without adequate tears, you may have an increased risk of eye infection.
• Damage to the surface of your eyes. If left untreated, severe dry eyes may lead to eye inflammation, abrasion of the corneal surface, corneal ulcers and vision loss.
• Decreased quality of life. Dry eyes can make it difficult to perform everyday activities, such as reading.

The risk factors that make it more likely that you’ll experience dry eyes include:
 

• Age -tear production tends to diminish as you grow older. Dry eyes are more common in people over 50.
• Gender due to hormonal changes brought on by pregnancy or menopause, a lack of tears is more common in women.
• Contact lenses – wearing contact lenses or having a history of refractive surgery.
• Medication – certain types of medication can cause dry eye syndrome.
• Dry environment/pollution
• Pollen
• Excessive screen time

 
If you have any symptoms of dry eyes, including red, irritated, or painful eyes, call us and come in for a check-up. We check for dry eye with a test called a fluorescein eye stain or eye drop test. Then we’ll treat it for you with a specialised in-house dry eye treatment.
 
Don’t let dry eye ruin your spring.