Do your eyes sometimes feel excessively dry? Perhaps with a slight stinging or scratchy sensation? It's possible you're experiencing Dry Eye Syndrome. This problem generally occurs when the tear glands don?t produce the required quantity or quality of tears. This is due to chronic lack of moisture in the eye. This may weaken vision and can even lead to eye infections if not cured. Common symptoms include: dry, scratchy, itchy, painful or stinging eyes; a heightened sensitivity to light; redness; blurry vision; a feeling like there is a speck of dirt or "foreign body" in your eyes; excessive tearing or stringy discharge from the eyes or; increased discomfort after watching television or reading.
CAUSES of dry eyes
Some common causes of dry eye syndrome include the following: Aging? as we age our tear production is decreases. Hormonal changes- Dry eye affects more women than men because hormonal changes can decrease tear production. Contact lenses? Regular use of contact lens also cause dry eyes. All the tears in the eyes are absorbed by the soft contact lenses, which float on the tear film that covers the cornea. Medications? Many medications such as antihistamines, antidepressants, birth control pills, nasal decongestants and prescription acne drug Accutane decrease tear production Medical conditions? Systemic diseases, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren?s syndrome, may lead to dry eyes Not Blinking Enough ? Not blinking enough during activities such as watching TV and computer use may also result in dry eyes. Each time you blink, it coats the eye with tears. We normally blink about every 12 seconds. Some studies indicate that people who regularly played computer games blinked their eyes just once or twice in three minutes.
dry eye Treatment
There are many ways to treat dry eye. The most common treatments for dry eye syndrome include: Eye drops? Eye drops lubricate the eye, relieving many of the symptoms of dry eyes. Eye drops may be prescribed by your doctor if needed. Fish Oil ? Omega-3 fatty acid nutritional supplements are also recommended for people with dry eyes. Punctal plugs ? Your eye doctor can insert silicone plugs into the tear ducts, preventing tears from draining out. This allows tears to lubricate the surface longer. Restasis ? For chronic dry eyes Restasis (cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion) is the only prescription product. This drug helps to increase the tear production which may be decreased due to inflammation on the eye surface, as approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2002. Heat pack - for some light cases of dry eye, simply stimulating the ducts to open and produce tears by applying heat to the eyes using a warm (not hot) bean bag or other heat pack to the eyes for 15 minutes before bed time can also help with dry-eye syndrome.
