If your eyes are often red, itchy, irritated, or feel as if something were stuck inside, you may have dry eye condition. Dry eye disease can be painful, but you can manage it if you know the reasons behind it.
It is not something to be brushed aside as trivial because if not treated, the dry eye ailment can harm your quality of life. Hence, it is vital that you schedule a complete eye examination with your eye doctor to discuss your dry eye symptoms, and get an appropriate dry eye treatment.
What is Dry Eye Disease?
Given the modern scenario where most of us spend a huge time staring at screens, dry eyes have become quite a common eye issue, afflicting 1 in every two adults. Dry eyes can cause major discomfort, pain, and even vision loss.
Our eyes constantly produce tears to reduce friction and maintain sharp vision. Dry eye condition occurs when eyes are unable to produce adequate tears or tears evaporate so fast that eyes do not get properly moisturised.
Due to this tear instability, there is inflammation in the eye. Eye surface may also get damaged. Your eyes may experience itching, burning, or stinging. Other symptoms of dry eye condition include:
- Redness in eyes
- Gritty feeling – something stuck in the eye
- Light sensitivity
- Stringy mucus inside or around eyes
- Wearing contact lenses may be hard
- Eye strain
- Blurred vision
Eyes’ tear film is made up of three layers: watery fluid, fatty oils, and mucus. It is this combination that lubricates the surface of your eyes, and keeps it clear and smooth. Problems with any of these layers can result in dry eyes.
What Happens if You Don’t Get Your Dry Eye Treated?
You may assume dry eyes to be a minor problem that requires no treatment. And it is so because despite dry eyes, you can still continue to manage your daily life. Eyes may hurt and cause inconvenience but you are still able to see. Right?
Unfortunately, in the absence of remedial measures, dry eye condition may get worse with time. In severe cases of untreated dry eyes, you may suffer from:
- Conjunctivitis
- Corneal ulcers
- Problem reading and driving
- Keratitis
- Problem wearing contact lenses
What can Your Eye Doctor do for Dry Eyes?
Your eye doctor can conduct a thorough eye examination to evaluate your eye health and understand underlying causes of the dry eye condition. That’s how dry eye assessments begin. Then, there are other tests, such as – the slit lamp test to check the quantity and quality of your tears.
Once the root cause is identified, your ophthalmologist can recommend different treatments to give you relief from dry eye symptoms. These treatments include:
- Over-the-Counter Artificial Tears
- Prescription Eye Drops
- Eye Ointments
- Eyelid Cleansers
- Blood Serum Drops
- Lipiflow Therapy
- IPL Therapy
- Punctal Plugs
Over-the-Counter Artificial Tears
They are non-prescription eye drops that give temporary relief from dry eyes, and lubricate the eye’s surface to restore moisture. They are of different kinds – some contain preservatives while others do not. The latter ones are better for frequent use. Available over-the-counter, artificial tears do not cure the root cause but help alleviate mild to moderate symptoms. Your eye specialist may advise you to use them several times a day, depending on the severity of your dry eye condition.
Prescription Eye Drops
Your eye care provider may recommend prescription eye drops when over-the-counter artificial tears do not prove helpful. Prescription eye drops help control eye inflammation by improving tear production and restoring balance to the tear film. Examples include medications like cyclosporine (Restasis), lifitegrast (Xiidra), or corticosteroid drops. They often work slowly, and it may be a few weeks before you notice improvement, which is why they need long-term use. Sometimes, your doctor may suggest using prescription drops alongside other dry eye therapies.
Eye Ointments
Eye ointments are thicker than eye drops. They are typically used at bedtime to provide long-lasting lubrication, and also because they can blur vision due to their thickness. They work by forming a protective layer over the eye surface to prevent evaporation of tears. Your eye doctor may recommend these ointments if you experience dry eyes even while sleeping or wake up with irritated eyes. Ointments can complement artificial tears for more persistent cases of dry eye.
Eyelid Cleansers
Eyelid cleansers help manage dry eye symptoms caused by blepharitis or meibomian gland dysfunction. As the name suggests, these gentle cleansers remove debris, oil buildup, and bacteria from the eyelid margins – to maintain eyelid hygiene, and hence, overall eye health. You have to use them just once or twice a day, and if used regularly, they can improve the health of the oil-producing glands and enhance tear film stability. They are available in different forms such as wipes, foams, or liquids.
Blood Serum Drops
If your dry eye problem is severe, your ophthalmologist may prescribe autologous blood serum drops. They are made in the lab from the patient’s own blood, and stored in a refrigerator. The serum contains growth factors and nutrients found in natural tears. This helps promote healing of the ocular surface. Because they are biologically similar to natural tears, they are often more effective for patients with ocular surface disease or after surgery.
LipiFlow Therapy
A prominent reason for evaporative dry eye is MGD (meibomian gland dysfunction). LipiFlow is a medical procedure designed to treat MGD. It uses heat in combination with gentle massage to unclog blocked oil glands in the eyelids. Lipiflow therapy is performed as an outpatient procedure and typically takes just about 12 minutes per eye. Most patients experience relief after a single sitting. What’s more, the benefits may last for several months. If need be, it can be repeated.
IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) Therapy
IPL therapy is another treatment that your doctor may consider – If your dry eye is caused by MGD. It uses pulses of light to reduce inflammation in eyes and improve the function of the meibomian glands. It was originally developed for skin treatments, but later adapted to treat dry eye caused by MGD. It helps reduce abnormal blood vessels and bacteria that cause inflammation. You may require 3 – 4 sessions for optimal results.
Punctal Plugs
Your eye care provider may also use punctal plugs to help you. Punctal plugs are tiny devices that are inserted into the tear ducts to block tear drainage. It allows more moisture to stay on the eye surface and keep eyes lubricated. They are used for moderate to severe dry eye – when other treatments do not prove effective. Plugs can be temporary (dissolvable) or semi-permanent (made of silicone). Insertion is quick, painless, and done as an out-patient procedure. Punctal plugs can be combined with other therapies for enhanced results.
Make an Appointment for Dry Eye Assessment
If you suffer from dry eye, you should consult your ophthalmologist. Depending on the underlying cause and severity of your condition, the doctor may help you by discussing and prescribing different treatments. They may also give you these treatments if they have the requisite equipment, infrastructure, and facilities.
If you are on the lookout for an ‘eye doctor near me’, you should visit Sohana Eye Hospital, Mohali – Punjab. The hospital has highly experienced eye specialists and a complete dry eye suite to evaluate and treat your dry eye condition.
Remember, It may seem to be a minor problem today but may affect your vision tomorrow. So, if you suffer from any of the symptoms mentioned above, book an appointment with your eye doctor today!
