Dry eyes are an extremely common eye condition. Unsurprisingly, the main symptom of the condition is the same as its name, with patients reporting that their eyes feel dry, itchy, scratchy, and even sore. Some people develop noticeable redness, and others experience sensitivity to light and/or blurred vision. Dry eyes won’t cause you to lose your vision, but they can be a nuisance. Fortunately, there are things that can be done to alleviate your symptoms. Here’s what you need to know about the causes of dry eye and the steps that can be taken to treat them. 

 

What Causes Dry Eyes?

Our eyes rely on a tear film to keep them healthy and comfortable. This tear film is made up of oils, water, and proteins. There are several different factors that have the potential to cause dry eyes. These are:

• There isn’t the right balance of oils, proteins, and water in the tear film

• The glands responsible for tear film production aren’t working properly

• The tear film is draining too quickly

There can be a range of reasons why these issues develop. In the majority of cases, dry eyes occur when the meibomian glands are blocked or not working as they should, known as meibomian gland dysfunction. The risk of this happening increases with age, gender, excessive screen use, having certain illnesses, and taking specific medications, including some antidepressants. 

 

Treatment for Dry Eyes

If you are diagnosed with dry eyes, there are a number of different treatment options that you can consider. 

Initial treatment recommendations   

Many people can make a big difference to their dry eye symptoms just by making a few adjustments to their environment and/or lifestyle. Initially, we will talk to you about to discover whether any such changes would benefit you, and we may recommend you try these before you consider any further treatment options. Such suggestions could include:

• Using a humidifier 

• Less use of heaters or air-conditioners

• Less screen time

• More screen breaks

• Giving up smoking

• Switching any existing medication that could have dry eyes as a listed side effect

• Eating a diet that is rich in nutrients that are good for eye health

If making lifestyle changes fails to make a difference to your dry eye symptoms, or your symptoms are severe, your eye doctor will talk to you about the other treatment options available. 

Lubricating eyedrops

As their name suggests, these are eye drops that are designed to lubricate your eyes, providing additional moisture in order to alleviate the symptoms that you have been experiencing. They don’t treat the underlying cause of your dry eyes but can quickly make your condition easier to manage. 

Prescription eyedrops

Prescription eyedrops work a little differently to the lubricating variety. This is because they contain medication that is designed to reduce inflammation that could be contributing to your dry eyes and stimulate tear film production. Prescription eye drops must be administered exactly as directed by your provider. 

Treatment for blocked meibomian glands

If your eye doctor believes that your dry eyes are being caused by blockages in your meibomian glands, you may be recommended to try a treatment that will dissolve and remove any clogging so that tear film can flow freely once more. There are several different potential treatments, including:

• Warm compresses which break down any hard oils and make it easier for them to be released from the glands.

• Lipiflow, which is an electronic treatment that combines heat energy to break down oils and electric pulses to massage the meibomian glands to release them.

• Intense pulsed light, or IPL, is a treatment that uses pulses of light to treat the inflammation that may be causing dry eyes. 

If you would like to find out more about dry eye syndrome and the treatments that are available, call our eye care office in Fort Worth, TX today to schedule your consultation.