What is "Dry Eye?"
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Dry eye is a condition where the eyes do not produce enough tears or produce poor quality tears, leading to inadequate lubrication.
This can cause symptoms such as a gritty sensation, blurred vision, eye fatigue, light sensitivity, and eye redness or inflammation. In severe cases, chronic dry eye may increase the risk of eye infections and corneal scarring. |
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Dry Eye is Common
Up to 5% of Americans complain of some form of dry eye. Individuals who wear contact lenses or have undergone LASIK or other types of refractive surgery commonly complain of dry eye. The condition is more common in women and is more common and severe in older persons.
Symptoms:
Causes of Dry Eye
Many diseases, disorders of the eye and side effects of medication can cause dry eye.
Essentially, dry eye results under conditions in which too few tears are produced or evaporation of tears takes place too quickly.
Quality tears are not simply salt water, but are made of three different substances mucin, water and oil designed to work together in proper proportions.
The mucous layer lies just above the eye surface and helps the tear "water" spread evenly across the entire eye surface quickly and with each blink of the eyelid.
The oil portion floats above the tear layer and not only helps lubricate blinking, but also actively slows down the rate of evaporation of tears from the eyes. Any interruption in these layers or their proportions can result in dry eye.
Treatment
Your eye care provider will discuss treatment options with you that depend upon how seriously the problem is affecting your life and if complications are likely to occur.
Treatment may consist of adding tears with over-the-counter "tear drops," prescription medication to take by mouth that will increase your tear production and even introducing omega-3 fatty acid nutritional supplements into your diet. Sometimes, surgery can help. One type of surgery -- a temporary or a permanent form -- plugs up the tear ducts so that tears cannot drain back into the body.
Ask Dr. Tsiftilis how he can help. He will create a personalized treatment plan to relieve your specific dry eye condition.
Up to 5% of Americans complain of some form of dry eye. Individuals who wear contact lenses or have undergone LASIK or other types of refractive surgery commonly complain of dry eye. The condition is more common in women and is more common and severe in older persons.
Symptoms:
- Dryness of the eye
- Sandy or gritty feeling
- Lid infections
- Burning, itching
- Contact lens discomfort
- Light sensitivity
- Redness
- Tired eyed
- Eye pain or soreness
- Constant or occasional tearing
- Fluctuating of vision
Causes of Dry Eye
Many diseases, disorders of the eye and side effects of medication can cause dry eye.
Essentially, dry eye results under conditions in which too few tears are produced or evaporation of tears takes place too quickly.
Quality tears are not simply salt water, but are made of three different substances mucin, water and oil designed to work together in proper proportions.
The mucous layer lies just above the eye surface and helps the tear "water" spread evenly across the entire eye surface quickly and with each blink of the eyelid.
The oil portion floats above the tear layer and not only helps lubricate blinking, but also actively slows down the rate of evaporation of tears from the eyes. Any interruption in these layers or their proportions can result in dry eye.
Treatment
Your eye care provider will discuss treatment options with you that depend upon how seriously the problem is affecting your life and if complications are likely to occur.
Treatment may consist of adding tears with over-the-counter "tear drops," prescription medication to take by mouth that will increase your tear production and even introducing omega-3 fatty acid nutritional supplements into your diet. Sometimes, surgery can help. One type of surgery -- a temporary or a permanent form -- plugs up the tear ducts so that tears cannot drain back into the body.
Ask Dr. Tsiftilis how he can help. He will create a personalized treatment plan to relieve your specific dry eye condition.