Around one in four people in the UK suffer from dry eyes. This condition is triggered when normal tear fluid that lubricates the eyes becomes inadequate or is of such poor quality that it fails to prevent the eyes from feeling dry.
Tears are not only released when you cry or when something gets into the eye. Tear fluid plays an essential part in keeping the tissues of the eye healthy. If you don’t produce enough tears, or the ones you make are poor-quality, your tears can dry up too quickly, causing the front of the eye to become dry and irritated.
Dry eye can feel uncomfortable and gritty and cause your eyelids to become sore and red. It can be common for people with dry eye to develop other conditions, such as blepharitis, which is a condition that affects the eyelids, making them sore and inflamed. You can also develop meibomian, which is when the eyelid glands become blocked.
It is common to have a combination of the above conditions. Dry eye syndrome can become very frustrating, with reoccurring symptoms such as itchiness, redness, and light sensitivity affecting your quality of life and interfering with your occupation. If not treated accordingly, dry eye may lead to issues with your vision. Contact a trusted eye care center indian land sc for more information.
You can find more information about dry eye and how to prevent it in our main article, as well as our recommended training courses for healthcare practitioners involved in diagnosing and treating dry eye in primary care settings.
Dry eye causes, treatments and prevention
Patients with a dry eye diagnosis should have their eyes screened regularly and are advised to make small lifestyle changes to help reduce symptoms of dry eyes. The condition has two leading causes: The eyes don’t produce enough tears – or the eyes produce poor-quality tears.
In many cases, dry eye can be triggered by many factors, including natural ageing, carrying other health conditions, and taking medications with side effects that include causing dry eyes.
Anyone can be affected by dry eye syndrome, and risks of developing the condition can be increased by the following:
- Age: People over 50 are most likely to develop dry eye. As the body ages, the eyes must work harder to produce enough tears or the good-quality tears needed to maintain the eyes’ health.
- Environmental factors: Windy or hot and dry weather and smokey atmospheres can cause tears to dry up too quickly. Staring at bright screens and contact lenses can also reduce the blink rate, making tears inefficient.
- Existing eye conditions: Existing eye conditions can also lead to dry eye. Blepharitis, keratitis, and pink eye can all increase your likelihood of experiencing dry eye symptoms.
- Genetics: If a patient has a family history of dry eye, it can increase their chances of developing the condition.
- Health conditions: Patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and thyroid conditions are more at risk of dry eye as these conditions can affect tear production. Autoimmune diseases such as lupus or Sjögren’s syndrome can attack tear glands, causing dry eye symptoms.
- Prescription medications: Side effects from some prescription medications can include dry eye syndrome. Antihistamines, decongestants, antihypertensives, and antidepressants can lower tear quality and production levels.
- Gender: Dry eye syndrome affects more women than men. Studies suggest this is due to hormonal changes and fluctuation due to menstruation, pregnancy, menopause and oral contraceptive use.
