Relief Your DRY EYES
Take the test!
❏ Do you have excessive tearing?
❏ Do you feel like something gritty is in your eyes?
❏ Do you feel your eyes often burning or turning red easily
❏ Do your eyes become easily irritated when going on airplanes or working in dry environment?
❏ Do you sometimes have blurred vision or tired eyes?
“If you answer YES, in any of the above question, you may have DRY EYES!”
Many people do not know that WATERY EYES is a common symptom of DRY EYES.
Dry eyes are common but often under-treated. This is a condition where the person have no sufficient quality tears to lubricate the eyes, and when leave untreated, it will become chronic eyes and can lead to infections.
Why DRY EYES happens?
1. When tears evaporate too quickly. Dry air or windy environment can increase tears evaporation
2. When eyes fail to produce tear in adequate amounts. Advancing age is a risk factor for dry eyes as the tear production declines. It is also found that women have a higher prevalence in developing dry eyes compared to men, especially post-menopause and during pregnancy.
3. When tears composition is not imbalance. Tear films consists of three basic layers: fatty oils, water and mucous. Problems with any of the layers can cause dryness then leading to irritation. For all with regular eye make ups, particles from eye makeup can migrate into the tear film of eyes, exacerbate dry eyes symptoms.
Disorders such as diabetes, thyroid disorders, and Vitamin A deficiency also associated with dry eyes.
Some medications can cause dry eyes
Antihistamines are commonly prescribed to relieve symptoms of itchiness or runny nose. This medication when taken regularly can cause chronic dry eyes as it reduces tear production. Other medications such as decongestants, antidepressants, certain blood pressure medications can cause dry eyes too.
Hence, it is always good to check with your pharmacist when experiencing sudden episode of chronic dry eyes.
It is important to know that diabetes, thyroid disorders and Vitamin A deficiency also associated with dry eyes.
Having dry eyes?
Take more omega-3 fatty acids
Yes, dietary supplements can help to improve dry eyes condition. Omega-3 riched food such as salmon, mackerel, chia seeds and walnuts can help to reduce inflammation and assisting tear production.
Besides, vegetables that are full of zeaxanthin and lutein can help with your eyes too. Vitamin A, which can be found in bright orange and yellow vegetables is ideal for improving eye health.
You might not have “blink” enough!
Long screen time is one of the key factors why young ones get serious dry eyes. Prolonged screen time reduces eye blinking.
During each blink, your eyes are rest for around 0.3 seconds and this is necessary to replenish moisture by spreading tears across your eyes and clean the surfaces. This condition gets worse in air-cond room as the air is usually dryer.
Not all eye drops are equal
Public commonly self-purchase artificial tear drops to relief discomfort. It is important to note that there is no one-fix-for-all.
Artificial tears come in the form of drops, gels, and ointments. Most available over the counter as the first line therapy, and some are prescription items. Artificial tears provide temporary relief however, there are several things to be looked into
1. If you need to apply more than four times a day, or almost every day, choose preparation without preservatives. Products in the form of vial is often for single used and preservative free.
Preservative in eye drops is to minimize contamination, but frequent application can cause irritation and discomfort to eyes.
2. If your eye dryness is the result of reduction of oil layer in tears, doctor may recommend drops that contain oil. This preparation can cause blurry vision when first instilled. It is good to remember to give a rest before operating machine or drive after using oily eye medications.
3. If you wear contact lenses, make sure to choose eye drops that goes well with contact lenses.
There are conditions where artificial tears preparation is not sufficient to treat dry eyes. Hence, it is a good practice to visit your ophthalmologist at least once a year to get your eyes checked.
