How do you heal dry eyes?
Dry eye can be very painful not to mention distracting! When your eyes hurt and you feel the need to constantly blink, it is hard to have a good, productive day. There are some things you can do at home to ease the pain. If your dry eye persists however, you will want to make an appointment with your eye doctor to make sure there is not something more serious going on. How can you heal dry eye? Is dry eye permanent? Let’s talk about it.
What is dry eye?
Dry eye disease is a multifactorial disease that affects an estimated 25 million people in the United States alone. In fact, dry eye disease is one of the most common reasons that people visit their eye care professional. This common condition can result in an itching, burning, inflamed, and/or stinging sensation in the eyes.
It can also cause light sensitivity and difficulty wearing contact lenses. It may sound strange, but increased tearing may also be a symptom of Dry Eye Syndrome in some cases. The eyes’ lacrimal glands can begin to produce excess tears to respond to the irritation that occurs when tear secretion is below normal – so, when the eye is dry, an overflow of tears can result, which disguises the basic dryness that initially caused the excessive tearing
Although a common occurrence, it is important to treat Dry Eye Syndrome as soon as possible and with regular doctor visits to ensure complications or damage to the eye or vision do not occur.
What causes dry eyes?
Dry eyes are often caused my environmental factors. At the surface, you can experience discomfort from air conditioning, looking at a screen all day, or allergy season. Sleeping with your fan on can have a negative affect to your eyes as well, drying them out quicker than your eyes would like. Excessive heat from heaters can also dry your eyes out. We know, we are in Florida and turning on the heat is a rarity, but just in case we get one of those freak cold days, or you find yourself being requested by family to venture north in the winter for some strange reason, just keep this in mind!
The quality of you tears may actually be the deeper reason causing dry eyes. There are three layers to your tear film- the lipid (or oil) layer, the aqueous (or water) layer, and the mucous layer. If any of these three layers are having problems, it can cause dry eye. Most people tend to have a combination of two or more layers of their tears not functioning as they used to. Your aqueous layer may not be producing enough of that film. Conversely, you may have a problem where your tears are evaporating too quickly regardless of the normal amount of tears being produced. What we tend to find, is that as people age that production of any of the layers gets thrown off causing them to then evaporate faster than normal. This means the eyes are then not lubricated enough and feel dry, itchy, or bothersome.
Hormone changes can be the key factor to your quality of tears decreasing. Medications and aging therefore can be the root problem. This is why it is so important to consult with an eye doctor when you start to notice a change occurring. Dry Eye Syndrome can be a very frustrating and debilitating condition. If left untreated, it can lead to severe ocular disease. It may not be fully curable depending on it's underlying cause, but in most cases can be managed successfully. Perich Eye Center doctors treatment plans will give you noticeably greater eye comfort, decrease your symptoms, and sometimes sharper vision.
How do you heal dry eyes?
Treatment options vary depending on symptoms and severity. For some people, a quick fix is possible at home. For others, seeking medical help will be a better choice. Here at Perich Eye Center, we offer a variety of dry eye treatments to help patients achieve their best possible outcomes. Restasis is an FDA approved medication used to decrease the inflammation associated with Dry-Eye, thus reducing signs and symptoms. Perich Eye Center also offers Xiidra, which is the latest FDA approved medication for Dry-Eye therapy that works similarly to Restasis.
Mild cases can be treated with prescription drops and oral vitamins. Chronic and severe cases require in office procedures such as Lipiflow and Blephex. These procedures are designed to unclog glands and resurface the eyelid. Think of it like getting new windshield wipers for your car and changing the fluid.
Dry-Eye Syndrome is chronic and is typically a progressive condition. It may not be fully curable depending on it's underlying cause, but in most cases can be managed successfully. Perich Eye Center doctors treatment plans will give you noticeably greater eye comfort, decrease your symptoms, and sometimes sharper vision.
How do you treat dry eye temporarily?
There are many ways to treat your dry eye at home for temporary relief. For some people, your dry eye may go away quickly or only linger a few days. If you are frustrated with dry eye right now, try these at home remedies to see if they give you lasting relief:
Warm, moist compress: Take a clean face or wash cloth (a paper towel can do in a pinch too) and dampen the whole thing with nice hot water. Ring the cloth out so that it is more the warmth than dripping wet. Then fold the cloth up in a rectangle and find yourself somewhere comfortable to relax. Lean your head back and place the warm moist cloth over both of your dry eyes and relax. The heat and moister will help to relax and refresh your eyes while warming up your tear ducts to help get them producing again. This is a great method to use right before going to bed to let your eye re-lubricate before a long nights sleep.
Over the counter eye drops: There are so many eye drops on the market today. Some are for red eye, while others are specifically for dry eye. Products like the basic Visine can help, however we find that spending some more money on higher quality eye drops can really make a difference. When you spend more money on the higher quality eye drops specifically for dry eye, you are getting a product that is closer to your actual tears. This means your relief will last long and you will most likely then use less of the product itself. 1-2 drops of a higher quality eye drop will sooth faster and longer than a basic entry level eye drop.
Turn off fans or central air: The moving air can irritate your eyes and cause them to dry out even more. Air conditioning and heating puts a stain on the eyes. It is best to not sit or sleep directly under any of these despite how nice it may feel to the rest of your body at the time. Air circulating indoors automatically drys your eyes and your skin out. If all else fails and you simply must have the fan on or the AC vent right above you while you sleep, consider getting yourself a nice sleeping mask. This will also help keep your eyes from drying out overnight with the added bonus of a darker room while you sleep!
Do take your allergy medicine: If you find yourself sneezing and know you have allergies, taking your allergy medicine can give relief to those symptoms. It may not help the dry eye to go away instantly, however it should help your body better regulate and feel better overall. Please note: we are not suggesting that allergy medicine specifically aids the dry eyes and should not be taken the moment you notice dry eye. Instead, we are saying that if it’s that time of year for you, make sure you do take what works to help with your allergies overall.
Most people find that eye drops and warm compresses really help get relief. We also find that avoiding your contacts and wearing glasses instead gives your eyes a break and helps. Sometimes your contacts could be the culprit especially if they are older or dirty. It is always important to only use your contacts as directed and not to over wear them. For some people, switching from monthly contacts to dailies can make a big difference. This will require a visit to your eye doctor to update your prescription and find the best brand solution for you.
It is also very important that you have an annual eye exam, even if you don’t wear glasses. Our eyes are precious and it’s very important that they are well taken care of. When in doubt, do not wait it out with dry eye! Contact us today to schedule an appointment to have those beautiful eyes of yours checked out!
