If you’ve ever experienced dry eyes, you can understand how annoying and distracting the symptoms can be. The occasional feeling of dry eyes is nothing to worry about, but what if the issue is more than that?
Chronic dry eye syndrome is an extremely common condition, affecting millions of Americans per year. Dry eye syndrome is more complicated than many people think. Aloha Vision Consultants can help.
What Is Dry Eye Syndrome?
Dry eye syndrome occurs because of low or poor quality tear production. While causes and kinds of dry eye syndrome vary, it causes dry, itchy, red eyes that need frequent lubrication with over-the-counter eye drops.
Dry eye syndrome can be caused by a lack of sufficient tear production, leading to poor eye lubrication and irritation. But the more common type of dry eye syndrome is caused when the eye does not produce good quality tears.
This type of dry eye, called evaporative dry eye syndrome, occurs when the eye does not produce enough oil. The oil layer in your tear film is responsible for keeping the other layers of the tears from evaporating too quickly. When the oil is not sufficient, tears evaporate too quickly, leaving you with dry, uncomfortable eyes.
Dry eye syndrome can also be a secondary condition as a result of blepharitis. Blepharitis causes inflammation of the eyelids, which can cause imbalance in the tear film.
Dry Eye Symptoms
Dry eye symptoms vary from person to person and can vary greatly in severity. Symptoms can depend on the cause.
Here are some of the more common dry eye symptoms:
- Dryness
- Itchiness
- Redness
- Stinging or burning
- Foreign body sensation (the feeling that something is in your eye)
- Discharge from the eye
- Inflammation
Dry Eye Treatments
Treatments for dry eye vary. Sometimes, a lifestyle change can help. For instance, wearing protective eyewear when exposed to windy environments or including more omega-3s in your diet is useful. However, there are sometimes where prescription eye drops and/or medical procedures may be necessary. Chronic dry eye syndrome is not always curable but is manageable. One treatment used by our practice is the LipiFlow Dry Eye Treatment, which uses thermal pulsation to alleviate dry eye symptoms.
If you would like to know more about dry eye and your treatment options here at Aloha Vision Consultants, contact our Honolulu office to schedule an appointment!