Dry Eye
Your eyes are stinging as you blink or maybe they're watering quicker than you can mop them up? These are just two signs that you could be suffering from dry eye.
Dry eye is a fairly common condition particularly for avid digital users, over 50's and contact lens wearers.
The condition is caused by the improper production of tears, either your eyes don't make enough tears or the tears are of poor quality which means they dry up quicker leaving the eye dry and irritated. Ironically this can actually lead to the eye producing excess tears that provide only a short term relief.
The common symptoms of dry eye include:
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A sandy or gritty feeling
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Sore eyes
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Uncomfortable and sometimes painful eyes
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An itching or burning sensation
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Short-term blurred vision
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Watery eyes, as if you are crying
Blepharitis or Meibomian Gland Dysfunction can accompany dry eye. Symptoms of these include sore, red and inflamed eye lids.
Who is most likely to have dry eye?
Dry eye can affect many people from different environments, you may be affected if:
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you are over the age of 50
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you wear contact lenses
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you look at computer screens for a long time without a break
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you spend time in air conditioned or heated environments
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it's windy, cold, dry or dusty
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you smoke or drink alcohol
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you take certain medicines (for example, some antidepressants or blood pressure drugs)
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you have a condition, such as blepharitis, Sjögren's syndrome or lupus.
What can you do to manage dry eye?
Managing dry eye tends to require an ongoing treatment plan which can vary depending on the severity of the dry eye or any additional complications such as blepharitis. Many cases can be helped by the use of eye drops, particularly preservative free drops which contain certain ingredients.
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For the best bespoke advice for your eyes, book in to see one of our optometrists today. A 30 minute dry eye consultation, where we assess the quality of your tears, factors which can affect dry eye and treatment plan is just £80 and includes a follow up appointment to reassess the tear quality, discuss the improvements and make any necessary tweaks for you and your eyes. This is consultation included on the Clark Eyecare Plan and can be accessed by members of the plan at no additional cost.
