Tears are comprised of water for moisture, oil for lubrication, mucus for even spreading and antibodies and protein to ward off infection. Tears are constantly present in our eyes and help us see clearly. Dry eyes are a condition that arises when tears don’t provide adequate lubrication. It can be quire uncomfortable.
Symptoms of dry eyes:
- Scratchy or burning sensation in eyes
- Redness of eyes
- Sensitivity to light
- Blurred vision
- Difficulty during night-time driving
Why does it occur?
Lack of balance in the tear-flow system, heater, air conditioner or few other things could be the reason for dry eyes. It also occurs with old age, contact-lens use, due to ocular conditions, refractive surgery, side-effects of certain medication, and few diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, collagen vascular diseases and Sjogren’s syndrome.
Get rid of dry eyes:
Constant irritation in your eyes may make it hard to carry out day-to-day activities. There are many treatment options for dry eyes. A medical practitioner will assess your eyes and suggest which one would work for you. If you are looking for reputable ophthalmologists in Australia, schedule an appointment with Personal Eyes Clinic.
With their branches spread across Australia, they are the top choice of many due to their unique personalised approach. Their ophthalmologists will take the necessary tests to assess the severity of your condition before going ahead with the treatment process. They could perform any of the following tests:
- Lipiview: Done to check the thickness of the lipin, which is the oil layer in the eyes since discrepancies in the oil lipin level could cause dry eyes.
- Osmolarity: Done to check if tears are hyperosmolar.
- Schirmers: A strip is placed to collect tears and check if enough tears are present.
- Inflammadry: Checks for inflammation in the eyes.
- Meibography: To assess the condition of meibomin glands that produce oil layer in eyes.
- TBUT: Measures the stability of oil layer.
Treatment options available:
Artificial tears ointment and drops: Drops and ointments are the commonly recommended treatment. Those who are suffering with chronic dry eye, have to continue using drops even when their eyes feel pain. Ointments can be applied before sleep if your dry eyes are causing sleep problems.
Temporary punctual occlusion: Your doctor closes the duct that is responsible for draining tears. Temporary dissolvable plugs are fitted and if things progress well, your doctor would fix a permanent plug.
Lipflow: There are glands in the eyelids that produce oil in the tears. A device uses pressure and heat to unclog these blocked glands, which turn keeps your eyes moist.
Testosterone cream: Low levels of testosterone in the oil glands can cause dry eye in which case applying testosterone cream helps.
Cyclosporine: The eye drops helps in boosting tear production.
Lifitegrast: Doctor may recommend using these drops twice a day to boost tear production.
The condition is widely prevalent and can easily be treated. Eye specialists will help in determining the cause for your dry eyes. Remember to reach out to experienced ophthalmologists for best services.