Wednesday, December 11, 2013

An In-Depth Understanding To Dry Eye And Its Potential Treatments

By Dr. Amanda Judson


There are a lot of causes of dry eyes and they frequently impersonate various other health conditions, such as allergic reactions. Essentially, there are 2 types of dry eye illness: one is induced by inflammation under ones eye lids, and the other one is because of the real volume of tears accumulating. In order to make a sound medical diagnosis, the optometrist has to consider the signs provided by the their patient and use diagnostic tools to aid in the decision.

Many patients who have dry eyes don't know that that is what they are suffering from. However, examining the eyelids often reveals swollen meibomian glands. Sometimes, it is possible to actually see that the eyeball appears dry, instead of shiny and moist as it should. Another factor to evaluate is tear film breakup time. If the tears are poor quality, then when the person blinks, the tears evaporate or drain away too quickly, leaving the eye exposed. Tear film volume can be measured using a little strip inserted at the corner of the eye. There is a new technology available that tests for osmolarity, which is the concentration of a solution. Using a small non-invasive instrument, a sample of the tear is examined for the degree of tear osmolarity, which has been shown to be directly proportionate to the degree of dry eye.

Dry eyes are more common in older people, but there are many young people who have it as well. As we age, the oils and fluids that are normally produced by the body are not secreted as much. The inflammatory process, which leads to dry eye, also affects older people more. Other factors include smoking and exposure to second hand smoke, living or working in a dry environment, and not drinking enough water. Diuretics, like caffeine and alcohol, remove liquid from the general body system, including the eyes. Fish oils and vitamin E have also been known to help lubricate the eye.

There are numerous therapies for very dry eyes. Dry eye syndrome is a chronic trouble that gets a little worse gradually; various dry eye therapy approaches are typically needed for different phases of the problem. Some folks encounter alleviation of moderate dry eye using over the counter eye drop medications. Eye care professionals might advise the use of cozy compresses on examinations for around 10 mins to get the liquid flowing, and afterwards delicately pressing on the lids to softly pump the oil glandulars. If the dry eye is created by an inflammatory procedure, an optometrist may advise steroids that can help lower irritation, and a prescribed medicine called Restasis could also be made use of to settle severe of dry eye diseases.

Dry eyes are a prevalent issue with various contributing factors and causes. The good news is that there are many dry eye treatment options available today.




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