Dry eyes are caused by a lack of adequate tears. Your tears are a complex mixture of water, fatty oils and mucus. This mixture helps make the surface of your eyes smooth and clear, and it helps protect your eyes from infection. For some people, the cause of dry eyes is decreased tear production.
Epidemiologic studies have shown that Dry Eye is more prevalent among women ( particularly post menopause ) and elderly population. An estimated 16 million Americans have been diagnosed with dry eye disease, but the actual number of Americans suffering from dry eye symptoms is likely much higher.
Dry eye disorders are also reported to occur with anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, and depression.
Some risk factors that can contribute to dry eyes include :
- Smoking
- Refractive surgery such as LASIK
- Contact lens wear
- Medications : antihistamines, beta-blockers, and oral contraceptives.
Dry eyes are usually self-diagnosable- The eye become dry, red, and inflamed.
Symptoms include watery eyes, sensitivity to light, a burning sensation in they eyes, and blurred and fluctuating vision, all of which may negatively impact quality of life.
Dry Eye Disease can be assessed based on a combination of symptoms and signs. However, several studies reported poor correlation between Dry eye disease symptoms and signs.
Treatment options by Dr. Bahareh Golbahar :
To treat dry eye properly, you need to know the cause of the dryness. Our tears are made of a layer of water ( aqueous ) and a layer of fat ( lipid
) which prevents the tears from evaporating.
Your eye doctor can differentiate which layer your eyes are deficient in. For treating aqueous deficiency, we usually start with artificial tears. Preservative free formulations are always better. If this is not enough, we may move onto prescription artificial tears such as Restasis or Xiidra.
We can even insert something called a punctal plug in the corner of the eye which prevents the tears that you do have from draining out too quickly.
For lipid deficiency, we may also start out with artificial tears but these are special formulations that are usually milky white in color since they contain an oil component. These are available in preservative free formulations as well. Another helpful treatment for lipid deficient dry eye is to do a daily warm compress. This melts the lipid in the oil glands and allows more release into the tear film.
My sincere thanks to Dr. Golbahar on educating us on Dry Eye Treatment. You can reach out to her at Village Eye Optometry, in Los Angeles, CA. 310-208-3031.
Stay well and stay healthy. Dr. Naghmeh, Pharm.D and Dr. Bahareh Golbahar, O.D.
