Dry eye syndrome
DRY EYE SYNDROME is the entirety of symptoms that are caused because of insufficient irrigation of cornea by a tear film. The tears moisten the cornea protecting it from the infection and smooth the corneal surface.
About 2 ml of tears is produced in 24 hours. Various factors can cause eye dryness:
- secretion of tears is reduced after reaching 40, therefore older people, especially women during menopause usually experience eye dryness;
- environmental conditions also play some role – eye dryness can be caused by dry air because of central heating, the use of air conditioning or ventilators, a tear film can be destroyed by hot climate, cold, wind, dust and smoke;
- increased eye strain –a long term reading, work at a computer, TV watching, driving are associated with rare blinking, thus a tear film is not restored and leads to eye dryness;
- diseases: rheumatic, endocrine, oncological. haematological., allergic, autoimmune, mental diseases;
- the adverse effect of many of widely used medicines – analgesics, sedatives, corticosteroids, hormonal contraceptives, allergy medicines, antihypertensives – can be the dry eye syndrome;
- the increased incidence of dry eye syndrome can be predetermined by other eye diseases, inflammation, surgeries and the use of contact lenses.
Signs of eye dryness are: rapidly occurring eye tiredness, redness and irritation, sensation of a foreign body or sand in the eye, itching, burning or even pain, tearing, decreased vision. Symptoms usually are mild or moderate, but reoccurring regularly.
Treatment initiation depends on the condition severity. Eye moistening with artificial tears which have the composition similar to that of natural tears should be initiated if the symptoms of dry eye syndrome become troublesome and worsen quality of life. The artificial tears irrigate, moisten and lubricate eyes replacing the lacking elements of natural tears. The eyes are protected against drying, environmental factors, irritation, dryness and burning resolve. In more severe cases gel or ointment of artificial tears known as solid tears can be used. They are convenient to be used in the night. Each person chooses the artificial tears individually.
Protect your eyes from dry air, smoke, wind, humidify air in the room, do not forget the artificial tears and blink as often as you can.