Dry Eyes

People don’t usually associate dry, itchy, burning, blurry, or excessively irritated eyes with a disease. But whether the cause of these symptoms is due to allergies or other environmental conditions, medications, getting older, long-time contact lens use, or too much time in front of a computer screen, dry eye disease, also known as dry eye syndrome, does impact how well you see.

Our eyes are built-in cameras, and how we see the world depends on how well they work. Still, many people neglect the symptoms that affect our vision and are a result of decreased tear production. So, like every other aspect of health care, the first step in maintaining your eyesight is getting a comprehensive annual exam with an optometrist, a doctor who provides basic care, from testing your vision to prescribing glasses or contact lenses if needed.

Older patients who might have more serious issues such as glaucoma, cataracts, a detached retina, which requires emergency surgery, and macular degeneration, will see an ophthalmologist, a medical and surgical specialist who treats diseases that can lead to blindness. An ophthalmologist also performs Lasik corrective surgery and treats advanced cases of chronic dry eye disease.

For most people, however, dry, burning, and itchy eye irritation can be treated with over-the-counter drops, preferably those that do not contain preservatives. There are also ointments available, though they have a thicker consistency and should be used at night around bedtime. Anyone who has walked down the eye care aisle in a pharmacy knows there are a multitude of choices that provide temporary relief. You can also occasionally apply a warm, moist cloth over your eyes and periodically use “no more tears” baby shampoo to clean eyelids, which will relieve the discomfort.

For more advanced cases of dry eye syndrome, an ophthalmologist might insert punctal plugs, which are tiny devices inserted into tear ducts to block tears from draining, thus keeping eyes more lubricated. Permanent punctal plugs are often made of silicone while temporary plugs that dissolve over time are usually made of collagen.

There are also prescription eye drops that offer more lasting relief. The three major brands are Restasis, MIEBO, and Xiidra, each formulated differently to produce the same relief for chronically dry eyes. The Food and Drug Administration has also approved a nasal spray called Tyrvaya, which, according to its literature, “activates a specific sinus nerve pathway, which increases tears produced in the eye.” 

Even watery eyes are an example of the body compensating for a lack of tears. Thus, because the eyes are not producing enough lubricating tears, which cleanse and protect the eye, there is a greater chance of an infection and inflammation, which results in corneal abrasions and ulcers.

Remember that ignoring dry eye disease will only worsen the condition over time and could lead to partial and permanent vision loss in extreme cases. We should never lose sight of maintaining our eye health with a professional to see better for years to come.