Dry Eye
Although dry eye is not usually a serious disease, it affects the quality of life of many people.
How is the dry eye disease?
Some people do not produce enough tears to keep the eye moist and comfortable.
Symptoms such as itching, burning discomfort, sensation of a foreign body or dryness, visual fatigue, high sensitivity to any irritation, and mucous discharge are the most common symptoms of a lack of tears. The tear deficit or an inadequate composition of any of its layers is a very important contraindication for the use of contact lenses.
Are the causes of Dry Eye known?
The factors that most often lead to dry eye are: advanced age, postmenopausal female gender, rheumatoid arthritis, and certain drugs, especially beta-blockers and some antidepressants. Fortunately, when these medications are necessary, in most cases the disorder can be successfully controlled by instilling artificial tears.
How can we treat it?
Artificial tears are the initial treatment for most dry eyes, applied as often as necessary. Other preventive measures such as placing humidifiers next to heaters to avoid excessive evaporation of the tear, stop smoking and avoiding polluted environments, are as important. Furthermore, applying a lubricating ophthalmic ointment at bedtime protects the eyes during this period and reduces the discomfort when opening the eyes in the morning. In more “stubborn” cases, the tear points can be occluded to prevent tears from being lost through the exit route into the nasal cavity.