Have your eyes been feeling a little dry lately? You’re not alone. Sixteen million Americans are feeling it too.
SSM Health ophthalmologist Dr. Shahed Ghoghawala says dry eye happens when you don't produce enough tears or if you produce poor-quality tears, meaning there isn’t enough oil in your tears to prevent them from evaporating. This can lead to inflammation and damage to the eye's surface.
“People may experience dry eyes in air-conditioned environments or after looking at a computer screen for a few hours,” says Dr. Ghoghawala. “Though anyone can have a problem with dry eyes, it’s found predominantly in people over 50. It turns out that tear production diminishes with age. In younger folks, it often happens if you’ve had had Lasik surgery or use certain oral contraceptives.”
What are the symptoms of dry eyes?
Signs and symptoms may include:
- A burning or scratchy feeling in your eyes
- Eye redness
- Watery eyes, which is the body's response to the irritation of dry eyes
- Mucus in or around your eyes
- Light sensitivity
- Feeling like you have something in your eyes
- Difficulty wearing contact lenses
- Difficulty driving at night
- Blurry vision
- Eye fatigue
Treatments for dry eyes
There are many things you can try to alleviate the symptoms including:
- Over the counter lubricating artificial tear drops such as Refresh, Systane or TheraTears
- Warm compresses on the eyes to help your oil glands produce more oil to cover the eye and prevent the fluid from evaporating
- Prescription anti-inflammatory drops
“We can also put plugs in the tear duct to increase tear volume just like a plug in the bathtub,” says notes Dr. Ghoghawala. “Sometimes, we also prescribe steroids to calm down inflammation.”
If you have dry eye, be sure to talk to your primary care provider to rule out other reasons for your dry eyes.
Watch Dr. Shahed Ghoghawala talk about dry eyes on Madison, Wisconsin’s ABC television affiliate.
