Dry Eye Syndrome
402 Waverly Street Framingham, MA 01702 (508) 872-1284 100 Corporate Drive Franklin, MA 02038
26 Whittier Street Framingham, MA 01701
26 Whittier Street Framingham, MA 01701
26 Whittier Street Framingham, MA 01701 (508) 872-1284 100 Corporate Drive Franklin, MA 02038
402 Waverly Street Framingham, MA 01702
402 Waverly Street Framingham, MA 01702
What causes Dry Eye Syndrome?
The most common causes of dry eye are age,
medications, hormonal factors, and
inflammation.
Age
Symptoms of dry eye usually first appear in
adults over 40 years of age, though they can
appear earlier in women (between 20 and 30
years of age). Dry eye might be caused by
age-related impairments to the lacrimal gland.
The most common causes of dry eye are age,
medications, hormonal factors, and
inflammation.
Age
Symptoms of dry eye usually first appear in
adults over 40 years of age, though they can
appear earlier in women (between 20 and 30
years of age). Dry eye might be caused by
age-related impairments to the lacrimal gland.
Medications
Medications might be responsible for more than half of all cases of dry
eye. Patients taking medication tend to have more severe dry eye
symptoms than those not taking medication. Elderly people are more likely
to have dry eye syndrome related to drug therapy.
Medications that might cause dry eye include those for:
Eye problems
Kidney problems
Allergies
Birth control
Menopause
Stomach / Intestinal problems
Thyroid problems
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Hormonal Factors
Dry eye is most common in post-menopausal women.
Other
Environmental factors such as smog, dust and smoke can alter the pH of
the tear film. Working on the computer can also cause dry eye, because
you tend to blink less.
What are the symptoms?
Excessive dry eyes may damage eye tissue, scar your cornea (the front
covering of your eyes) and impair vision and make contact lens wear
difficult.
If you are experiencing one or more of the following symptoms, you might
have Dry Eye Syndrome and should consult your eye-care professional:
Medications might be responsible for more than half of all cases of dry
eye. Patients taking medication tend to have more severe dry eye
symptoms than those not taking medication. Elderly people are more likely
to have dry eye syndrome related to drug therapy.
Medications that might cause dry eye include those for:
Eye problems
Kidney problems
Allergies
Birth control
Menopause
Stomach / Intestinal problems
Thyroid problems
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Hormonal Factors
Dry eye is most common in post-menopausal women.
Other
Environmental factors such as smog, dust and smoke can alter the pH of
the tear film. Working on the computer can also cause dry eye, because
you tend to blink less.
What are the symptoms?
Excessive dry eyes may damage eye tissue, scar your cornea (the front
covering of your eyes) and impair vision and make contact lens wear
difficult.
If you are experiencing one or more of the following symptoms, you might
have Dry Eye Syndrome and should consult your eye-care professional:
How Tear Flow Works
The following terms are important in understanding how tear flow works.
A. The Lacrimal Gland, situated above the outer rim of the eye, produces
"reflex tears", which represent the eye's response to emotion, injury, or
irritation.
B. The Meibomian Gland, are the little glands in the eyelids that make a
lubricant called sebum which is discharged through tiny openings in the
edges of the eyelids.
C. The Punctum is a small external orifice in the corner of the eye that serves
as a "drain" for tears. While there are puncta on both the upper and lower
eyelids, the majority of tears flow through the lower punctum.
D. The Lacrimal Sac is an enlarged area within the "drainage system" through
which tears flow from the eye into the nose. Tears flowing into the punctum
are processed in the lacrimal sac before passing into the nasolacrimal duct.
E. The Nasolacrimal Duct is the downward continuation of the Lacrimal Sac
into the nose.
Tear Film Composition
When tears lack the important components shown above, or when too few
tears are produced, the tear film can break down. This breakdown produces
dry spots on the cornea, causing the symptoms associated with dry eye.
The following terms are important in understanding how tear flow works.
A. The Lacrimal Gland, situated above the outer rim of the eye, produces
"reflex tears", which represent the eye's response to emotion, injury, or
irritation.
B. The Meibomian Gland, are the little glands in the eyelids that make a
lubricant called sebum which is discharged through tiny openings in the
edges of the eyelids.
C. The Punctum is a small external orifice in the corner of the eye that serves
as a "drain" for tears. While there are puncta on both the upper and lower
eyelids, the majority of tears flow through the lower punctum.
D. The Lacrimal Sac is an enlarged area within the "drainage system" through
which tears flow from the eye into the nose. Tears flowing into the punctum
are processed in the lacrimal sac before passing into the nasolacrimal duct.
E. The Nasolacrimal Duct is the downward continuation of the Lacrimal Sac
into the nose.
Tear Film Composition
When tears lack the important components shown above, or when too few
tears are produced, the tear film can break down. This breakdown produces
dry spots on the cornea, causing the symptoms associated with dry eye.
Treatment for Dry Eyes
Dry eye syndrome is an ongoing condition that may not be cured (depends
on the cause), but the accompanying dryness, scratchiness and burning
can be managed. Your eyecare practitioner may prescribe artificial tears,
which are lubricating eyedrops that may alleviate the dry, scratching feeling.
Sometimes people use the eye drops that "get the red out" to treat their dry
eyes. This won't work unless the eye drops also contain artificial tears, and
the original "get-the-red-out" formulation doesn't. These drops can reduce
or eliminate the redness temporarily, but they don't treat the cause of the
redness, whether it's dryness, environmental irritation or some other
problem.
Not only that, but the vasoconstrictors in those formulas that reduce redness
by contracting the eye's blood vessels are addictive, in the sense that over
time, more and more is needed to achieve the same effect. And with
frequent use, the effect diminishes after a while, anyway — the blood
vessels simply won't constrict as much as they did when you first used the
drops.
If you wear contact lenses, be aware that many eye drops, especially
artificial tears, cannot be used while your contacts are in your eyes. You'll
need to remove them before using drops and wait 15 minutes or even
longer (check the label) before reinserting the lenses. If your eye dryness is
mild, then contact lens rewetting drops may be sufficient to make your eyes
feel better, but the effect is usually only temporary.
If the problem is environmental, you should always wear sunglasses when
outdoors, to reduce exposure to sun, wind and dust. You may want to try the
kind that has a foam or other seal at the sides, to keep wind and dust from
getting to your eyes at the top, bottom and sides (see photo on this page).
Indoors, an air cleaner can filter out dust and other particles from the air,
while a humidifier adds moisture to air that's too dry because of air
conditioning or heating.
Dry eye syndrome is an ongoing condition that may not be cured (depends
on the cause), but the accompanying dryness, scratchiness and burning
can be managed. Your eyecare practitioner may prescribe artificial tears,
which are lubricating eyedrops that may alleviate the dry, scratching feeling.
Sometimes people use the eye drops that "get the red out" to treat their dry
eyes. This won't work unless the eye drops also contain artificial tears, and
the original "get-the-red-out" formulation doesn't. These drops can reduce
or eliminate the redness temporarily, but they don't treat the cause of the
redness, whether it's dryness, environmental irritation or some other
problem.
Not only that, but the vasoconstrictors in those formulas that reduce redness
by contracting the eye's blood vessels are addictive, in the sense that over
time, more and more is needed to achieve the same effect. And with
frequent use, the effect diminishes after a while, anyway — the blood
vessels simply won't constrict as much as they did when you first used the
drops.
If you wear contact lenses, be aware that many eye drops, especially
artificial tears, cannot be used while your contacts are in your eyes. You'll
need to remove them before using drops and wait 15 minutes or even
longer (check the label) before reinserting the lenses. If your eye dryness is
mild, then contact lens rewetting drops may be sufficient to make your eyes
feel better, but the effect is usually only temporary.
If the problem is environmental, you should always wear sunglasses when
outdoors, to reduce exposure to sun, wind and dust. You may want to try the
kind that has a foam or other seal at the sides, to keep wind and dust from
getting to your eyes at the top, bottom and sides (see photo on this page).
Indoors, an air cleaner can filter out dust and other particles from the air,
while a humidifier adds moisture to air that's too dry because of air
conditioning or heating.
The use of punctal plugs can be an effective step in treating moderate to
severe dry eye that is unresponsive to artificial tear drops and ointments.
The tears drain into the nose via the tear ducts and blocking this outflow is a
reasonable strategy to keep the tears in the eye for a longer period of time.
This is a preferred method of treatment because it helps to reduce or
eliminate the reliance on artificial tears, and it uses the method of allowing
the accumulation of your own natural tears for the purpose of lubricating
your eyes.
severe dry eye that is unresponsive to artificial tear drops and ointments.
The tears drain into the nose via the tear ducts and blocking this outflow is a
reasonable strategy to keep the tears in the eye for a longer period of time.
This is a preferred method of treatment because it helps to reduce or
eliminate the reliance on artificial tears, and it uses the method of allowing
the accumulation of your own natural tears for the purpose of lubricating
your eyes.
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