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Medical Video: Seven Treatments For Dry Eyes In The Morning
In order to work properly, the eyes depend on the flow of tears to provide constant humidity and lubricant to maintain vision and comfort. Tears are a combination of water, as a moisturizing agent; oil, lubricating agent; mucus; to even distribution; and special antibodies and proteins, as infection resistance. All of these components are released from special glands around the eyes.
Symptoms of dry eyes
Dry eyes occur when the eyes do not produce tears as they should, or when the composition of the supporting tears is not in the right consistency and evaporates too quickly. When tears don't lubricate your eyes well, you can experience:
- Sore
- Sensitivity to light
- Stingy or sandy sensation in the eyes
- Hot, stinging, or itchy sensations in the eyes
- Like there is something that is in the eye
- Redness
- Blurred vision
- Eyes tired and runny
- Mucus in or around the eyes
If left untreated, this condition will cause inflammation, pain, boils, or scars on the cornea. In certain cases, dry eyes cause partial vision loss. However, total vision loss as a result of dry eyes is very rare.
Dry eyes may trigger "fake" tears
Dry eye sufferers will experience the production of excess tears that fall down on the cheeks. This happens when the eyes do not get enough lubrication so that the eye sends an emergency signal through the nervous system to ask for more lubricant. The nervous system of the eye then responds to this emergency request by flooding the eyes with tears to try to compensate for the drought suffered. However, these emergency tears are made only of water and do not have the quality of lubrication or the composition of normal tears. These fake tears can rinse away dirt, but will not coat the eyes properly.
Dry eyes can make it more difficult to carry out several activities, such as using a computer or reading for a period of time, and can reduce eye tolerance for dry environments, such as air in an airplane.
What causes dry eyes?
There are various reasons why you can experience dry eyes, although one exact cause may not be found. Some possible causes, including:
1. Hormonal changes
Hormones stimulate the production of tears. Hormone changes commonly experienced by women can increase their risk of dry eyes. For example: during pregnancy, menopause, or using birth control pills.
2. The aging process
Dry eyes are more often experienced by elderly people. This may be due to tear production which decreases with age, and the eyelids become less sensitive to flatten tears throughout the eye surface.
3. Medical conditions
Some diseases can affect the ability of the eye glands to produce tears, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, thyroid disorders, vitamin A deficiency, Bell's palsy, allergies, contact dermatitis, HIV.
Many people who experience dry eyes also have blepharitis or meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). MGD is an inflammation of the eyelid boundary that can block the tear glands to produce oil for the tear layer. Blepharitis can be experienced by anyone, and is generally caused by bacterial infections or other conditions, such as rosacea
4. Medicine
Dry eye can be a side effect of consuming certain drugs, such as antihistamines, decongestants, hormone replacement therapy, antidepressants, hypertension drugs, acne-taking drugs, oral contraceptives, Parkinson's drugs, beta blockers, and diuretics.
5. Environment and activity
Environmental factors are not the main cause, but rather factors that can aggravate dry eye conditions. For example: dust, smoke, wind, sun, dry weather, hot wind blowing, are in a high place.
In addition, when you are reading, working in front of a computer screen, writing, or activities that require other visual concentrations, the eyes tend to blink less frequently. That is, the tear layer will evaporate faster than the refill process.
6. Cosmetics
Some people who have had LASIK eye surgery report experiencing dry eyes a few weeks after surgery. Symptoms usually go away on their own after a few months, but in some cases it can go on.
Contact lenses can also irritate the eyes and cause dry eyes.
7. Problems with the eyelid structure
Ectropy (reversing the inner eyelid to the outside) and entropy (inside the outer eyelid) can cause the meta to become dry and irritated due to the layer of tears that evaporate quickly after continuous contact with outside air.
Dry eyes can also occur due to keratitis, a condition in which the eyelids do not close completely during sleep.
How to treat dry eyes?
Treatment for dry eyes only helps to control symptoms, but there is no cure. Some people may have recurrent dry eye symptoms throughout their lives.
You should discuss treatment options with an eye care specialist. Treatment for dry eyes may include:
- Artificial tears. Cases of mild to moderate dry eyes can usually be treated with eye care lubricants, such as artificial tear drops, gels, and ointments. Even so, artificial tears are the main therapy for complaints of dry eyes because their viscosity is very similar to natural tears. Artificial tears are sold freely on the market without having to use recipes. Many types of tear drops and one brand may not be suitable for you. It's good to experiment to find which drops are the most effective for you. If you have chronic dry eyes, it is recommended to use artificial tears even when you feel there is no problem. Avoid artificial tears with preservatives if you need to apply it more than four times a day or treated with chemicals that cause blood vessels to constrict.
- Eye drops. Some eye drops contain preservatives to prevent harmful bacteria from growing in the medicine bottle. If your symptoms require you to use eye drops more than six times a day, you should use preservative-free eye drops. This is especially important if the doctor has told you that you have severe dry eye symptoms. Preservatives used in large quantities or for long periods of time (months or years) can damage fine cells on the surface of the eye or cause inflammation. If you wear soft contact lenses (soft lens) You may also need to use preservative-free lubricants, because preservative residues will stick to contact lenses and damage the eyes.
- Wear glasses. Choose reading glasses or sunglasses that fit near the face or that have a side shield to help slow the evaporation of tears from the surface of the eye. In the room, air purifiers to filter out dust and other particles can help prevent dry eyes. Humidifiers can also help add moisture to the air. If you wear contact lenses, change the lens type or limit how often you use it, it will usually help relieve dry eye symptoms. In addition, you can try replacing a lens cleaning solution or preservative-free drops.
- Avoid dry conditions. Make sure your eyes get enough rest when doing activities that require you to use your eyes for a long time. Apply eye drops when doing this routine.
- Drink water and get enough nutrition. Drinking plenty of water will help keep your mucous membranes moist. Try to eat more foods that are rich in omega-3 fats - flaxseed, walnuts, and fatty fish such as salmon and cod.
- Don't rub your eyes. Try to blink more often when you read, write, drive, or work in front of the monitor to spread tears evenly to the entire surface of the eye. Also, avoid rubbing your eyes too hard, which can worsen your symptoms.
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