What is dry eye?

 

It is the most common eye disease and occurs when the eye does not produce enough tears that help to moisten and prevent inflammation or increase the evaporation of tears. Where tears are produced in two ways:

 

 

 

● Normal at a slow and steady rate to facilitate eye movement.

 

● Large formulations at a rapid rate in the case of eye irritation or crying.

 

 

 

What are the symptoms of dry eye ?

 

● Tingling and burning in the eye

 

● The presence of mucus in the form of threads around the eye and inside.

 

● Eye irritation of smoke and wind

 

● Clear difficulty in wearing contact lenses

 

 

 

The idea of ​​increasing the secretion of tears in the case of eye dryness may seem illogical, but if the tears responsible for lubricating the eye are excreted in an insufficient amount, this causes eye irritation. When the eye is irritated, the lacrimal gland produces a large amount of tears, which are often greater than the eye's ability to discharge this excess amount, and it flows out of the eye.

 

 

 

What is the tear membrane?

 

The tear membrane is responsible for the softness and clarity of the surface of the eye and without this membrane vision may not be possible.

 

It consists of three layers:

 

● Outer layer: oil to prevent the evaporation of tears and the survival of the surface of the eye finely and secreted by the gland gland.

 

● The middle layer: A watermark cleanses the eye from foreign objects and is excreted by the lacrimal gland.

 

● The inner layer: mucus allows the water layer to spread evenly on the surface of the eye and helps to maintain moisture and without them do not stick tears in the eye and secreted by the conjunctiva (membrane covering the solid and lining eyelids)

 

 

 

Causes of dry eye?

 

Less tears are shedding as tears progress and although the incidence of eye dryness in males and females is at any age, the percentage is higher in women than men. Especially after menopause and usually accompanied by dry eye arthritis and dry mouth.

 

Some medicines cause eye dryness through the effect of reducing the secretion of tears and therefore must inform the ophthalmologist of all types of medicines that the patient, including:

 

• Diuretics

 

● Some pressure medications

 

● Antihypertensives

 

● Hypnotic disks

 

● Nerve drugs

 

● Analgesics

 

Since some of these drugs are necessary for the patient so he must get used to dry eye or the use of artificial tears and often the eyes of people with dry eye sensitive to preservatives used in eye drops or industrial tears, which leads to irritation.

 

 

 

 

 

How is dry eye diagnosed?

 

The doctor can diagnose eye dryness through full examination and may need to perform some tests that measure the secretions of tears.

 

 

 

How is dry eye treated?

 

Add tears:

 

Eye drops can cause the natural tears to lubricate the eye and maintain the moisture of the surface.

 

Some droplets free of preservatives are used more than once every two hours. There is a kind of artificial tears that are placed under the lower eyelid daily and dissolve in the form of lipids that play the role of tears. It can be used as needed (once every two times).

 

Keep the tears:

 

It is another form to keep the eye in a wet state. In normal conditions, the tears are discharged through a small canal to the nose. This is the reason why the nose is sprayed while crying. The eye doctor can temporarily or permanently close the canal to keep the natural tears longer on the eye surface.

 

 

 

Other methods:

 

As the tears evaporate like any other liquid from the surface of the eye, one of the steps to treat dry eye:

 

● Prevent this evaporation by using a source to add moisture to the room where the patient is sitting.

 

● Wear side-rimmed glasses to prevent the wind from increasing the evaporation of the tears and be careful when using them as they may interfere with peripheral vision while driving.

 

● Avoid sitting in a room with a high degree. Or use a hair dryer and distance from the currents of heavy air and refrain from smoking. Some may complain of itching when waking up in the morning, which can be treated with a small amount of ointment before bedtime.

 

● Eye dryness may occur due to vitamin A deficiency, especially in poor countries. It is treated with ointments containing this vitamin.