Dry Eyes & Dry Eye Syndrome

A very common condition, it has various causes. Symptoms range from a gritty dry eye, to a burning feeling, to a foreign body sensation. The severity of the symptoms can be mild to disabling.

The reason why this happens can be a few:

Poor Tear Production

If the quantity of the tears that are produced are low, then the tear film does not stay stable long enough between each blink, causing the dry eye symptoms.

Poor Tear Quality

If the tear glands are not producing good quality tears, then again, the tear film will not stay stable long enough between each blink.

Underlying Lid Disease

If there is underlying Blepharitis, this can cause lid inflammation and cause dry eye symptoms, as well as recurring infections like conjunctivitis.

Environmental

If you are in a lot of air conditioned environments, or working a lot on computers and laptops without taking breaks, then you could develop dry eye symptoms. Lack of or poor quality sleep can also cause dry eyes to manifest.

Treatment Options

At Murray Opticians if you develop or feel you have any of the above symptoms, we can assess you for dry eyes and create a management plan. It’s important to emphasise there is no magic “cure” for dry eyes, but we can offer a lot of options to manage your condition to reduce if not eliminate the symptoms.

Artificial Tear Drops- An excellent way to alleviate dry eye symptoms, patients use this 3-4 times a day to help calm down their symptoms and use this for as long as they have symptoms, whether a week or lifelong

Lid Wipes- Special wipes to help clean lids, especially if there is blepharitis present, can help reduce overall symptoms and can be used with artificial tear drops or on its own, depending on cause of dry eyes

Warm Compress Mask- If your glands are blocked, a warm compress over glands for 5-10 minutes every day can help open the glands up and help create better quality tears. Masks are easy to use and can be heated in the microwave for a minute to be used straight away.

Supplements- Certain supplements like Omega 3, Flax seed oil and Primrose oil can help create better tear quality and help reduce dry eye symptoms.

At Murray Opticians, we will take a detailed understanding of your issues and investigate your symptoms before presenting a management plan to help you feel happier with your eyes.