By Dr. Gary Goberville
Blinking helps lubricate and moisten our eyes so they don’t feel dry. If you’ve experienced dry winds blowing into your face or when reading or on your computer for extended time, you know that unpleasant “sandpaper eyes” feeling. For some, that feeling of dry, irritated eyes stays with us. Sometimes eyes don’t produce enough tears to moisten and those tears don’t drain properly. This condition is common when we get older. Eye doctors call it “keratoconjunctivitis sicca,” but you probably know it by “Dry Eye Syndrome.”
Dry Eye Syndrome, or “DES,” affects people over the age of 40 with symptoms including: • Itchy eyes • Red, bloodshot eyes • An increased sensitivity to light
If you think, “That’s how I felt last week,” think about what you were doing. Were you in a hot, windy environment, an office with air constantly blowing onto your face, or staring at a computer or TV screen for a long time? A constant breeze can dry out our eyes and staring intently at monitors can cause us not to blink as often as we should. When this happens, we don’t receive the moisture our eyes need. Browse this site for the cleaning of air ducts in your home and office which can also be a cause of dry eyes. If you weren’t trekking across the Sahara Desert and are finding that your eyes feel dry more often than they used to, then you may have dry eyes.
While common, DES isn’t something you’ll simply “get over.” Your eye doctor will prescribe treatment that you’ll need to stick with to help alleviate the condition. Treatments may include:
• Applying artificial tears eye drops. If you have chronically dry eyes, applying moisture by using artificial tears throughout the day probably wont be sufficient. There are many new options that include special soaps, lid scrubs or cleaning your tear glans with special instruments These new special soaps also contain ingredients that help fight infection, lubricate the eye and work great to help DES.
• A great way to get those tears flowing is Restaises, a prescription medication that is available through your eye doctor and is very effective in treating DES. Restaises continues to decrease dry eyes for years after it is started.
• Another very effective treatment is blocking your tear ducts. Why do such a thing? Because it can help keep more tears around the eyes, helping them to stay moist.
While there isn’t one method for alleviating dry eyes for everyone, the methods we’ve listed here have helped many with this problem. If you are suffering from DES Consult with your optometrist here at Eye Site Vision Center!
Dr. Gary Goberville, Optometric Physician
Eye Site Vision Center, 2344 N. University Dr. Coral?Springs
954-344-3937