a

Dry-Eye

In dry eye syndrome, the eyes do not produce enough tears, or the tears that are produced evaporate too quickly.

Signs and Symptoms:

• Stinging or burning sensation 

• Foreign body sensation

• Stringy mucus in or around the eyes

• Eye irritations from smoke or wind

• Excess tearing

• Difficulty wearing contact lenses

Dry-Eye Syndrome can be caused by:

• Natural aging process, especially during menopause

• Side effect of many medications,( antihistamines, antidepressants, certain blood pressure medicines, Parkinson's medications, and birth control pills)

• Autoimmune diseases (Lupus, Sjogren's Disease, rheumatoid arthritis, etc) 

• Dry or windy climate

• Insufficient blinking, such as when you're staring at a computer screen for a long time

Treatment

• Avoid any causes of dryness, use a humidifier in a heated room.

• Artificial tears eye drops can help, but sometimes the preservatives in the drops can irritate the eyes, and preservative free artificial tears may be needed.

• For more severe cases of dry eye, in which the cornea is inflamed, anti-inflammatory agents are sometimes prescribed.

• Flaxseed oil may be of additional help in addition to chronic lid hygiene techniques that your eye care professional can describe.

• For moderate to severe dry eye patients, Restasis may be the ultimate in helping improving the quality and quantity of ocular lubrication.

• For more severe cases treatment includes the painless insertion of temporary or permanent plugs in your tear ducts.