Ocular health
Dry eye is a very common chronic condition that affects the front surface of the eye.
Dry Eye has many causes. Changes in weather, changes in diet, changes in hormones, screen time, medications we take, contact lens over wear, alcohol or THC use, cosmetics, and many systemic conditions such as autoimmune diseases and diabetes.
Common symptoms include burning, tearing, redness, stinging, sandy/gritty feeling, sensitivity to light, glare, eyelid swelling, and fluctuations of the vision.
There are two parts of your tear film affected by dry eye: the oily layer and the watery layer.
We need to address both of these to keep the front surface of the eye happy and moisturized.
To address the watery layer of your tears, you can use artificial tears and make sure you’re staying hydrated!
Here is a list of artificial tear brands we recommend:
Refresh
Systane
Retaine
Blink
Theratears
Folks with severe dryness or sensitivities should use preservative free formulations. Avoid the generics because there have been a lot of recalls on them recently. Also, don’t use drops that say “get the red out”.
All of the above brands also have gel or ointment versions that are great to use before bed.
To address the oily layer of your years, we recommend:
Warm compresses with gentle massage of the lids. For this you will need warm, moist heat (the Bruder mask is ideal)
Lid scrubs (Ocusoft)
Omega 3 supplements (Nordic Naturals)
Some lifestyle considerations include using a humidifier, using a silk pillowcase or eye mask, taking frequent screen breaks and remembering to blink, turn fans/vents from blowing directly on the face, and avoid putting makeup on the waterline.
Maintenance for dry eye is super important! Keep up this routine even if you aren’t having severe symptoms.
For more severe cases of dry eye, your optometrist may recommend additional treatments such as steroid drops, immunosuppressor drops like Restasis or Xiidra, punctal plugs, or specialty contact lenses.
