Dry eye syndrome is a chronic inadequate tear volume or quantity resulting in an unstable tear film and giving symptoms ranging from subtle but constant irritation to ocular inflammation of the anterior (front) tissues of the eye.

Medical terms, keratitis sicca, which generally means decreased quality or quantity of tears. Keratoconjunctivitis sicca refers to eye dryness affecting the cornea and conjunctiva Sjogrens syndrome is an autoimmune inflammatory disease causing dry eye. Ocular Rosacea (Acne generally in 40-50’s group) Dry eyes also are a symptom of systemic diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis

Dry Eye Syndrome Symptoms

Persistent dryness, scratching and burning in your eyes are signs of dry eye syndrome.

Another symptom of dry eyes is a "foreign body sensation," the feeling that something is in the eye.

And it may seem odd, but sometimes watery eyes can result from dry eye syndrome, because the excessive dryness works to over stimulate production of the watery component of your eye's tears. I sometimes think dry eye is "Mis-named"

What Causes Dry Eyes?

Tears bathe the eye, washing out dust and debris and keeping the eye moist. They also contain enzymes that neutralize the microorganisms that colonize the eye. Tears are essential for good eye health and also for the optical quality if the oily layer is too thin the tears evaporate quickly causing the tears to break up like rain on the wind screen of a car resulting in blurry vision

Making a few small and practical alterations to your environment can help

Concentrating for long periods of time reading or working on a computer results in a slower blink rate so make a conscious effort to blink and or take periodic breaks

Dry eye can be exaggerated by dehydration. Drink sufficient water each day to give your eyes the ability to produce enough fluids.

Wear sunglasses when you are outdoors to reduce sun, wind, and dust exposure, especially people working outdoors as are a number of farmers and vineyard workers in Marlborough

If using air conditioning or a heater, consider investing in a humidifier.

When the dry eye symptoms are at their worst, wear glasses instead of contact lenses. Contact lenses can stress an eye that is already not producing enough tears. Also check that any eye drops are compatible with contact lenses.

If you wear eye makeup make sure it is waterproof to avoid bleeding. When applying mascara only apply it to the tips of the upper lashes. If you can, try to avoid applying makeup to the lower eyelid and lashes all together.

Supplement your diet with foods that are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. These foods include walnuts, cod liver oil, flax seed oil, primrose oil, and cold-water fish. Eating foods rich in vitamin A such as eggs or dark green and yellow vegetables may also help nourish the parts of your eyes that retain moisture.

Treatment for Dry Eyes

Dry eye syndrome is an ongoing condition that may not be completely curable (depending on the cause), but the accompanying dryness, scratchiness and burning can be managed. Your Optometrist or Ophthalmologist may prescribe artificial tears, which are lubricating eye drops that may alleviate the dry, scratching feeling.

Sometimes people use the antihistamine eye drops that "get the red out" to treat their dry eyes. This won't work unless the eye drops also contain artificial tears. These drops can reduce or eliminate the redness temporarily, but they don't treat the cause of the redness, whether it's dryness, environmental irritation and the redness will often rebound returning more vigorous than before.

The vasoconstrictors in those formulas that reduce redness by contracting the eye's blood vessels are addictive, in the sense that over time, more and more is needed to achieve the same effect. With frequent use, the effect diminishes after a while.

Check the label, but better yet, check with your Optometrist or Ophthalmologist before buying any over-the-counter eye drops. It will probably save you a lot of money, because he or she will know which formulas are effective and long-lasting and which ones are not, as well as which eye drops will work with your contact lenses.

Temporary or permanent silicone plugs (Punctal plugs)can be inserted in the lacrimal (tear) drainage ducts in your eyelids to keep tears on your eye from draining away as quickly. Treating any underlying eyelid disease, such as bleparitis, helps as well. This may call for antibiotic or steroid eye drops plus frequent eyelid scrubs with an antibacterial shampoo. Sterilid works well, also hot compresses

Dry eyes increase your risk for poor healing after LASIK, so most surgeons will want to treat the dry eyes first to ensure a successful outcome.

I don’t believe reading sad books will help either so stay Happy and manage it with your favourate Optom "US"