There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to dry eye disease. Over the next few posts, we will go into understanding what’s going on behind the eyelids of those red, burning, blurry, and gritty eyes, and then get into ways we can treat and manage it. Let’s start with an introduction.
Awareness and understanding of dry eye disease (DED) has grown extensively over the past few decades, and with it a plethora of treatment options, but it is important to keep in mind that the inherent multifactorial nature can make it a challenging and frustrating condition to experience as well as treat and manage. While it is estimated that more than 30 million Americans have symptoms of DED, it is likely that many more suffer from this often-debilitating disease.
Speaking of symptoms, what are some symptoms of DED?
- Dryness, itching, feels like something is in your eye, burning, light sensitivity, eye pain, and watering – I know what you’re thinking, how can my eyes be dry if they’re watering? Well, if your eyes are dry, they first try to compensate by making more and more tears, but because these tears don’t have the right components, they just run down your face instead of moisturizing your eyes!
- Blurry vision that is sporadic and intermittent – Our tear film not only keeps our eyes hydrated for comfort, but it also creates a smooth surface so we can see clearly.
- Eye strain and computer discomfort — Blinking is important because it helps to spread the tear film over the surface of your eyes. If you don’t blink as often, like when using our laptops or smart phones, it can lead to discomfort.
- Crusting or red eyelids – It is important that we keep our eyelids clean so our eyelid glands (Meibomian glands) can release their oils and coat the surface of our eyes.
- Red eyes – This is a key sign of inflammation! We will talk about inflammation a lot, because it is a key mechanism in DED.
The wide variety of symptoms you can experience with dry eye disease is because there can be many causes and contributing factors. Some examples are:
| · Oral medications | · Eye surgeries | · Eyelid irregularities |
| · Contact lenses | · Environment | · Topical drugs and preservatives |
| · Autoimmune conditions | · Computer use | · Allergies |
| · Systemic diseases | · Blepharitis/Meibomian Gland Dysfunction | · Sjogren’s Syndrome |
The most common treatment that many patients will start with are artificial tears. These drops can add moisture to the eye and help alleviate some discomfort. However, there are so many artificial tears in the “Eye” aisle at the store, it can be overwhelming to figure out which one to pick! Here are some of my favorites:
Refresh Mega-3 Many patients have evaporative dry eye where the tears evaporate very quickly because of meibomian gland dysfunction (we will talk more about this in the next post!). This means that the tear film has an abnormally thin oil layer. Refresh Mega-3 contains flaxseed oil, which helps to boost the oil layer to keep the tears on the eyes longer.
Refresh Relieva & Optase Hydrate These are both nice, refreshing preservative free drops that contain hyaluronic acid. This agent is excellent at retaining moisture, which makes it a great ingredient for an eye drop!
Siccasan You can only find this drop available for purchase online at the moment, but it is a thicker drop that provides long term hydration on the eye. It does not have mineral oil or petroleum, and can be used during the day or at night time for healing the surface of the eye overnight.
Keep in mind that while these drops can help your eyes feel better short term, they don’t treat the underlying cause of dry eye disease. If you find yourself using artificial tears more than four times a day for relief, it is certainly time to see an eye doctor and consider another treatment method!
