Dry Eye Disease: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

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Dry eye disease is a common condition that occurs
when your tears aren't able to provide adequate
lubrication for your eyes. Tears can be inadequate
and unstable for many reasons. For example, dry
eyes may occur if you don't produce enough tears or
if you produce poor-quality tears. This tear instability
leads to inflammation and damage of the eye's
surface.

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Dry eyes feel uncomfortable. If you have dry eyes,
your eyes may sting or burn. You may experience dry
eyes in certain situations, such as on an airplane, in
an air-conditioned room, while riding a bike or after
looking at a computer screen for a few hours.
Treatments for dry eyes may make you more
comfortable. These treatments can include lifestyle
changes and eye drops. You'll likely need to take
these measures indefinitely to control the symptoms
of dry eyes.

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When to See a
Doctor
See your doctor if you've
had prolonged signs and
symptoms of dry eyes,
including red, irritated, tired
or painful eyes. Your doctor
can take steps to determine
what's bothering your eyes
or refer you to a specialist.

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In addition to being called dry eye syndrome, dry eye disease
or simply "dry eye," alternative medical terms used to
describe dry eyes include:
Keratitis sicca. Generally used to describe dryness and
inflammation of the cornea.
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Used to describe dry eye that
affects both the cornea and the conjunctiva.
Dysfunctional tear syndrome. Used to emphasize that poor
quality of tears can be just as important as low quantity.

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What Causes Dry Eyes?
- heavy reading or digital device use
- living/working in dry environment
- prolonged contact lens wear
- LASIK surgery
- smoking
- health conditions
- medications
- allergies

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Prevention
If you experience dry eyes, pay attention to the situations that are most
likely to cause your symptoms. Then find ways to avoid those situations
in order to prevent your dry eyes symptoms. For instance:
- avoid air blowing in your eyes
- add moisture to the air
- consider wearing wraparound glasses or other protective eyewear
- be aware of your environment
- position your computer screen below eye level
- stop smoking and avoid smoke
- use artificial tears regularly

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Dry Eye Treatment
Dry eye syndrome is a chronic and typically
progressive condition. Depending on its cause and
severity, it may not be completely curable.
But in most cases, dry eyes can be managed
successfully. Treatment usually results in greater
comfort, fewer dry eye symptoms and, sometimes,
sharper vision.
Dry eye disease can have a number of causes, and a
variety of treatments are used.

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Apart from using eye drops there are other ways to treat
dry eyes.
1. Punctual plugs
A punctual plug is a small, sterile device that is inserted into one
of the small openings (puncta) of tear drainage ducts that are
located in the inner corner of the upper and lower eyelids.
After these openings have been plugged, tears can no longer
drain away from the eye through the ducts. This results in the tear
film remaining intact longer on the surface of the eye, relieving
dry eye symptoms.

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2. Meibomian gland expression
A very significant percentage of dry eye cases are caused
by inadequate oil (meibum) being secreted from
meibomian glands located along the margin of the
eyelids.
The openings of these glands are near the base of the
eyelashes. If these openings get clogged, the oil that's
critical to keeping the tear film from evaporating too
quickly cannot do its job. This is called meibomian gland
dysfunction (MGD), which is a significant cause of
evaporative dry eye symptoms.
The tear drainage system will keep the eye moist and
protected.

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3. Warm compresses
An alternative (and potentially more comfortable) way to help
open clogged meibomian glands to treat dry eyes is to simply
apply warm compresses to the closed eyelids to soften the
hardened meibum.
Unfortunately, for warm compresses to work well, some
researchers say you have to use a compress that can maintain a
temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 10 minutes,
and the compresses have to be applied for this length of time at
least twice a day.
Most people are unable or unwilling to perform this type of dry
eye treatment correctly, and shorter and less frequent use of
variable-temperature warm compresses typically is ineffective.

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4. LipiFlow
The LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation System (TearScience) is an automated, in-office dry eye
treatment that combines the best features of warm compress therapy and meibomian gland
expression.
The patented device fits over the eyelids and applies precisely controlled heat to the lids to
soften hardened meibum trapped in the meibomian glands. At the same time, the LipiFlow
system applies pulsed pressure to the eyelids to open and express the clogged glands,
thereby restoring the correct balance of oils in the tear film to relieve dry eye syndrome.

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5. Intense pulsed light
In IPL treatment, a hand-held device flashes bright light onto the skin. The light is
filtered to allow only wavelengths that can be absorbed by the dilated blood vessels.
The effect of this treatment may be the resolution of the dilated vessels and associated
inflammation that contributes to dry eye symptoms.
Many patients experience relief from their dry eye symptoms after IPL and become
less dependent on artificial tears and other routine measures to keep their eyes
comfortable.

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6. Nutritional supplements
Doctors sometimes recommend nutritional supplements as part of a
holistic dry eye treatment plan.