What Can I do To Treat My Dry Eyes This Summer?
July 29th, 2021
Summer should be a time of fun and relaxation, but for millions, it means an increase in their dry eye symptoms. Dry eye can have a strong negative impact on your life, and if you don’t fix it, it can spiral out of control.
Eventually, if left untreated, chronic dry eye can cause permanent damage to your eyes. If you find yourself struggling with dry eye, know that there are treatments available.
Keep reading to learn how you can treat your chronic dry eyes this summer!
Find the Source of Your Dry Eye
The first step to treating dry eye syndrome is finding out what is causing it in the first place. Dry eye has two leading causes.
It either stems from insufficient tear production or increased tear evaporation. It is usually caused by one or the other, but both causes can be present as well.
Inadequate Tear Production
It’s apparent why dry eye can come from problems with tear production. If your eyes aren’t hydrating themselves, then they will dry out.
Decreased tear production can happen for one or more of the following reasons. It can occur as a symptom of:
- Aging
- A bigger medical issue
- A side effect of certain medications
- Damage to the nerves in the cornea that regulate tear production
All these issues can decrease the number of tears your body is capable of making. The easiest way to help your body produce more tears is to maintain adequate hydration.
Increased Tear Evaporation
Increased tear evaporation usually happens when your tears are not coated in enough oil. The oil comes from glands inside the lip of your eyelid.
It provides a barrier between the nourishing water of the tear and the open air. Problems with oil production occur if blepharitis is inflaming your eyelids or if the glands have a block.
Your tears can also experience increased evaporation if:
- You don’t blink enough
- You are in an arid climate
- There is smoke in the air
- You have a vitamin A deficiency
- Your allergies are acting up
Often, a combination of these causes dry eye. Addressing each issue will help your eyes stay hydrated. If your eyes are still dry after eliminating each of the factors listed above, additional treatment may be necessary.
How to Manage Your Dry Eye
As with most problems, you should first try to prevent them from occurring in the first place. Ask your physician if there is a relationship between your dry eye and another problem.
Check your medications to see if any of them cause dry eye. Your eye doctor may be able to recommend an alternative.
Attending regular eye appointments is the best way to handle your chronic dry eye. Your eye doctor will help you determine what is causing them and how you can best reduce your dry eye symptoms.
Forming good habits is key to preventing dry eye. Limit your time in front of screens, quit smoking, and keep your house clean and dusted, for starters.
If you are still experiencing symptoms, use eye drops instead of rubbing your eyes for relief. Rubbing your eyes will not help in the long term and is likely to harm your eyes.
If your dry eye persists, you may need the help of an eye doctor to get to the root source of the issue. Gland expression therapy, punctal plugs, and tear-inducing medication can be very effective.
Don’t live with chronic dry eye. Get rid of your symptoms now! Schedule an appointment at Laser Eye Center in Huntsville, AL, today to get to the root of your dry eye problems.
