How to Treat Dry Eyes

Tearing up at a sad movie or blinking rapidly to moisturize their eyes is a luxury that some people don’t experience.  These individuals likely suffer from dry eyes, which can be a much more frustrating and painful experience than what the name might suggest.  Dry eyes happen when you’re not able to produce enough hight quality tears to lubricate and moisturize your eyes.  This can occur whether you have trouble producing tears, or your tears don’t have enough components in them to properly moisturize your eyes.

People who suffer from dry eyes experience a myriad of uncomfortable sensations and symptoms, including the following:

• Stinging
• Burning
• Itching
• Rapid eye fatigue
• Sensitivity to bright lights
• Redness
• The sensation that something’s in your eyes
• Difficulty wearing contact lenses
• Blurred vision, which often gets worse at the end of the day

If you experience any of these symptoms on a regular basis, it’s important to schedule an appointment with your ophthalmologist right away.  Your ophthalmologist can help determine a treatment that can alleviate the symptoms that make you the most uncomfortable.

To understand what treatments are available, it’s important to understand why dry eyes occur in the first place.  For some individuals, their tears don’t produce enough oil, water, and mucus to moisturize the eyes; for others, dry eyes can be a result of the aging process, menopause, or having had laser eye surgery.  Some medications can cause dry eyes, as well as staring at a computer screen all day (this makes you less likely to blink).

Most Treatments For Dry Eyes Include The Following:

• Antibiotics: This may be useful for patients who are suffering from inflammation along the eyelids, which may be preventing the oil glands in your eyelids from secreting into your eyes.

• Prescription Eye Drops:  Medicated eye drops can control any inflammation on the surface of the patient’s eyes.  These eye drops typically contain corticosteroids to suppress the immune system, which creates the inflammation.

• Nutritional supplements: We are learning that our diet plays an important role in ocular health, including our eyes. Numerous studies have shown that many of us are deficient in Omega 3s, which are an essential part of our diet found today primarily in fish. Omega 3 supplementation in the correct form and amount provides significant relief to many patients with dry eyes.

• Special Contact Lenses:  These contact lenses can be used in severe cases of dry eyes, as the contact lenses can trap moisture on your eyes and alleviate your symptoms.  These contact lenses are often referred to as bandage lenses or corneal shields.

In order to effectively treat dry eyes, it’s important to schedule regular exams with your ophthalmologist. At the Center for Ophthalmology and Laser Surgery – serving the greater Fort Lauderdale, FL and surrounding Florida areas – Dr. Loeffler and his staff members are dedicated to protecting your ocular health against the symptoms of dry eyes.  Schedule an appointment with Dr. Loeffler today to learn more about dry eyes and your treatment options. (954) 786-5353