Understanding Dry Eye Disease: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
Dry Eye Disease is a common condition that often affects both eyes, leading to discomfort and potential complications if not properly managed. Recognizing the signs and understanding the causes of dry eye can help in seeking timely treatment and preventing long-term damage to your eyes.
Signs and symptoms, which usually affect both eyes, may include:
- A stinging, burning or scratchy sensation in your eyes
- Stringy mucus in or around your eyes
- Sensitivity to light
- Eye redness
- A sensation of having something in your eyes
- Difficulty wearing contact lenses
- Difficulty with nighttime driving
- Watery eyes, which is the body's response to the irritation of dry eyes
- Blurred vision or eye fatigue
Dry Eye Causes
Inflammation
Systemic inflammation drives local inflammation in the eyes. Ocular inflammation drives permanent deterioration of the oil and water glands, furthering your dry eye symptoms and limiting the overall success of treatment. For this reason, it is essential to treat ocular inflammation early and aggressively and to look for ways to improve systemic sources of your inflammation.
Meibomian Gland Disease (MGD)
Meibomian Gland Disease (MGD) occurs initially when the oil (meibum) that is created is semi-solid instead of liquid. This is primarily influenced by your diet and levels of systemic inflammation. The glands become clogged over time and no longer excrete oil into the tear film. This process is often accelerated in those spending long hours on devices, because they often do not close their lids all the way when blinking. Full blinks serve to "milk" these oil glands. Once oil glands are clogged and the oil can no longer move out, the gland begins to "dry up" and are permanently shut down. It is essential that we treat clogged glands aggressively to prevent further loss and limited outcomes. When we are able to liquify the oil being produced it is then excreted into the tear film with every blink. This slows down the tear evaporation on the eye's surface which prevents burning and blur between blinks. In addition to soothing your dry eye symptoms, increasing the oil content in the tears also helps protect and nourish the ocular surface.
Bacteria
Bacterial and/or mite overproliferation creates inflammation of the lid margin, driving toxins into the tear film that aggravate the eye, causing redness and inflammation on the actual ocular surface. We will engage topical cleansers, antibiotics, and / or mechanical exfoliators to eradicate the intrusion.
Bacteria
Bacterial and/or mite overproliferation creates inflammation of the lid margin, driving toxins into the tear film that aggravate the eye, causing redness and inflammation on the actual ocular surface. We will engage topical cleansers, antibiotics, and / or mechanical exfoliators to eradicate the intrusion.
Lid function
Proper lid function is essential to protecting and hydrating the ocular surface. Some issues can be treated with blink exercises and special masks, but others may require an eventual surgical referral.
Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye (ADDE)
The lacrimal gland can be permanently damaged by inflammation, with or without Sjogren's Disease. It is important that we stress hydration, and enlist pharmaceuticals and/or punctal occlusion when needed.
